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A question about mixs
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| dJohn |
About how long does it take you to mix and record a CD? Even if it's a around mix, how long does it take you to perfect it, with all the transitions, EQing and beatmatching as best as you can get?
I'm about to explode my turntables and chainsaw my mixer right now...what's even more frusterating is that it's such a basic skill to exhibit once you know what you are doing, yet you still can't do it.
So, for those of you who put out these quality mixes(ArturoB, Omegasox etc...) how many attempts does it take you, and do you go nonstop till you finish it or take breaks inbetween.
I don't ing beleive I"m asking this. I feel like a virgin newbie who doesn't know about DJing. Pardon my ing language BTW. |
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| _Nut_ |
For a around mix:
It takes just as long as I record for, no preparation, and what ever happens, happens.
For a Promo or such:
It takes a ton of time to assemble the tracks the melt together. And when recording, if there is a up, I either call it quits for that recording, or start all over. A good promo could take days to get recorded. But if you are recording for non DJ's, just make a quick mix. Most people dont hear the slight transitional errors we DJ's do. We are our own hardest critic. |
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| sym |
| quote: | Originally posted by _Nut_
We are our own hardest critic. |
This is so true. You notice every little mistake and kill yourself over it. Even stranger is you pick up on other DJ's mistakes, that you never would have noticed before, once u get the ear for it.
You even get to be able to tell when a tune is slightly sped up, I don't know if it's a good or bad thing to have :toothless |
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| Dj_Psygnosis |
I usually do promos or any other kind of mix on first go, cause i reckon you are only cheating yourself when you impress the person listening, cause remember when you play in a club you only have ONE go, they aren't going to let you start again if you do one trainwreck...
The way i learnt was i got 3 songs that i thought would go together and i just mixed these 3 songs together, sometimes in different orders, after a while the mixing becomes very smooth, then throw other songs..
Remember that if the key of the song is not right to the other songs key, don't stress over it, it's not your fault. |
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| nebbian |
For a promo, I like to make it sound as good as possible, so I go through my tracks finding ones that work well in the musical progression. Then I practice each transition, writing down the cue points, pitches, what type of transition to use, any tricks, anything to watch out for etc.
Finally I record the set, burn it to CD, then put it through the system again putting in effects with an FX box. I figure if people are going to judge me by my set then I'm going to make it perfect, dammit!! It usually takes me a couple of days to get the tracklisting right (with cue points), then another afternoon to record the mix twice.
This is like desktop publishing here, the more time you spend on the product, the better the result. I guess if you have a short attention span then you might be content to just record any old mix, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist.:toocool:
| quote: | | Remember that if the key of the song is not right to the other songs key, don't stress over it, it's not your fault. |
However if the songs aren't in the same key then make sure your phrase matching is right, and make the transition as quick as possible. Don't try to slowly fade in the new song, it sounds like complete and utter e. |
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| Arsalan |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj_Psygnosis
I usually do promos or any other kind of mix on first go, cause i reckon you are only cheating yourself when you impress the person listening, cause remember when you play in a club you only have ONE go, they aren't going to let you start again if you do one trainwreck...
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exactly ;) |
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| Nemesis44 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dj_Psygnosis
I usually do promos or any other kind of mix on first go, cause i reckon you are only cheating yourself when you impress the person listening, cause remember when you play in a club you only have ONE go, they aren't going to let you start again if you do one trainwreck...
The way i learnt was i got 3 songs that i thought would go together and i just mixed these 3 songs together, sometimes in different orders, after a while the mixing becomes very smooth, then throw other songs..
Remember that if the key of the song is not right to the other songs key, don't stress over it, it's not your fault. |
I understand what you mean, but I have to disagree with you. While it shows good things about your character it will not help you get gigs.
Promoters know that most DJs will be out to impress and will spend extra time making themselves sound better. If you then submit an honest account of your skills you will ultimately loose out to the guy who (for the want of a better expression) cheated.
What it boils down to in the DJ business is a lot of front. Granted, you will need the skills to back that up in time, but I recomend that you do the best possible mix for your promotion.
I know DJs who are playing out because they knew the right people. They suck so bad but the DJ business is more about networking than anything else.
You mix tape is the first step into that world in some cases. So make it the best you can. Make people talk about you as you never know who is listening.
Things change in the club environment anyways, and what you can do at home plays only a minor roll.
Hey Djohn,
That can vary on the situation and tracks etc. The one thing I have learned while teaching others to DJ is to try and create some kind of structure for yourself.
Try and identify the different types of mixes that you do. To be honest it sounds as if your frustration comes from perhaps not being totaly familiar with the structure of the music. Could this be correct?
Very often people mix at the "wrong" times in the music and therefore give themselves more to think about than they need to. As your skills improve the amount of "wrong" things to do decrease as you will have hte skill to deal with a wider range of issues.
Give me an example of what's frustrating you and perhaps we can take a look at it?
With regards to how long it takes me to create promotional stuff, usually the time it takes to record it on the first attempt. But that does come with practice and I remember when I used to spend loads of time on it i.e. weeks. It is worth it though, as you should always strive to be remembered for being a good DJ. And while you are doing this you will learn to know your tunes in a different way and improve your DJing. Not to mention that you will no doubt find some nice fail safe combinations that you can pull out of the bag in a crisis situation.
If I get the chance to play on a local radio station, if it's not live I will usually try to make it as perfect as I can. So I may actually hit it a couple of times before I'm happy with it.
Cheers
Nem |
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| Nemesis44 |
| quote: | Originally posted by nebbian
However if the songs aren't in the same key then make sure your phrase matching is right, and make the transition as quick as possible. Don't try to slowly fade in the new song, it sounds like complete and utter e. |
Oh so true.
I must admit that I never really mix out of key for that reason. Not that I can't, but I just think that unless you are doing a deliberate key change upwards it will just sound e.
Nem |
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| Freak |
| quote: | I know DJs who are playing out because they knew the right people. They suck so bad but the DJ business is more about networking than anything else.
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oooh so true |
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| gcrasher |
| I'd say get the mixes perfect. In the club if its slightly off for a few seconds and you fix it quickly no one will ever really remember but your cd will get listened to over and over. Plus you can't hear every little nuance of the mix on a loud club system like you would on a cd played at a normal level. Now if you can't even mix without totally trainwrecking then yeah, you shouldn't be making a great mix cd and giving it out. But if you can basically keep it going in the club then go ahead and make your cd perfect, thats what I say. Write down the pitches/transitions, practice them and lay down your best mixes. |
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| dJohn |
Thanks people. I just needed some venting after trying to record a mix that's not even my own promo.
Nemesis, your words are always respected, and this is no different. Thanks for your help. My real frusteration comes with the fact that after 2 and a half years of spinning, I still can't even get a decent mix going without having to attempt again and again. Maybe I'm expecting a little too much from my self without knowing what I can really do or not do.
Thanks again. |
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| Dj_Psygnosis |
| quote: | Originally posted by dJohn
Maybe I'm expecting a little too much from my self without knowing what I can really do or not do.
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I think you mean EXACTLY the opposite to this, you might not have enough self confidence...
Sometimes when i jump on the decks i shed out flawless mixes and these are on first attempts, but then one day later i'll be in a different mood, the mixing will be spot on beat, but it just sounds dirty...
Now i mix off a headphone that only the left channel works, the right channel is blown so i try to mix everything off the left side...sometimes i just use discman earphones...and still do the same mix... |
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