Is this cheating?

D

dj mirry

Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2013
When mixing two tracks with the same bpm and leaving the pitch sliders in a default position? ive found that when the slider is centre position, that is the correct bpm for a track so what i do is the same for track two that way i dont have to mess around much with the sliders to much and i have a perfect match in seconds?

Is this cheating?
 
I used to do this when I first started just to get the hang of it but as I was always putting the pitch back to zero I felt like I was losing momentum. Also I felt like I was constantly worrying where the pitch should be instead of just listening to it. Now I just mix between roughly 2 and 4 percent although it depends.

In all honesty though... I do tend to lose a bit of respect for a DJ if I see that they have both pitches at zero.
 
i pretty much always take it back to 0 then i mix again from... but thats my ocd nothing else... i could go from 2.20% back to 0 then to 1.50%

i also write estimated key and tempo - now that could be considered cheating but again you could go from 1a to 6a and it still sounds good ITS ABOUT THE EARSS
 
I've never paid attention to what key tunes are in or anything like that. All in the ears hombre
 
danwell said:
I've never paid attention to what key tunes are in or anything like that. All in the ears hombre
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Only time i enjoy knowing keys is when im playing a load of tunes i never played before (like when my mate who has Mixed In Key comes round with his hard drive of new tunes). Gives you that much more confidence that the mix is going to work.
 
i wouldn't go as far as to say its cheating.
i think you would tho. only because your asking. what would u do if you were playing b2b, the other person played that tune at +4 then its ur go, would u go oh hang on, let me slow it down to 0 so i can beatmatch. if i saw u do that id move u out of the way and assume u cant mix.

honestly and i cant stress this enough. practice!
try not to rely on these sort of things. beatmatching really isn't that tough, just practice and you'll soon be able to do it in seconds by moving the pitch up and down 3 or 4 times.
too fast - too slow - still too fast - still a bit slow - moving it less distance apart each time. start dramatically, like minus 4 to plus 4 then minus 3 to plus 3 etc.. then when its in time its just minor movements to get it spot on. much quicker than writing the bpm on ur tracks or remebering them or any other bollocks like that.

the method u mentioned above wont work perfectly. especially if your 0 pitch locks in place. i'd be very suprised if they stayed locked for the whole mix without you needing to adjust the pitch or give it a little nudge.
 
TeddyBizzle said:
honestly and i cant stress this enough. practice!
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QFT ^

Beatmatching isnt half as hard as people making it out to be. Perfecting it and getting a mix locked without touching the platter is another matter, but learning how to do it is so easy.


Ive never mixed anything slower than +2 so cant imagine what a set sounds like at 0. I can imagine it would lose a lot of energy.
 
Terpit said:
Really? I usually mix at -1 or -2 if its stripped down stuff
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Ive only ever mixed tunes that slow if im crossing genre's, if its a pure dnb mix it never goes slower than +2, i find its just too slow and sluggish, i need a lot of energy in a set when im at a rave, so thats what i like to give when im playing lol.


D-Jhepz said:
at the end of the day does it not come down to the individuals own STYLE... isnt "style" what defines a dj in their own right
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I disagree, picking up bad habits does not constitute a "style".
It took me a long time to get out of the habit of pinching the spindle. Manipulating the platter with my hand whilst the tune was in the mix isnt a style, its a bad habit. As is leaving tunes on 0 because you cant mix =P. Pretty much on par with pre-pitching imo.
 
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Forau said:
Ive never mixed anything slower than +2 so cant imagine what a set sounds like at 0. I can imagine it would lose a lot of energy.
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I used to do this however, as I have started mxing a lot of older tunes I sometimes find I am mixing on -4/-5
 
i think STYLE would (or rather should) refer to their individual way of mixing and selection.

opposed to technique or method or operating the controls. with regards to beatmatching i think there is a set way to do it. tried and tested.


its like saying to ur mate. hey lets drive down the motorway side by side at the same speed.
and you calling him up to say
"hey mango whats ur speedo say?"
"its 88mph mang we should be back in 1955 in no time"
"oh that is weird man. mine says that too but ur pulling away from me slightly. fuck it, i'm sure it'll even out"

you just wouldn't do it. you'd just apply more accelerator so why apply the same logic to beatmatching. dont think about it so much or try to find shortcuts, just do it imo.
 
i pretty much always take it back to 0 then i mix again from... but thats my ocd nothing else... i could go from 2.20% back to 0 then to 1.50%
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leaving it on zero i dont understand how u could mix like that if you got tempos ranging from 170 all the way to 180?... i said take it back... and start beat-matching again personally i find it easier, as well as more precise
 
with BPMs being so similar you could actually make a whole set of tunes at 175 and never touch the pitch, is that cheating?
 
no - boring tho....

i actually remember reading an interview of a dj who said he'd like to start with slower tunes and then to help building excitement and such as the time passed build tempo up and down
 
It's pretty usual that you only have to mess with the pitch a few times in an hour set, if you only play dnb. Most of the tunes are 174 bpm nowadays, especially in a bit more upfront/dancefloor dnb. Every now and then you have a tune at 172/175 and that's about it. Anyways it's better to learn how to beatmatch, you're pretty fucked then when it comes to b2b mixing for instance.
 
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