DJing/Mixing: How do you do it?

[shagnscoob]

I've been listening to a lot of Erol Alkan recently, and I went to a few clubs in Mexico and saw this amazing dj that really got people dancing and I wonder...

how do they do it? where do you start? what do you need?

[Akura]

You need 2 turntables and a mixer, the most popular tables are Technic 1200 and for the mixer you can choose what suits you best and what you want to play. Also with needles if you want to scratch Shure's are probably the best. Orto if you wanna play some techno club stuff..

If you want to learn how to scratch i highly suggest you get DJ Qberts DJing 101 DVD's

I'm not a DJ but i've met a lot of DJ's while Bboying.. Someone else who DJ's might be able to enlighten you more.

[drapygo]

Well, I'm a electronica DJ in the learning. For me, I would have to learn how to beatmatch. and then learn efx later on.

You'll need a mixer, a decent one to achieve some nice efx, and a turntable or a digital vynil turntable, I'd suggest the new Technics one ($700) that one is good for hip-hop, otherwise the Pioneer MK series.

I would look around on google and just read up the basics of DJ'n, then buy the equipment, only if you are sure you want to start because it costs a lot of money. then just play around, and you'll get it. oh, and ask professional DJ's, they will help you.

[xcoldricex]

even if you want to be a scratch dj - learn to beatmatch first. you'll learn the structure of music (if you don't already know) and it's an essential skill for any dj.

get used 1200s. anything else is a waste of money. if you end up not liking it, just resell them - you'll get most, if not all your money back. don't waste your time with the other tables.

[shagnscoob]

what exactly is beat matching?

[johnnay]

beatmatching is matching the BPM of two differnt songs. you can slow one song down to make it match with the other to either slow things down or speed thigns up. it helps for smoother blending.

[shagnscoob]

do you usually change the speed back to the regular bpm after you've transitioned?

[johnnay]

umm...from what ive heard in mixes...yes. im not a dj. i just like to know about the intricacies of what im listening to...so i couldn't tell you much about the more...involved part.

but uh yeah..just remember to learn to keep the enrgy going. youre in control of the people.

[onemancult]

the transition is the changing of the speed. IE. if you're going from

song A, at 110 BPM, to song B, at 120 BPM, the trick is speeding

A up to transition into B- and so on and so on throughout your set.

i've never DJed but I've been heavily involved with music for years now,

recorded music, produced music, etc. i should probably just learn how

to spin at this point.

[djrajio]

the transition is the changing of the speed. IE. if you're going from

song A, at 110 BPM, to song B, at 120 BPM, the trick is speeding

A up to transition into B- and so on and so on throughout your set.

i've never DJed but I've been heavily involved with music for years now,

recorded music, produced music, etc. i should probably just learn how

to spin at this point.

I used to DJ back in highschool and yes, basically this is probably the most fundamental part of djing, matching the beats and transitioning between songs. Personally though, going from 110 BPM to 120 BPM is challenging as it is, so practice. Typically house is around 120 BPM and say newjack/early 90s r&b / hip-hop MAY have approached 110 BPM but now most hiphop/r&b is 90-100-BPM. So you gotta have an idea what the mood currently is, how the next song is going to transition that mood, then how you're going to transition smoothly between the songs if they have different BPM. Most good DJs can do this initutively w/o thinking. Then you can get creative and say phrase out the base/middle of one track and have the vocals transition into the intro/beat of the next song, for example...

[camthrax]

If you want to learn how to scratch i highly suggest you get DJ Qberts DJing 101 DVD's

This DVD will explain how scratching works extraordinarily well. I reccomend it.

[stillthehorror]

in the beginning, stick to the basics. learn how to beat match/mix with turntables and a basic mixer. don't worry about effects, they're a joke most of the time. i'd rather spring for a mixer with a good eq than effects.

learn your songs. know how songs are typically structured and you'll figure out the best places to get in and out of a mix. it also helps out a lot to count the BPMs of your song and organize them accordingly. it helps out a lot when you're in the middle of a set.

i don't usually change the bpm of the currently playing back to its original speed. if you do it, you have to do so very slowly as to hide it from the crowd. a +/-4% change in pitch is very noticeable.

ask around for help and tips and practice, practice, practice.

p.s. if you're going the digital route, i highly recommend the serato system. i was hesistant to switch from vinyl, but i fell in love with it.

[onemancult]

serato really is tops once you get into it- people huff and puff and talk about how vinyl will never die, but i really think serato put a bit of knife in vinyl's side.

[drapygo]

Hmmm, funny, I always thought, when I'm playing track A, at 165BPM, and going into track B (track B at 170BPM), I would slow down track B... how would you speed up track A without messing up the mix? probably add efx while doing it uh? right know, i'm practicing with, stanton smx-401 (i should of baught something besides stanton) and two pioneer cdj200. im thinking, i should of went turntable, but, they all the same. haha, im a hardstyle dj.

[greentea]

then you can throw out records all together and go with serato.

[stillthehorror]

Hmmm, funny, I always thought, when I'm playing track A, at 165BPM, and going into track B (track B at 170BPM), I would slow down track B... how would you speed up track A without messing up the mix? probably add efx while doing it uh? right know, i'm practicing with, stanton smx-401 (i should of baught something besides stanton) and two pioneer cdj200. im thinking, i should of went turntable, but, they all the same. haha, im a hardstyle dj.

you could slow down track B to match track A before throwing it into the mix.

all without using effects.

[ashgromnies]

you could slow down track B to match track A before throwing it into the mix.

all without using effects.

if you are playing track A at 100 bpm and want to slow track B down from 120 to 100 before you start playing it, how do you do that?

[stillthehorror]

if you are playing track A at 100 bpm and want to slow track B down from 120 to 100 before you start playing it, how do you do that?

pitch it down somewhere around -8%. i don't recommend it doing that, though, because the song would sound slowed waaaaaay down. like that chopped and screwed shit that was huge a year ago.

[down4nyhc]

you don't have to get fancy. most parties that are really happening in new york right now don't have fancy dj's. it's really all about the music. typiclally with rock music it doesn't sound good to blend the songs anyway. Plus a lot of peoople want to hear the songs as the artist made themIf you scratch al together i think you'll look plain stupid and will annoy majoity of people.

[emaze]

I've been djing for a number of years.... and have over 10,000 pieces of vinyl in my small nyc apartment.... I love my vinyl! But my advice to the new jacks wanting to dj, look into serato...

[hipset]

i want to get into serato, but don't know a whole lot about it. whats it going to set me back? ad what do i need to get going?

[stillthehorror]

you don't have to get fancy. most parties that are really happening in new york right now don't have fancy dj's. it's really all about the music. typiclally with rock music it doesn't sound good to blend the songs anyway. Plus a lot of peoople want to hear the songs as the artist made themIf you scratch al together i think you'll look plain stupid and will annoy majoity of people.

mixing is the foundation of party djing, so i don't think it's fancy at all.

i also dislike scratching during sets because it really takes me out of it when i'm dancing. buuuuuut, i also think that just slamming songs of a different tempo together is just as bad. but, judging from how new york djs spin and the djs in the california scene, i guess it might just be a difference in djing styles, regardless of genre.

i want to get into serato, but don't know a whole lot about it. whats it going to set me back? ad what do i need to get going?

the whole serato setup is going to cost $500.

if you don't have your equipment yet (mixer, turntables and/or cd players), you're going to have to figure that into the cost.

[emaze]

i want to get into serato, but don't know a whole lot about it. whats it going to set me back? ad what do i need to get going?

with anything there's going to be a bit of a financial investment.... but luckily you have people like us to give you good advice. so you won't have to keep upgrading or buying new equipment....

first thing first you need a labtop. I have no experience when it comes to pc labtops only macs. Macs have a good rep for multi media tasks like digital audio. As the tech 1200 turntable is the standard for record players, Macs are the standard for serato users... try looking on the serato chat forum: http://www.scratchlive.net/forum/

it is a wealth of information

labtop mac $1500-2500 depends on ur budget (get the largest internal HD)

serato box/software under $500

mixer: varies, they just came out with a mixer that has serato software built in, all u do is connect ur computer using an usb cord to the mixer.

it's expensive though maybe $1200-1500 I think? (don't quote me)

also mini gdrive external hardrive (you will need lots of space)

http://www.g-technology.com/Products/G-DRIVE.cfm

for more prices go to www.turntablelab.com

[freshdipt]

ttlab is the shit, for music and gear.

that being said, if you're just an aspiring dj (aka you have no skills or you dont play out yet), serato is a bit of an investment. serato doesn't make learning how to dj easier. it makes being a dj and being a creative dj easier.

[himatey]

have you seen the new rane ttm57s (i think)

that was made to work with scratchlive?

wat u all think?

woo i want it!

[drapygo]

Now, I've been thinking of useing vynil now, I baught 1 Pioneer CDJ-200, and now I don't know... right now I think I'm going to get another CD-Player but a vynil one, don't know why I didn't buy the vynil one at first. hard decision.......

[wild_whiskey]

I think the first thing is to listen to a LOT of music, and practice blending tracks. You'll learn (the hard way) that just because you think in your head that two tracks will blend together well, most of the time that is not the case.

Takes a long time to do really great mixing. I'd advise seeing some DJ sets live (not party DJing, but show DJing) and you'll catch onto some of the tricks they do to mix tracks. Also, there's a great set called "A night out with cut/copy." Really good mixing of electronica, 80s, post-punk, indie... etc. Im not sure if its still available to buy but probably out there for downloading.

[yiHan]

My god! sound tough! i think i'm just going to stick to being a party goer!

[su8m3rg3d]

My god! sound tough! i think i'm just going to stick to being a party goer!

haha you better be, dude.