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Introduction
Themusicindustryhasevolvedincountlesswaysoverthecourseofthelastdecade.
Evenafewyearsago,manypeopleweresolelyfocusedonbecomingthebestDJ’sand
didn’tevenworryabouthavingtheirownproduction.
Infact,hundredstothousandsofpeoplearoundtheworldsawadecentamountof
success—andsomeofthemevenwentontoaninternationallevel—justbybeing
amazingDJ’s.
DJAMisaprimeexampleofthis,ashewasoneofthefirst,highestpaidDJ’stoeverbe
bookedinLasVegas.ThisalsohelpedpropelelectronicmusicintheUnitedStatestothe
spotlightjustbeforeit’shugemainstreamboombackin2010‑2011.
Thisnotonlychangedthefutureoftheindustryforthenextcoupleofyears,butthanks
toadvancementsintechnology,italsochangedhowtheyoungergenerationsbecame
inspired.
Backthen,almosteverysuccessfulDJboughtturntablesatsomepointandstarting
practicingonthem.Now,it’sreallycommonfortheyoungergenerationstobecome
musicproducersfirstandDJ’ssecond.
And,it’sverylikelythatyouareinthissituationrightnow.Youmayhaveacouplesongs
underyourbelt,andyoufinallydecidedit’stimetotakealeapandstartshowcasing
themtotheworld.
DJingisoneofthebestandmostcommonwaysproducersperformtheirsongs.
Ultimately,tobecomeanamazingDJ,youneedtogetoutthere.Youwillonlygetsofar
bypracticinginyourbedroom,becauseyouneedtolearnhowtoreadacrowd.
Butlet’snottrytorunbeforewecanwalk.
ThereareafewconceptsthatstandtrueregardlessofthegenreandBPMyou’retrying
tomix,andthey’recriticaltoyoursuccessasaDJ.
Introduction
Theseconceptsare:
1.Beatmatching
2.TrackSelection
3.CountingBars/Phrases
4.EQ’ing
ThesearesimpletechniquesthatanyseriousDJunderstandsverywell.However,it’s
alsoreallyimportanttomentionthattherearemultipleDJingstyles.
WhatwemeanbythisissimplythataTech‑HouseDJwillhaveacompletelydifferent
mindsetwhilemixingandpickingtrackscomparedtoaDubstepDJ.
Trytogetabetterunderstandingofyourstyleandthemusicyouwanttomix.Ifyou’re
completelyclueless,don’tpanic.Youjustneedtofindoutwhichonewillbettersuityou.
Todothis,startbylisteningtoDJsetsbyestablishedartistswithinyourgenreorfromthe
styleofmusicyou’retryingtomix.Thiswillpointyouintherightdirection,andallyou
needtodoisaskyourselfsomebasicquestions.
WheredidtheDJdothemix?Wasitataclub,apodcast,afestival,poolparty?
ContextisEXTREMELYimportant.
Arethetrackstransitioningabruptlyorsmoothly?
Doesitsoundlikemultipletracksarebeingplayedatthesametime?
Doesthemixstartlowinenergyandkeepsbuildingup?
So,eventhoughthereisalwayssomethingtolearnfromeveryone,youneedtobe
carefulaboutwhatadviceyou’retakingonbasedonwhatyou’retryingtoachieve
stylistically.
ProTip:Crowdswillhavecertainexpectations.Knowwhereyou’replaying.Don’texpectpeopleto
headbangtodubstepifyousomehowmanagedtogetbookedatabarorclubwhere95%ofthe
bookingsarehousemusicDJ’s.Peoplegothereforareason.
SignalFlow
Beforewejumpstraightintothesubjectofbeatmatching,it’sworthgoingonareally
brieftangentandlearninghowthebasicsignalflowoftheequipmentlookslike.
Beingawareofthissincethebeginningwillaidyouinunderstandingsomethingsthat
wewillbetalkingaboutlaterinthisbook.
Asyoucanseeintheimageabove,InputOneorTrackAandInputTwoorTrackBare
wherethesongscomefrom.Theseplayerscanbeeitherturntables,CDJ’s,oreven
digitalchannelsfromacomputer.
Then,thesignalsfromTrackAandTrackBgetsentstraightintothemixer.
SignalFlow
Finally,theoutputsignalorthemasteroutputfrom
themixergetssenttothespeakers.Thatiswhatthe
audiencegetstolisten.
ThisisaDJM‑400twochannelmixerbyPioneer,
andyougettocontrolwiththefaders—andinevery
othermixer—whatgoestothemasteroutputfrom
eachchannelwiththem.
So,ifbothfadersarecompletelyupandhavesongs
playingatthesame,youwillhearallofthatinthe
masteroutput.
Now,youmaybewonderingwheretheheadphones
comeintoplayinallofthis.Youcanplugtheminto
themixerandhitthecuebuttonineveryindividual
channeltosendthatsignalstraightintoyour
headphones.
Thisisa4channelmixerandit’srespectivecue
buttons.Ifallofthemareturnedon,youwillhearall
ofthechannelsinyourheadphonesatthesame
time.
Note:FadersDONOThaveanydirecteffectonthecuebuttons.Ifyouactivateany
cuebutton,youwillreceivesignalinyourheadphones,regardlessifthefaderisupor
down.Eachmixerhasitsownuniqueknobtocontrolthevolumeofthecueonyour
headphones.
Someadvancedmixersoutthere,suchastheDJM‑900NXS2shownabove,also
haveacuebuttonforthemasteroutput.Thiswayyoucanmonitoreverythingthe
audienceislisteningtoinyourheadphones.
Thisisusefulbecausetherearesomeclubsandvenuesthatdonothavemonitors
pointingtowardstheDJbooth,andit’shardtoassesshoweverythingissoundinglike
onthedancefloor.
(MASTERCUE)
(TRACKCUE)
SignalFlow
Tostartwrappingupthissection,let’sdoitbysayingthatthebasicprincipleofDJingis
gettingtwotrackstoplayatthesamespeed,whileinphase,atthesametime.
Thiscouldbeeithertohavethemplaysimultaneouslyandandcreateaunique“mash
up”,ortofadetheminandoutrespectivelyandstartweavingaDJmix.
Asyoumusthaveinferredbynow,itisextremelyimportantthatbothsongsplayatthe
samespeedsotheydon’tgooutofphase.Whenanygivenamountofsongsareoutof
phase,thebeatswon’tlineupanditwillgetmessyreallyquick.
Twotracksplayingatthesamespeedinphase
Twotracksplayingatthesamespeedbutoutofphase.
SignalFlow
Beatmatching
Buthowdoyouadjustthephaseofthe
trackimmixing?Well,that’swherethejog
wheelscomeintoplay.
Youcanmovethejogwheelsineither
directiontonudgeyoursongforwardorgive
italittlepushbackwardsuntilyoumake
thembothlineup.
Nowthatweknowaboutthebiggerpicture
ofDJing,let’sgoalittlebitmorein‑depth
intoeveryindividualconceptthatyouneed
toknowabouttogetstartedasaDJ.
BeatmatchingisthefundamentalprincipleofDJingregardlessofthegenre.
Tobeabletobeatmatch,weneedtounderstandtheconceptoftempo.Historically,
temposhavebeennamedaftercertainItalianwordsthatcomposerswoulduseto
express“howfast”oratwhatspeedtheirmusicshouldbeperformedat.
Forexample,Andantemeans“atawalkingpace”andit’ssomewherebetween76to110
BPM.
JOGWHEELS
Beatmatching
Tostartwrappingupthissection,let’sdoitbysayingthatthebasicprincipleofDJingis
gettingtwotrackstoplayatthesamespeed,whileinphase,atthesametime.
Thiscouldbeeithertohavethemplaysimultaneouslyandandcreateaunique“mash
up”,ortofadetheminandoutrespectivelyandstartweavingaDJmix.
Luckilyforus,wedon’tneedtouseItalianwordsanymoresincemodernproducersand
DJ’suseBPMorbeats‑per‑minutetomeasuretempo.120BPMisstraightforwardandit
simplymeans120beatsinoneminute.
ContemporarypopanddancemusictracksalsohavesteadyBPM’sincomparisonto
classicalandjazzpieceswhichmightevenhavebothtimesignatureandtempo
changes.ThisactuallymakesaDJ’sjobslightlyeasier.
Thisalsomeansthatyoudon’thavetoworrytoomuchabouttimesignatures,as98%of
themusicyouwillbemixingwillbeoncommontimeor4/4.
EvenmorecomplexsongslikeMattLange’s“CountIt”forexample,whichhasa
compoundtimesignature,wasproducedinawaysothatitstillhasafour‑to‑the‑floor
kickdrumforeaseofmixing.
Thefirststeptomixtwosongstogetheristomakesurethey’replayingatthe
samespeedandthatthebeatslineupwitheachother.
ButhowdoyoumaketwosongsplayatthesamespeediftheyhavedifferentBPM’s?
TochangetheBPMofasongyouneedto
usethepitchfader.
Youdon’thavetoworrywhetheraplayer
orcontrollerhasapitchfaderornot,
because98%ofthemhaveone.Even
vinylplayerslikethelegendaryTechnics
1200haveit.
Note:NativeInstruments’S8controller
doesn’thaveapitchfaderforexample,it
hasatouchstripinsteadwhichservesa
fairlysimilarfunction.
Thisishowit’sdoneintheold
fashionedway.
Solet’ssayyouhavetrackAplayingat145BPMandyouwanttomixinanothertrack
whichisat150BPM.
PITCHFADER
A
B
Beatmatching
Beatmatching
Therearemultipleapproachestodoso,
andnoneofthemarewrong.However,
sincewe’retalkingabouttheverybasics
overhere,themostsensiblethingtodo
wouldbetomovethepitchfaderoftrackB
upwardstodecreasetheBPM.
Thegoalhereshouldbetomoveitjust
enoughsothattrackBplaysexactlyat
145BPM.Thisway,assumingbothtracks
areinphase,thedrumbeatsfromboth
songswon’tcreatechaoswhileplayingat
thesametime.
Now,weneedtogiveyouafairwarning.
We’regoingtotalkaboutavery
controversialsubjectinthefollowingpart,
andwedon’twanttocreateastancehere.
Ourgoalistoinformyouandteachyouhowthingswork,andhopefullyyou’llcomeup
withyourownconclusion.
MovingthepitchfaderupwardsordownwardstomatchtheBPMsoundseasyinwords,
butitactuallygetsquitetricky.
VinylturntablessuchastheTechnics1200donothaveadigitalscreenlikeCDJ’s,most
controllers,andweren’tconnectedtoalaptopeither.
Allyouhadwasamixer,2vinylplayers,andyourrecords.
Tobeatmatchyouhadtodoitallbyear,anditwasn’taskillthatwaseasytolearn.You
hadtoputindaysofhardworkandfrustrationtostartgettingit.
Ofcourse,thisisallassumingyouhad2recordsatdifferentBPM’s.Ifeverythingyou
ownedbackthenwasatthesameBPM,thingsweremuchmoresimpler.Allyouhadto
worryaboutwasmakingsurethatthebeatslinedupwitheachother.
145BPM150BPM
Beatmatching
Butnowweshouldtalkaboutitsmoderncounterparts,CDJ’sandcontrollers.Thistypeof
equipmentmostofthetimewillaskofyoutoanalyzeyoursongsfirstbeforeyou’reeven
abletoplaythemback.
Becauseofthis,thesoftwarewillshowtoyoutheBPMinwhichyoursongiscurrentlyat.
Whetherit’satadigitalscreentheequipmenthas,orinyourlaptop.
ThisactuallydealswithalotoftheheavyworkoldDJ’shadtoworryabout,andthisis
wherethecontroversylies.
OldschoolDJ’sargumentthattheartofDJinghasgottenlostbecauseoftechnology
aidingthenewgeneration.Itwasdefinitelyanartthatonlyfewmanagedtomaster;
Mixinghundredsoftracksoneintoanotheralmostseamlesslywhilemakingitlook
simple.
Buttechnologydidn’tonlybringthattothetable,italsobroughttonsofeffectsand
functionalitiesintotheplayersandcontrollersthatpeoplecouldn’thaveevenimagined
before.
Alotofthenewestequipmenthasintegratedthedreadedsyncfunction.Thisisa
simplebuttonthatwillmakethecomputeroryourequipmentsyncyoursongs
instantaneously.
Thisiswherethefamoussaying“DJ’sonlyhittheplaybutton”comesfrom.Andit’strue,
wecan’ttrytomakeuporalterreality.AlotofDJ’sarejustselectingtracks,syncingthem
automaticallywithsoftware,andhittingplayattherighttime.
Sotorecapquicklythisentiresection,youcanbeatmatchasonginthefollowingways:
1.Byear.
2.WatchingtheBPMinanyscreenavailableandadjustingthepitchfadermanually.
3.Usingthesyncfunction.
It’snotthegear,it’sthepersonbehindit.
Beatmatching
Ifyou’reinterestedinlearninghowtobeatmatchbyear,becomeawareofsomeimportant
issuesregardingthistopic,andgetsometipsandtricks,feelfreetokeepreadingthis
section.
Otherwise,jumpstraightto“Arrangements,CountingBars&PhraseMixing”
ThemostcommonperformancesetupfordancemusicDJ’srightnowisto2‑4CDJ’s.
However,noteveryoneisatthatlevelyet,andthemajorityofbeginnerproducers/DJ’s
can’taffordthattypeofequipmenteither.Abigpercentageofthatgroupalsoisn’tlucky
enoughtoknowsomeonewhoiswillingtoletthempracticewiththeirequipment.
Bottomlineis,knowinghowtobeatmatchbyearisstillaveryvaluableskill.
Youneverknowinwhatkindofoldorcheapequipmentyoumightendupperformingat
whileyou’reabeginnerduringyourjourney.
YoumightalsoencounterCDJ’sthathavearidiculousmileage.Sometimesthepitch
fadersarewornout,thescreensfreeze,andmultipleunexpectedglitcheshappen.
Knowinghowtobeatmatchbyearnotonlycansaveyourlife,itcanalsohelpyouleavea
goodimpressionontheclubownersormanagers.
Youneedtobeawarethatmostpeoplerunningvenues,wereorhadexperienceDJing.
Theirviewsonthissubjectmightdiffertoyoursjustbecausethey’reolder,andyouneed
tounderstandthatthey’renotwrongeither.
Thetruthofthematteris,nooneisgoingtoputapieceoftapeonthescreeneitherand
forceyoutobeatmatchbyear.Thetechnologyisthere,andyouhavefreewilltouseit.
NowweneedtotalkaboutsomethingthatalotofoldschoolDJ’sdon’tliketomention,
almostintentionally.
Backthen,noteveryonehadaccessorenoughmoneytobuythenecessaryequipment,
andkeepbuyingvinyl’sataconstantbasis.
CLICKTOJUMP
MostoldschoolDJ’sstartedwithabunchofrecordsandkeptexpandingitthroughout
theyears.
Oldpitchfadersweredesignedtohavearangeof+/‑8%,someofthemalsohada
settingof+/‑16%.
Butwhatdoesthismean?
Well,welearnedintheprevioussectionthatweusepitchfaderstoaltertheplayback
speedofasong.
Ifourpitchfaderstayedrightatthemiddle,at0%,thissimplymeansthatthesongwould
playbackatitsoriginalBPM.
Withasettingof+/‑8%,thismeansthatwhateversongyouplayed,itcouldonlygo8%
fasteror8%slower.
So,ifweloadedasongthathasanoriginalBPMof119,withthepitchfadersettingat8%,
thismeansthatitcanonlybespeduporsloweddownby9.52BPM.
Thismakesbeatmatchingbyearawholelotsimpler.
Goingbacktoourpreviousexample,let’ssayyouwanttobringinatrackthatisoriginally
at122BPM,andthesongyou’recurrentlyplayingisat119BPM.
Youdon’thavetodothematheverysingletime,butbyknowingthisyoucantellthatif
youmovethepitchfaderallthewayupyoursongwillbesloweddownbyroughly10
BPM(9.76exactly).
YouonlyneedtobringdowntheBPMby3togodownto119.Thepitchfaderisalso
linear,soitwouldbeasafebettoassumethatifyoumoveithalfwayuptheBPMwould
godownby~5BPM.
Halfofthatwouldbe~2.5BPM,sothiswouldgiveyouaprettysolidvisualballpark
imageofwherethepitchfadershouldbeat.
Beatmatching
Therestcomesdowntoalittlebitofpracticeandfinetuningyourears.
Nowthatyouareawareofthis,wecangobacktoouroriginalpoint.AsoldschoolDJ’s
amassedvinyls(andwe’retalkinghundredsofthem),itwouldbehardtokeeptrackofall
ofthedifferentBPM’softheirrecords.
OldDJ’swouldcreatelittlecheatsheetsormakenotesonthevinyl’stoaidthemselves
whenevertheyplayedthem.
Thosewhoreallymasteredtheircraftandhadacertaindegreeofmusicianshipcould
alsofigureoutthekeyofthesongbyear,makeanoteonit,andtakeitonestepfurtherby
doingharmonicmixing.
Ifyoudon’tknowwhatthatis,don’tpanic.We’lltalkalittlebitaboutharmonicmixinglater
inthisbook.
Allofthisisn’tnew.Italreadyexistedbutitwaslimitedtothepeoplewhoreallytookthe
timetomasterandtaketheircrafttothenextlevel.
Tofinalizethissection,let’sdofinalnotesaboutpitchfadersandbeatmatching.
Asageneralruleofthumb,it’susuallybestpracticetoNOTaltertheBPMofasong
bymorethan+/‑8%,speciallyintheupperBPMranges.
Forastandardsongat128BPMthisis+/‑10.24BPM.
Thisissomethingthatyouneedtolistenbyyourselftoreallyunderstandwhy.Soloadup
somesongsandmesswiththeirBPM’sextremelyinbothdirections.Forexample,picture
anyprogressivehousesongyoumightlikefrom2012playingat138.24BPM.
Ifyoudoexperimentwiththis,itispreferredthatyoutrythisatleastinacontrollerorin
CDJ’s.Butifyoudon’townorhaveaccesstoeither,messingwiththeBPMinsideyour
DAWshouldsuffice.
Movingforward,oneofthefirstthingsyoushouldcheck,especiallywhenyou’reusing
equipmentthatisnotyours,istoseewhat’sthecurrentrangeofthepitchfaders.
Beatmatching
Beatmatching
However,ifyou’remixing
strictlyhousemusicfor
example—orjuststaying
withinsimilargenres
overall,doesn’thavetobe
strictlyhousemusic—itis
recommendedthatyou
keepthepitchfader
settingsineither6%or
10%,asthiswillmakeyour
lifeeasierandgiveyou
waymorecontroloverthefinetuning.
SoftwarelikeTraktorallowsyoutochangethepitchfadersettingsinquiteadrasticway,
whichopensupsomecreativeopportunitiesforcrazytricksandmixingtechniques.
Unfortunately,thesetechniquesareoutsidethescopeofthisbook.
StandardCDJ’sNexus2000have4settingsavailable:6%,10%,16%and“wide.”
BroaderBPMpitchfadersettingsaredesignedforopenformatDJ’swheretheyjump
betweenmultiplegenres,forexamplehiphopandallthewaytodrumn’bass.
Arrangements,CountingBars&PhraseMixing
Nowthatyouhaveadeeperunderstandingofthefundamentalprinciplesofmixingtwo
trackstogether,wecantalkabouthowtostartcreatingseamlessmixes.
IfyouareayoungproducerthatislearninghowtoDJ,thenyouaremostlikelyfamiliar
withtheconceptofmusicalarrangements.
Ifyouaren’t,worrynot,aswewilldoaveryquickbreakdown.
Everysonghasanarrangement.Themostsimpleandcommonarrangementforpop
songsishavinganintro,verse,chorus,verse2,chorus2,bridge,finalchorus,andoutro.
Now,inthefollowingimageyoucanseeadeephouse/techhousesongwhichisat123
BPM.
Itisincrediblyeasytotell(visually),thatthissonghasanintro,thenitgoesstraightintoits
mainbeatsection,thenitslowsdownintoamelodicbeatsection—thelighterpinkand
bluesection—goesstraightintoabreak,andbuildsupintothemainpartonceagainplus
anoutro.
Learninghowtoreadwaveformscomeswithpractice,butyoushouldn’trelyentirelyon
this.Youshouldbeveryfamiliarwiththetracksyou’replayingandknowhowtheir
arrangementsarelaidout.
Almosteverymusicalphraseincontemporaryarrangementscomesinamultipleof4.One
sectioncaneitherbe4bars,8bars,16bars,oreven32bars.Italldependsonthegenre.
Someproducersevendo12,20,or24barssections,andthisisn’tthatraretobehonest,
ascertaingenresofdancemusicallowforalotofcreativitywithinarrangements.
ZHU‑DesertWoman(OriginalMix)
Arrangements,CountingBars&PhraseMixing
Ifyoudon’tknowwhatabarisinmusic,itissimplyawaytoorganizewrittenmusicin
smallsections.Everysonghasa“regularbeat”orpulsethatyoushouldbeabletofeel;A
smalltricktofinditistotapyourfootonthefloorwhileasongisplaying.
Ifyoudoitwithmostpopanddancemusic,youshouldbetappingyourfootwhile
countingupto4.
1,2,3,4…1,2,3,4…thefirstbeatiscalledthedownbeatandit’sthestrongestoneout
ofall.So,4/4orcommontime,meansthatfourbeats(numerator)madeoutoffour
quarternotes(denominator)buildasinglebar.
Itiscompletelyacceptabletohavesmallernotevaluesaslongastheyadduptofour
quarternotes.Thiswouldstillbeconsideredasabar,forexample:
So,multiplebars,usuallyingroupingsofmultiplesof4,buildmusicalsections.
Inthefollowingimageyoucanseeaprogressivearrangement,wheretheintroisalittlebit
longercomparedtomostpopsongs(32bars).Butoncethebeatdrops,thereareonly
twosmall4barbreaksandthetrackkeepsbuildingandgoingonuntilithitstheoutro(32
bars).
Pryda‑ProjectL.O.V.E(OriginalMix)
Arrangements,CountingBars&PhraseMixing
Youshouldbestartingtorealizebynowwherethisisgoingto.Tocreateseamless
transitionsandborderlineflawlessmixesyouneedtomakesurethatcertainsectionsof
bothtracksalign.
ThemostbasiconewouldbealigningtheoutroofTrackAwiththeintroofTrackB.If
bothsongsarefromsimilarartistsorwithinthesamegenre,itishighlylikelythattheoutro
willbeexactlythesamelengthastheintro.
Note:Forreallyprogressivefourtothefloorgenres,introsandoutrosareusually32
bars.Genreswheretheaveragetracklengthisaround3‑4minutesusuallyhave8bar
intros,whilethelargermainsectionsmaybe16bars.
Thisway,whenTrackAfinishes,TrackBwillgorightintoitsverse,chorus,drop,ormain
beatsection.Onceagain,thisisgenredependant.
Onceyougetthehangofthisbasictechnique,ifknowyoursongswellyoucanstart
creatingmorecomplexmixesand“arrangements”withinyourentireDJmix.
Forexample,youcouldhavetheintroofyourincomingtrack(TrackB)toplayrightatthe
breakofTrackA.Then,youcouldstartfadingawayTrackAbyloweringitsvolume
gradually,orusingsomeeffects.
Ideally,andalsodependingonthetracksyouselected,thedrumbeatshouldneverstop.
Thisisagreatwaytomaintainenergyonthedancefloor.
Justremember,thecrowdcan’tbegoingwild100%ofthetime,useyourbreakswisely.
Equalizing
Learninghowtousethemixer’sEQisthenextsteptoachievecleanandflawless
transitions.
Ifyoucomefromamusicproductionbackground,youarewellawareofhowtrickyitcan
gettomakeyourkickandbasssittogethernicely.Especiallywhenbotharehugeand
sharethespotlightthroughoutyoursong.
However,ifyouhavenomusicproductionbackground,don’tstress.Allyouneedtoknow
isthatlowfrequenciescarryalotofpower.
Thathugeredbumpyoucanseeintheimageaboveisthelowendonatechhousesong.
Andthisisprettymuchhowmostmoderndancemusiclookslikethroughafrequency
analyzer.
IfyouplaythissongatfullvolumeinanytypeofDJequipment,yourmetersshouldbe
prettyhotandneartheredzone.
StayawayfromtheredzoneinanytypeofDJequipment.
Equalizing
GoingintotheredzoneinanyPAsystemingeneralisacompletelydifferentballgame
thanredliningyoursmallstudiospeakers.
Thistypeofsoundsystemsdealswithamorepowerandcanoverheataboutthreetimes
asfastasyoursmallmonitors.
Ifyoustayintheredzoneforaprolongedamountoftimethere’saprettybigriskof
completelyblowingoutthespeakers.Youcouldalsoseverelydamagethemifahuge
burstofenergyhappensthatgoes“beyond”themeters.
SomevenueshavecompressorsorlimitersintheirPAsystem’soutputtoprevent
performersfromblowingtheirspeakersinadvertently.Butthismeansthatthey’re
squashingyoursignalprettyhardwheneveryougointotheredzone…andthatsounds
terrible.
Inotherwordsandcontrarytopopularbelief,youdon’thavetoredlinetoheadline.
Wheneveryou’remixingmixingtwotrackstogether,youfirstneedtoadjustyourgain
accordinglywiththetrimknobandproceedtocutthelowendofeithersong.
Remember,lowfrequenciescarrythepowerandgiveasenseofweight.
Note:Everysingleindividualchannelhasatrimknobatthetopwhichallowsyouto
adjusttheinputvolumeoneachchannel.Asaruleofthumb,setthegainsinthe
channeltopeakjustbeforehittingtheredzonewhilehavingyourchannelfaderallthe
wayup.Thiswillbethehighestgainyouwanttohaveeachchannel.
(TRIMKNOB)
Equalizing
ThisalsoappliesformoreadvancedDJ’swheretheymightbeusing4channelsatthe
sametimetocreatecomplextension/releaseloopsforthedancefloor.
It’salwaysasinglechannelcarryingthelowendenergy.
TherestiscompletelyEQ’dinthelowendortheyhavenolowendfrequenciespresentat
all.Hence,noneedtoEQthemouttobeginwith.
Inotherwords,youonlyhave1smallroomavailable(yourmetersupto0dBFSinthe
digitaldomain),andit’sliketryingtostickbothanelephantandahippoinatthesame
time,it’sjustnotphysicallypossible.
IfwegobacktoourpreviousexamplewherewemixtheintroofTrackBwiththeoutroof
TrackA,youhavetwochoices:
1.EQthelowendfromTrackAfromtheveryfirstmomentyoubringinTrackB.
2.EQthelowendfromTrackBandwaituntiltrackAfinishestobringitbackin.
There’snorightorwrongansweroverhere,doingeitherwillyieldcompletelydifferent
resultstotheenergyonthedancefloor,andthisissomethingyouneedtoexperiment
withalittlebit.Theeffectisalsodifferentdependingonhowthetracksarecomposed/
arranged.
ThesecondreasonwhyweneedtoEQthelowendoutisbecauselowfrequenciesare
omnidirectionalandourbrainjuststrugglesrecognizingtwosoundsinthesame
frequencyrange.
Usuallyourbrainwilljustpickuptheonesoundwhichisthestrongestoutofboth,orin
otherwordstheloudestone.Soinanutshell,everythinggetsreallymuddyandthisis
somethingyouwanttoavoidalmostatallcosts.
Andfinally,tobringeverythingtogether,eventhoughthelowendmayhavedifferent
fundamentalfrequenciesacrossthetwotracks,theamplitudeswillstilladdupand
increasethevolume.Thiswilldefinitelymakeyougointotheredzoneofyourmixer,even
ifthey’reclashingharmonically.
Equalizing
However,theyarethereforareasonandthey’renotuseless.Youcanusetheminmultiple
ways.Forexample,soundsthatarefurtherawayhavewaylesshighfrequencycontent.
Ifyouintendtoloopsomethingandleaveitasthebackgroundforawhile,youcouldalso
carvesomehighfrequenciesoutwiththetopbandEQtohelpaccentuatethis
psychoacousticeffect.
Wewilltalkaboutharmonicmixinginthefollowingsection,butalternatively,youcould
usethemidbandEQtocarvesomespaceinasynthloopsoitdoesn’tclashwiththe
vocalthatmayliveinanotherchannel.
BeingelegantandsubtlewiththeEQ’sinamixercomeswithpractice.Somegreatadvice
thatwillhelpyouunderstandhowtousethembetteristosearchforYouTubevideos
whereanyofyourfavoriteartistsmightbemixingwhilethere’sacamerapointingstraight
attheentiresetup.
Thiswillworkevenbetterifyou’reasomewhatfamiliarwithsomeofthesongsheplays
orjustthegenreoverall,asyouwillbeabletotellmoreaccuratelywhat’sgoingonduring
themix.
TrackSelection
Nowthatyou’refamiliarwiththemostimportantconceptsofmixingtrackstogether,we
cantakeitonestepfurtherandtalkabouttrackselection.
TrackselectionisoneofthemostelusiveconceptsforaspiringDJ’s.Inanindustrywhere
thereisanimplicitcompetitionbetweenartistsandlimitedopportunities,whenevera
beginnerDJgetsashotit’sprettycommontoseethemgoingashardastheycan.
Thereisatimeandplaceforeverything.It’scrucialtounderstandthiswhenyou’rein
youramateurphase.
Ifyouhavetheopportunitytoopenforsomeonebig,understandthatyouarethewarmup
set.Pickyourtracksaccordingly.
Eventhoughyoumightgetsomefriendsandotherpeopletogoandsupportyou,the
majorityoftheaudienceistheretoseetheheadliner.
Youmightseethisasanopportunitytoimpresspeopleandmakeanameforyourself,but
trustus…thepromoters,theownersofthevenue,andthebookingagentsdon’tshare
yourperspective.Youwillmostlikelyleaveabadimpressiononthem.
Yourjobhereistogatherpeopleintothedancefloorandmakethemhypedfortherestof
thenight.
Greatwarmupsetsareanalmostforgottenart.
Ontheotherhand,wheneveryoulandyourfirstheadliningshow…
Makethebestoutofyourshotandbringdowntheentireplace!
Thisbringsustothematteroflearninghowtoreadcrowdsandpre‑planningsets.They
keyistokeepafinebalancebetweensatisfyingthecrowdsexpectationsandgivingthem
trackstheydidn’tknowtheywantedtohear.
TrackSelection
Youneedtobringthemintoyourownsonicworld,yourtasteinmusic.It’sallaboutthe
journey.
Pre‑planningsetsisnotabadthingtodo,everyonedoesit.Thinkaboutsomeofthebest
oldschoolDJ’sthatarestilltouringuptothisday.Theydonotbring1,000vinylswith
them.Theypacksomeoftherecordstheypersonallywanttoplay,andsomeothersto
pleasethecrowdwhereverthey’replayingat.
ThisisarguablyoneofthebestmindsetsforaDJ.Ifyou’replayinga1hourset,bring
someextratracks.Doyourhomework,askthepromoterorownerofthevenuewhattype
ofmusictheiraudienceusuallyenjoysthemost.
Preparesomemusicinthatstyleandgetpeopleupandgroovingonthedancefloor.Once
you’vecaughttheirattention,startplayingsomeofyourowntracksandshowthemyour
ownstyle.
Neverstoplookingeverynowandthenatthecrowd.
Thisisalsoanotherreasonwhyyoushouldbringsomeextratracks,sincenoteverysong
willworkineveryscenario.Ifyourealizethatasongisjuststartingtokillthevibeofthe
crowd,youcanjustmixitoutonthebreakdownjustlikewementionedbrieflyonthemore
advancedphrasemixingtechniques.
Butit’salsoworthrememberingthatjustbecausepeoplearen’tgoingmental,itdoesn’t
meanthatthey’renotenjoyingyourset.Especiallywithcertaingenresofmusic.
Youcan’texpectpeopletoreacttoreallyabruptordrasticchangesingenreseither.If
you’readubstepDJ,don’ttrytogetbookedforahousemusicevent,itjustwon’twork.
Thiswholeconceptismoreaboutplaying,forexample,sometechhouseinavenuewhere
they’reusedtodeephouse.Youcouldalsotryplayingsomedrumandbassinavenue
wheredubstepistheusual.Fansaremorelikelytoacceptthatandgowithit.
Keepitcoherent.Ifyou’retryingsomethingnew,makesureit’ssomethingwithinthesame
realm.Don’tgetbookedforrandomshowsforthesakeofplaying,becauseiftheygo
wrongitcanbereallydemoralizing.
HarmonicMixing
Harmonicmixingisaconceptthatisalittlebitmoreadvanced,sowewillonlytalkaboutit
briefly.
Beforeyoueventrytopracticethis,makesurethatyoucanbeatmatchandgetyour
songstolineupcorrectlywitheachothereverytime(phase).
Whenyou’redoingharmonicmixing,yourfocusshouldbeonthekeyofthetracksandnot
onbeatmatchingandphrasemixing.Thoseshouldbesecondnaturebythispoint.
Harmonicmixingconsistsinmixingtracksthatarethesamekey,songsthatareafifthup
orafourthdown(keywise),ortracksthatareintherelativemajor/minorkeysofeach
other.
1.Mixingtracksinthesamekey
TrackA(Cmajor)→TrackB(Cmajor)
2.Songsthatareafifthup/fourthdownfromtheoriginalkey.
TrackA(Cmajor)→TrackB(GmajororFmajor)
Wecan’tdoanin‑depthexplanationonhowthisworksbecauseit’soutsideofthescope
ofhisbook.However,ifyouwanttounderstandthistoamoreprofoundlevel,wesuggest
youtostudysomebasicmusictheory.
Basically,goingfromCmajortoeitherGmajororFmajorworksbecausetheyonlyhavea
1notedifferencebetweeneachother.
Alternatively,youcouldalsogotoDmajororBbmajor.Sincethere’sonlya2note
differenceit’llstillbesomewhatsmooth.However,thisisprettymuchtheupperlimit,as
changingtoakeywitha3notedifferenceisalreadytoomuch.
3.Relativeminorkeys
TrackA(Cmajor)→TrackB(Aminor)
Youcouldalsogototherelativeminorkeyfromtheoriginaltrack,asbothscalessharethe
exactsamenotes.
HarmonicMixing
Thereareafewmoreintricaciestoharmonicmixing,butthisisthefundamentalconcept
thatyoushouldbeawareof.
Sometimessongsonlyhaveabeatintheirintroandthisdoesnothaveanegativeimpact
ifyouphrasemixitcorrectlywithsomeothersongthatit’sinacompletelyirrelevantkey.
Thisisanotherreasonwhyit’sreallyimportanttoknowyourownlibraryandsongs.
Mostofthetimeyouonlyneedtoworryaboutharmonicmixingifyou’reputtingtogether
twotracksthathaveharmonicandmelodicinstruments/elementsgoingonatthesame
time.
MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
YounowhaveaprettysolidpictureofwhatentailsbeingaDJinourdayandage.Wehave
talkedaboutsomeofthefundamentalconcepts,minussomesmalldetailsthatyoucan
onlylearnbyyourselfbydivingin,findingyourownstyle,andgettingreallifeexperience.
It’sworthfinalizingthisbookbygivingyousomeinsightintosomeofthemostcommon
equipmentthatyouwillfindoutthere.
Theindustrystandard.Youwillseethissetupinatleast80%oftheworld’sclubs,venues,
andfestivals.MostDJMmixershave4channels,soit’sprettycommontosee4CDJ’s
hookedupinsteadof2.
Ifyou’reintomoreundergroundgenresofdancemusic,it’salsoverycommontosee
mixersthataren’tmanufacturedbyPioneer.SomeDJ’sliketomakeuseofsomeofthe
functionalitiesdifferentbrandshavetooffer.
CDJSetup
MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
TheAllen&HeathXONE92mixersarethesecondmostcommonmixersyouwillseethat
CDJ’sarebeinghookedupto,andthisisasixchannelmixer.
ManufacturerDenonhasalsomadeaprettyaggressiveentryintotheindustryrecentlyby
makingpartnershipswithcertainDJ’stoperformonandpromotetheirproducts.
Onceyougettoacertainlevel,clubsandvenueswon’tletyouhookupyourown
equipment.Youwilldefinitelyneedtobefamiliarwiththistypeofsetups,somakesome
newfriendshipsandstrivetogettoknowsomeonethatwillmentoryouandletyou
practiceinthisgear.
Oneoftheonlywaysthatacluborvenuewillletyouhookupyourcustomsetupisifthey
arebookingyoutoheadlineforthenight.Soreallytakethisintoconsideration.
Anotherincrediblebenefitoflearninghowtoperforminthistypeofsetupsisthatyouonly
needtocarryyourUSBdriveswithyou.Allofwhichyoucanfitinsideyourpocket.
Thisiswithoutevenmentioningafterparties.Anotherreasonwhyplayersandmixerswill
nevergooutoffashion.Evenifyoudevelopauniqueliveshow,youwillmostlikelyendup
spinningintheafterhourswithaverysimilarsetup.
Allen&HeathXONE92
MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
DJControllers
DJControllersarewaymoreaffordableforbedroomproducersandamateurDJ’s.There’s
aplethoraofcontrollersouttherethatalsocomewithamyriadoffunctionalities,sowe
can’treallylistallofthem.
ThedownsideofDJcontrollersisthatsomevenuesorclubswon’tletyoubringyourown
controlleraswejustmentioned,plusthey’renotthatsmallorportable.
Theycanbecomequiteannoyingtobecarryingaround,andthisiswithouteven
mentioningthatmostofthemaren’tsturdyatall.Theyarequitefragile,andifyoudon’t
carrytheminsomesortofflightcase,there’sadecentriskthattheymaygetdamaged
somehow.
Ifyou’reinterestedinmixingtracksinatraditionalway,havingmultiplecreative“live”remix
functionalities,orevenusingStems,bothofNativeInstruments’TraktorS2orS4are
incrediblechoices.
TheTraktorS2hasasimpletwochannelsetupthatisincredibleasanentrylevelDJ
controller.
TraktorS2
MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
Ontheotherhand,it’sbigbrother,theTraktorS4comesequippedwith4channelsand
hasmultipleaddedfunctionalitiesthatyoucancheckouthere.Multiplehighprofileartists
suchasMr.Carmack,PorterRobinson,andBranchezusedtoperforminthisexactsame
DJcontroller.
It’sarguablyonthelowtieroftheacceptableprofessionalDJperformanceequipment.If
you’reinterestedinusingTraktor—becauseyouneedaniOSdeviceoralaptoptooperate
bothofthesecontrollers—thisisthewaytogo.Weguaranteethatyouwon’tbe
disappointed.
TraktorS4
MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
VinylSetups
Ifyouwanttojumpstraightintoitandstartgettingpracticeinacontrollerthatresembles
CDJ’sthemost,thenyoushouldopttogetaPioneerXDJ‑RX2.
It’sa2‑deck,2‑channelall‑in‑onesystemthatoperatesonitsownwithouttheneedofa
laptop.
ThisisascloseasitgetstoexperiencingCDJs2000withoutactuallyowningthem,but
eventhiscontrollerfallsslightlyshort.Youjustcan’tmatchtherealsetupwithany
controller.
Vinylsetupsdidn’tgetleftbehindorforgottenalltheseyears.Inearly2018,vinylsales
finallystartedsurpassingdigitalsales.Surprising,huh?
Unfortunately,somelegendaryequipmentforthisrealmstoppedbeingmanufactured
unfortunately,liketheTechnics1200forexample.Althoughit’sfairlyeasytogetyour
handsinsomesecondhandturntables,therearenownewerandcheaperalternativesout
therethatyoushouldn’tdisregardatall.
PioneerXDJ‑RX2
MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
ForscratchDJ’s,themixersarealsoslightlydifferent.Someofthemostcommonones
thatyouwillseearoundnowadaysaretheNativeInstruments’Z2,Rane’sseventy‑two,
andMixar’sDUOMKII.
Vinylsetupsusuallyconsistof2channelsonly,unlessthey’rebeingusedinconjunction
withtwootherCDJplayers.ThisisverycommonwithinhouseandtechnoDJ’s,where
theyonlyplayreallyoldrecordsanddon’thavetoworryaboutscratchingorcuttingmixing
techniques.
2channelsimplevinylsetup.
2vinyl‑2digitalplayerssetup.
FinalThoughts
Thisisit!
Wecoveredavastamountofinformation,sodon’tfeelstressedifyoufeellikeyoudidn’t
graspsomeoftheconceptswepresentedinthisbook.Takeasmallbreakandgobackif
necessary.
Andonceyougetasolidgraspoftheconceptswepresentedinthisbook,youshouldbe
abletostartcreatingsimple,yetsolidandcoherentDJsets.
Thetruthis,manyDJ’souttherethatarealreadymakingsomemoneyoutofthis
professionkeepitsimpleanddon’tgofarbeyondsomeoftheseconcepts.Butyoushould
alwaysstrivetobeabettermusician,producer,andDJ.
Justlikeinmusicproduction,alotoftrialanderrorgoesintothis.Studythesongsyou
wanttoplay,startmessingwiththeeffectsonyourmixer,tryputtingmultiplesongs
together,andtrytothinkaboutcreativetransitiontechniques…yourimaginationisthe
limit!
Ifyouspendsometimepracticingandgettingoutthere,justlikeyoudevelopyourown
soundwhileproducing,you’llstarttorealizehowyoulikemixingsongstogether,
transitioning,andthereforeyou’lldevelopasignatureDJingstyle/sound.
BestofluckandhappyDJing!

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The beginners guide to d jing