Calvin Harris
and Dillon Francis
worked there... no way!
| New DJ have s4 I have been djing for a little while, like a couple months. Bought the s4 and I love it. I need help to become a better DJ. All I do is just beat match by using the sync button and just use cross fader to change into the next song. I'm not Going to lie and I want to see what you guys believe I should do. So tips on how to practice. Thank you guys look forward to learning. Something cool also my college offers a DJ class and it's accredited maybe I'll take it next semester for fun. | Jennifer Preissler
21.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by mmullen68
This is kinda what one of the previous posters was talking about tho. You mentioned" back then it was all about......." i respect your history and what not but its not really about "back then" anymore and i believe a lot of dj's with that mentality are getting left behind by refusing to open up to new technology. the fact is that things can and do stay in time for long periods of a track now and fairly easily for that matter. personally i use the sync button because i can and i dont like having to constantly nudge tracks and adjust bpm's when i can spend that time searching for the next track or working on effects combo's.There are some veteran DJ's in my area(scottsdale AZ) who constantly bash traktor, sync, and anything other than cdjs/vinyl. the funny thing is that when cdj's came out it was the same argument from vinyl dj's hating on the new cdj players. The bottom line is that sync or no sync, no one can get up in front of a crowd with no practice and rock the joint, it just would never happen that way. with that said, if you get to a point where you will start playing clubs and big events then by all means make sure you can beatmatch well enough to lay down a set just in case your setup has technical difficulties and you'd need to fall back on using cdj's. but if your just playing house party's and small events then sync up and have some fun. I wouldnt worry about beatmatching until you actually need to use it and theres a good chance you'll never need to manually beatmatch(especially with sync now available on new cdj's). theres no point wasting time mastering it if your just gonna play out using sync. spend that time mastering fx transitions and phrase matching. phrase matching is WAY more important than beat matching and its also something the computer cant do for you. I would take someone anyday that cant beatmatch but is awesome at phrase matching as opposed to someone who can manually beat match but is rusty with phrasing. Beat matching is easy anyways. the first time i tried it i thought " thats it?" and I enjoyed playing out a set so much more once i started throwing sync on and could mash out on traktor's other features(cue points, FX, EQing) without having to worry about the boring and tedious beatmatching stuff. Thats just my take tho, if someone truly enjoys the process of beatmatching then they should definitely keep doing it manually. Its all about what makes you have more fun when djing, for me personally its fx and cue juggling but that doesnt mean that's the case for everyone else. it also doesnt make me right or wrong in using sync because i cant help the fact that my brain believes beatmatching isnt fun
First off I wasn't hating, personally I believe cdj's suck always have always will. Yes it's so much more convenient to carry a load of cds through the airport then Records, trust me I've carried 3 cases of records with no wheels across the country.
Seriously?!?! pressing sync gives you more time to search for tracks? Doesn't Traktor like have a 100 ways to easily find tracks? I'm sorry Your brain doesn't like beat matching, But really a true Dj could easily have a track beat matched and spend all the same amount of time doing FX, Cue point cuts, Volume/Cross Fade Cuts ect ect. I could easily have mixes go for 1:00 to 2:00 minutes, or fast mix a track and still do all the same things that traktor could do, minus all the fancy effects that most people get bored of.
I'm not hating on the digital age or anything else hell I'm going to get an S4 myself to play with, the fact is the guy asked about what to do I was just reiterating tips and tricks to techniques for him to try, and explaining to him how I felt that was done before the so called "digital age" He was asking for advice on it yes someone else said stuff, but it's never a bad idea to get more than one opinion.
Also no offense but you explaining how it's done in AZ, is all fine and dandy, but lets be real here for a minute if you are talking about playing massive shows and stuff, this is one thing that has killed the industry for a lot of people, because promoters and club organizers don't want to pay like they use to because they all have this same mentality that you mentioned, that really most dj's don't even really know how to Dj anymore they just bring in whatever gear they have and that's it. OR if they are throwing a huge show, then the book people from UK who are really nothing but glorified producers who everyone knows, that is cashing in on being a so called "DJ" Also i understand people be hating, I'm not hating on anyone or anything, but really it's easy to hit a button and sync something and call your self a DJ these days, again tons of producers do it, and a lot of promoters don't care if someone rocks a joint they usually want who ever will do it for cheap or free on the local level, at least that's how it is here in Seattle, and most places these days.
With that said its never about what age we are in or what tools we have, it's how we use them to make music or create something, I believe anyone who can should get tables and buy records, but then again I'm a vinyl junkie and that's just how it is. | Kareen Kreft
21.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by JDFunk
He does have an S4, maybe he should invest in some turntables.
Unfortunately a lot of new people who jump in and just learn in the digital age, don't have the joy and frustration that comes with true old school djing, and beat matching. Nothing ever stayed locked for long, it's always a constant battle making sure everything was always staying in time.
I believe a sync button just takes the fun away from learning true Djing, yes tons of people use it, and I'm sure for some stuff it's nice to have especially if you use remix decks or are midi clocking with a program like Ableton.
The S4 is probably a great tool, heck I'm getting one for Xmas, but as many of the other people posting head the advice, try not focusing on whats going on with the software, learn not to start out using tons of Effects back then it was how you Eqed, volume and crossfader cut your tracks, all those things that really made your set stand out.
Learn to count beats that was the first thing I did I can count a beat to any song, I may not know the tempo, but I always know the beat and programed my brain to learn when all the changes happened.
This is kinda what one of the previous posters was talking about tho. You mentioned" back then it was all about......." i respect your history and what not but its not really about "back then" anymore and i believe a lot of dj's with that mentality are getting left behind by refusing to open up to new technology. the fact is that things can and do stay in time for long periods of a track now and fairly easily for that matter. personally i use the sync button because i can and i dont like having to constantly nudge tracks and adjust bpm's when i can spend that time searching for the next track or working on effects combo's.There are some veteran DJ's in my area(scottsdale AZ) who constantly bash traktor, sync, and anything other than cdjs/vinyl. the funny thing is that when cdj's came out it was the same argument from vinyl dj's hating on the new cdj players. The bottom line is that sync or no sync, no one can get up in front of a crowd with no practice and rock the joint, it just would never happen that way. with that said, if you get to a point where you will start playing clubs and big events then by all means make sure you can beatmatch well enough to lay down a set just in case your setup has technical difficulties and you'd need to fall back on using cdj's. but if your just playing house party's and small events then sync up and have some fun. I wouldnt worry about beatmatching until you actually need to use it and theres a good chance you'll never need to manually beatmatch(especially with sync now available on new cdj's). theres no point wasting time mastering it if your just gonna play out using sync. spend that time mastering fx transitions and phrase matching. phrase matching is WAY more important than beat matching and its also something the computer cant do for you. I would take someone anyday that cant beatmatch but is awesome at phrase matching as opposed to someone who can manually beat match but is rusty with phrasing. Beat matching is easy anyways. the first time i tried it i thought " thats it?" and I enjoyed playing out a set so much more once i started throwing sync on and could mash out on traktor's other features(cue points, FX, EQing) without having to worry about the boring and tedious beatmatching stuff. Thats just my take tho, if someone truly enjoys the process of beatmatching then they should definitely keep doing it manually. Its all about what makes you have more fun when djing, for me personally its fx and cue juggling but that doesnt mean that's the case for everyone else. it also doesnt make me right or wrong in using sync because i cant help the fact that my brain believes beatmatching isnt fun | Jamel Layugan
21.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by MisterMoleyMole
I don't but a few ideas if I did need to.....
Beat mash
Spin back in flux mode
Reverse pull in flux mode
MMM
When I click the drop down arrow on my deck channels it doesn't have flux mode. I only have the 3 modes live sample and track. | Sarai Suchman
20.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by Moif
Personally, I don't there's much point in teaching someone who makes use of the sync button the finer points of beatmatching. In a perfect world that person will have access to actual turntables and we can advise them to knuckle down and learn the proper way. But in this day and age that's not such a viable suggestion
As an S2 owner (and having been DJing in one form or another for the last 20 years) I would suggest learning your software and your controller inside out. Get all of your tunes properly gridded, set your load markers, listen to your tunes and get your cue points set. If necessary, remap the S4 to get cue points 5-8 working or buy an X1. Set your quantize and get familiar with the effects available to you - you'll soon start to realise that some are more useful than others. Finally, use the remix decks, buy an F1 and learn how they all work together.
Once you're set up, start engaging your imagination and get busy remixing and making mashups on the fly. Get your hands on acapellas, use free software to edit your tunes and get a library on the go.
You're then on the right path to evolving from a DJ to a performance artist.
IMO of course
^+1 to this.
I really dont get what the point of trying to teach someone who is using a controller, how to mix like they are on vinyl...it is totally counter productive and really a waste of time.
If the guy only has a controller, then he should be learning how to expand his usage of that controller...not trying to learn how to mix like he is using vinyl. If and when he gets turntables....then he can utilize other skill sets and learn how to beatmix normally on Wax.
With the evolution of CDJs and whatnot...you can CLEARLY see that the industry is moving away from the ancient art of Beatmatching. Not saying i dont....hell i can mix on TT, CDJS and Controllers. But look at the whole new line of Pioneer products...they are aiming to be more expressive and not learning how to match thump and thump so both thumps go thump together (sneer intended)
Riding Wax and riding CDJS are so different and the feeel and groove that i get are really different. While today there isnt really much difference between CDJs and Controllers.
IMO take the time to learn EVERYTHING about your medium...then move on to the next medium and learn everything about that one. | Libbie Deutchman
20.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by antifmradio
uhh out of curiousity why would you want the mic playing through a specific channel?
The reason i ask this is because if your mic is on D (right side)
and you are playing something on A or C, you wont hear the mic.
same goes for the reverse
That's not necessarily true. I have decks C and D on my S4 set up to ignore the crossfader, it's easy to do. If I recall correctly, I believe you just hold down shift and hit the FX 1 or 2 button for that deck. You could set up A, C, and D to be on the left and B on the right, you could reverse them if you wanted, you can do whatever you prefer. | Jamel Layugan
24.11.2012 | Guys, when I put my songs into track collection so I can have the bpm to the song the bpm doesn't show up the number is zero. When I find the song by going into the side menu it does the same thing. So I click the folder and analyze and all the songs don't show the bpm unless I click analize to every single song seperatly. | Jamel Layugan
24.11.2012 | Just wanted everyone to know that the S4 works fine with the new macbooks that have usb 3.0. i didnt face any problems. I went and bought a furman power conditioner today its the m8dx but i still get humming noise from my mackie active speakers. Should i return it and try a live wire or monster for the same price? | Libbie Orion
22.11.2012 | i would imagine MBP would allow you to run the 3.0 USB ports built into it as if they were 2.0
You might want to google on something like that in preperation
THis way you can see if you even NEED to get that level mbp
if it wont work
then check with a mac store and see if they can ship you a previous version that has 2.0 ports
That would also save you some Mulah | Jamel Layugan
22.11.2012 | I believe you have a good idea funk. I'm going to ask my buddy if I can borrow his technics to try out and I can always add it to a channel. Ive been practising a lot and I'm getting better with matching the beat, but not close to have it perfectly matched.
One more question guys I'm believeing about getting a macbook pro I7 because I just use my sisters mbp and she doesnt want me to use hers anymore. So the new mbp has 3.0 usb and I've been reading that the s4 doesn't work properly because its designed for 2.0. Does anyone have any experience or tried using the s4 with the new mackbook?
Mullen were from Az are you? I live in Gilbert
Thanks for all the advice so far this community
is helping a lot. Happy thanksgiving! | Jennifer Preissler
21.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by mmullen68
This is kinda what one of the previous posters was talking about tho. You mentioned" back then it was all about......." i respect your history and what not but its not really about "back then" anymore and i believe a lot of dj's with that mentality are getting left behind by refusing to open up to new technology. the fact is that things can and do stay in time for long periods of a track now and fairly easily for that matter. personally i use the sync button because i can and i dont like having to constantly nudge tracks and adjust bpm's when i can spend that time searching for the next track or working on effects combo's.There are some veteran DJ's in my area(scottsdale AZ) who constantly bash traktor, sync, and anything other than cdjs/vinyl. the funny thing is that when cdj's came out it was the same argument from vinyl dj's hating on the new cdj players. The bottom line is that sync or no sync, no one can get up in front of a crowd with no practice and rock the joint, it just would never happen that way. with that said, if you get to a point where you will start playing clubs and big events then by all means make sure you can beatmatch well enough to lay down a set just in case your setup has technical difficulties and you'd need to fall back on using cdj's. but if your just playing house party's and small events then sync up and have some fun. I wouldnt worry about beatmatching until you actually need to use it and theres a good chance you'll never need to manually beatmatch(especially with sync now available on new cdj's). theres no point wasting time mastering it if your just gonna play out using sync. spend that time mastering fx transitions and phrase matching. phrase matching is WAY more important than beat matching and its also something the computer cant do for you. I would take someone anyday that cant beatmatch but is awesome at phrase matching as opposed to someone who can manually beat match but is rusty with phrasing. Beat matching is easy anyways. the first time i tried it i thought " thats it?" and I enjoyed playing out a set so much more once i started throwing sync on and could mash out on traktor's other features(cue points, FX, EQing) without having to worry about the boring and tedious beatmatching stuff. Thats just my take tho, if someone truly enjoys the process of beatmatching then they should definitely keep doing it manually. Its all about what makes you have more fun when djing, for me personally its fx and cue juggling but that doesnt mean that's the case for everyone else. it also doesnt make me right or wrong in using sync because i cant help the fact that my brain believes beatmatching isnt fun
First off I wasn't hating, personally I believe cdj's suck always have always will. Yes it's so much more convenient to carry a load of cds through the airport then Records, trust me I've carried 3 cases of records with no wheels across the country.
Seriously?!?! pressing sync gives you more time to search for tracks? Doesn't Traktor like have a 100 ways to easily find tracks? I'm sorry Your brain doesn't like beat matching, But really a true Dj could easily have a track beat matched and spend all the same amount of time doing FX, Cue point cuts, Volume/Cross Fade Cuts ect ect. I could easily have mixes go for 1:00 to 2:00 minutes, or fast mix a track and still do all the same things that traktor could do, minus all the fancy effects that most people get bored of.
I'm not hating on the digital age or anything else hell I'm going to get an S4 myself to play with, the fact is the guy asked about what to do I was just reiterating tips and tricks to techniques for him to try, and explaining to him how I felt that was done before the so called "digital age" He was asking for advice on it yes someone else said stuff, but it's never a bad idea to get more than one opinion.
Also no offense but you explaining how it's done in AZ, is all fine and dandy, but lets be real here for a minute if you are talking about playing massive shows and stuff, this is one thing that has killed the industry for a lot of people, because promoters and club organizers don't want to pay like they use to because they all have this same mentality that you mentioned, that really most dj's don't even really know how to Dj anymore they just bring in whatever gear they have and that's it. OR if they are throwing a huge show, then the book people from UK who are really nothing but glorified producers who everyone knows, that is cashing in on being a so called "DJ" Also i understand people be hating, I'm not hating on anyone or anything, but really it's easy to hit a button and sync something and call your self a DJ these days, again tons of producers do it, and a lot of promoters don't care if someone rocks a joint they usually want who ever will do it for cheap or free on the local level, at least that's how it is here in Seattle, and most places these days.
With that said its never about what age we are in or what tools we have, it's how we use them to make music or create something, I believe anyone who can should get tables and buy records, but then again I'm a vinyl junkie and that's just how it is. | Libbie Orion
21.11.2012 | why not just do a short, skip-scratch on the wheels? | Kareen Kreft
21.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by JDFunk
He does have an S4, maybe he should invest in some turntables.
Unfortunately a lot of new people who jump in and just learn in the digital age, don't have the joy and frustration that comes with true old school djing, and beat matching. Nothing ever stayed locked for long, it's always a constant battle making sure everything was always staying in time.
I believe a sync button just takes the fun away from learning true Djing, yes tons of people use it, and I'm sure for some stuff it's nice to have especially if you use remix decks or are midi clocking with a program like Ableton.
The S4 is probably a great tool, heck I'm getting one for Xmas, but as many of the other people posting head the advice, try not focusing on whats going on with the software, learn not to start out using tons of Effects back then it was how you Eqed, volume and crossfader cut your tracks, all those things that really made your set stand out.
Learn to count beats that was the first thing I did I can count a beat to any song, I may not know the tempo, but I always know the beat and programed my brain to learn when all the changes happened.
This is kinda what one of the previous posters was talking about tho. You mentioned" back then it was all about......." i respect your history and what not but its not really about "back then" anymore and i believe a lot of dj's with that mentality are getting left behind by refusing to open up to new technology. the fact is that things can and do stay in time for long periods of a track now and fairly easily for that matter. personally i use the sync button because i can and i dont like having to constantly nudge tracks and adjust bpm's when i can spend that time searching for the next track or working on effects combo's.There are some veteran DJ's in my area(scottsdale AZ) who constantly bash traktor, sync, and anything other than cdjs/vinyl. the funny thing is that when cdj's came out it was the same argument from vinyl dj's hating on the new cdj players. The bottom line is that sync or no sync, no one can get up in front of a crowd with no practice and rock the joint, it just would never happen that way. with that said, if you get to a point where you will start playing clubs and big events then by all means make sure you can beatmatch well enough to lay down a set just in case your setup has technical difficulties and you'd need to fall back on using cdj's. but if your just playing house party's and small events then sync up and have some fun. I wouldnt worry about beatmatching until you actually need to use it and theres a good chance you'll never need to manually beatmatch(especially with sync now available on new cdj's). theres no point wasting time mastering it if your just gonna play out using sync. spend that time mastering fx transitions and phrase matching. phrase matching is WAY more important than beat matching and its also something the computer cant do for you. I would take someone anyday that cant beatmatch but is awesome at phrase matching as opposed to someone who can manually beat match but is rusty with phrasing. Beat matching is easy anyways. the first time i tried it i thought " thats it?" and I enjoyed playing out a set so much more once i started throwing sync on and could mash out on traktor's other features(cue points, FX, EQing) without having to worry about the boring and tedious beatmatching stuff. Thats just my take tho, if someone truly enjoys the process of beatmatching then they should definitely keep doing it manually. Its all about what makes you have more fun when djing, for me personally its fx and cue juggling but that doesnt mean that's the case for everyone else. it also doesnt make me right or wrong in using sync because i cant help the fact that my brain believes beatmatching isnt fun | Lana Akey
22.11.2012 | I don't believe you can really blame the controller as much a you can blame the person using it. I may not be a salty dj who has been going strong for decades, hell I don't refer to myself as a dj at all. But I've been mixing for the last 9 months on just an s4 and I've only beatmatched on it. I can count on on hand how many times I've used sync. Personally it makes it much more boring. Beat matching keeps me on my toes and just makes it feel like I'm always working and actually manipulating the music.
I still aspire to get some cdjs or 1200s but being in the military and moving all the time limits my options. In the end the person just has to have the self dicipline to push through and learn to beatmatch. | Jennifer Preissler
21.11.2012 | He does have an S4, maybe he should invest in some turntables.
Unfortunately a lot of new people who jump in and just learn in the digital age, don't have the joy and frustration that comes with true old school djing, and beat matching. Nothing ever stayed locked for long, it's always a constant battle making sure everything was always staying in time.
I believe a sync button just takes the fun away from learning true Djing, yes tons of people use it, and I'm sure for some stuff it's nice to have especially if you use remix decks or are midi clocking with a program like Ableton.
The S4 is probably a great tool, heck I'm getting one for Xmas, but as many of the other people posting head the advice, try not focusing on whats going on with the software, learn not to start out using tons of Effects back then it was how you Eqed, volume and crossfader cut your tracks, all those things that really made your set stand out.
Learn to count beats that was the first thing I did I can count a beat to any song, I may not know the tempo, but I always know the beat and programed my brain to learn when all the changes happened. | Tatum Ansaldo
21.11.2012 | Have you updated to 2.6? | Jamel Layugan
21.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by MisterMoleyMole
I don't but a few ideas if I did need to.....
Beat mash
Spin back in flux mode
Reverse pull in flux mode
MMM
When I click the drop down arrow on my deck channels it doesn't have flux mode. I only have the 3 modes live sample and track. | Doug Bieling
21.11.2012 | I don't but a few ideas if I did need to.....
Beat mash
Spin back in flux mode
Reverse pull in flux mode
MMM | Jamel Layugan
21.11.2012 | Another thing guys, what do you guys do to take curse words out of the song while djing? I was believeing putting a little backspin on the opposite deck and lowering the volume to the deck playing the song with the curse word. Would that be effective? | Stanley Peckman
20.11.2012 | The mike only works via Channel D. If you use Scratch and timecode the signal wont works as long as a mike is plugged in, you dont even need to be using the mic, as long as its plugged in 'D' is out for timecode.
Sorry, probably not a brilliant explanation - worth looking at the Traktor Bible youtube channel for a more concise and far better explanation.. | Sarai Suchman
20.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by Moif
Personally, I don't there's much point in teaching someone who makes use of the sync button the finer points of beatmatching. In a perfect world that person will have access to actual turntables and we can advise them to knuckle down and learn the proper way. But in this day and age that's not such a viable suggestion
As an S2 owner (and having been DJing in one form or another for the last 20 years) I would suggest learning your software and your controller inside out. Get all of your tunes properly gridded, set your load markers, listen to your tunes and get your cue points set. If necessary, remap the S4 to get cue points 5-8 working or buy an X1. Set your quantize and get familiar with the effects available to you - you'll soon start to realise that some are more useful than others. Finally, use the remix decks, buy an F1 and learn how they all work together.
Once you're set up, start engaging your imagination and get busy remixing and making mashups on the fly. Get your hands on acapellas, use free software to edit your tunes and get a library on the go.
You're then on the right path to evolving from a DJ to a performance artist.
IMO of course
^+1 to this.
I really dont get what the point of trying to teach someone who is using a controller, how to mix like they are on vinyl...it is totally counter productive and really a waste of time.
If the guy only has a controller, then he should be learning how to expand his usage of that controller...not trying to learn how to mix like he is using vinyl. If and when he gets turntables....then he can utilize other skill sets and learn how to beatmix normally on Wax.
With the evolution of CDJs and whatnot...you can CLEARLY see that the industry is moving away from the ancient art of Beatmatching. Not saying i dont....hell i can mix on TT, CDJS and Controllers. But look at the whole new line of Pioneer products...they are aiming to be more expressive and not learning how to match thump and thump so both thumps go thump together (sneer intended)
Riding Wax and riding CDJS are so different and the feeel and groove that i get are really different. While today there isnt really much difference between CDJs and Controllers.
IMO take the time to learn EVERYTHING about your medium...then move on to the next medium and learn everything about that one. | Jamel Layugan
20.11.2012 | My mic is plugged into the back of the s4. I don't know how to get it to work unless I turn a channel into a live output. What other configuration can I do? | Libbie Deutchman
20.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by antifmradio
uhh out of curiousity why would you want the mic playing through a specific channel?
The reason i ask this is because if your mic is on D (right side)
and you are playing something on A or C, you wont hear the mic.
same goes for the reverse
That's not necessarily true. I have decks C and D on my S4 set up to ignore the crossfader, it's easy to do. If I recall correctly, I believe you just hold down shift and hit the FX 1 or 2 button for that deck. You could set up A, C, and D to be on the left and B on the right, you could reverse them if you wanted, you can do whatever you prefer. | Libbie Orion
19.11.2012 | uhh out of curiousity why would you want the mic playing through a specific channel?
The reason i ask this is because if your mic is on D (right side)
and you are playing something on A or C, you wont hear the mic.
same goes for the reverse
Also, shouldnt you want your mic to be able to overlay ANY deck that is playing?
i mean you are using S4 right?
and yuo didnt say anything about using Kontrol for S4 so its not like you have your mic actually PLUGGED into anything but a MIXER.
what is your mic plugged into now? (not where..... what) | Jamel Layugan
19.11.2012 | How do i get the mic working on deck c or d? i have deck d on live input and the back is set to line and usb, but the volume of the mic is very low. | Dominique Caughill
19.11.2012 | Personally, I don't there's much point in teaching someone who makes use of the sync button the finer points of beatmatching. In a perfect world that person will have access to actual turntables and we can advise them to knuckle down and learn the proper way. But in this day and age that's not such a viable suggestion
As an S2 owner (and having been DJing in one form or another for the last 20 years) I would suggest learning your software and your controller inside out. Get all of your tunes properly gridded, set your load markers, listen to your tunes and get your cue points set. If necessary, remap the S4 to get cue points 5-8 working or buy an X1. Set your quantize and get familiar with the effects available to you - you'll soon start to realise that some are more useful than others. Finally, use the remix decks, buy an F1 and learn how they all work together.
Once you're set up, start engaging your imagination and get busy remixing and making mashups on the fly. Get your hands on acapellas, use free software to edit your tunes and get a library on the go.
You're then on the right path to evolving from a DJ to a performance artist.
IMO of course | Jamel Layugan
17.11.2012 | i defiantly will the couple gigs i did werent bad, but i just wasnt happy with my performance. I will do what you told me though and i have been watching the dj tutor videos.
Originally Posted by antifmradio
one of the biggest issues old djs have with new djs coming into the scene is, with the new technology, its really easy for a new dj to SOUND like they have been playing for a little while
That aside, why not start to learn the basics the same way we older djs have.
Here is one example on how to do it with new technology and forcing yourself to learn an old skill
evilsher
try this. Take a couple tracks
load them into Traktor
dont look at them
dont notice the BPM (infact set traktor to NOT show you that BPM information)
TUrn off your monitor (speakers)
and do this completely in your headphones.
Start one track
wait for what you believe is the right timing, and start the next track
Really try and cue it up and blend it in.
While both tracks are playing, really try and eq the tracks back and forth
when you get that good and done (should take a couple days)
then go at it again and try setting loops on the fly
DO NOT use the snap feature. If you REALLY want to get good at noticing beat marks in your music
turn off SNAP, and QUANTIZE
again, still not looking at yuor screen
If yuo are on a laptop, push the lid down a bit so you CANT see the screen
With the software set to do most of the hard basic work, youll NEVER learn the basics so this is a way to force yourself to learn them.
As long as you keep making mistakes with it, youll learn what , and when you need to do this to get your sound really good.
Hope that helps you man
If you need more advice on this level, take a min and hit me up.
| Libbie Orion
17.11.2012 | one of the biggest issues old djs have with new djs coming into the scene is, with the new technology, its really easy for a new dj to SOUND like they have been playing for a little while
That aside, why not start to learn the basics the same way we older djs have.
Here is one example on how to do it with new technology and forcing yourself to learn an old skill
evilsher
try this. Take a couple tracks
load them into Traktor
dont look at them
dont notice the BPM (infact set traktor to NOT show you that BPM information)
TUrn off your monitor (speakers)
and do this completely in your headphones.
Start one track
wait for what you believe is the right timing, and start the next track
Really try and cue it up and blend it in.
While both tracks are playing, really try and eq the tracks back and forth
when you get that good and done (should take a couple days)
then go at it again and try setting loops on the fly
DO NOT use the snap feature. If you REALLY want to get good at noticing beat marks in your music
turn off SNAP, and QUANTIZE
again, still not looking at yuor screen
If yuo are on a laptop, push the lid down a bit so you CANT see the screen
With the software set to do most of the hard basic work, youll NEVER learn the basics so this is a way to force yourself to learn them.
As long as you keep making mistakes with it, youll learn what , and when you need to do this to get your sound really good.
Hope that helps you man
If you need more advice on this level, take a min and hit me up. | Jamel Layugan
16.11.2012 | I watched a couple of his other videos very informative. | Doug Bieling
16.11.2012 | | Jamel Layugan
16.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by fullenglishpint
YouTube tutorials, check out ellaskins. He's mental but has a lot of good advice. Next step is phrase matching and EQing.
What do you mean by phrase matching? I add eq but just whenever, I don't know how to build drops or anything. Well I'm about to go on YouTube then practice after class!
Oh and im getting the ni flight case for $55 | Kitty Williard
15.11.2012 |
Originally Posted by fullenglishpint
YouTube tutorials, check out ellaskins. He's mental but has a lot of good advice. Next step is phrase matching and EQing.
Along with EQing and Vocal matching try beat matching by ear, using effects to create buildups to mix into other songs for starters, and simply practice practice practice will take you far!
Best of luck and have fun! | Tatum Ansaldo
15.11.2012 | YouTube tutorials, check out ellaskins. He's mental but has a lot of good advice. Next step is phrase matching and EQing. | Harley Zitka
15.11.2012 | Stop using sync, and stop using the crossfader. Best 2 things you can do to learn the basics. |
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