Mixing...

Phibsd7

Alright lads, just bought all my gear... have 2 gemini decks with serato working off macbook. teaching myself to beatmatch and mix and looking for some pointers... few questions:

1. Is house the best to start mixing as it is standard 4/4 beats compared to breaks and hiphop for example?
2. Does the bpm of your first track determine the bpm of your set? i.e. if you start at 120 do you have to alter all tracks after this to 120, or could you discreetly alter the pitch during a playing track?
3. What is the usual bpm range for a set? How far do you usually waver from your starting pace?

oh, buying some tunes on beatport as well.. What format do ye go for? 320 mp3 or wav? is it worth the extra money for the wav?
Any tips appreciated sorry if these questions seem stupid and thanks for your help!

L1011

1: I've always felt trance is the best to start, continue and eventually finish (when you're too old to hear anymore) mixing with, but thats a matter of opinion I'd see house as being 'easier' to mix (but again, that is opinion, and I'm sure I'll be shot down).

2: You can alter the BPM of the set as it progesses, and I'd suspect virtually everyone does - it'd be nearly impossible not to. Listen to some recorded sets and this becomes apparent - theres live set websites with 1000x of sets on them, so you can pick and chose different DJs to compare with.

3: I'd rarely go over a +/-10bpm range but this is entirely down to your own style, again listen to a fair few sets and you'll see theres a big variance in what different DJs do.

If everyone played the same BPM all set and played the same way, it'd be incredibly boring. You'll find your own style after a while.

As goes tracks, if you can afford it go for WAV but the difference in quality is virtual indistinguishable as Beatport use good encoders. The download time on WAV is far higher too, so if you've got poor broadband, its painful.

Scubadevils

Two great books that are worth reading whether starting out or an experienced DJ -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Night-DJ-Saved-Life/dp/0755313984/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209375340&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-DJ-Properly-Science-Playing/dp/0593058119/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b?ie=UTF8&qid=1209375340&sr=8-1

Riesen_Meal

Felixdhc wrote: »

Two great books that are worth reading whether starting out or an experienced DJ -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Last-Night-DJ-Saved-Life/dp/0755313984/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209375340&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-DJ-Properly-Science-Playing/dp/0593058119/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b?ie=UTF8&qid=1209375340&sr=8-1

Think I have that in PDF somewhere, if I can find it ill upload it....

run_Forrest_run

Fieldog wrote: »

Think I have that in PDF somewhere, if I can find it ill upload it....

please do Fieldog..

MyDseMkesAngels

First of all, don't feel stupid! We all had to start somewhere. And the people who never stop asking are usually the peole who never stop getting better.

Now, I won't dare try to speak for everyone but Trance is generally considered the easiest genre to mix, there's less "going on" between the beats. BUT, if you can't stand Trance then it's gonna be the hardest to mix because listening intently to music you don't like is the fastest way to a) get a major headache and b) begin to despise music. So if you're more into House, start with that. Techno would be more difficult again (just going by my opinion and the opinion of a few DJs I know) but like I said, whatever works for you and whatever you're comfortable listening to over and over will most likely work out to be your best option.

MYOB has answeered the BPM question. Yes, of course it's okay to gradually change this and it’s certainly something I would recommend. Think about it. If you did not change the BPM at all, it means all the tracks in your set must have the same BPM. Eh, that’s not very likely to happen. Look up the BPMs of seven or eight tracks that you would like to use in your set and see for yourself. There isn’t really a usual BPM for a set, you should be aiming to be able to work with various BPMs. It might seem a long way off now if you’re just starting but stick with it.

As for MP3s vs WAVs, I actually find that some WAV files give me problems whereas the MP ones are fine. This isn’t something I’ve really looked into though, because if a file gives me too many problems I’ll usually download it again.

One more piece of advice I will give you is to try it every which way you can think of. You’re not sure if you should speed up one track or slow down the other? Try both, even if you don’t think it’s right. This is how you will learn enough about music to develop an instinct for beatmatch. No-one is born knowing how to do it so keep practicing. Let us know how you get on.

And, congrats on the Geminis, that's what I have and I won't let no-one tell me I "should've got Technics".;)

Phibsd7

nice one lads... severly addicted now!!
one last question: i have hundreds of class tunes on mp3 as part of mixes i have bought in the past.... are these tracks usable at all as part of my sets? is the done thing to not go near them??

L1011

If they're in mixes, they're basically no use whatsoever as you've lost the intro and outro to the other persons mix. Its a right pain in the hole when looking for CD versions of older/rarer tracks and all you can find is on mixed compilations.

Executive Steve

easiest stuff to mix is breakbeat, techno and electro; basically anything with lots of top end percussion on it - lets you match up the beats that much quicker. dubstep is a bit harder because the beats are much less regular and more natural sounding.

since trance and house have strong musical elements in them you're going to have to learn the tunes on a level beyond merely beatmatching them - then again, mixing trance tensd to be all about playing the first 64 bar kickdrum - hi hat sequence over the outro of the previous tune (and then doing feck all for another ten minutes - perfect for chattin to your groupies or doing a few lines)

hardest stuff to mix properly (and the most fun to mix by far) is dnb since you have to do all the stuff you have to do with each of all of the other genres as well as phrasing the tunes in a more rigid way than, for instance, with techno

jonny68

[cm]tyranny wrote: »

easiest stuff to mix is breakbeat, techno and electro; basically anything with lots of top end percussion on it - lets you match up the beats that much quicker. dubstep is a bit harder because the beats are much less regular and more natural sounding.

since trance and house have strong musical elements in them you're going to have to learn the tunes on a level beyond merely beatmatching them - then again, mixing trance tensd to be all about playing the first 64 bar kickdrum - hi hat sequence over the outro of the previous tune (and then doing feck all for another ten minutes - perfect for chattin to your groupies or doing a few lines)

hardest stuff to mix properly (and the most fun to mix by far) is dnb since you have to do all the stuff you have to do with each of all of the other genres as well as phrasing the tunes in a more rigid way than, for instance, with techno

I must disagree about breakbeat being easy to mix, this genre especially old skool hardcore and Jungle is very dificult to mix IMO, with the breakbeats being so fast and repititive in some tunes it can sound like the grand national:D

Riesen_Meal

jonny68 wrote: »

I must disagree about breakbeat being easy to mix, this genre especially old skool hardcore and Jungle is very dificult to mix IMO, with the breakbeats being so fast and repititive in some tunes it can sound like the grand national:D

I used to play breaks a lot and I find it wayyyyy easier to mix than 4/4, and I can mix drum n bass easily aswell, just always had an ear for it.....

Might be the fact my ex's bro was a gigging DnB freakazoid and couldnt believe how an apparent "house dj" could mix his records better than he could!

seannash

if your just starting out figure out the loop function in serato and just loop a simple drum loop from the begining of any of your tunes(presuming your tunes start like that)
use this to mix into so you wont have to worry about timing or any of that other stuff
as for easiest.the easiest stuff is subjective but the higher the bpm is the easier and quicker you will hear the beats drift,simply because it doesnt take as long for each kick to hit as it does on a slower track.
that being said for basic mixing(not the beatmatching aspect)tech house and minimal get my vote as the easiest along with soulful house.they have pretty predictable arrangements and introduce elements gradually.
but practice whatever style music you intend to dj with should be your first choice

Zascar

The Books recommended above are very good, definitely puts you on the right track to start. The obvious one is "Practice" - there's simple no substitute. Get into a habit of playing a little every night if you can. Instead of just playing random tunes, try to plan your mix a little - you'll learn better this way. Eventually you won't have to think about it and selection will come naturally

RECORD!!!! If you can, make it easy to record your mixes and do it as often as you can. Listen to it the next day and you'll hear how you could have improved. Go back and try the same mixes again. It's always fun to listen to your mixes from way back too...

You can read all the books and practice like mad, but some actual hands on instruction is always good too. Find someone more experienced and ask them to help you (some boardies may even help you out). Even watching other DJ's mix can give you some tips. Get up and watch the DJ in any bars and clubs that you can. It's amazing how people's styles of mixing differ.

Try to be creative and experiment in your mixing. Obviously it hugely depends on what you are playing, but try to do some mixing that is very smooth and progressive - blend the tunes so that people barely notice where one starts and the other ends. Then try some different stuff like cutting in and out, swapping baselines etc. Spinbacks can be fun sometimes but keep them to a minimum. Loops and effects can make things interesting, but honestly wait until you have mastered the basics before trying to take it to the next step.

Listen, really listen, to a lot of other DJ's. Not Mix CD's these are often not actually 'mixed' - download live sets instead and pay attention to the progression of the mix, the flow of how upbeat/beep/techy/funky etc etc that it gets.

Ask questions: the more you ask the more you'll learn. The lads here will be happy to help, also check other forums such as www.djforums.com - there are some good threads in the beginners forum. Record a mix, throw it online and ask for feedback. The Rate My Mix thread here for example.

Hope that helps, any other questions just shout.

Zascar

Found this on my computer, not sure if it's any good but take a look anyway:
How to be a DJ pdf

Executive Steve

jonny68 wrote: »

I must disagree about breakbeat being easy to mix, this genre especially old skool hardcore and Jungle is very dificult to mix IMO, with the breakbeats being so fast and repititive in some tunes it can sound like the grand national:D

old school hardcore and early jungle are tricky, this is true, but that's more down to the fact that a lot of the tunes are structurally all over the place

you just have to really know your tunes and know which breaks roll out nicely together...

the faster music gets the easier it is to mix because you notice it going out of time quicker

the hardest stuff of all to mix is atmospheric dnb

Executive Steve

jonny68 wrote: »

I must disagree about breakbeat being easy to mix, this genre especially old skool hardcore and Jungle is very dificult to mix IMO, with the breakbeats being so fast and repititive in some tunes it can sound like the grand national:D

and when i said "breakbeat" i basically meant "nu school breaks" (plump dj's / rennie pilgrim type stuff) which is a piece of piss to mix - huge big fat compressed snares and predictable arrangements

JoeSchmoe

the best advice I can give you is to mix the music you like, there's no point mixing trance if you hate it (as any right minded person should ) even if it is easier, which is debatable, it's much more rewarding to get a mix going between two tracks you love then two tunes that leave you cold.

another thing, get the fundamentals of beat matching sorted before you get lost in all the fancy dan features of serato, it'll stand you in good stead.

and Tyranny, I find breaks and DNB about the same in the mixing stakes, unless you going for some wigged out paradox style chopped up snarefest bitniz of course, and of course there are plenty of noodly breaks producers out there as well

Executive Steve

JoeSchmoe wrote: »

unless you going for some wigged out paradox style chopped up snarefest bitniz of course,

which i generally am!

check my mix @ www.virb.com/tyrannyexecutivesteve - stream or download from the player

JoeSchmoe

[cm]tyranny wrote: »

which i generally am!

check my mix @ www.virb.com/tyrannyexecutivesteve - stream or download from the player

well that stuff ain't easy to mix