ok. here's something to try.

the song that is live >> focus on the lows (bass) of this track.
the song that is being cued in your headphones >> focus on the highs

match them up like a regular track would have them

presto they're matched

also to get better at matching, get 2 copies of the same song, and match the beats up at differant places, it will help you tune your ear to what sounds correct

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I'm still in the process of learning but this is what I'm doing and I think I'm getting better ...

1) find 2 tracks with really nicely defined basslines... get the BPM's somehow, I use WinBPM (I'm aware that this is cheating, but I'm using it as a crutch right now )
2) start track 1
3) get track 2 going and find a good solid base hit (and do the math to figure out approx what you need for a pitch change)...
4) stop track 2 and cue it up over the bass hit and do a little scratch overtop the hit...
5) switch your cue so you can hear track 1... then release track 2 intime with track 1...
6) since track 2 is going to be close to track one cause you already did the math it should stay "close" to being matched (assuming you released at the right time, and you counted the beats right to begin with etc etc)...
7) listen for the drift and try to correct it... at first you won't know which way to go... (i never had a clue at first but now I'm sometimes aware of which is ahead and which is behind, other times I'm completely lost...

i find that this helps because it teaches me how to monitor the really small changes first... so I'm getting adjusted to finer beat matching... then after a while I'll try it without getting the original BPM's and just do it totally by ear... so I'm doing it microscopically out to macroscopically... rather than others who seem to do it macroscopically to microscopically...

good luck...

also, I just recently got a better pair of headphones from a friend (Sony MDRV600's which aren't great but are better than my Sony MDRCD280's) and this has really helped in the process, the beats are easier to pick out and the sound is much clearer so you can tell how ugly/nice the mix might sound... but I'm still saving up for some Senn 280's

quote:

Originally posted by DJ LIQUID ok. here's something to try. the song that is live >> focus on the lows (bass) of this track. the song that is being cued in your headphones >> focus on the highs match them up like a regular track would have them presto they're matched

you know what, that's something I've never heard before...it makes it even harder to do, but at the same time, that sounds like a damn good tip!!!!!!

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~*Drew*~

This is interesting to see how people are learning how to refine this skill...
I actually started out mixing on a DJ program on my comp...Tactile 12000 for about 2 months(just messing around) before I learned to actually spin on the decks...it came to me naturally
The most fair and efficient way is to learn to use your ears and differentiate between songs. This is how I learned to mix(I still use this technique now, only in occassion thuogh.)
1. Play a record. Start with something slow(135-140 bpm).
2. Listen to it for abuot a minute or less. Get a feel for the tempo of the song.
3. Start the other record that is on cue...
4. Back cue the record on a beat...any beat. Hold the record on that beat, at a point so when you release, it will hit the beat at the desired moment.
5. Listen to the other record...when a beat hits on the record that is currently playing right now, release the cued record.
6. Unless you are very very lucky, the beats should match. But chances are this aint going to happen. This is where trainwrecking develops...either the record you cued is too fast, you released too strong or it's too slow.
7. Either speed up or slow down the record by manipulating the table itself...physically speed it up by spinning the record forward, or slow it down by applying pressure to the platter until the beats ar in sync.
8. This is wher pitch control comes in.As your adjusting the speed of the record manually(by platter pushing or spinning it manually), slide the pitch accordingly: if you need to speed up the record, make the pitch higher and keep speeding up gradually and move the pitch gradually until no maniupulation is required.

This is very very general. Points 5, 7 and 8 ar the hardest ones to learn. Learning how to fin tune pitch while lstening is very very difficult. I'm sure many of us are not able to fine tune it when we want and resort to our sure fire techniques.
Learn how to cue and release, and use the pitch in accordance with the manipulation of the record. Sole use of pitch control comes naturally after practicing and practicing.
Some good tracks to use are Paul van Dyk's...his basslines are ver definite, with his trademark second beat "clap".
Lemme know how you are doing. PM me if you wanna know more.

quote:

Originally posted by ne1seenmykeys you know what, that's something I've never heard before...it makes it even harder to do, but at the same time, that sounds like a damn good tip!!!!!!

really?

well it works for me

I know lots of people who go like into 5+ steps just to beat match....but hey its a lot easier and you just gotta keep it simple

lol Thats how i went to being ok at beatmatching........to pretty damn smooth

you just have to have a keen ear

give it a try...i know it sounds odd....but it works

quote:

Originally posted by Milhouse I'm still in the process of learning but this is what I'm doing and I think I'm getting better ... 1) find 2 tracks with really nicely defined basslines... get the BPM's somehow, I use WinBPM (I'm aware that this is cheating, but I'm using it as a crutch right now )

You better don't use bpm counters, most of the times you just need to hear if it sound nice ...

Just pratice ... and pratice ..