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I am looking for help with DJ skill
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| Trancegirl2000 |
I have been mixing for about 1 year now. My boyfriend is not speaking with me right now because I can DJ better than him but have been doing it less than he has been. I would like to start playing out but not quite certain how I must do to start playing out.
I can mix pretty good but would also like some advise on what can make me more good.
I have been reading things by Vio/Freak/Nemesis/Montie and there is many great things there but need some things explaining. Harmony and equalisers and more.
I will be happy to see any advise you have.
Love
Linda |
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| VIO |
| if you could make your questions a bit more specific then i'm sure anyone here would be more then happy to answer any questions you have. cheers. |
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| Trancegirl2000 |
| quote: | Originally posted by VIO
if you could make your questions a bit more specific then i'm sure anyone here would be more then happy to answer any questions you have. cheers. |
Sorry, was not making sense :rolleyes:
I can match the rytms but was reading about being DJ was more. Many people write that they do tricks but nver say what or how? Could someone maybe write about tricks that they do and say how?
I also want to read about harmony mixing but threds are very confusing as people talk about one thing then someone say its wrong. Can someone give me bazic advise on this? How to start? Or a web page that informs?
I have been reading about using equalisers, I use base ones but never others. Some people say you must use all, is this true?
I have question for nemesis. Are you same nemesis who plays pulse xl on friday 5 dec? Me + freinds are going would be fun if it was you :toocool: :eyespop: :toocool: :eyespop: :tongue3 :tongue2 :tongue3 :tongue2
Linda |
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| Shad0wmaster |
browse through this forum, there's plenty of stuff to be found.
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I can match the rytms but was reading about being DJ was more.
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If i'm understanding you correctly, then yes, DJing is more than being able to beatmatch and fade between tracks. There's an endless amount of work that goes into becoming a great dj...phrasematching, track selections/set programming, reading a crowd (if you're playing live), harmonic mixing, break mixing, learning to use your EQs to make your mixes sound good...i could go on for pages, and i'm by no means a master at any of that stuff. basically DJing is about learning how to master the technical aspects of your equipment and about developing your own unique style for how you mix, what kind of tunes you spin, etc.
hope this helps somewhat :) good luck! |
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| Dj Thy |
In short the evolution of a good dj would go as follows
- learn beatmatching
- understand phrase matching : means, understand the structures of songs, and using them to make the mixes flowing. Most contemporary music follows the 4/4 signature... Put in other words : when to mix in/out. Having played an instrument or seen music theory usually helps here, but it's not required.
- fine tune mixes with eq and levels : also a result of practice. Trying to get your mixes as smooth as possible (of course that depends on the style, progressive needs more smoothness than say, hardhouse). Fiddle with the EQ's and faders while in the mix, and listen to what it does. Then you can use that in your advantage. There is no rule here. Every mix needs a different approach. The Eq's are mainly use to shape your sound, so the sonic balance stays the same. Faders make you control the overall level in the mix.
That's about the basics for a decent dj (if you got those bases down, you won't have to be ashamed of playing out).
I wouldn't recommend to do massive tricks before you get those basics down. You would make a fool of yourself doing tricks that may be cool, but totally f*cking up on the mix.
But if you are confident you got that down, you can start thinking of doing new stuff, that will give you an edge over the other 1000's of bedroom dj's that are at that level.
And for me, that's mainly tricks and harmonic mixing. Tricks are also result of practice. There are some more famous ones like cutting a beat (close the fader half on a beat for example, not completely, as you'll end up with a "empty hole" in the sound). Not everyone likes tricks though and it depends on the style you are playing. Techno for example is really asking for tricks, while trance can already be happy with just playing the song. So use with moderation.
Harmonic mixing takes the key of the tunes in account. Some keys sound good together (they form chords), some clash. Understanding harmonic mixing and using it to your advantage comes down to avoid mixing tunes with clashing keys.
How to learn harmonic mixing? Either you have a musical ear and you can tell what goes with what, or you can find out the keys manually, and use chart methods to combine tunes. But be aware that when you change the pitch of a tune, the key can change too (5.9% is a semitone difference). If you get harmonic mixing, you really can take your mixes to another level.
If you want to read up on some things http://www.recess.co.uk/ has a great text explaining beatmatching and phrase matching, and describes some basic EQ and tricks
www.djprince.no has a great explanation on how to start harmonic mixing.
But in the end it all comes down to you. If you show the dedication to succeed, you will succeed. |
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| Avro |
Hey good questions... I am certianly looking for the same answers as you.
But I might suggest, that when refering to tricks: tricks of sorts are specific to the type of music. You will have to find what suits you in time. The goal is: making it sound good and in time.
Harmony mixing is very important for trance... i suggest taking a musical theory class which will teach about scales, melodies, key phrasing etc. knowing what notes go with what notes will be very helpful.
so far you seem that you can beat match, that is the first basic thing, but mixing is the most important. Creating a flow with each mix requires that during the mixing period the sound is as appealing as the songs being played. Trance is very hard to mix, even if the producer makes it easy with long intros. With long boaring intros, I suggest mixing early.
sometimes a long intro (if good and quality) is good because you can set a new mood, or create a new flow with that portion of the song.
I hope I make some sense... |
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| Avro |
hey thanks for this site - its fantastic.... |
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| Trancegirl2000 |
OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!
Nemesis! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you! BEST PARTY NIGHT EVER!
Thank you so much for friday. We all had a good time at club and our after party. I learned so much from you and so did Petri, for me more in one night than one year.:eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: :eyes: Petri wuold like to know how you did a trick making beat go away and make base echo as our mixer has no efx? Also backwards beat echo sound? Mia wanted to travel to Stockholm to see you there again but we are all out of money and to tired. I think Mia likes you. :D :D :D :D :D maybe you have icq or e-mail for her? Petri will put picturs of night on website so you will see them.
The guys here all say hello! and hope you will be here soon again.
Linda
Mia wants to say something.
Snälla Karl kom tillbaka snart!!!!!! Saknar dig redan :(
Puss och kram
Mia |
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| Nemesis44 |
/me blushes
Thanks for the hospitallity, it got pretty late huh? ;)
With regard to your skills, you guys are already there, all you needed was a small nudge in the right direction... Trust me. ;)
The trick you are refering to is a variation of a hip hop skill some call doubling up. It does take a lot of practice and timing but can make some nice sounds if not overdone. I was using two copies of D.A.V.E. the Drummer - Bedroom Jazz Tangle. It's a variation of beat juggling letting one record play untouched but turning the ch-fader down to take away the kick from it. Then turning it back up to get the bass sound. I have the other record playing off so that the kick hits when the bass of the other comes in. I start by just alternating the up faders so that you just get a constant bass rumble. Then I start turning one of them up only three quarters so that you get something that sounds like a distant answer. After that I will make the 3/4 fader get quiter and quiter to give the echo effect. After that I start to chop in and scratch in beats to create my own beat. As I said it takes a lot of practice and is probably not explained all that well here.
The backwards beat echo sound is actually something I thought I heard Eddie Halliwell do once but it turned out to be on the record so I inadvertently learnt a new trick thinking that EH did it.
It involves using the up fader again.
Just get a kick sound ready in your phones. Then go past it so that it's just finished. Then bring the fader up as you pull the record backwards. Bring the fader down again so that you que it at the end of the sound. Then do pull the record backwards again but don't bring the fader up as much this time. Repeat until faded or you just get bored... ;) This is similar to a studio effect by Mauro Picotto in 'New time New place' just as it leads into the main breakdown. Any old Hip Hop DJs will know that it's basically just cutting but backwards.
As for the rest, I am really glad you guys enjoyed it if not perhaps a little embarassed to see this on the forum ;)
I will PM you my e-mail etc but it should be in my details. Perhaps I forgot to put it there.
Mia must be mad :D but I like her too.
I look forward to see the pics (I think, but I was pretty hammered towards the end he he).
Anyways, before I get into trouble for typing too much non forum related stuff... Thanks again.
Best wishes
Nem |
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| dark_tenshi |
| Do you record your sets and review them? I find it very helpful to record down my sets and listen to them at a later time. Doing this lets me know 1) Programming - such as keeping the flow and energy 2) which records go better together 3) finding better spots to use effects, like filter, flanger, etc. |
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| Nemesis44 |
I do record stuff, but it's mostly my sets at home. I try not to get too analytical though as there are certain things I have learnt over the years that play a part.
What usually happens is that I end up playing the mix back to a friend (usually a DJ) and telling them what I think is wrong and they will just look at me and shake their heads.
The thing with recording live sets and analising them is very different and to be honest not very fruitful. There are so many different factors that play a part as to why a mix did or didn't work that don't come across when you play it back. The same with set programming, as a track may have been so right at a particular point because of the crowd, yet would make no sense in a bedroom set. That's not to say that I don't enjoy it when a live set sounds good played back. :)
One thing that always surprises me is how bad turntablism sounds unless recorded on proffessional gear. The live sound can sound amazing yet when you hear it recorded it is out of time probably because of monitor lag etc.
Your points are still valid though as I must agree with you on your points about energy loss etc. Probably one of the things that is apparent on a lot of DJs, i.e. they are not good at it. I would say that this is probably one of the most important skills as a DJ and it's never bad to practice this. Only thing worth noting there is that percieved energy in music is a little subjective as it depends on the listener and their prefference.
Cheers
Nem |
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