Your basic segues will occur during the Outro of the song ending (going out) and the Intro of the song’s beginning (coming in).īut where the fun is, where the (potential) magic happens, is when you start your layering/mixing within the different sections of the track. Once you’ve recognized this structure/pattern, you can start to break it down and manipulate it. (Optional extra verse + Hook/Chorus) – 32 bars * 2 Modern songs are broken down into segments of 32 bars. Who can argue with that? Truth be told, one doesn’t have to get caught up in the minutiae of keys, bars, or tempos, once you instinctively understand what you’re dealing with.
Brown says: “If it sounds good and it feels good, then it’s musical.” He has the band in for rehearsal and there’s some confusion with the arrangement. There was a great scene in the James Brown bio pic, “Get On Up,” that illustrates this. One needs to be a student of sound and structure. “Do you need to be a musician to be a DJ or mix properly? No.” The good stuff you repeat, the bad stuff you don’t. So in plain English… you need to learn/know what sounds good together and what sounds bad together. You also need to have an ear for the sonic properties of what clashes and what is incongruent. But you do need to have an ear for harmonies, melodies, complementary and symbiotic sonic characters. How instruments sound when they are layered together.ĭo you need to be a musician to be a DJ or mix properly? No. What is necessary is that you familiarize yourself with:Ĥ. I want to explore the cerebral side of mixing.” Do you need to memorize every song made? No. You can’t create a fluid set if you don’t have a command of the tracks you’re going to use. The tracks you use are the building blocks of the sets you create. If you want to take your segues to the next level, this is what you need to know: There are five rules you need to know about mixing.
TRANSITIONS DJ MIX HOW TO
Before we go tapping into people’s cerebellums, let’s start at the beginning… The Rules: How to DJ Dig into the mental side, understand it, then be creative and have fun with it. I want to explore the cerebral side of mixing. I don’t want to end the conversation here. So there you have a “clinical” gloss over of what mixing is. But that’s another topic for another article.
TRANSITIONS DJ MIX SOFTWARE
DJ software that has allowed automatic mixing has led to debates regarding the use of this automation. The resulting mix is achieved through a symbiotic relationship between audience and DJ.ĭJ software can provide Beats Per Minute, automatic mixing, and key detection, which simplifies harmonic mixing.
Tracks are selected, in part, in relation to where the DJ wants to take the audience. If the dancefloor becomes less active, the DJ will make a judgement as to what track will increase dancefloor response.ģ. Tracks are chosen in response to the activity on the dancefloor.Ģ. The progression of the mix is a dynamic process:ġ. Read More: 2019 - The Year in DJ Mixers (and Controllers)įurther enhancement to mixing can be achieved with harmonic mixing, which focuses on complementary keys and melodies while avoiding dissonant/clashing tones during a mix. Dance-music DJs strive for smooth, blended mixes, while hip-hop DJs use cutting, scratching and turntablism techniques. Methods of mixing vary depending on the music being played. The main reason the DJ uses the mixing/blending of songs is to keep dancers on the dancefloor. When a DJ is mixing, the DJ is creating a sequence of musical tracks mixed together to appear as one continuous track. Mixing is also performed live on radio or recorded in a studio. Mixing is usually performed live in front of an audience in a nightclub or for a party setting. When I did decide to be a DJ, that collection of mixes was the blueprint for me as to how a DJ should sound. I could literally feel the energy coming through the airwaves. I was captivated and mesmerized by the way these masters presented the songs I heard during the day, but in new and exciting ways. I can still remember listening to shows on New York City radio featuring DJ-legends like Shep Pettibone, Jellybean Benitez, Tony Humphries and David Morales. Even before I decided to become a DJ, the mix was part of my musical psyche. I am a fan of beatmixing, a huge proponent. Some suggest that the differentiating value of a DJ is in the MCing.įor those who do find beatmixing relevant or even a subject of curiosity, keep up with me. Beatmixing.Īs a longtime DJ myself, I find it curious that, even after the 40-plus years that beatmixing has been synonymous with DJing, some modern jocks find the practice unnecessary. You want to learn how to DJ? Then let’s talk about mixing - as in the DJ kind of mixing.