practicing mixes?

technic1210

technic1210

''VINYL VINYL VINYL''
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just wondered whats peoples opinion on this,ie,i like to practice new mixes and get em dropping spot on rite time rite place etc and can sometimes do this with say half a dozen records or more for a set,my point is do you consider it cheating to know your tunes as in practising wid certain ones what goes well together so that when u do a set its banging!or do u think a good dj should mix on the fly etc freestyle which is what i normally do,but thinking when i plan and practice mixes its much better.hope that all made sense.

so im asking basically,on the fly?or practice and prepare so u can deliver?
 
i always freestyle a set... maybe have the first 2 tunes lined up.. then i just go from there.. but when i am mixing (practising if you like) if i find a nice blend.. ill remember it n maybe drop it in a set here and there.. i rarely ever remember nice blends though! i say planning a whole set is boring, and a bit gay.


edit : live anyways.. i dont really see a problem planning a recorded mix.
 
I just pick up records and hope they mix themselves together somehow. Seems to have worked out ok so far.
 
well i normally double drop the 1st 2 ,and go the rest freestyle,just i have heard quite few big names talk about people lets say randall constructs sets so well and just wondered if the big names maybe plan em,im not saying i want to plan a whole set but i think sometimes doing it for a few tunes in a row can have a big impact if u select the rite ones and watch those grooves.

EDIT:but freestyle is more exciting i spose as when u accidentally get a mega double drop or amzing mix your chuffed to bits,i spose both is good and juggle it up
 
riisu said:
I just pick up records and hope they mix themselves together somehow. Seems to have worked out ok so far.
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:word:

I usually mix soulfull/ambient drum and bass but i just mix in watever i think will fitt nicecly while the other tune is playing. i dont plan it out beforehand or anything. and ive never seemed to have had any pitch clashes for some reason :D
 
I practise mixes at home and will always use little 3 or 4 tune 'sections' i may remember when playing out.

Intro is always something to work on/practise though. Good to get a double drop going kick off the set
 
Just look at the top djs in the scene when they play out ... they will have discovered that certain mixes work really well and will always include in them in their set for a few months until it's time to leave it and bring in something new

If you listen to Andy C or Friction for example, I'd say about 75% of the mixes in their sets they have planned and done before, they ususally just switch up the order a bit

Freestyling at home is good though, forces you to really appreciate all of the different tunes you own and learn them, and of course discover wicked new mixes
 
I've never played out properly before so i don't have this problem.

I don't count bars either. like, 32/64 or whatever the fuck it is. Never understood it.

I just go from the start and hope for the best.

Some tunes that i rinse, i know when to put them in so that it lines up on time for a DD.

Otherwise it's just pot luck lol.
 
Freestyle but have a general idea of what i want to mix and what mixes i want to include.. Will always plan the first mix though, usually go 3 deck on it, need to make a good impression from the get go! On the rare occasions i play out though i like to get my tunes in an order, usually as it involves a boring train/car journey so it takes up some time!
 
I freestyle for the most part, but I also have some go to mixes or some mixes to do if I feel it's time for some hypness.

For the most part, knowing your tunes is more important then know mixes.
 
I never really plan mixes. For a podcast or something, obviously, but i like to have fun while im playing and i think it takes a bit of that out of it.

As said, knowing your tunes is the most important thing, and knowing a few tunes that sound good out of something makes your job that much easier. Turning up with a playlist in mind is something completely different..
 
there is nothing wrong with having a few mixes you want to drop throughout your set that you know are really heavy, and practicing those at home so you get them perfect. i wouldn't personally plan out a whole set, and i don't think many people do. it's all about reading the crowd.
 
riisu said:
I just pick up records and hope they mix themselves together somehow. Seems to have worked out ok so far.
Click to expand...

That's basically what I do. It's become quite rare that I pick up a tune that doesn't go with the tune playing these days
 
Yer I'm with the 'i know some mixes i like and links of 3/4 tunes etc and then throw them into sets sometimes' but planning a whole mix just sounds pretty boring to be honest.

The other thing is, if you turn up to see <insert big name dj and producer here> you kinda know what you're going for, you like their style, tunes and mixing and wouldn't go if you didn't. This means I reckon they ould plan whole sets if they wanted to and it would go down well, but when you're some unknown randomer you're gonna have to judge the feel of the crowd and what kinda stuff they're liking a bit more, cos they'll be a bigger variety of different heads in there.
 
Never really have played out in a club - but say I've got some friends over yeah?

I always do things that I've practiced.. I double drop way too many tunes - don't want to come across any key clashes.

If you know your tunes, have listened to them loads of times, counting, key signature, all that becomes second nature.
 
Well I used to wing my sets when I first started out and was 100% not completely happy with the results, so I generally plan my sets now and practice them hard a few days before the gig. I recently played a big gig in town and had a fair few people say that it was one of the sickest sets they've heard, EVER... So its up to you, but i'm guna stick with the forumla that's getting me gigs left, right and centre! Think of it this way, you do a couple of shit mixes and the promoter hears it..Consider you off the bill for future line-ups, thats my opinion ;)
 
Russla-DJ said:
Well I used to wing my sets when I first started out and was 100% not completely happy with the results, so I generally plan my sets now and practice them hard a few days before the gig. I recently played a big gig in town and had a fair few people say that it was one of the sickest sets they've heard, EVER... So its up to you, but i'm guna stick with the forumla that's getting me gigs left, right and centre! Think of it this way, you do a couple of shit mixes and the promoter hears it..Consider you off the bill for future line-ups, thats my opinion ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah planning sets has advantages obviously too, but lets say u become a big dj, ur gunna have to wing it to some degree to keep regular punters happy arnt ya?
 
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