Krell Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 So it's settled! Im writing down BPMs next to the tracklists 493600[/snapback] But - Remember - Use your ears when you listen to tracks together! Most importantly, you must practicly meditate over the beats when you beat match them, else you get double beats. So, dont see it as a short cut to "easy" see it as a short cut to "fast" If you REALLY want to go "note crazy", note last beat of the tracks as well + which key they are in ;-) Best Wishes Krell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmtree Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 There are quite a few tracks that are not set on a BPM, it's something like 147.3333 or 146.5, and some of them even change.. what do you do in those cases? not play them at all? or trainwreck if the track doesn't fit the 0.7% holy grail? no, you mix it by ear. and what if you want to mix some breaks for a change? The experienced DJs here - I am sure they can beatmatch anything without having BPMs written down, they just use it to help them and save time. Try to learn without using BPMs, only then use them if you think it's helpful. Train your ear, young Jedi.. it'll come in useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowball Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 hhmmm... i am certainly not an experienced dj but usually when i pass from a track to another i cut off the low's on the mixer when the 1st song ends,and put them back on when the other starts...it helps imo but as nobody mentioned it,maybe its a bad tactic to use???enlight me please!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmtree Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 hhmmm... i am certainly not an experienced dj but usually when i pass from a track to another i cut off the low's on the mixer when the 1st song ends,and put them back on when the other starts...it helps imo but as nobody mentioned it,maybe its a bad tactic to use???enlight me please!!!! 493682[/snapback] not sure what you mean.. when i mix, i usually start the second track (on the first beat, matched with the 16/32/64sequence of the first track) and slowly bring it in with all of the EQs cut, then gradually bring in the EQs - usually the mids and highs first, while simultaneously cutting the EQs on the other track. Other times I switch the bass first, letting the kick from the second track go while the mids/highs of the first track play out, it really depends on the tracks and my mood, the first method is smoother, the second brings more energy, it's more like dropping the bass. With more minimal progressive tracks, I often let the two tracks play together or fade between them for fun.. Usually (though not always) I try to avoid mixing the basslines and/or mids/highs together at full volume, but there are some DJs who do it all the time, really all your personal style, whatever sounds good to you is what you should do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowball Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 not sure what you mean.. when i mix, i usually start the second track (on the first beat, matched with the 16/32/64sequence of the first track) and slowly bring it in with all of the EQs cut, then gradually bring in the EQs - usually the mids and highs first, while simultaneously cutting the EQs on the other track. Other times I switch the bass first, letting the kick from the second track go while the mids/highs of the first track play out, it really depends on the tracks and my mood, the first method is smoother, the second brings more energy, it's more like dropping the bass. With more minimal progressive tracks, I often let the two tracks play together or fade between them for fun.. Usually (though not always) I try to avoid mixing the basslines and/or mids/highs together at full volume, but there are some DJs who do it all the time, really all your personal style, whatever sounds good to you is what you should do. 493694[/snapback] thats what i meant! its relatively easy to do it and you dont get those awful double beats! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmtree Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 thats what i meant! its relatively easy to do it and you dont get those awful double beats! 493697[/snapback] that's not true, if you're off-beat it'll be painfully obvious, since you never cut the EQ out completely BEFORE bringing the other one in - always do it smoothly to continue the flow. There are really no cheats or shortcuts to avoid having properly beatmatched tracks, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowball Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 that's not true, if you're off-beat it'll be painfully obvious, since you never cut the EQ out completely BEFORE bringing the other one in - always do it smoothly to continue the flow. There are really no cheats or shortcuts to avoid having properly beatmatched tracks, sorry. 493706[/snapback] well yes.if the melody is off-beat even with the bass cut you will see the mismatch.... but what i usually do is cut the bass completely,and when the 2ond track kicks in,i put the bass a little louder,its kinda like dropping the bass bomb!i hope you get ny point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmtree Posted March 16, 2006 Share Posted March 16, 2006 well yes.if the melody is off-beat even with the bass cut you will see the mismatch.... but what i usually do is cut the bass completely,and when the 2ond track kicks in,i put the bass a little louder,its kinda like dropping the bass bomb!i hope you get ny point! 493720[/snapback] you mean you are not really mixing the kick-drums from the two tracks at all - just waiting for the second track to kick in before you bring it in? I think that's more like fade-mixing if I understand correctly. what I mean by beat-mixing is cueing the 2nd track on a beat where it kicks in and starting it somewhere within 1.5-2.5 minutes of the end of the 1st track, so the two kicks are going simultaneously for a while. That way you can't really get rid of the trainwreck by cutting out the EQs since the frequencies of the kick-drum aren't contained in the single pocket, usually they are spread out between the low and low-mid EQs (also helps when you're bringing in the second kick to have the mids turned on also to get the full spectrum, not just the low woof-woof). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krell Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 well yes.if the melody is off-beat even with the bass cut you will see the mismatch.... but what i usually do is cut the bass completely,and when the 2ond track kicks in,i put the bass a little louder,its kinda like dropping the bass bomb!i hope you get ny point! 493720[/snapback] I would hear it right away, thats how Goa Gil mixes and its very amateurish. But you are right, all the people fucked up on drugs, lsd etc might not notice it, so you might get away with it.... but any person who has basic knowledge about good beat mixing, structuring etc will not be happy with it. You see - It doesnt matter if you cut the bass completely, the mid is still there (the mid makes the most noticeable double beat) - and if you cut the mid completely also, the high is there, and it is out of sync and drifting. Also, when you mix, you should not really cut away the music, my aim in most of my mixes is to have as much of each track in the mix as possible, and blend them together over time). So - You can make a SWIFT transaction between tracks, also like Goa Gil does, and its not so noticeable - But, it doesnt sound good, the flow inside the mix will suck and you are not really working with the music, just trying to sort of run away from it (the mix) into the next track. (Typical DAT DJ mixing technique when you have no pitch or pitch bend, and sadly it is still with a lot of CD jocks this day still). Instead - What you need to do is set the pitch right (its usually never 100% correct so you always need to pitch bend) - So, you listen to both tracks before & during the mix, focussing on the beats and when you hear them go out of sync just a little bit you pitch bend to correct it (very delicately). While you do this, you EQ in the next track, so that they slowly blend together - I usually never use the fader for this - Normally I will start with the incoming track turned ALL up but EQd down, and then mix it in using the EQ - Letting the 2 tracks place eachother, EQ the old one down, EQ the new one up (in accordance with the beat structure and keys of every track). Actually EQing and deciding when you want transitions to happen is where you as a DJ get to influence the sound and track2track flow in your set - What I do is listen for the rhythms and use my emotions. I get to be a part of it 2 ways 1: Track Selection and 2: The Flow in the Mix.... Thats where the audience will "feel" the extent of my artistry, or the side I believe matters most (musical). Dont sacrifice it for "easy" :-) Its all the fun, right there :-) Best Wishes Krell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dj mylo Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Yes I measure BPM's! On computer, not with bpm counters. And that's not all, I write down the key as well! I mixed "au naturel" for 4 years. And for the last three I have been doing the bpm prep work before my sets so that when I am spinning I can focus more of my energy on the mix itself, and also spend an extra 2 minutes or so choosing the PERFECT track to put on next. Matching beats is just admin. Mixing and song selection is the "art". I also check BPM's before hand to make sure I know what type of track I am dealing with. Some tunes sound really fast because of open hi-hats or slower because of strange percussions, bassline etc. Some tunes sound like 145bpm, when they're actually 150 etc. I like to see on paper which tracks are designed to go together. I also try to avoid pitching tracks up or down more than 1.4%. So BPM's are super important to me. But that's just how I approach things. There is not right or wrong way peeps JUST DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO AVOID THE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmtree Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 haha, nice pic we also call it shoes in a dryer.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krell Posted March 17, 2006 Share Posted March 17, 2006 haha, nice pic we also call it shoes in a dryer.. 494373[/snapback] Or Galop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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