[milltown]

You could either figure out where the hat/snare/clap is in the 1.2.3.4 structure or, better bet, cue it up to the first downbeat of the next bar or phrase and start from there.
Once you get used to listening to the beats/bars/phrases structure of tunes you'll get an ear for it and you'll find you won't need to count from beat 1 to get your bearings. After that it's a case of practicing as much as possible to know where best to mix in and out of the tunes in your collection.

[Dylanmc111]

ok I get ya

I'm finding it hard to do a complete mix without mistakes, I can mix a few tracks together but then I make a mistake and kinda loose the head a bit because its frustrating!

Any tips/ advice?

[ianuss]

Keep practising. It takes years to be able to master it, and even then, you'll still make mistakes. Listening to live sets, from dj's who've been playing for years, has shown me that even the best still make mistakes. And tbh, nobody really cares too much when they do. Don't get stressed about it.

edit; have you checked out Ellaskins on youtube? He has videos which explain the different types of mix you could use. His channel really is quality.

[Dylanmc111]

Originally Posted by ianuss

Keep practising. It takes years to be able to master it, and even then, you'll still make mistakes. Listening to live sets, from dj's who've been playing for years, has shown me that even the best still make mistakes. And tbh, nobody really cares too much when they do. Don't get stressed about it.

edit; have you checked out Ellaskins on youtube? He has videos which explain the different types of mix you could use. His channel really is quality.

Good to hear that even the pro's make mistakes!

Yeah I watch the ellaskins channels all the time, some great info!

Another question, U know club/bar djs? how do they mix the commerial/ top 40 music. I tried mixing them and there just wasn't enough time and too much going on during the outros, any tips?

[milltown]

Originally Posted by Dylanmc111

Another question, U know club/bar djs? how do they mix the commerial/ top 40 music. I tried mixing them and there just wasn't enough time and too much going on during the outros, any tips?

It's a while since I was in a commercial club but from memory it's a rare pop DJ that does any mixing in the conventional sense. Most of it would be just quick cut mixes with no fading/blending. Once you have your next track beatmatched and cued up, pick a point near the end of the song playing (.ie the end of a phrase) and just whip the fader across at the same time as hitting play on the next track.

For the really lazy/inept guys, VirtualDJ and Traktor have "autopilot" settings where you can just load up a few hours of tracks and set the software to beatmatch them, synch them, and mix the last 5/10/15 seconds of one into the first X seconds of the next. Best for 3 or 4 minute chart stuff I imagine, rather than 10 minute epics with 2 minutes of intro and 3 minutes of outro.

[Dylanmc111]

Originally Posted by milltown

It's a while since I was in a commercial club but from memory it's a rare pop DJ that does any mixing in the conventional sense. Most of it would be just quick cut mixes with no fading/blending. Once you have your next track beatmatched and cued up, pick a point near the end of the song playing (.ie the end of a phrase) and just whip the fader across at the same time as hitting play on the next track.

For the really lazy/inept guys, VirtualDJ and Traktor have "autopilot" settings where you can just load up a few hours of tracks and set the software to beatmatch them, synch them, and mix the last 5/10/15 seconds of one into the first X seconds of the next. Best for 3 or 4 minute chart stuff I imagine, rather than 10 minute epics with 2 minutes of intro and 3 minutes of outro.

I just couldn't beatmatch them , too much stuff going on!!!

is there anyone here offering lessons? or even just wanna meet up to help other guys out with DJ'ing so people can learn new tricks/tips off each other? I think this would be a good idea

[electrogrimey]

Mixing chart stuff would be the same as mixing any kind of hip-hop, reggae, and a lot of soul and funk, even easier, because chart doesn't have any live drummers.

If you wanted to do if properly, you could find an instrumental of the chart track, mix that in normally, and then bring in the original version of it. Basically making an extended version of it. Or mix it like hip-hop, quick cuts and looping (assuming you're not using vinyl). Every track will have at least 16 bars at the start that's mixable, either an instrumental intro, or an acapella at the start or a drum intro. Songs rarely start straight off with nothing mixable.

[Bonesy.]

Want to get into DJing but I dont know where to even start, any tips?

[Colm!]

Originally Posted by Bonesy.

Want to get into DJing but I dont know where to even start, any tips?

You could start off fairly quickly by getting some free software like VirtualDJ Home Edition, Serato DJ Intro, Mixxx or the free trial of Traktor.
Whatever you use, you can find tutorials on YouTube, and learn to get an ear for tracks and mixing yourself.

Of course, if you want to go down more traditional routes, you'll need equipment like a mixer and turntables or CDJs. And you're probably going to want a controller if you're doing digital stuff anyway, just to be able to use a Cue channel etc.

[Hatred]

I'm trying to get into Dj'ing and I'm looking for advise on how to break into the scene. I already know how to DJ (although I admit I'm not the best) digitally using a laptop but what I need to know if how to move it from the bedroom to the club. I'm into DJing bass music like dubstep but it seems the scene round here in dublin is small enough with already recognized DJs and clubnights.

I'm thinking of making the investment of buying a controller (something like Traktor S4 or a cheaper alternative) and looking for gigs but where should I start?

[mrSelfDestruct]

Originally Posted by Hatred

I'm trying to get into Dj'ing and I'm looking for advise on how to break into the scene. I already know how to DJ (although I admit I'm not the best) digitally using a laptop but what I need to know if how to move it from the bedroom to the club. I'm into DJing bass music like dubstep but it seems the scene round here in dublin is small enough with already recognized DJs and clubnights.

I'm thinking of making the investment of buying a controller (something like Traktor S4 or a cheaper alternative) and looking for gigs but where should I start?

You gotta be good. Dj's are making it through their music. Get into production. It's gotta come from the heart.

[mrSelfDestruct]

Originally Posted by Dylanmc111

ok I get ya

I'm finding it hard to do a complete mix without mistakes, I can mix a few tracks together but then I make a mistake and kinda loose the head a bit because its frustrating!

Any tips/ advice?

I have a radio show here in Galway that I do 'scratch' mixes for. Scratch style mixing is harder to get right. I usually record the mix into a DAW (I use pro tools) and if I mess up I re-take the mix and splice it together again afterwards.

Hope this helps.

[GarFromEire]

Hi all,

I'm hoping somebody can help me out here. I've been wanting to get into making (electronic) music a lot lately, however, I currently do not own any equipment to do so. I'm looking for advice on what I need/don't need to make the music I'd like to make.

I come from a piano/guitar/synth background but I really want to start to get into making music via DAWs and the likes. I've been looking at a lot of midi-keyboard controllers and I think I lot of them do the job of several pieces of equipment in one. I know how to use a midi-keyboard fairly well but after that I haven't a clue as to what I should get.

The kind of music I'd like to make is stuff like deep house, nujazz, minimal etc.. Is there some essential pieces of electronic equipment I need to do so?


Realistically my budget is about E1000. With that I'm hoping to get at least a decent midi-keyboard and a pair of monitor speakers. After that what do you think I should look at buying? I really want to do a lot of sampling as well, taking stuff off vinyl and that - what equipment do you need to do that?


Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

[Leinster7]

Originally Posted by GarFromEire

Hi all,

I'm hoping somebody can help me out here. I've been wanting to get into making (electronic) music a lot lately, however, I currently do not own any equipment to do so. I'm looking for advice on what I need/don't need to make the music I'd like to make.

I come from a piano/guitar/synth background but I really want to start to get into making music via DAWs and the likes. I've been looking at a lot of midi-keyboard controllers and I think I lot of them do the job of several pieces of equipment in one. I know how to use a midi-keyboard fairly well but after that I haven't a clue as to what I should get.

The kind of music I'd like to make is stuff like deep house, nujazz, minimal etc.. Is there some essential pieces of electronic equipment I need to do so?


Realistically my budget is about E1000. With that I'm hoping to get at least a decent midi-keyboard and a pair of monitor speakers. After that what do you think I should look at buying? I really want to do a lot of sampling as well, taking stuff off vinyl and that - what equipment do you need to do that?


Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

Midi Keyboard hmm, If you want to make house music and get into synthesis I would buy a Roland Juno 60 or Juno 106 from ebay, set you back about EUR400. They are a classic 80's synth as used by everyone from Larry Heard to Carl Craig etc. If you get a 106 it has midi connection so it can act as your midi keyboard as well. The 60 is a slightly fuller sound and has the arpeggiator so it is my preference but it hasn't got midi so look for one that has been modded or you can buy the mod kit from Kenton http://www.kentonuk.com/.

I'm presuming you have a computer or laptop of some sort. Next thing you will need is an audio interface. If you are using Mac I strongly recommend Apogee, check out the Apogee Duet http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/duet2.php . The apogee sounds great and have great quality components for doing ad/da (digital-analog) conversion.

DAW wise, Ableton. Its extremely easy to get into and very creative, much more so than Logic or Pro Tools which I use also. I've never used Reason but worth looking at that too.

Monitor speakers, well thats a matter of preference. On a tight budget with something vibey KRK Rokit 6 are nice. http://www.krksys.com/krk-studio-mon...t/rokit-6.html. They have exaggerated low-end so can be nice to produce house/electronic music on where the kick drum and bass are so important, however just be careful when your tracks are finished when mixing them that the bass will disappear a bit on other speakers etc. They are nice and cheap to get started though.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

[Shane_ef]

Hi all due to an unfortunate amount of spare time, I've been contemplating reinstalling reason etc... But was wondering where is the best place to free host stuff online, is soundcloud a good bet, all my old stuff is just noise but wanna put it online as not to loose it..