HEY! Someone must want to share their techniques!

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hey there, this is indeed a very usefull thread. i hope you´ll learn quick. just don´t think 2 much and go off on youre feelings, that´s my most important mixing technique and it almost always works !!

greetings

Personally each mix is different...but as I mix progressive and trance I try to do the following things...

a) When you beatmatch, cue up the record, let it go at the same time as other record, try and keep them on the same interval. If you know your records well you should be able to adjust pitch even before you play it, this will help as you can save a few seconds by only having to fine tune. If you hear the record is too slow, speed it up with your finger while at the same time adjusting the pitch with the other hand. When you let go of the record you should hear it miving at the same speed as it was when you were moving it with your finger. In the beginning you may have to bring it back/forward a little often, but as your skill develops you won't have to touch the record almost at all during the mix. Touching the record for an extended period of time while you are in the middle of a mix is a definate NO NO! You can hear the pitch being bent (especially with strings!!!) and it really sounds horrible. A friend of mine spins at alot of clubs but he sucks and "rides the record" during each mix. I laugh at him b/c I mix better in my basement . Once in a while you may have to SLIGHTLY move the record but try and develop your beatmatching skill so that you don't even have to worry about the pitch while you mix. This lets you concentrate on the mix itself and leaves both hands open to fiddle with eq, volume control, and work on actual mix. This is how I taught myself, but I'm pretty sure its the standard way to do things.

b) Know how to program properly! This is very important to get the "clean" feeling in your set. For example, I often find faults with DJ's programming (In my opinion) just because I prefer everything to be clean. Let me put it this way...If you play a track such as 5 Below 0 - Club Quake (Oliver Klein Remix), you would try and play something with similar characteristics (ie driving bassline, somewhat progressive sound). You wouldn't want to throw something that is mellow or uplifting...it just won't blend properly. But if you wanted to move into uplifting trance from the progressive sound, you slowly and carefully chose your tracks so that each one brings you closer to uplifting. This is very hard at the beginning because you don't have a few crates of records to chose from, so buy carefully . The more records you own the easier it is to choose, but I think you understand what I'm trying to say. I'll try and illustrate it better. For example this is something I play occasionally.

Bedrock - Heaven Scent (Original Mix)....has a uplifting sound but is a little bit progressive and deep at the same time...I put this into

Saints and Sinners - Peace (Humate Remix)...the driving bass matches with bedrock and the nice blooping effect (can't describe it better but if you have it you know what I mean) blends nicely with bedrock. I keep going with the deep Digweed style trance then blend with something else and get more uplifting. I think you get what I'm saying

c) KNOW HOW TO MIX!!! The techiniques used to mix are infinite...everyone is different. But personally this is what I do. I use volume controls as opposed to cross fader most of the time as it gives you more precision within your mix. When fading you may have to adjust volume control as well as fade, but volume controls alone eliminate that step. I read in tribe as someone critized D-Monic (SICK BREAKS!!). The raver was saying that his technique was off that night and said..."Layering a beatmatched song is nice....no really it is." Excellent point. Don't just mix the intro/outro beats of each song, experiment and find songs that layer nicely, try and keep the entire mix going with a certain amount of energy. An addition to that I personally use ALOT of EQ, I usually like to bump up the mids a bit because DAMN doesn't it sound nice on trance .
In the midst of the mix, lower the bass eq of the track coming IN. Then when you have them playing equally or whenever you see fit, reverse the situation...increase the bass on the track coming and lower the bass on the track going out. It keeps everything smoother. Personally I like long, clean mixes but everyone is different depending on your style and taste. Some mixes just can't be long...basslines are construced on the keyboard like everything else and when you have 2 basslines playing in a mix and the notes don't harmonize...well its not the best sound . I avoid those at all costs even though I hear big names DJ's do it all the time. I try and stay cleaner then a preacher's sheets.

I could probably go on for a few more hours, talking about reading the crowd, etc. I have a concept of that but have never spun live so can't honestly comment on it.

Let me know if you need anymore help, I hope I redeemed myself with this one after that idiotic first post I made about the Tiesto vinyl...

And I just gace away all my secrets

Peace!

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Underground until I'm underground!
Rob Noli ICQ 58688108
Proud to be Canadian! Toronto Represent!

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Hey,
Thanks for your help, yea i agree with you, i wasn't to sure with about the basslines when mixing, but as you say the dominant bass line should be alone, and should not clash with another bass line. Hey thanks for your help, i think you may have redeemed yourself. Yea massive writting, and massive help, what about the techiniques for beat matching and effects everyone? and everyone please contribute so the not so familiar can learn what other people do, and get good too! good work guys!

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Good Description DJ Rob,

Ive been spinning for a year , Just recently went to all Records and Im not doing to Bad But I seem lost Most of The Time. Help Me Out While I hopefully Help out others

Let me Start by saying how I mix then Im gonna ask alot of question.

I mix on a pioner djm 300, all home mixing with vinyl on Techs.
I attempt to use the volume mixing but i always seem to fade the song either into fast or the other out to fast.
My Biggest things are find tracks that are simillia like Rob said its a sinch when you do but finding them are pretty tough.

Heres my Troubles, I know how to cue the record and push off, but WHEN?? I know you should be couting the beats 4/4 style and let it go at the beginng of the bar and seam to be coming along in that part but I have a tendency to lose them.

I think my biggest problem is wit the headphones, Should I beat match with one ear with the phones and the other through the stereo or one ear wit one two and teh other with the other tunes.

My biggest question ly with the volume level and bass lowering when mixng the tunes together. Do I lower the bass on the incoming tune then once i have it all in then lower the outgoing tunes bass, Do i just beat match and mix one in and one out. Do i have both tunes at the exact volume for a point or is it one coming in lowerriner then a swith to higher as the other lowers. Welll im gonn just keep on plugging away.

Hopefully this thread helps me out and others like i said

I think I get what you mean bro, one of the beauties of spinning is you can totally express yourself, and theres not really a "right or wrong" way to do things.

One thing that helps is a natural sense of rhythm. The producers usually help you out with when to push off, but again its totally up to you. Usually a cymbal crash comes in on a steady interval (32 beats?), so you could time it with that. The trick is to know when to push off

Its one of the mixing skills...no two mixes are the same! One song may require you to push off late to avoid clashing basslines giving you a shorter mix, sometimes your basslines may be harmonized so you can do a nice long clean mix!

Thats what practice is all about, take time and work at it, master all of your records and you will be amazed how quickly you pick it up. Practice makes perfect as wack as that may sound.

Also for your question about headphones. My headphones are broken but still work, you should have a knob on your mixer that allows you to dial the mix in and out on your phones, therefore by turning the knob all the way to the left you hear the cueing track, turning it to the right plays whats coming out in the speakers, and putting it in the middle gives you the mix. This is a good way to test you mix and see if you track is beatmatched. Sometimes the echo from the bass (especially in a large venue!) may cause you to get confused. And my speakers are on the left side of me (like the monitor speakers at a party) and I put my headphones on my left ear, thats just how I'm comfortable but do it however you like. Also when I'm actually MIXING I Drop the phones around my neck so I hear the mix 100%. I'm confident in my beat matching ability so I don't listen to hear if its perfect in the headphones while its coming in. I concentrate fully on whats coming out of the speaker.

As for the volume faders, again there is no rigth or wrong way to do it, do it however you see fit!

Hope I helped!

Peace.

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Underground until I'm underground!
Rob Noli ICQ 58688108
Proud to be Canadian! Toronto Represent!

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C'mon peoples, there must be more than 3 people who want to express and share with others their styles and techniques for mixing..

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Hey VoiDeT!!! You had your mixing style correct when playing with the tables!!! Don't use your hands when the record is playing! It is far too noticeable when people are listening. The best way for mixing is to cue the record up and let it go when you feel it is the best time but then after that HANDS OFF!!! You should try to keep your records in sync by only using the pitch slider, if you watch the best technical djs (in reference to the trance/house/progressive style djs) in the world you will find that their hand never touches the record after they cue and release it.

For example if you get the chance to see Max Graham you will see that once the record is cue'd and matched he STILL doesn't take his hand off the pitch adjustment, he keeps it on there making tiny adjustments, that way you can pull off fantastic loooooong mixes. It takes longer to learn this way but once you get it, it is sooo worth it, infact touching the record almost seems barbaric!

Rob Noli made some great points as well! I myself never use the cross fader unless I'm spinning some slammin techno or breaks, aside from those I always prefer the volume faders because they give you a wider "sweep" length.

I never use the cross fader, just the line faders.. and i always use the full potential of the EQ, it makes my mixes much more smooth and long.
I also almost never use the KILL switches.. they're just not as accurate as the knob.

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I don't know why, but i just don't feel comfortable mixing with the crossfader.. could anyone give me some techniques to use with the crossfader???

..maybe when i'll try it seriously i'll like it.

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Hey all,
I love using the crossfadr, i rarely use the volume controls. Why don't you guys like using the crossfader? i would of thought they would be easier to use than volume controls!

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