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2 Questions For Experianced Djs
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| Mike123 |
Just got 2 questions for any djs that have been spinning for a while. I'm trying to improve my sets and these are a couple things I want to know. So here we go,,,,,
1) Should I be setting my cd decks (Denon) to 4% range or 10% range? I know that some tracks bpm's are way outta wack with others so I would have to jump to 10%, but the question is, if the bpm's are not that much off, and I can match them up by setting it to 4% should I do that? Or should I just always leave it at 10%? Will adjusting it to 4% tighten my mixes up compared to having it set to 10%?
2) When mixing, I mix with the channel faders. So should I leave the bass turned all the way down on the track that I am bringing in, then swap them? Or should I have the bass adjusted to where I want it and then bring it in with the channel fader? I pretty much go for the nice long blends if I can, and never really do any cutting. Just wanted to give you that info so you know what I'm talking about.
Thanks, Mike |
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| CosmoKid |
I am not THAT experienced, but I can answer your questions...
1- your decks will have a different accuracy for each setting. they may not though. if you are talking about the settings, it may be accurate up to .01 at 4% and .1 at 10%. If that is the case I would leave it at 4% unless you NEED to match something over that. If there is no deifference in accuracy between the settings, i would leave it at 10%.
2- You dont want to overload the bass. The bass is probably the most important and most basic way of blending 2 tracks. You dont want the bass of the incoming track to be at 0, but it should be very low. Just enough for a little bass output. When you are doing your transitions, lower the bass of the outgoing and raise the incoming a little bit every 16 beats. |
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| Mike123 |
| quote: | Originally posted by CosmoKid
I am not THAT experienced, but I can answer your questions...
1- your decks will have a different accuracy for each setting. they may not though. if you are talking about the settings, it may be accurate up to .01 at 4% and .1 at 10%. If that is the case I would leave it at 4% unless you NEED to match something over that. If there is no deifference in accuracy between the settings, i would leave it at 10%.
2- You dont want to overload the bass. The bass is probably the most important and most basic way of blending 2 tracks. You dont want the bass of the incoming track to be at 0, but it should be very low. Just enough for a little bass output. When you are doing your transitions, lower the bass of the outgoing and raise the incoming a little bit every 16 beats. |
You did answer my questions. You have experiance, or at least more than me! :)
Thanks, Mike |
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| raaven |
1 - You'll probably have more accuracy with the +/- 4% but you may run into problems with tracks that really differ in bpm range. But yes, +/- 4 would be easier to work with for accuracy reasons.
2 - It's all about the track itself and how they blend together. Experiment with different techniques and find one that suites you best. That's how I learned and is what I say is best to do for others.
:) |
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| Mike123 |
| quote: | Originally posted by raaven
1 - You'll probably have more accuracy with the +/- 4% but you may run into problems with tracks that really differ in bpm range. But yes, +/- 4 would be easier to work with for accuracy reasons.
2 - It's all about the track itself and how they blend together. Experiment with different techniques and find one that suites you best. That's how I learned and is what I say is best to do for others.
:) |
Thank you. |
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| dex316 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Mike123
1) Should I be setting my cd decks (Denon) to 4% range or 10% range? I know that some tracks bpm's are way outta wack with others so I would have to jump to 10%, but the question is, if the bpm's are not that much off, and I can match them up by setting it to 4% should I do that? Or should I just always leave it at 10%? Will adjusting it to 4% tighten my mixes up compared to having it set to 10%? |
ive got a denon cd deck:
at +/-4% the pitch step are 0.02%
at 10% the steps are 0.1%
so obviously if u dont need to change the pitch by more than 4% then +/-4 is obviously best as u can be more accurate
as for q2 this depends completely on the tracks u r mixing - there is no right or wrong way |
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| KiNeTiC ENeRgY |
| there is no right or wrong way to set up your decks as well as mixing...You just have to try it a few different ways and you will pick the way that works best for YOU. Just keep mixing and trying to bring in tracks different ways and you'll find how you like to do it, and what sounds the best. |
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| dex316 |
| quote: | Originally posted by KiNeTiC ENeRgY
there is no right or wrong way to set up your decks |
but surely if u know u need to pitch the incoming track around +3% (for example) then surely it would be better to set the cd deck to the +/-4 range as this makes it more accurate
why make it harder for urself? |
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| Mike123 |
| I appreciate all the feedback |
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| DJ RJT |
Well I think #1 has been answered sufficiently, and there's some good points for #2... My take on Question #2...
For every mix you do, I think you'll encounter unique situations, and each mix, at least for me, is going to work a little different...
I'm not the most experienced DJ, but when I first started, I know I always tried to match the bassline and then just slowly mix in, usually keeping my mids and highs a little lower on the incoming track, and then gradually bringing them over. However, I began finding tracks that didn't really have long basslines at their beginnings, or maybe had a really cool intro without a bassline that I wanted to mix in, an example would be how I mix Nu Frequency's - 808 (Why Oh Why?) [Dub Mix] into Matthew Dekays - Higher Thoughts [Steve Porter Mix]...
The bassline after the final melody in "808" only runs for 16 beats (4 Bars) and so if you want to mix with the bassline you've got a real short period of time to work it in... What I do, is match the bassline 64 beats prior to the last bass beat, once I've got the tracks beat matched I cut the bass on "Higher Thoughts" to 0db, then mix the highs and mids over "808." If the beats are matched correctly, after the final beat in "808" you bring in the lows on "Higher Thoughts," and if you do it on beat and with your volume checked, you can bring in the bassline of "Higher Thoughts" without missing a beat...
Granted, this is a one case scenario, but hopefully it helps illustrate either a new idea of transitions for you or maybe inspires you to try something new...
Good luck Mike, Peace,
Rob
Edit: BTW, I'm still having all kinds of problems with the majority of my 3 Beat Records... I don't know how Holden does it, but I have NEVER mixed either The MFA's "The Difference it Makes" or Petter's "Tone Diary..." |
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| Mike123 |
| quote: | Originally posted by DJ RJT
Well I think #1 has been answered sufficiently, and there's some good points for #2... My take on Question #2...
For every mix you do, I think you'll encounter unique situations, and each mix, at least for me, is going to work a little different...
I'm not the most experienced DJ, but when I first started, I know I always tried to match the bassline and then just slowly mix in, usually keeping my mids and highs a little lower on the incoming track, and then gradually bringing them over. However, I began finding tracks that didn't really have long basslines at their beginnings, or maybe had a really cool intro without a bassline that I wanted to mix in, an example would be how I mix Nu Frequency's - 808 (Why Oh Why?) [Dub Mix] into Matthew Dekays - Higher Thoughts [Steve Porter Mix]...
The bassline after the final melody in "808" only runs for 16 beats (4 Bars) and so if you want to mix with the bassline you've got a real short period of time to work it in... What I do, is match the bassline 64 beats prior to the last bass beat, once I've got the tracks beat matched I cut the bass on "Higher Thoughts" to 0db, then mix the highs and mids over "808." If the beats are matched correctly, after the final beat in "808" you bring in the lows on "Higher Thoughts," and if you do it on beat and with your volume checked, you can bring in the bassline of "Higher Thoughts" without missing a beat...
Granted, this is a one case scenario, but hopefully it helps illustrate either a new idea of transitions for you or maybe inspires you to try something new...
Good luck Mike, Peace,
Rob
Edit: BTW, I'm still having all kinds of problems with the majority of my 3 Beat Records... I don't know how Holden does it, but I have NEVER mixed either The MFA's "The Difference it Makes" or Petter's "Tone Diary..." |
Great Info! Rock On, Mike |
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| pumavisor808 |
for question 1...
I have the Denons and keep them at 10% and it is more than adequate to mix with.
I can't be bothered trying to figure out if I should use 4% or 10% to mix... It just seems like a wast of my time. So I just always keep it @ 10%. That way I don't have to worry if 4% is enough pitch range.
I have more important things to do in the booth then decide if I should use 4 or 10%. |
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