Registered: Feb 2004
Location: Los Angeles, CA / Seattle, WA / S.F. Bay Area, CA
Should you mix at a constant BPM or varying?
Newbie question, but if you're beatmatching all your records, then the BPM will just stay at the BPM of the record you started your set with, correct? Is it not ok to change the pitch of the record already playing as to slowly change the BPM of your set?
For example, using arbitrary numbers, say I started with a 120 BPM track, and wanted to mix a 140 BPM track in, could I slowly change the pitch over the course of several records so that it would easier to mix the 140 BPM record in?
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-tom
Oct-07-2004 02:03
auujay
The Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Nov 2002
Location: Cleveland
Yes, changing the pitch over time is vary possible and something I have ben known to do. If you feel like that is where your set is going then by all means go for it.
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"You can only drink 30 or 40 glasses of beer a day, no matter how rich you are." - Colonel Adolphus Busch
Yep, and if yoou're playing out you'll want to speed up the pace as the night goes on. It is even possible to speed up the live record a large amount(such as +8%) if you do it extremely slowly and steadily, such as over the course of 1-2 minutes. Don't do it with quick or jerky movements, however, because then it will be noticeable.
Oct-07-2004 03:14
dj jasonF
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Aug 2004
Location: athens, greece
some tracks sound amazing when you change the pitch slowly but fast enough to notice. its like saying that the party started.
btw. there are not reall rules to dj. only guidlines. and even if there were rules. rules are made to break them
EDIT: i mean with a cd player with key lock on...
Last edited by dj jasonF on Oct-08-2004 at 18:45
Oct-07-2004 11:25
Nemesis44
ZZZZZzzzzzz.....
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Brighton
When I play in clubs I usually finish a fair bit faster than I started within reason ofcourse.
But there are no hard and fast rules and you will have to adapt to what you see.
I usually find it nice to ride the pitch up when the song that's playing goes into a nice buildup. Right before it crashes into the climax, give that pitch fader a little hit. It can really whip the crowd into a frenzy if you do it right, and with the right song. Though I must say that there are some songs, that just wouldn't work well messing with the pitch fader. There are some songs that just need to be rock steady. heh.
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Oct-07-2004 13:04
wiregen
tranceaddict
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: USA
I find I bounce a lot...based on crowds,
I start with house music everyone loves (noticable tracks)125
Work my way to faster beats some hardhouse 136bpm tracks
here I can either got to 140bpm if the crowd is not feeling it I slow it back or keep it around 136bpm...
Well you can increase and decrease bpm, just adj it 1/2% or 1% gradually throughout the track. people dont even notice
Oct-07-2004 15:34
displaced
Senior tranceaddict
Registered: Dec 2001
Location: in traffic
bpm for me tends to creep up a notch during the course of a mix set.
i sometimes try jump starting a higher tempo (138-140) in at an upbeat after flaring (not sure if that's the right terminology) the slower tempo (125-128) for no more than a measure. its a hit or miss for me, but it seems to sound better with tracks with similar high hats but with big difference in tempo. i think that's prolly personal preference...
anyways i can't recommend it for going fast to slow. for some reason, it always seems illogical to me, prolly for the same reason that my bpm creeps up during mixes...
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Oct-08-2004 01:52
DjSimonB
Convergence
Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Glasgow
I like to pitch up slowly during the set, and because I play everything from 125-135 bpm prog trance to 140-ish uplifting and tech trance, it's often necessary if I'm doing a longer set...
I usually try my best to make the changes subtle, I won't pitch a record up by more than, say, 3 bpm during its course, unless I really need to.
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Oct-08-2004 17:38
Wacky Hacky
tranceaddict
Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
I am definitely pro changing the pitch upwards over the course of a mix. A nice buildup can make the crowd go insane if you turn the pitch up even 2%. It also helps your set loosen up a bit. People like variation and a variation in BPM also works on them.
I sometimes go from 130 at the start to 150 when I finish a mix. When playing at parties I like to start slow, build up, and by the time the party ends I usually go down again.
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