What do you guys look for in a mix? I'm talking about from one track to another, not an overall set.

Do you like smooth blending or more obvious switching of beats etc.... And what do you think about using effects and samplers in the mix? Is that just a gimmick or does it give it something special and make it unique?

Well, it always depends on the style you're spinning.

Techno and some trance (minimal psy) sound good ONLY when doing extremely long mixes (several minutes) since the tracks are a little too dry to be played by themselves.

Trance, house etc. are usually mixed for maybe 32-64 bars because you want to avoid the two melody parts clashing and sounding too "busy" ... (which can be remedied to some extent if your tunes have the same key).

Hardhouse, jungle, D&B, Hardcore and the likes can be mixed really short and / or can be used to do cuts, beatjuggling and other tricks ...

I haven't had the chance to seriously play with a sampler / effect processor so I don't really know how it would be useful in my mixes ... but from what I've heard other people use these, it sounded really bad ... most people tend to overuse the effects and/or use them in the wrong places. I'm not too impressed with FX so far but I'm sure there are really good uses for them - just I can't really see how they could enhance your mix (well, I can but I haven't heard it being done ...).

What I try to achieve in my mixes is a perfectly seamless transition where you can't tell where one track ends and another begins - so I guess that's what I'm looking for in other people's mixing.

peace

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djskywarp.com
:: Ways of the Wikkid :: Canada's premiere Artist, DJ, Promoter, and Club Portal ::

I agree with you there. Personally (since I spin Trance and House) I really love super-silky smooth mixes over a minute or so because it just sounds much more professional to me. Trouble is, unless you're *really* quick at beatmatching, it's pretty tough!!!

I've heard a couple of DJs using effects like filter sweeps and shit but I thought the tracks were better left alone.

Why do you have to be quick at beatmatching? Unless you're mixing CD singles with radio edits or something, most house/trance choons are at least 7-8 mins long. If you can't manage to beatmatch with about 5-6 minutes of time between mixes, then you're doing something awfully wrong. No offence intended BTW!

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DJTJ

>What makes a good mix?

A good mix is the mix you like yourself. If others like it as well then that's a bonus. I wouldn't worry too much about what other people think is a 'good mix' cause you can never please everyone. If you start making things you are totally happy with yourself, then chances someone else will like it are pretty good.

PS. This is also applicable to life itself. haha

Yeah maybe, but I personally like to do a test run over a minute before I do the real drop to make sure it's really nice, and unless you can find your next record and get ready to beatmatch it instantaneously, you're probably only looking at 2 or 3 minutes out of 8. (No offence taken BTW).

Jax, I agree with you - I'm just interested in other people's tastes. Personally, if people don't like my mixes, they don't have to listen or they can sod off!

I personally (the Trance lover... sometimes amused by playing house) use a lot of different techniques, because if you do the same thing throughout the mix it will be at least boring for you...

One of the recent things I discovered is how good it sounds to mix two tracks during the breakdown (when there are no drums)... You pick up the moment and very quickly put the crossfader from one side to the other. If everything sounds right, it is really awesome.

Backspin is practical only during live performances, and not more than two or three times throughout the whole mix, but in the right place it really refreshes the mix (watch the crowd going mad).

Of course, you have to work with the equalizers really hard every time you're mix. The classic technique, which I use myself, is to put the bass in the incoming song down, while gradually (or harshly) substituting it for the bass of the outcoming song. Be shure to skip the middle part, when the bass level of tweo songs is the same, as quickly as possible, otherwise the two coinciding beats will diminish the bass level (I would call it "soundbucking" using the analogy with the guitar "humbucker" pickups)... Also try to begin all the changes corresponding to the "quadrants" or double quadrants (32 or 64 bars). Introduce the incoming song at the very beginning of the quadrant. Then it will be more difficult to notice when the mix started and let it flow more freely... You can listen to the usage of the bass substitution technique in the sample attached (at the bottom), mixed by me and judge how smooth it really can be.

Learn all the songs on your vinyls, and know what's where i.e. where the breakdown starts etc. Because if you have the breakdown of the incoming song, and the outcoming song's drums still play, it will generally sound pretty bad. If the track is new to you, look at the grooves on the vinyl... You can easily see the place with the breakdown having less "groove density", so to speak.

Sampler is really an amazing thing, when used properly. You can record the thunder and flash sound and play it when you are about to totally take away the outcoming track, and it will sound really smooth.

Also pretty fresh thing is to play some acappela on the third deck in the middle of another song.

What about beatmatching, it takes me approx 1 min to beatmatch, and then 3 minutes to check (the turntables have a disgutsting property of shifting the pitch... some very slightly, some not... even 1200s)...

Well, basically that's all the general stuff about my style of mixing.

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writing lyrics aint what it used to be

quote:

Originally posted by jax >What makes a good mix? A good mix is the mix you like yourself. If others like it as well then that's a bonus. I wouldn't worry too much about what other people think is a 'good mix' cause you can never please everyone. If you start making things you are totally happy with yourself, then chances someone else will like it are pretty good. PS. This is also applicable to life itself. haha

Well I would dissagree with that because if the mix sounds good to you.. and not to others.. and as for "others" I mean promoters and people who do bookings, If they don't like it, then you would have a harder time getting places to play at!.

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Darkevil / Philippe Lam
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DJTJ, from the let's say 7 minute track the intro and outro (where there isn't too much happening besides the kickdrum) are about 30 - 40 sec. each and you usually don't play these parts so that gives you about 5.5 min. You can't really beatmatch precisely during the breakdown, so that leaves you with abour 4.5 min. You usually need abouthave your mix run for about a minute which gives you 3.5 min. for beatmatching ... you usually let the tracks run together for about a minute or so in the headphones to verify that they're beatmatched properly, so that leaves you with 2.5 min. It takes about 30 seconds to find a tune in your crate so there's 2 min left for beatmatching. Finding the cue spot, waiting for the right bar, rewinding etc. takes another minute ... so it all leaves you with about one minute to beatmatch if you want to do a long mix - all of a sudden the "long" 7min tune isn't that long after all !

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djskywarp.com
:: Ways of the Wikkid :: Canada's premiere Artist, DJ, Promoter, and Club Portal ::

HAHA thats a nice schedule

I dunno how long it takes me to beatmatch. As long as it takes i guess. sometimes longer than other times. Depends. I have a style of mixing that always seems to produce songs of 4 minutes. I mean if u had to split my mixes up into track you can always huess that you have divide the time by 4.
I also have the tendancy to Mix to early. Mixing the choouns. Like mentioned earlier if there in a different key its all messed up, but I guess I get a little impatient. IN my room.
I like it when the mixes are seamless. Nice long mixes. I love it when I hear a mix and I forget where i am and I suddenly find that I have heard 3 songs. This happens more to me with techno or HH and not trance

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Only The Nutted Remain

Well, I personally don't use vinyl, cos I can't afford the decks. I'm a VTT man myself, unfortunately. But still, I don't see how this should make it quicker for me to beatmatch, but it seems to. The only difference I can see is that it doesn't take the 30 secs or so to find the next track in yer box.
I tend to beatmatch with this fairly quickly. I can have the songs play for about a minute or so fairly respectably, assuming I start from the beginning of the track, by the time I reach my entry point, usually about a minute in. I let this play while the other track plays and make fine adjustments until I'm happy. I'm not bothered about waiting for the right bar when beatmatching, as long as the beats coincide it doesn't really matter. You could even have altenate handclaps on each track, it's only you that hears it after all.
But then I find myself sitting there for about 2 or 3 minutes waiting for the previous track to end.

Perhaps it's just me!

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DJTJ

yeah i find i get that too. That im sitting around waiting. And that makes me mix it in to early because I cant be bothered.
If u dj somewhere you can look around and have a rest and maybe dance to your music while your waiting. Interact with the people. in your room there is only u and then you just sit there waiting.
Lately I have just put the needle a bit further, because i find there is no need to listen 2 the SAME record again. I know how it goes and since I dont buy records every week I hear mine very often. Unless if im recording I dont ofcourse. U should try it. It saves u loads of time I found. I can practise more in a shorter time

peace

ps i would love to mix with a third deck but the funds are always a factor.

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Only The Nutted Remain