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One of the first things you will need to do as a DJ is learn how to beatmatch. You’ll probably be tempted to skip this crucial step and get right to the music but it is absolutely essential that you first learn how to beatmatch. An important thing to remember is that a great DJ not only knows how to feel the crowd and has a sense for good song selection but also has great technique. And one of the most important techniques in mixing music is beatmatching.
First, I should begin with a quick definition of what beatmatching really is. Quite simply, it is the act of matching the beats of one track to the beats of another. This requires both tracks to be playing at the same speed, known in the DJ world as tempo and referred to in terms of beats per minute (BPM). When two tracks are properly beatmatched they are synchronized and it can be difficult to tell which sounds are coming from which track. This is what you want to achieve in order to have a smooth mix, also known as a blend.
So, let’s learn how to beatmatch.
The most basic thing you could do when starting to learn how to beatmatch is to put the same song on both of your decks. So, depending on if you’re using CD or vinyl, make duplicate CDs or get 2 copies of a record. If you can get one without a lot of vocals and with a clear beat, that will help. Start playing the track on one deck, let’s call it Deck A. Make sure the crossfader on your mixer is in the middle position, or turned off if you have that option. Now, start playing the same track on Deck B. Right away, you will hear that the drum beats are not synchronized. This results in a sound that DJs call a gallop.
Since you are playing the same track on both decks, they should be playing at the same speed. Make sure that the tempo adjustments on your decks are in the same position. Now, speed up or slow down the track on Deck B slightly. Don’t use the tempo slider for this, instead use the actual jog wheel on the CD player, or slow down your record with your finger if you’re using vinyl. Keep doing this until you no longer hear the gallop. At this point your tracks should be synchronized and sound blended together. Since they are playing at the same speed, they should continue to be synchronized for the rest of the time they’re playing. Don’t worry if the actual music sounds bad right now from all of the sounds in the tracks, for now we are just focusing on matching the beats.
Most mixers have a meter that visually shows the level of output on each channel. This is represented in a light bar that jumps up and down with the beat. You could use this to help you make sure that you have pulled off a good beatmatch by checking that the meters on both tracks are jumping at the same time.
Congratulations, you just learned the very basic steps of how to beatmatch.
Let’s continue from where we left off in How to Beatmatch.
You are now familiar with the basic concept of how to beatmatch and what beatmatching is. But in How to Beatmatch I only talked about beatmatching 2 copies of the same song, and the result didn’t sound that good anyway. Let’s get a little more advanced in Part 2 of How to Beatmatch.
Just like in Part 1, take a duplicate track and put it on both of your decks. On Deck A, cue up the track right before the beat hits. What I mean by this is as follows:
On your CD player there is a Cue button. It lets you pause the track wherever you want and resume it later with the play button. When you are playing a track and you hit the play button to pause it, you hear a stuttering sound. This moment in the track is called a frame and it is a fraction of a second of sound. You can turn the jog wheel to advance or reverse frame by frame. Play around with this so that you get familiar with how to identify what you’re actually hearing by listening to these frames. You should be able to notice the way a drum beat sounds when you hear it in frames. Once you get the hang of it, what you need to do is position the track at the frame right before a drum beat starts to hit. Then press the Cue button and the track will be paused there.
If you are using records, the process is similar. Just stop the record with your hand and move it back and forth to identify the sound of a drum beat hitting. You won’t be able to pause the record there, but keep your hand on it at the point right before the beat hits.
Make sure that your crossfader is in the middle position.
Now, with your other hand, press play on the other deck. Get a feel for the timing of the beat. Tap your free hand to the beat if you want, many DJs find that helpful. When you’re ready, press the play button (or release the track that you had paused with your hand) at the exact moment that a beat is about to hit on the track that is currently playing.
If you did this perfectly, the beats on both tracks should be synchronized and you have pulled off a successful beatmatch. But that’s what happens in a perfect world. In reality you were actually a little off and you’re hearing the galloping I had mentioned in Part 1. No problem, just use the jog wheel (or touch the record) to speed it up a bit and get the beats to match up. Wasn’t that easy?
There you go, you have just learned one of the techniques of how to beatmatch. But you will not often be trying to beatmatch two tracks that are exactly the same speed. In Part 3 of How to Beatmatch I’ll talk about how to beatmatch when your tracks are different speeds, or have different BPMs.
In Part 1 of How to Beatmatch we learned how to beatmatch on a very basic level, just matching the beats of two tracks playing at the same speed. In Part 2 we learned a useful trick to easier beatmatching by cueing the track the moment before the beat hits and releasing it at the same time as the beat is hitting in the track that’s playing. In Part 3 let’s learn how to beatmatch two tracks that have different speeds.
Let’s look at a realistic situation. You’re playing a track on Deck A and somewhere in the middle of it you want to blend into a new track on Deck B. So, while track A is playing you start cueing up track B in your headphones. You use the technique from How to Beatmatch (Part 2) and find the moment right before a beat hits at a part of Track B that you want to blend in.
As you’re previewing the Track B in your headphones, you notice that it’s starting to get out of sync with Track A. This is where you’ll find that it’s crucial to really know your music. At this moment you have to figure out which beat is coming from which track. The only way to do this is to know what that track sounds like and how the beat sounds different from the beat of the other track. You can figure this out by trying to focus on just one of the tracks and getting a feel for the timing, or you can quickly switch back and forth between the tracks in your headphones. Another good way is to check the meters on your mixer. You’ll see which bar is late in bouncing up, and that’s the track you need to speed up. Use the tempo slider in conjunction with the jog wheel (or the actual record) to do this.
This process takes a lot of practice and you’ll be doing a lot of trial and error. Don’t worry about it, this is the whole point of practicing. Once you master this technique, you can safely say that you have learned how to beatmatch. And you’ll be well on your way to learning all the other aspects of mixing music.
Now you have the basics of learning how to beatmatch. The most important thing is that you have fun DJing. As long as you keep it fun, you will stay interested in it and won’t mind practicing. The key to being a good DJ is practice practice practice, just like with anything else. So have fun, practice a lot, and you’ll start seeing results pretty quickly!
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