Too many breakdowns in my DJ set - advice?
Too many breakdowns in my DJ set - advice? Posted on: 25.08.2012 by Twyla Tornabene In certain club sets which focus on Top 40 remixes & Electro House, I feel like there are too many 'breaks' or 'drops' (if you will) in the beginning of each song. With most tracks I get from pools, there is a very quiet 32 intro with barely anything, then a boring 32 or 64 beat 4/4 section, then a breakdown/drop where the vocal or melodic hook comes in without any drums beneath it at all until the build or chorus. So many tracks are like this that it begins to feel repetitive that I play one track until a climax then the set drops energy again as soon as I get to the next track. Ive tried to collect more tracks that don't have such breaks/drops but they are actually hard to come by. Ive also tried to cross over to the next track earlier during the 32 beat intro rather than right at the break, but those intros are usually so boring and basic that it sounds funny to play by itself. Does anyone understand what I mean and have some feedback on this? | |
| Roseanna Signorini 27.08.2012 |
Originally Posted by Patch
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| Janyce Henningson 27.08.2012 |
Originally Posted by tech2400
Originally Posted by keithace
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| Roseanna Signorini 27.08.2012 |
Originally Posted by Patch
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| Brunilda Kora 27.08.2012 | This is what you use Ableton Live for. Personal edits can be as simple as removing the break. |
| Ashanti Andreacchio 27.08.2012 | beatslicer take a loop from the intro beat while dry/wet is 0 then when you get to the long break (That I also am not so fund of) add some wet to your Slicer and you got an underlying beat to the not so boring break now. and you can use that Slice/Rool/loop to make some extra buildup or exsitment. Think it loop rool, in VDJ. Some of Pioneer mixers also have this rool. |
| Lilliana Perris 27.08.2012 | I don;t like too many breaks either. I find it tires the crowd more than giving them a break. Irritates me when i am grooving and then break....groove...break...groove...break. I tend to put Cue Points around my breaks and play em if I want...else I skip past and keep the pressure. |
| Tesha Freudenstein 27.08.2012 | also an important question: is the crowd dancing? if so, it might just be you feeling that way. |
| Emilia Dielmann 27.08.2012 | Check out the YouTube pioneer dj sounds show , laidback Luke's set for power mixing. |
| Janyce Henningson 27.08.2012 |
Originally Posted by tech2400
Originally Posted by keithace
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| Leeanna Ayla 27.08.2012 | The breaks you describe at the beginning and end are for mixing in records before we had cue points and loops. They would often do long intros and outros in these remixes so DJ's had time to get it going correctly. |
| Keith Dysart 27.08.2012 | Also, having a few looped samples ready to go never hurts. Could be drums or anything else that will help keep the rhythm going and the energy up. I have a few crowd chanting/clapping sort of samples I drop on certain breaks that lack the energy to make it on their own. |
| Renata Shehu 27.08.2012 | no one mentioned TALK ON THE MIC....if you don't use a mic you can always simultaneously cue jump to an instrumental loop in the old song (usually in the outro) and start the new song on the vocal...this kinda minimizes the unessential breakdowns in my sets...but sometimes breakdowns are a great time to talk on the mic...cut the bass outta them, or turn the volume down to 80% so when you bring it back on the drop it'll have that EXTRA energy at 100% again. |
| Roseanna Signorini 27.08.2012 | echo freeze is your friend... |
| Ardell Lafranchi 26.08.2012 | always transition in the 4 beats before the drop very simple way to keep people on there toes... do some random mashups, have fun, and u can also transition on some breakdowns if they go together well..!!!!! Just go with the flow u dont always have to wait till the first/last 16/32 beats to transition mix it up man!!! thats why they call it mixing 27wonka |
| Alla Bluemke 26.08.2012 | Play other songs underlying with a beat to fill the empty noise. Use the bass from track and the highs from another. |
| Ossie Pooley 26.08.2012 | I actually found that with a Midi Fighter or anything of the sort you can make the 'boring parts' into some funky remix sites. |
| Kasi Kyung 26.08.2012 | Mix and match phrases! Intro/build of track B into chorus of A so next tune's is next beat. If it's a long intro, cue it up halfway through to avoid the 'boring parts' or use those boring parts (hats, vocal scratch, new synth) in song A to change it up a bit/ |
| Roseanna Signorini 26.08.2012 | As stated, cue points, don't start the song at the beginning, loop the outgoing beat, bring the incoming track with no drums in, then when the build starts, filter out the beat or fade it down. Also, there are alot of edits available that have the beat and go right into the first chorus. Get creative, loops are your friend, filters are your friend, effects are your friend..... |
| Edwardo Rothenberger 26.08.2012 | Having been listening to House music and it's variants since 1988 I have found that even many of the non commercial tracks have long break downs much more than there ever used to be. Hardfloor's Acperience in '92/'93 was one of the first I can remember that had a long breakdown that went into a big crescendo. It was new and very exciting, and actually way better crafted than much of what you get today. The whole long b-down thing is very annoying and shows a lack of imagination. Most breaks don't have the energy to dance through. Thank god for cue points BTW, I find Techno generally has less breaks |
| Antonetta Wikel 26.08.2012 | A.d.dj |
| Tesha Freudenstein 26.08.2012 |
Originally Posted by tech2400
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| Golden Faubert 26.08.2012 | at the end of the day drops and breakdowns are a fundimental part of the song and that moment really makes it what it is... i sometimes edit the track in ableton to take out/shorten the breakdown, or as i dont have a light jock where i play, i have to control the lights myself, so i use lighting to take some of the emphasis off the longish silence. |
| Darren Teboe 26.08.2012 | Why not just not include the parts you don't like? That's how house and hip hop started... eliminate the parts you don't want of the song,and include the good hooks. |
| Lillia Datson 27.08.2012 | I use my MF3D to get a piece from the track im playing, cut and mash the crap out of it (usually a Vocal piece or Electric Sound) and add a couple of effects to it, whilst bringing in a Build up/Beat from the next track i want to play. Not really eliminating the build up, but creating them where i want them. Works really well for Dubstep/Electro etc. |
| Dorcas Bassignani 27.08.2012 |
Originally Posted by keithace
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| Margie Pavell 27.08.2012 |
Originally Posted by tech2400
pleased to be explaining "power mixing" |
| Nancey Inderlied 25.08.2012 | Drop mixing is your friend. A track doesn't have to start exactly at the beginning, that's one of the (not so?) fundamental concepts of cueing. |
| Emilia Dielmann 25.08.2012 | Start power mixing your music , it will lead you to understand how to eliminate breaks and drops. Jaskotech. |
| Ossie Pooley 25.08.2012 | They're not infants. You have to mix it up or you'll get bored. There's a fine balance between the audience having a good time and you enjoying the evening . |
| Noriko Lebowitz 25.08.2012 | I run into this problem quite often because I mix exactly this. My biggest tip is cue points. Also, look for edits with Acap out as well as in. Then, let the energy build up again and work into commercial house where there are less breakdowns. |
| Lauretta Ehrhorn 25.08.2012 | Keith is bang on. Top 40 commercial dance is like that. Start messing around too much and you alienate your punters. They don't really care as long as they hear what is played on the radio. Mix it up with cue points and edits and they become confused. |
| Margie Pavell 25.08.2012 |
Originally Posted by SirReal
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| Dorcas Bassignani 25.08.2012 | look for remixes |
| Ossie Pooley 25.08.2012 | Either find or make better remixes of the songs. Or cue points will help. Try mixing straight from the end of Track A's chorus into the first verse of Track B. Completely takes out the intro and I believe it's a vital skill to be able to transition at the end of any phrase. |
| Antonetta Wikel 25.08.2012 | I'd recommend digging for more interesting music. |
| Celine Surico 25.08.2012 | Cue points and loops are your friend. |
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