razzi.

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Originally posted by sleepydragon How do u know what tracks go well with each other when mixing them? cose i never have a damn clue and it well jacks me off. Is it something that u just have to learn with experience over time? or am i just rubbish and dont have a clue? I struggle to put 3or4 tunes together before i get stuck with finding something else that will go into the last track i played. thanks

What your talking about is called set programming and is a skill that comes with tons of experience and a knowing all your records cold. Set programming is what makes it an experience to see a great dj play. it probably takes longer to master this than to beatmatch (anyone else dis/agree?)

If you want think about beatmatching as the technical part of djing and set programming as the art of it. Don't get me wrong, beatmatching takes years of practice to master too but its making people loose themselves for a few hours thats the true art...imo

try getting records within the same genre b/c generally they will be easier to mix together, also look for tracks with long intros and outros

my views on this is that you can mix anything into anything as long as you do it right..even across genres (obviously if your trying to mix hip-hop and harcore, its not gona work) but electro, trance, techno, house as long as the BPM isnt too far apart its possible IMO

It takes years of practice, thats what makes or breaks a DJ. I like to keep my songs in key with each other but I'm anal probably because of my formal music training. I hate when people mix songs that are out of key. Most people can't hear it but I sure can it sounds like nails on a chalk board.

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I've never been able to eat a whole baby.
Kill the women. Eat the children.
It's just one of those days where you want to bend over everyone you know and kiss their ass goodbye with a big sideways boot.

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Originally posted by Zild It takes years of practice, thats what makes or breaks a DJ. I like to keep my songs in key with each other but I'm anal probably because of my formal music training. I hate when people mix songs that are out of key. Most people can't hear it but I sure can it sounds like nails on a chalk board.

Agreed, I cringe deep inside whenever I hear songs out of key being mixed. Especially if it's an up and coming DJ who the locals think is really talented just because he can beat match pretty well. The chances are that he will always just be up and coming because he doesn't have what it takes to go to the next level.

Working with keys is having the knowledge of being able to lift the music and atmosphere just by playing a track in a different but compatible key.
Beleive me, people do notice even if they don't know it... if that makes any sense he he.

Back to your question SleepyDragon, it does take a certain amount of experience. Also when a lot of DJs start out they tend to be very random in their vinyl purchases and tend also to rely on the more commercial outlets such as Virgin or HMV if you live in England. This does limit your choice and quality and will frustrate you quite a lot as you will never be able to find those monster tracks that you really want to be dropping. First think you should do is check out the online stores and see what takes your fancy.

As I was saying one of the main things is that young DJs tend to mix styles of music a lot and it doesn't always work. It does take practice to get to know how program a set properly and it will come with experience.
Without knowing what level you are on and what records you have it's very difficult to actually go in and point too what you need to do exactly, it would also be good to hear a mix and that would make things easier too, you can PM me if you wish and I will try and give you some pointers.
Keep in mind that DJs have ego's and the majority of guys on this forum are relatively new to this with the exceptions of a few most don't really play out either, you can bet your ass that if you ask it there will be another load of guys who have been thinking about it so do ask if you want to know.

Knowing how to set program in your bedroom is something that takes time but knowing how to do it infront of a crowd is more important and that can only come if you play for people.

Cheers
Nem

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i don't know if i'm just talking out my ass 9which, hey, is quite possible) but it's just something about the way a track sounds.

for instance, i was playing, Adam Beyer & Jesper Dahlback "Number In Between", about a minute or two in, something in me just said "shit. the track i NEED to play after this is Rex The Dog's remix of Prodigy "Girls".

i'm not a pro. i don't mix harmonically (well, i have not a good enough understanding of harmonic mixing to know if i do or if i don't, which makes me assume i don't). but, my best sets have been those when every track i played would lead me to pick another to play next. and on each of those nights, a friend or someone in the crowd has said "dude, you played everything at the exact right moment". i've had 3 nights like this.

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It almost sounds like you were mixing in key those nights. Thats what mixing in key is about, finding tracks that complement each other harmonically. So if you think to yourself hey I need to play a certain track next because they sound great together, then they're probably in key.

___________________
I've never been able to eat a whole baby.
Kill the women. Eat the children.
It's just one of those days where you want to bend over everyone you know and kiss their ass goodbye with a big sideways boot.

Latest Mix

quote:

Originally posted by bass.exe my views on this is that you can mix anything into anything as long as you do it right..even across genres (obviously if your trying to mix hip-hop and harcore, its not gona work) but electro, trance, techno, house as long as the BPM isnt too far apart its possible IMO

exactly

and to prove that i have a mix that i just did that's on my website. hehe ( http://raaven.com )

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Originally posted by Nemesis44 Agreed, I cringe deep inside whenever I hear songs out of key being mixed. Especially if it's an up and coming DJ who the locals think is really talented just because he can beat match pretty well. The chances are that he will always just be up and coming because he doesn't have what it takes to go to the next level. Working with keys is having the knowledge of being able to lift the music and atmosphere just by playing a track in a different but compatible key. Beleive me, people do notice even if they don't know it... if that makes any sense he he. Cheers Nem

WHat about techno DJs such as liebing, Bayer, etc who mix on 3 to 4 turntables with new tracks coming in every 2 minutes. are they doing harmonic mixing and mixing in key?

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Originally posted by bass.exe WHat about techno DJs such as liebing, Bayer, etc who mix on 3 to 4 turntables with new tracks coming in every 2 minutes. are they doing harmonic mixing and mixing in key?

Yes.

___________________
I've never been able to eat a whole baby.
Kill the women. Eat the children.
It's just one of those days where you want to bend over everyone you know and kiss their ass goodbye with a big sideways boot.

Latest Mix

quote:

Originally posted by bass.exe WHat about techno DJs such as liebing, Bayer, etc who mix on 3 to 4 turntables with new tracks coming in every 2 minutes. are they doing harmonic mixing and mixing in key?

As Zild said 'yes' otherwise it would sound like monkey arse! With that much going on it has to be in key or it sounds diabolical.

Cheers
Nem

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