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dj question
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dj jasonF
ok. im djing 3months now just got my first mk2 but i used to mix with the pc and a cd player. i m just learning to beatmach (couldnt do it till the day i got the techs) and i m trying to find out a way to know my tracks better. how do i know how many bars in a section etc etc. i cant listen to all my records and count beats. im sure there is an other faster way. help me please.
thanx
djdk
im afraid the only real way to know is by counting the beats, it takes time but theres no easy way out.

fortunately, as you get better, it becomes second nature, you'll just know, but it takes alot of practice!
3xx3r7
If you listen to enough dance tracks, you should be able to do it intuitively.
vswede
first of all congratulations!!
after some time things become easier and second natue. just dont give up
tu_face
think of 4/4 music like a computer... except change bits for beats ;)

its all in sections of 8 beats, 16 beats, 32 beats, 64 beats etc. usually at the start of a phrase you will have some form of tell tale sign, in a trance track for example, there is usually a cymbal or a crash or something. keep listening to music, and you will start to notice how the music is divided up :)
dj jasonF
i can tell when a tack goes into break or any section and i can tell which one, but as i said my problem is to know how many bars a section has.
so its like beatmatching? practice practice practice and you just can tell after that?
6iki_Snake
Why dont people learn that there IS no easy way to DJing? You can have a BPM counter, but frankly these suck for 2 reasons:

1. They are not always that accurate, and a mix on the same BPM ( according to your counter ) isnt always good, it sometimes sounds like .

2. In many clubs you wont find a bpm counter, the one and only thing you need is your hearing, so dont up your ears either :o

If you really need help, just count along, 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,etc. Or tap your foot to it. or bang your head to it, or jump up and down to it, whatever.
tu_face
quote:
Originally posted by dj jasonF
i can tell when a tack goes into break or any section and i can tell which one, but as i said my problem is to know how many bars a section has.
so its like beatmatching? practice practice practice and you just can tell after that?


so from the start of that section, you can count 64 beats. there are 4 beats to a bar, and bars come in sets of 4 (this is where 4/4 comes from) to make a phrase. often with trance, every 4 phrases (64 beats) is the point at which you need to release your cue track to get it phrase matched and sounding good.

|... |...|...|...|... |...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|
where | = first beat of the bar

some tunes will be a bit different with it, and you may that with a lot of tunes you can get your cue points every 32 beats. its all the same principle though, just listen as you mix.

but yes, practice practice practice and it will become an instinct as opposed to an ability ;)
6iki_Snake
quote:
Originally posted by tu_face


but yes, practice practice practice and it will become an instinct as opposed to an ability ;)


+1

you have to develop a FEEL for the music and for the beat.
dj jasonF
damn i thought there would be an easier way, but i can do that :tongue2
thanx for helping

dj jasonF
oh i forgot a breakdown doesnt have any beats you can either use the FEEL if you have it or experiment and put an other track's beat on the breakdown and count it, right?
RIP_Technics
think of a breakdown as havin the beat "muted". the song is still movin at the same tempo so if u have the beats matched on the 2 songs then 1 moves into a breakdown, the beats will still be matched when the breakdown is over and the song's beat returns.
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