abc's of mixing

[Lola]

for alla the beginners out there; what were the hardest things about learning to mix? How long did it take you to match beats with ease? and last but not least, how long can a dj mix before she can scratch?:confused:

[Nicknack]

well i think every one is gonna say about the same thing------some people pick it up real fast and some real slow

bottom line though you aren't gonna be able to mix "well" for quite a while----just practice and practice and more practice will help this speed up.

scratchin is the same way---some people dont even mix they just scratch----but mixing will help you understand sounds better and help with your scratching in the future....

dont get frustrated dont be too technicall its all about havin fun------just enjoy your learning progress and learn from your mistakes.

it helps to record mixes and review them---youll hear stuff you didnt know you where doing.

baby the record/platter/pitch slider----dont over correct.

it all comes in time
ive ben mixing for about 7months now and still mess up some times with beat matching-----usually just when im tired though--
some tunes will not mix together very well---due to the beat structures and key differences-----remember that

---it helps to know your tunes some what---and with me to always have fresh tunes, other wise i get stale feeling and dont have the energy like when i have a new batch of wax

a good book to get Is "Hw to Dj right" by Bill Brewster.....

but yeah just have fun=== thats the biggest tip i could give---dont get too hard on yourself youll just get frustrated and wanna say fuck it....

good luck :)

[Loki]

Originally posted by Lola
how long can a dj mix before she can scratch?:confused:

Well scratching and mixing is entirely different from one another. The amount of time it takes to really get good at one or the other means that very very few djs are actually really good at both. Usually what you'll find is there'll be a scratch dj who can do some basic mixing when necessary or a mix dj that'll toss in some simple scratching every now and then. For me personally, I'd love to know how to scratch but I don't have the time to do it proper.

As far as mixing goes, it took me about a week or two before the beats first started to make sense on my head, and after that it just takes lots of practice and time to increase your precision and speed for beatmatching

[dubplaya]

Originally posted by Loki

As far as mixing goes, it took me about a week or two before the beats first started to make sense on my head, and after that it just takes lots of practice and time to increase your precision and speed for beatmatching


^^^ That old saying "practice makes perfect" never fit so well onto anything..but it fits mixing so well. I try to get at least 1 1/2 hours a day..at the minimum. I've been at it for four years now. Just stay with it and you'll get ya groove girl ;)

Peace
Mode 4

[corbettfields]

the hardest part is getting the time and good advice... you need to be able to learn and at the same time develop your own style. What are you going to add to DJing that hasnt been done before? Difficult!

[brainCandy909]

get good at mixing. like a 10 or 20 % suck rate then learn 2 scratch. or just be like jhon digweed and strate mix and be pimp doing so

[Lizard King]

Originally posted by Nicknack
it helps to record mixes and review them---youll hear stuff you didnt know you where doing.


Word ... this is one of, if not THE most valuable tools when learning.
When I was learning to play, my roommate and I would record a tape and then listen to it immediately. This allows you to hear what the mixes actually sound like while they are still fresh in your head.

[dj_lite]

It took me about a year or so to really REALLY get the hang of beat matching and mixing, however. You could probubly teach a monkey how to beat match two songs... So i think the hard part of being a good dj is being good at putting together a set that goes together (if that makes any sense??)

[djowns]

For me it's probably the patience to not bang out as many mixes as possible, and instead play a track that little bit longer in order to get perfect timing.

[unknownp0et]

So, I've been mixing for a couple of years now... certainly no expert (not even a gig to my name... yet). However, I would certainly cast my vote for taping as many mixes as you can. We're all different. I picked up beat matching in about one evening over a six pack and a couple spliffs, but ever since it's been intensive practice to work on melodic mixing and programming... I started scratching as soon as I could lay a hand on a record on a turntable, but I only recently started to be able to make good sounds.

I guess if I have a point it's this... practice and you'll get it, but you'll never stop learning. Half of the DJ's I've heard live don't know how to key their records, so you get this painful key clash for a couple seconds between two melodic house records... I'm sure they're working on it and I'm sure it has taken them time.

Patients, practice and taping... your speed is your speed...

peace

[bayarearaver]

i have not beat matched for a while now, since my friend moved out and his roomate took the tables. it defintely took some time to understand how to even start. it seemed liek a lot to think about and then we had some drinks and started to make more sense, but it is still diificult after relentless houe.

[DJAugie]

When you're at home and no one is around is the best time to teach yourself. If you blow a mix don't shrug and put on the next record. Put the needle back into the record and try again. Sometimes records just aren't ment to go toghter but at least try to get the beats matched. WORK ON LONGER MIXES. Drop mixing (with is's own difficulties) and short mixes are EASY. Work on getting the beats super close then maintaining the mix for as long as you can. DON'T GIVE UP.


Also, recording yourself is 100% helpful. You can record a short 20min set and think you are the best DJ in the world then listen to it and discover you actually sucked ass for the past 20 mins and didn't know it. The reverse is also true. You can think a mix sucked when it really wasn't that bad.

[dr_babbit]

yea long mixes are good. but know when to cut the record, not only for cueing the next in time but for the sake of letting the one track actually play out on its own (unless its one of those tracks)

also not mixing on a shitty mixer is key, you can learn to mix yes, but it's easier on a mixer you can hear all the sounds with ;)

[LABRETT]

pracTICE......
learn your music.........
study your music........
buy music that will flow with your vibe........
make it a journey ...........

but first........study YOUR MUSIC.....

TAKE YOUR TIME

practice

[dj jakub]

first get two of the same records, set them at the same speed and learn how to properly drop on a beat. Your records will be matched anyway, this will be a good way for you to learn when to drop at the right time.. Yaeh its boring, but it helps people get started.

after you learned how to drop a record, take the two same records and screw the speeds up, drop them slow or faster, than with peeking or without peeking learn what faster and slower sound like, what are the diffrences.

you have two choise to speed and slow down records, you can either "ride the pitch" or you can physically move the record. I think its really personal choice (i'm probablly going to get yelled at in a second). I've seen adam beyer tap the records, ofcourse i've seen carl cox ride them.

Anyway, once you mastered the two of the same records, practice with all kinds of music.

Honestly i think that is the easiest way to learn what the diffrent sounds are and how to identify them.

[ScottyP5947]

I have BAD equipment but I can match and it took forever to get here! I totally agree with Jakob, two of the same records helps a ton! It teaches you to listen if the other record is faster or slower... not a natural thing until ya practice. Put one side on a weird speed and match the other record in by playing with the pitch. Soon, your ear will learn! So do you go to Western? <I do>
Scott

[thehunt]

...and I knew I would

[decim8]

practice the basics first(beatmatching and shite)for HOURS and HOURS and when you get tired of that practice cutting.if you don't immerse yourself in this shit or feel the addiction ta' do so then do yourself a favor now and sell ya' shit. because if your not fully commited to this shit then STEP THA' FUCK OFF.that being said you should want to spend all your time gettin' better.remember,this is an artform, if you don't respect it you won't get respect.i been mixin fa' 4 years and i can't wait ta' come home and get up on the tables.it's lke i'm a fiend for it and the tables is my reddi-rok, i can't wait ta' smoke.and so wit this i say good luck on your journey and always push the boundaries......one.

[thehunt]

When I started, and when I teach beginners, I make it like a game:

I recommend doing a set, not a pre-planned set, cuz I am more into the moment of the mix.
Start with some intro, then go into your songs. But the main part is to be there when the song is ending, ready with the next record. I act like I am performing or recording, so I try to do it without mistakes (but it doesn't matter if you screw up, just have fun).

So be there, either with the beats matched up, or for some kind of layered transition, and then roll with it. By the end of an hour of this "game", you will have gone through various transitions, and will have thrown together a great mix. If you were recording, then you got a dope hour mix baby!

So, I think learning to match beats is the best thing to learn, even if it takes hours, it is better than taking years to learn it cuz you didn't actually take the time to learn.
I have cheapy tables, and an old-skool black Pioneer mixer, and I think that the quality of the equipment isn't everything. As long as you know what you're doing with your mix, the mixer doesn't matter as much.

Scratching is fun, but it isn't everything. You might not really like the beat matching thing, but it will actually make you better in the end, cuz you don't want to throw a party, and not know how to make a PROPER TRANSITION. Scratching in cool sounds here and there is cool, but one of my buddies has been DJing as long as I have, mainly hiphop though, and he still only likes to scratch, while I have completely surpassed him in the performance area since I can throw down long sets

[Gene]

I like to DJ. It is fun.

[Shaul]

This might help some.. http://music.hyperreal.org/dj/AVH/