funkysven_4
Hey, just got vdj pro and was wondering if u could give me some tips on beatmatching. i can get the beats to overlap close but not right on top of eachother. (by looking at the big squares on the wave form, they seem to be joggling about so.....)
Posted Thu 09 Feb 06 @ 10:40 am
Pionara
Try checking out this thread: http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/5408/Mix_lessons/BPM___MIXING_GUIDE_(for_hip_hop__rnb_and_many_other_genres).html?page=1
To start off, try using the 'Beatlock' button. This will match both of your tracks right on top of each other. The way to do this is to load a song of the same speed into deck b as you have in deck a. Engage the beatlock (Shift & B, right click on mouse or your own shortcut) and then press play on deck b. You will see the cbg squares on top of one another in the waveform. Your music should be in time. You just have to decide if it's the right songs!
The best thing to do is start of with songs you know well that have a good 1, 2, 3, 4 bassline in them. If you can find two songs of roughly the same speed with a simple bassline intro and outro then you have 2 songs to mix with. For practicing, this will give you an idea of how to do it and how to time your mixes correctly before bringing in your next set of tracks.
I'm trying to think of songs like this that you could use...try this...
Madison Avenue - Don't Call Me Baby (Club Mix) (Track/Deck A)
DB Boulevard - Point Of View (Track/Deck B)
Now, these two songs are purely for the idea of illustrating the point here, ok?
Play track a to get an idea of the speed and sound of the song. When you're happy with it and you arrive at your mixpoint, start a 4 beat loop on the 1st beat (the big cbg sqaures - generally the first beat of the bar, or the first beat of the 1, 2, 3, 4 etc etc etc). You will now have a nice 1, 2, 3, 4 beat loop playing over and over again.
Next, load track b onto the deck and engage beatlock on deck b as above. When the first beat of deck b matches the first beat of deck a, press play on deck b. This should then start deck b and the two big cbg squares should move on top of each other. The beats (or cbg sqaures) should then move along from right to left in your waveform one of top of the other, playing in time with each other. As long as you have beatlock engaged on deck b you'll see that they stay in time.
Getting it right first time can take a keen eye, steady hand and practice...so don't let it frustrate you if it doesn't come naturally straight away. If anything, it's fun to learn and practice in an environment where screw ups don't matter anyway!!!
Then, perform your mix and transfer the sound from deck a to deck b. Then, kill your loop on deck a and take off the beatlock on deck b and return deck b to it's original speed. Then if you engage beatlock on deck a, you'll see the speed of deck a will change to match that of deck b. When you get to your mixpoint in deck b, loop again for 4 beats so you have your 1, 2, 3, 4 loop playing like you did a while ago with track a. Press play on track b and check for you cbg matches. When the time is right, crossfade from channel b back to channel a and you should have a smooth transition from song to song. This is you mixing (allbeit very basically, but we all gotta start somewhere...;o)
When you feel comfortable doing this, add another track into the mix, and use the same method as described above. When you are happy with mixing like this, try doing it without using looping, and just mix as you go. You will find different ways of doing it to suit your style of music.
When you can do this, you will begin to understand the structure and beat of the songs you are playing, you will get to know your material and what is relevant to play. You'll soon be able to mix without the use of looping or beatlock if you feel confident enough...and then you'll be sorted...:o)
Then it's just a case of a few things.
1/ Get to know your tunes. What sounds good with what? What speed of music are you looking at?
2/ Practice, practice, practice makes perfect.
3/ Get to know your crowd. Once you know what sort of audience you're playing to, you'll know what to play.
4/ Practice, practice, practice makes perfect.
5/ Update your music collection as much as you can and as often as possible. Keep with the times.
6/ Practice, practice, practice makes perfect.
My advice with a couple of things to remember as well:
1/ You don't just become a dj. You will soon, and you'll love it, but even the best guys out there are ALWAYS learning new things. You'll never become bored if you're constantly learning. Try new things all the time.
2/ You don't judge a dj by how well they're coping when the gig's going brilliantly, you judge a dj by how well they cope when it's going badly. I've said that before and i'll say it again. It's difficult, but try not to panic when you make a mistake, especially in front of a big crowd. Put it down to experience, move on from it, but learn from it. Panicking will kill your train of thought and could throw you right off course.
3/ Always have a back up plan in case it all goes wrong. An ipod/cd player hooked up to your mixer will save your life one day.
4/ Always appear professional and approachable. IMO, people prefer a dj they can talk to rather than someone who just spins music all night long.
Sorry for the extensive post, but hope this helps.
Oh, and above anything else...welcome aboard squire!!!
Cheers...and keep spinnin'...:o)
P
To start off, try using the 'Beatlock' button. This will match both of your tracks right on top of each other. The way to do this is to load a song of the same speed into deck b as you have in deck a. Engage the beatlock (Shift & B, right click on mouse or your own shortcut) and then press play on deck b. You will see the cbg squares on top of one another in the waveform. Your music should be in time. You just have to decide if it's the right songs!
The best thing to do is start of with songs you know well that have a good 1, 2, 3, 4 bassline in them. If you can find two songs of roughly the same speed with a simple bassline intro and outro then you have 2 songs to mix with. For practicing, this will give you an idea of how to do it and how to time your mixes correctly before bringing in your next set of tracks.
I'm trying to think of songs like this that you could use...try this...
Madison Avenue - Don't Call Me Baby (Club Mix) (Track/Deck A)
DB Boulevard - Point Of View (Track/Deck B)
Now, these two songs are purely for the idea of illustrating the point here, ok?
Play track a to get an idea of the speed and sound of the song. When you're happy with it and you arrive at your mixpoint, start a 4 beat loop on the 1st beat (the big cbg sqaures - generally the first beat of the bar, or the first beat of the 1, 2, 3, 4 etc etc etc). You will now have a nice 1, 2, 3, 4 beat loop playing over and over again.
Next, load track b onto the deck and engage beatlock on deck b as above. When the first beat of deck b matches the first beat of deck a, press play on deck b. This should then start deck b and the two big cbg squares should move on top of each other. The beats (or cbg sqaures) should then move along from right to left in your waveform one of top of the other, playing in time with each other. As long as you have beatlock engaged on deck b you'll see that they stay in time.
Getting it right first time can take a keen eye, steady hand and practice...so don't let it frustrate you if it doesn't come naturally straight away. If anything, it's fun to learn and practice in an environment where screw ups don't matter anyway!!!
Then, perform your mix and transfer the sound from deck a to deck b. Then, kill your loop on deck a and take off the beatlock on deck b and return deck b to it's original speed. Then if you engage beatlock on deck a, you'll see the speed of deck a will change to match that of deck b. When you get to your mixpoint in deck b, loop again for 4 beats so you have your 1, 2, 3, 4 loop playing like you did a while ago with track a. Press play on track b and check for you cbg matches. When the time is right, crossfade from channel b back to channel a and you should have a smooth transition from song to song. This is you mixing (allbeit very basically, but we all gotta start somewhere...;o)
When you feel comfortable doing this, add another track into the mix, and use the same method as described above. When you are happy with mixing like this, try doing it without using looping, and just mix as you go. You will find different ways of doing it to suit your style of music.
When you can do this, you will begin to understand the structure and beat of the songs you are playing, you will get to know your material and what is relevant to play. You'll soon be able to mix without the use of looping or beatlock if you feel confident enough...and then you'll be sorted...:o)
Then it's just a case of a few things.
1/ Get to know your tunes. What sounds good with what? What speed of music are you looking at?
2/ Practice, practice, practice makes perfect.
3/ Get to know your crowd. Once you know what sort of audience you're playing to, you'll know what to play.
4/ Practice, practice, practice makes perfect.
5/ Update your music collection as much as you can and as often as possible. Keep with the times.
6/ Practice, practice, practice makes perfect.
My advice with a couple of things to remember as well:
1/ You don't just become a dj. You will soon, and you'll love it, but even the best guys out there are ALWAYS learning new things. You'll never become bored if you're constantly learning. Try new things all the time.
2/ You don't judge a dj by how well they're coping when the gig's going brilliantly, you judge a dj by how well they cope when it's going badly. I've said that before and i'll say it again. It's difficult, but try not to panic when you make a mistake, especially in front of a big crowd. Put it down to experience, move on from it, but learn from it. Panicking will kill your train of thought and could throw you right off course.
3/ Always have a back up plan in case it all goes wrong. An ipod/cd player hooked up to your mixer will save your life one day.
4/ Always appear professional and approachable. IMO, people prefer a dj they can talk to rather than someone who just spins music all night long.
Sorry for the extensive post, but hope this helps.
Oh, and above anything else...welcome aboard squire!!!
Cheers...and keep spinnin'...:o)
P
Posted Sat 11 Feb 06 @ 2:31 am
Pionara
I don't believe it! After saying all that, I've just found Hayward's blog!!!
http://www.virtualdj.com/blog/Hayward/
Worth a read for newbie mixers...:o)
P
http://www.virtualdj.com/blog/Hayward/
Worth a read for newbie mixers...:o)
P
Posted Sat 11 Feb 06 @ 2:49 am