I've had a lot of trouble getting the beats close to each other...so a few days ago I took 30second sample recordings onto my minidisc. I then ran it through a BPM counter on my computer. After I got the bpms for all my tracks..and wrote it on my vinyl, along with the # of bpms each % on the pitch slider would change the song.

So I've got that info down on my vinyl, and with a quick glance I can move the cued record within 1-2 bpms of the record that's playing. I then use my headphones and ears to get it perfectly beatmatched and aligned. Ever since I've started doing this, the quality of my mixes has gone up an enormous amount.

If you understood this (I'm not great at explaining things, heheh), the question is...am I cheating myself, or did I just think up of a nice little trick to help me?

Thanks for reading!

i don't think you're cheating yourself at all....

for some, they need a "kickstart" to get them to learn beat matching by ear. Just don't make a habit of doing this, b/c if you ever decide to go big, you're not going to have everything labeled for you all the time

I would recommend to continue doing this until you get more comfortable, then slowly try weening yourself off the system - i.e. take those numbers off the pitch controls... then later scratch out what you wrote on the records. The key is to get good at it by ear.

Good beginners method - just don't get used to it!

Cheers!

-ABT-

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Peace.

Your cheating yourself bigtime...don't worry about BPM to much...it's what sounds right....just keep practising, one day it will all come together....there are no shortcuts....

i don't think you should do that at all, you should use your ears from the beginning and get used to it imo, like ckerr812 said, there are no shortcuts. if you really need these bpms then only use them for a few times, and i mean a few times, thats like, the first 3 or 4 times you mix the track, just so you get used to the tempo of the track. but personally, i don't think you should do it at all.
thats my opinion anyways!

RR

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Its R-A-W-K-U-S

Just practice............everyone sounded like crap when they started mixing......just give it sometime and you'll be ok

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Thanks for the replies guys! I'm probably going to do it for a few more weeks, then ween myself off.

The only really important thing is the sound coming out of your speakers, so who cares how you get that to sound good? It's all that the crowd is paying attention to, most likely. Do whatever the hell you want to make it sound good - wank off in time to the beat, if you really have to! But just realize that if you want to get up there in status, you'll have to learn how to match by hand on the spur of the moment sooner or later.

it's a great method if you don't want to go big with the DJ stuff.....
trypsin is right. nobody actually gives a fuck how you get the 2 tracks beatmatched..... the only important thing is what the crowd hears....
but all the fun is to beatmatch with your ears.... I mean, I see me beatmatching when all the BPMs are right in front of me, that's boring!!!
I never used BPMs. I've been beatmatching with my ears and hands right from the start. it's just more fun!!!

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I dont think its a bad thing to do if you're starting off, but you shouldnt do it forever.
i think doing that BPM thing is a good way for beginners to practice other starting skills. an example was when i started DJ'ing for the first time (i use CD's) i had to get used to that jog wheel before i can attempt to beat-match. to be able to align the two beats together perfectly. once i had a feel for the wheel i focused on the matching the beats.
whatever works best for you just know that down the road you have to be able to do it all on the spot

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If God is the answer, it must have been a very stupid question.

It's OK to do it a few times, but don't get used to it.. as said, if want to make it big time you need to know how to mix anything and most of the things won't have the BPM's written on them.

Do it just on the beggining and then start matching by ear.

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I've been writing the BPM's on my records for many years. It's not cheating at all. In fact if you organize you vinyl by BPMs it makes for a much easier night of work. Ain't nothin' cheatin' about it at all.

P.S. That's even something that all the big boys do too.