jocker, johnny, and lexicon: that's some awesome advice. id heard about that before (not using the x-fader) but it just slipped my mind...
i cant really play two minutes of the track, because no prog house here... so its not like just blending. hehe, i really would have to know my beats PERFECTLY to bring in uplifting/melodic 'normal' trance in at precisely the right bar, after playing it from the beginning.
but its good to know that im on the right track.

thanx again guys

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what trainspotters are.

then probably the following idea will seem very appealing to you:

when i get some new records, i carefully listen to them and write down the composition on the sheet of paper
(*i call 32 beats (or 4bars with 8 beats each) a logical quadrant, or just a quadrant):

drums: 2quadr.
+base: 2quadr.
voice: 4 beats (or also 1 quarter)
+main theme: 1 quad.
breakdown: 1quad.
+bass: 1quad.
+drums: 1quad.
apex: 2quad.
drums and bass interlude: 2 quad.
+main theme: 2 quad.
etc...

and you stick this sheet of paper on the sleeve of the record. then looking at the two sleeves during the mix, you can make the mix flow exactly as you want it to be (unless you mad a mistake while writing it down)... and don't forget to write, which track this composition is for

gl.

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writing lyrics aint what it used to be

jocker, that's an awesome idea... although its 8 bars of 4 beats (hehe) trance is all 4-4 timing
which means basically 4 beats per bar... (as opposed to 2, or 3 which = waltz)

you just put it in the sleeve eh?
you do both a, b sides and stuff?

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what trainspotters are.

when i mix, i check the beat... stop the deck, and go to my cueing point and set the crossfader in the middle, and start the song and slam the crossfader to the the right (or left) and thats my mixing technique... i rarely misses the beat.....

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BA-DUM-TSS

quote:

ALFI - BOHICA - DJ MIX (Stream+Dropbox)

quote:

Originally posted by patticus you just put it in the sleeve eh? you do both a, b sides and stuff?

...i used the wrong word. i always mess up with sleeves. i put it on a cover of the record. and ususally (99% of time) i spin only one track from the vinyl (obviously, the mix i like the most), so in 99% of cases it's the composition of only one track.

cheers.

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writing lyrics aint what it used to be

n/m
thanks for the great advice jocker

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what trainspotters are.

Nothing wrong at all with cueing ahead of where you want to start your mix, I usually have both going as such before I start a mix.
I reserve dropping in a song in at a cue point like that when for I need to get a mix started ASAP, or for particularly tricky parts of some songs. I'll beat match the records from the beginning of the new record, then quickly find the cue point I want then hit it in.

Being able to drop a song in as you mix is a usefull skill to have. With enough practice it can be done consistantly with near-perfect phase. Being able to do so will also speed up your beat matching a bit as you can drop in a tune without the need to correct phase.

So I would say that if you are performing and are not confident with being able to drop stuff in, then feel free to cue ahead and ensure all of your mixes go smoothly. Back at home however, it doesn't hurt to practice dropping a song in just where you want to start a mix from time to time. Experiment a bit and get a feel for how you could use the different methods for effective mixes. In the end just stick with whatever you are most comfortable with, there is no right or wrong way.

As for writing down the composition of the song, I am somewhat opposed to this. Being aware of composition and having a good idea when/where it will change is important, but you have to remember that the compositions of songs are just loose guidelines for your mixing and they won't tell you everything about a song. Do not let it stop you from experimenting, or you may be suppressing some inspirational mixes.

fyx, do you mean just drop the song in as you're initially beat-matching it? if so... yeah i do that sometimes, its fun (and awesome if you get it right)
but the whole writing structure down is a great way to help learn your tracks, and really helps the technical side

of course, that doesnt mean you dont need excellent track selection, etc. still
but its useful. (i wont be writing stuff out, too lazy, but i'll memorize intro structure of what i need to know)

and to johnny eckhardt, i didnt reply sooner, but THANK YOU for suggesting that i didnt need the xfader. immediately i went from being discouraged/disappointed in my mixing consistency, to having THE utmost confidence.. creating smooth mixes 95% of the time
for some reason it helped me beat-matching as well!

i swear.. there'll be no stopping me now
thank you.. all

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what trainspotters are.

Actually I meant beat matching it a least a bit first, but the idea is you bring in the record with the cross fader about the same time as you spin it up by hand from a dead stop.

right.

huh?

i get the first thing you said (its wat i meant) but not the 2nd

you mean like if your pitch shift isnt enough, am i right, just perpetually spinning the record with your hand

(later letting it go when you've mixed)

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what trainspotters are.

I don't think I'm explaining this very well, you probably already do this on occasion but just don't know what I'm talking about.

As an alternative to cuing a beat matched record to a point say X bars before where you want to start mixing it in to ensure it's in phase, instead cuing it to exactly to where you want to start your mix and timing it's start just right.

I mean that you have one record playing, you've already beat matched the record on the second table and the platter is spinning. The needle is at the point you want to start a mix from, and you are holding the record from spinning with your hand. When the live song gets to where you want to start your mix you spin the record up/release it just as you start mixing it in or doing whatever kind of mix you had in mind for it. I don't have any sort of trick or effect in mind, if it goes well it sounds like any other normal mix. If it goes off or anything in a mix you correct as usual.