Are there any ways of really testing your mixing skills to the limit, to get better? Sometimes I won't beatmatch the next song until I actually want to drop it in, just beatmatch it on the fly so you only have like, 5 seconds or so.
Are there any other things along this line to help you beatmatch more quickly, or find better points to bring in a song?

Once you can get a good rough beatmatch quickly all the leaning goes over to keeping a long mix tight and getting your beat matching dead on.

If you really want to get some practice in just for that sort of thing work on keeping both records synched without using the headphones at all once you are mixing (if you aren't already). Once you find that to be too easy you can move up to doing 3 records at once and then try keeping them going without headphones.

I don't think doing these sorts of things will make your beatmatching too much better than it is now, but with enough practice it will pretty much eliminate any chance of you miscorrecting while you are in the mix.

its funny you posted that actually, today i was in the mix and i thought to myself, shall i see if i can do a set with out 'pre-beatmatching' in other words without beatmatching the tune while one is playing through, only beatmatching as you are performing the mix. i think its an excellent way to better your skills

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