This has been posted before, but I again would highly recommend this book to anyone staring out:

http://www.amazon.com/How-DJ-Right-...83415931&sr=8-1

Lots of great insights for those who have a natural ear.

quote:

Originally posted by djjonas You have the right idea. He doesn't know what he's talking about. You shouldn't have to 'get it close' and make adjustments when you start transitioning the track. Tracks can normally be played 1-3 bpm's slower or faster than their normal rate without losing the original pitch (at least to a point where it's too obvious). You may have a track in mind that plays normally at 129 that you want to mix with a track currently playing at 133. First try to speed up the track that's playing at 129 to the current bpm rate of the track playing and see how it sounds. If it sounds like it ascended in pitch to much, slow it down and slow down the track currently playing one or two bpm's and only raise the bpm's of the track coming in. Generally, you can't really tell when a track has been slowed down by one (or two) bpm while being played. By doing this you keep the pitch integrity and are able to beat and key match more harmonically without losing anything. Que points are imortant too. But that is something you will just have to figure out as you gain more confidence and skill. I have heard way too many dj's start a track at a wrong point and the transition sounds like s**t, even though they had the bpm's matched and were able to key match too.

To add, rule of thumb anything greater than a 3% change in BPM changes the harmonics of the track.

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Originally posted by Progress Ent. To add, rule of thumb anything greater than a 3% change in BPM changes the harmonics of the track.

Which I have found to be usually around 2 bpm's, sometimes three depending on the original speed of the track.

If you have 2 tracks in the same key and the pitch control it + or - 3% the tracks are no longer in key. they they are now a half step higher or lower

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Originally posted by Benjamin_D If you have 2 tracks in the same key and the pitch control it + or - 3% the tracks are no longer in key. they they are now a half step higher or lower

...and then you envoke Master Tempo. There are occasions where the tracks don't have to have the same exact key. Harmonic mixing is also knowin which keys will harmonically blend together. General rule (which doesn't always apply, but is applicable in most instances) is that if the track that you can blend tracks that have C up to C# or G to C, etc.

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Originally posted by djjonas Which I have found to be usually around 2 bpm's, sometimes three depending on the original speed of the track.

Actually, it's around 4 BPM if you are following the scale.....but that is pretty much the threashold before key is truely effected. But anyone who's tried to follow the scale knows it doesn't always work....

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Originally posted by Benjamin_D If you have 2 tracks in the same key and the pitch control it + or - 3% the tracks are no longer in key. they they are now a half step higher or lower

http://community.mixedinkey.com/Topic.aspx?ID=1767

Any change in tempo effects the key (without using Master Tempo). It's the variance between the two that makes them harmonically compatable. And if you are speaking of taking one track up 3% and the other down 3%, no, they are not in key. That would be a 6% difference......

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Originally posted by Progress Ent. Actually, it's around 4 BPM if you are following the scale.....but that is pretty much the threashold before key is truely effected. But anyone who's tried to follow the scale knows it doesn't always work....

Matt, when you play your Shakira and Beyonce tracks that might be true. We were talking about EDM here

Wow, this has turned out to be a really good discussion.

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so how will I know if they are harmonically in the same key? does that just take playing them together in my headphones and seeing if they sound similar?

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Originally posted by Matthias This has been posted before, but I again would highly recommend this book to anyone staring out: http://www.amazon.com/How-DJ-Right-...83415931&sr=8-1 Lots of great insights for those who have a natural ear.

thanks sweety! I'm gonna get this for sure!
Is this book mainly about vinyls? I don't plan to use vinyls.

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thanks sweety! I'm gonna get this for sure! Is this book mainly about vinyls? I don't plan to use vinyls.

It will mostly teach you the theory of DJ'ing which you can use with vinyl or CDJ's.

___________________
Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself. -William Faulkner

"Life is simple. You make choices and never look back."