How to "time" tracks when crossfading
How to "time" tracks when crossfading Posted on: 15.11.2010 by Flo Gathers Alright, since acquiring my Mixtrack, I've been trying to teach myself Traktor and the real 'art' of DJing/controllerism. I used to cheat in Virtual DJ by aligning the 'drops' on the vertical waveform display and mixing through the break.Obviously, Traktor uses a horizontal waveform display and this is not possible? So how do you 'time' your tracks? Does this even make sense? | |
| Kala Pellar 25.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by theory28
HAHAHA. No wonder digital DJs get such a hard time. Don't you listen to the tune your playing, understand the phrase, drop the new track at the end of a phrase or mid phrase if apporopriate? you just mechanically drop it accoprding to the wave form? I'm shocked. |
| Flo Gathers 15.11.2010 | Alright, since acquiring my Mixtrack, I've been trying to teach myself Traktor and the real 'art' of DJing/controllerism. I used to cheat in Virtual DJ by aligning the 'drops' on the vertical waveform display and mixing through the break. Obviously, Traktor uses a horizontal waveform display and this is not possible? So how do you 'time' your tracks? Does this even make sense? |
| Cristian Carmona 25.11.2010 | its all jedi tricks |
| Keenan Batth 25.11.2010 | I can only agree with the last two posters. Use your ears. I believe you should first be able to do the following procedure:
This should all be done without looking at the screen once. When you can do this you can move on to using loops, mixing at other places in the tracks, mixing with the EQ etc. You may even start looking at the visual interface! (omg) This will take a long time to learn but it will make you a good DJ. Also, here is the first of two videos demonstrating this very well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dMQXrrSwDk |
| Rolanda Clodfelder 25.11.2010 | To train the ears as to the structure of the music mix blind AKA BY ear is really the only way to learn .. Try this ... 1. Pick 10 Tracks you like 2. Load 2 of the tracks into deck A/B 3. Listen for a point on Track A in the music where you get an "indicator" .. this could be a cymbal crash.. last beat before a breakdown .. First beat after a breakdown.. baseline dropping out of the track Listen to the track a few times to these "indicators" and anticipate them with your brain .. count in you head the bars 1,2,3,4, 1,2,3,4, NOT visually .. on your "indicator" cue/play track Most music is structured so every 8 /16 /32 /64 bars you'll get one. If at first you don't succeed try try again .. and seriously keep tying with those two tracks until you get it right ! .. then add the next and the next until you have the drops and mix locations down... once you've done this a few times you'll be able to mix those 10 tracks precisly every time with each other.....then add a few more. The "money shot" is almost always kicking in with a new Bassline or riff as soon as the last ones bassline or main phrase finishes. Practice makes perfect get to know your tracks well Attached is a simple enough "hit play / mix for for a while / drop out" on the second track break... both as an MP3 and Graphic with levels indicated by the red line to show whats happening on the faders and when stuff drops in and out. Dunno if it will be much help .. but use your ears honestly the phase meters are NOT to be taken for granted apart from rough alignment IMHO always a few Milliseconds off.
No wonder digital DJs get such a hard time
Learning without the visual aids like phase meters, BPM Counters, loop FX ... really does have its benefits in the long term... you learn to 'become one' with the music. If you are watching a screen you aren't watching OR connecting with the crowd. Cheap music means theres too many tracks to learn maybe ? |
| Maisie Marras 26.11.2010 | i was dumbing it down for the OP.... and the 'hit play on the drop' was supposed to be hit play on the breakdown (to mix intros/ breakdowns) |
| Kala Pellar 25.11.2010 |
Originally Posted by theory28
HAHAHA. No wonder digital DJs get such a hard time. Don't you listen to the tune your playing, understand the phrase, drop the new track at the end of a phrase or mid phrase if apporopriate? you just mechanically drop it accoprding to the wave form? I'm shocked. |
| Dick Pelcher 25.11.2010 | Like people have said, knowing you're tracks and practice makes for a good transition. But you're using traktor... why not snag a loop when you want to mix out of the first track, start the second track, and then just end the first song at the 'perfect' time... seems like that could work really well. |
| Tania Somppi 21.11.2010 | Learn to spot and count the beats, bars and phrases. And learn your tunes. |
| Latoria Kavulich 21.11.2010 | Just go with the flow and practise makes for less screw-ups. |
| Rolanda Clodfelder 21.11.2010 | To the OP .. really knowing your tracks is where its at .. i'd honesly recommend some "blind" mixing and even removing your crossfader mapping and beatmatch using the pitch fader for a bit which would be akin to playing on Technics/CDJ's and a dodgy club mixer with a bust crossfader - seriously! Not being able to see the waveform on vinyl meant really knowing either the structure of the music well, guesswork (to a small extent) and knowing your tracks like the back of your hand - the same should apply to digital dj's. Also don't just rely on crossfade as a drop, play with the EQ's for dropping tracks - Bass down on playing track - Bass up on mixing track... try this approach and you'll hear and you'll begin to realize the structures of 99% of EDM.
I believe the formula is... if 64/8*2+X>32x4-MDMA then it's ok to crossfade.
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| Vernie Beharry 19.11.2010 | Zac Kyoti is right, every song, every genre, and beats are all different. All it is IMO is just trainng your ears a certain way. . .This is part of the reason why some DJ's, like myself, listen on one headphone while mixing. . . . Adjust the cue level in your headphones. Close your eyes. . .Even taping your foot / nodding your head actually helps. . . Adjust pitch if necessary. Listen carefully. . . . Smooth cross-fade over to new track. If your doing tricks, just remember the count and you'll be fine.
"I believe the formula is... if 64/8*2+X>32x4-MDMA then it's ok to crossfade."
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| Antonetta Wikel 19.11.2010 | I believe the formula is... if 64/8*2+X>32x4-MDMA then it's ok to crossfade. |
| Lilliana Perris 19.11.2010 | Its easy to spot the flow the of the track in the wave form. Fat areas are generally the kicking parts with drums etc. The thinner bits are the breaks....chilled bits without drums. You can also set the size of the waveform by clicking on the + sign on the top right of the waveform. If you mixing EDM...then its dead easy....but you should rather understand and recognise the sound of the 8 beat loop. Thats all the rythme is at the end of the day. So you would be counting to 8 each time to be able know when to start the incoming track in the correct phase. After a while....it becomes automatic....you just KNOW where in you are in the phrase at any given time. |
| Reece Murray 19.11.2010 | Be familiar with your tracks and use your ears. Hate to say it, but there's no formula, and using one is going to get you in trouble because tons of music breaks with the pattern, drops 2 bars here and there, adds bars in a break, etc. You don't want to be counting in your head and end up wrecking it. Just know your track. But if you don't, hover over the control, and don't press it if something unexpected happens. |
| Joie Cantillon 15.11.2010 | This doesn't hold true all of the time, but most electronic music is in 4/4 time and every 8 or 16 bars (or 32 or 64 beats...4 beats to a bar) and barring things like breaks (where the music has a part that doesn't 'fit' the pattern) you can kinda "count" it out and just drop things in 32 or 64 beat patterns...there's a bunch of instructional articles about this very subject so I'll stop because I am in no way an authority on these things, I'd work that google-fu if I was you...be easy |
| Flo Gathers 15.11.2010 | Hi, can you explain in a little bit more detail? Or link to a video/article? |
| Maisie Marras 15.11.2010 | have the second song ready look at the wave form of the first hit play on the drop. then look at the phase meeter to get them aligned |
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