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New DJ needing help on mixing techniques
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| HardTrancer1337 |
| Ok, I've been practicing with my equipment for a while now, and I'm getting better at beatmatching, but I'm not sure WHEN exactly to mix two songs. I've mostly been using extended mixes (7 minutes long or so), cueing them so the tempos are even, and then in the last 30-40 seconds of the song going out, I bring in the next song, and leave the last song in the mix until it ends. It sounds good, but it seems too easy, and I'm wondering if crowds usually jive to 6 minutes of the same song. Also, does anyone here do any kind of scratching or hook up a sampler to the mixer or add FX to the music? I have a sampler (a Boss Dr. Sample) and effects available on my decks, but I have no idea how to use them to ENHANCE the music, rather than just CHANGE it. Any advice? |
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| liquidmist2001 |
one of the first things you learn after you've sorta got down beatmatching is everything comes in 4 beats, or a multiple of 4 beats.... if you listen to a song carefully, you'll here 4 parts to the intro, there's a basic drum beat for 32 beats, then some synths come in for maybe 36 beats, and another synths come in for 16 beats, so that's 64 beats so far, maybe a 1/2 beat drum roll for 8 beats, 1/4 beat drum roll for 4 beats, and a 1/8 beat drum roll for 4 beats...most long melodies will play for a multiple of 16 beats...other artists like to use 32 beat melodies, while some choose to use simple 8 beat melodies...
now here's the key to mixing, make sure that you're beat counts are the same...
for example......if you have you current record on it's 3rd beat when you play the cued record, then you're gonna be off by a beat.
but if the current record is on it's 16th beat, and on the very next beat you play the cued record from it's first beat, you'll have them in sync no just by the bpm, but also the beat count. the net effect of this could be that as the melody of the 1st track is starting to go out, the 2nd start is starting it's buildup.
that's how i learned to mix. you can try this in atomix or mixmeister or something also to experiment and then take that onto the decks from there....
hope this helps...
vipal |
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| HardTrancer1337 |
| Yeah, I knew that much already, but thanks anyway. I've been playing music since I was 10 (I'm 20 now) and I took guitar lessons and jazz band for two years each, so I know some about music theory and scales and such. |
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| dartman |
| i usually try to the next song when there is about a minute to a minute and a half left on the current song so that the current song doesnt lose too much energy before the new one starts coming in. you know how songs start to lose layers as the they get closer to the end, i try to get the new song in before the old one gets down to just a kick drum. |
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| Floorfiller |
| just listening to the phrasing. since you already know about music...i don't know what the problem is. after you get beatmatching down...work on matching up the phrasing of the tunes and your set...then just bring the tracks in as you think sounds good. |
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| HardTrancer1337 |
| Ok, thanks for the help. I wasn't really having that much of a problem, I just wasn't sure if most DJ's used all 7 minutes of a song or if effects are added alot. There's only one electronic club in my city and it's 21 and up, so I can't get in just yet to listen to some live mixing. |
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| Choobak |
it really depends on what mood you're trying to set... if you're building energy you might want to do some long mixes at first.. let the songs play out.. then when you've built up enough energy start doing some shorter mixes so energy doesn't die down after the first break of each song leading to the tedious rollercoaster up and downs in energy...
you can use effects and scratching to keep energy up after the first break.. listen to some james zabiela sets.. he's the best at doing that... |
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