quote:

Originally posted by Foecunditatis i have learned mixing for 6 month and until now i still can't determine which record is faster and which record is slower... i practice everyday... first i wanna 2 ask which is the best way for practice beatmatching! because learn beatmatching is really frustating...

get numark axis 8's, once u can use those ur set. dont need to collect a lot of cd's, just 3 or 4.

Before I get into a long explanation, does your question refer to when you are first starting to beatmatch the records or when you have the records close and are fine tuning?

why should i get a cdj to improve my beatmatching?

Before I get into a long explanation, does your question refer to when you are first starting to beatmatch the records or when you have the records close and are fine tuning?


when i first starting to beatmatching the records... thx for the respond

i have the same problem, but its gotten a lot better. all i can say is keep practicing, you'll just hear it eventually. try different modes of cueing too (both channels on pfl, one channel on pfl, both ears in phones) and just try everything till u find something that really fits.

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"A studio environment is there to be exploited. I don't really hold with these 'all live on 2 decks mixes'. If you want that, go to the gig." - Ben Watt

I've just started myself, but my method works for me:

It's easiest for me to explain with an example.

Let's say that the cueing record is faster than the record that is being played out. Okay so now you find a beat on the cueing record and let it go with the beat of the main record. At this point one of three things can occur:

1. The two records are beatmatched perfectly. If this happens, you're done. Mix away.

2. The beats slowly drift apart. In this case, the records are close to each other. This will usually be the case when the two records are the same genre and both turntables have similar pitch settings.

3. The beats drift apart quickly and it sounds really chaotic. This means that the cueing record will need some major adjusting to fit with the main record.

Let's tackle the second case first.

When the beats are slowly drifting apart. make a guess. Since the cueing record is faster in this example, slowing down the cueing record by putting slight pressure on the side of the platter should bring the beats closer together or at least slow down the rate at which the beats drift apart. If you try speeding up the record by pushing the platter ahead or spinning the center of the record, the beats will drift apart faster and won't come back together as quickly. Once you make a guess, no matter what guess you make, you should have determined that the record is too fast and needs to be slowed down. At this point, apply pressure to the side of the platter to slow it down so that the two records are on beat again and lower the pitch slightly on the pitch fader of the table with the cueing record on it. Now it should still drift apart, but not as much this time. Again, lower the pitch slightly and slow down the platter. If you can learn to use one hand to operate the record/platter and at the same time operate the pitch fader with the other hand, you should be able to match the beats much faster with some practice.

One thing to watch out for: when you are slowing down the platter to get the beats matched again, be aware that you may go too far and the beats may start to drift apart while you are slowing down the platter. If this happens and the cueing record is still faster the beats will start to drift together again once you let go of the platter. The goal here is to adjust the record until the beats don't drift apart, ie. they are beatmatched. At this point, you should be able to mix them together.


Case 3: There are a few ways to go about this. This is more difficult than the second case becuase even if you make the right guess, it still may be difficult to tell whether the record is faster or slower. If this happens, you can try just listening to one record and get a general bpm in your head and listen to the other record to find whether the cueing record is faster or slower and make an adjustment to get the two records closer together. Another way is to keep guessing by slowing down or speeding up the platter to, but by greater amounts than in the second case to determine the relative speeds of the records. I usually just keep guessing by applying a large amount of pressure to the side of the platter or by speeding up the cueing record and then make the necessary adjustment (usually larger in magnitude than in case two) once I find whether the cueing record is faster of slower. Once I have made one large adjustment, the records are usually much closer together and I then use the solution for case two to match the records.


I hope I've explained it well enough to answer your question. I have left out other cases that may arise when you play around with the speed of the platter, but if I cover everything my explanantion will be much much longer. Hopefully this will be enough to get you going and give you some understanding of what you are trying to do and how to go about doing it.

Good luck.

EDIT: If you have and other questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

Cheers.

practice, practice, practice

As I said to someone else who was trying to get away from BPM counters and has been echoed so many times before and after my post - PRACTICE! People learn at different levels. This doesn't mean you are worse than someone else, its just going to take a little more practice. No big deal. I have always been musically inclined and knew quite a bit about music structure so it came easier to me. I still screw up though every now and then. Everyone does. 6 months is a good amount of time for starting, but it is no where near a point where I would expect perfection. Keep at it, it'll come.

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quote:

Originally posted by physe I've just started myself, but my method works for me: It's easiest for me to explain with an example. Let's say that the cueing record is faster than the record that is being played out. Okay so now you find a beat on the cueing record and let it go with the beat of the main record. At this point one of three things can occur: 1. The two records are beatmatched perfectly. If this happens, you're done. Mix away. 2. The beats slowly drift apart. In this case, the records are close to each other. This will usually be the case when the two records are the same genre and both turntables have similar pitch settings. 3. The beats drift apart quickly and it sounds really chaotic. This means that the cueing record will need some major adjusting to fit with the main record. Let's tackle the second case first. When the beats are slowly drifting apart. make a guess. Since the cueing record is faster in this example, slowing down the cueing record by putting slight pressure on the side of the platter should bring the beats closer together or at least slow down the rate at which the beats drift apart. If you try speeding up the record by pushing the platter ahead or spinning the center of the record, the beats will drift apart faster and won't come back together as quickly. Once you make a guess, no matter what guess you make, you should have determined that the record is too fast and needs to be slowed down. At this point, apply pressure to the side of the platter to slow it down so that the two records are on beat again and lower the pitch slightly on the pitch fader of the table with the cueing record on it. Now it should still drift apart, but not as much this time. Again, lower the pitch slightly and slow down the platter. If you can learn to use one hand to operate the record/platter and at the same time operate the pitch fader with the other hand, you should be able to match the beats much faster with some practice. One thing to watch out for: when you are slowing down the platter to get the beats matched again, be aware that you may go too far and the beats may start to drift apart while you are slowing down the platter. If this happens and the cueing record is still faster the beats will start to drift together again once you let go of the platter. The goal here is to adjust the record until the beats don't drift apart, ie. they are beatmatched. At this point, you should be able to mix them together. Case 3: There are a few ways to go about this. This is more difficult than the second case becuase even if you make the right guess, it still may be difficult to tell whether the record is faster or slower. If this happens, you can try just listening to one record and get a general bpm in your head and listen to the other record to find whether the cueing record is faster or slower and make an adjustment to get the two records closer together. Another way is to keep guessing by slowing down or speeding up the platter to, but by greater amounts than in the second case to determine the relative speeds of the records. I usually just keep guessing by applying a large amount of pressure to the side of the platter or by speeding up the cueing record and then make the necessary adjustment (usually larger in magnitude than in case two) once I find whether the cueing record is faster of slower. Once I have made one large adjustment, the records are usually much closer together and I then use the solution for case two to match the records. I hope I've explained it well enough to answer your question. I have left out other cases that may arise when you play around with the speed of the platter, but if I cover everything my explanantion will be much much longer. Hopefully this will be enough to get you going and give you some understanding of what you are trying to do and how to go about doing it. Good luck. EDIT: If you have and other questions, I'll do my best to answer them. Cheers.

wow.
very well explained... thanks a lot man, i was some walls since i have just started, too.
i hate to see this thread sink down the forum, so im wondering if you would allow me to quote you and stick this explaination to the DJ BEGINNER HELP sticky thread for everyone in need of help to see?

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Be my guest. Just keep in mind that I am still quite new at mixing and still have much to learn and that this technique works for me.

quote:

Originally posted by Dirk W. As I said to someone else who was trying to get away from BPM counters and has been echoed so many times before and after my post - PRACTICE! People learn at different levels. This doesn't mean you are worse than someone else, its just going to take a little more practice. No big deal. I have always been musically inclined and knew quite a bit about music structure so it came easier to me. I still screw up though every now and then. Everyone does. 6 months is a good amount of time for starting, but it is no where near a point where I would expect perfection. Keep at it, it'll come.

yea i agree

i've been bedroom dj'ing for a little over a year and i've finally been able to mix for an hour without any wrecks (that's on a good day haha)

on a regular day i'll have a couple tracks run on me a minimal amount, guess i still need more practicing