Beat Syncing and Double Dropping

Rubs90

KeyControl
VIP Junglist
Joined
Sep 3, 2008
Location
Bristol
I just started DJ'ing, mostly Jump Up tracks. The things I find the hardest is double dropping and beat syncing. Everytime I want to drop a tune, I wait for the current song to start the drum sequence, I put the tune on my headphones and I try to sync it with the current song. Then I slowly drop it in without bass, and when it's time to explode, I put the bass on. But the drums always sound shit. I've tried riding the pitch, but, at the moment, no results.

I'm currently using CD decks, moving on to vinyl soon (hopefully it's easier). But I try to copy mostly from youtube videos of peoples' mix, but mine sound like shit. Any advice?
 
Practice. It sounds like your doing the right thing. Just do it again and again and again.
Also you say you put it in without the bass. When your learning just try fading the tune in with all the eq flat.
You want to learn to beatmix before you start faffing around with eq, effects, sampling etc.
 
Practice. It sounds like your doing the right thing. Just do it again and again and again.
Also you say you put it in without the bass. When your learning just try fading the tune in with all the eq flat.
You want to learn to beatmix before you start faffing around with eq, effects, sampling etc.

Ok I will try
 
One more thing

How come professional DJ's make such good double drops? I only managed to do one that came out of nowhere :)

Do they have their double drops planned? And how do they time them so well? I mean, they can have all the words in both songs perfectly synced with the other song's beat :confused:
 
it just comes with practice, you will work it all out after a while... Beatmatching is just a case of being able to seperate two songs in you head... I recomed a book called "How to DJ Properly" it is a must have, I didnt get mine till a year or so after startin an it still told me stuff I didnt know... It really is a must have for beginers
 
if your having trouble beatmatching, jus have the x-fader in the middle, dont bother with headphones, keep going till it sounds rite. then adapt techniques
 
Double dropping is no different from normal mixing / beat-matching. You just need to let go of the tune your bringing in at the right time.

I suppose if you just randomly bring a track in correctly at the end of a sequence, about one in ten times it'll double drop as you will have just happened to cue it up correctly.

You need to find how many sequences till the tune you're bringing in drops, say its 2 sequences, then when you get 2 sequences away from the drop of the tune already playing, let the new tune go.

In two sequences time, both tunes will drop together.

When you try this at first use two tunes that even before the drops have clear snares or perhaps even full drum beats. Some tracks are a nightmare and have very little to go by in the breakdown.

And don't ever double drop for the sake of it! Nothing wrong with letting them build up together and then bringing one out. Don't be a tune murderer..
 
Double dropping is no different from normal mixing / beat-matching. You just need to let go of the tune your bringing in at the right time.

I suppose if you just randomly bring a track in correctly at the end of a sequence, about one in ten times it'll double drop as you will have just happened to cue it up correctly.

You need to find how many sequences till the tune you're bringing in drops, say its 2 sequences, then when you get 2 sequences away from the drop of the tune already playing, let the new tune go.

In two sequences time, both tunes will drop together.

When you try this at first use two tunes that even before the drops have clear snares or perhaps even full drum beats. Some tracks are a nightmare and have very little to go by in the breakdown.

And don't ever double drop for the sake of it! Nothing wrong with letting them build up together and then bringing one out. Don't be a tune murderer..

Good advice.... but..... tunes should never "be bought in randomly".... music is very similar to maths, everything is precise and all parts of european music can be worked out using maths (ie.. the difference in tension of a string between each note etc..).. therefore you should never really have anything "Randomly" happen in a mix. You should know whats going to happen and be able to plan ahead.

But yeh... with practice you will eventually be able to look at a vinyl and know how many sequences there are from the first drop to the breakdown and then from the start of the breakdown to the second drop. Once you can do this.... double dropping becomes a piece of piss.....
 
i learnt by keeping the pitch at pretty much 45 all the time. may not sound as exciting and what not but you can learn the basics of the beatmatching and learnign your tunes before you start suing things like riding the pitch and messign with the eq's
 
learn the structure of your tunes - knowledge is power

learn to pitch ride - the easiest way to get tunes in time, and to adjust them in the mix.

learn to monitor through headphones, and the speakers - get the best of both worlds.

learn to beat match off the snare, kick drum, high hats, other sounds that are going on - don't rely on just one thing to get you through.

use the channel faders - you get more control in my experience.

learn the bpm / key of yout tunes - chemical-records.co.uk

relentlessly practice everything - repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat.
 
it just comes with practice, you will work it all out after a while... Beatmatching is just a case of being able to seperate two songs in you head... I recomed a book called "How to DJ Properly" it is a must have, I didnt get mine till a year or so after startin an it still told me stuff I didnt know... It really is a must have for beginers

Word! This book is the DJ'S bible. I got it just before I got my first decks and it was a godsend.
 
relentlessly practice everything - repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat repeat.

I got that advice so much in the beginning and I tought is that all people can tell me ? ! but it is one of the best advices I ever had; keep on practicing as much as you can !
 
I've seen loads of DJ's with macbooks with them :S

What exactly is Serato and why do they need them? I google'd it, but I'd rather hear from someone with experience

Basically you mix tunes off your pc using control vinyls. Its a program that you load tunes into and then you mix that tune as you would with a vinyl, only you dont actually need the tune on vinyl. Its kinda hard to explain, but if you already know roughly what it is that should explain it.
 
Back
Top Bottom