Question About Blending Tracks In a DJ Mix

S

SgtBlade12

New Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Hello,

This is my first post here but I read this forum a lot and there are some amazing tips and I appreciate all the help everyone gives. I am having a little bit of a hard time with the fine details of blending two tunes together. Here it is:

When i am blending tunes together and have them matched perfectly it still sounds weird and not right for some reason. I listen to a professional mix with a blend and it seems like they somehow eq the snare enough to keep it quiet and not affect the sound of the snare from the main track playing. Also the snare is not prominent at all without sacrificing the highs too much so you can still hear the tune nicely sitting in the back of the mix. (Sorry if this was confusing. Let me know and I can explain it a different way maybe)

I have messed around with the mid eq's and highs, filters and I am kinda stuck. Maybe it is just practice or it may be a secret that I have not figured out yet. I was wondering if anyone could help me or push me in the right direction with this?

Thanks and appreciate it.
 
hi there,

are you cutting the bass of the track your bringing in? there are no real rules when it comes to eq'ing but this is pretty much one!
 
Yeah the bass is cut all the way. (I am using a DJM 800) It is a question I have always wanted to know because when listening to mixes by professional DJ's the blends are really smooth. The main track that is playing you can hear the snare and high hats fine and with the other tune sitting in the back of the mix is still noticeable; (synth sounds/vocals) but you cannot hear the snare or high hats. (they are there but not noticeable)

Only time you can hear it is when both tunes have a quiet part and even then the snare of the track sitting in the back of the mix sounds like someone has compressed it.
 
Cross fader curve? Try mixing with just the line faders and see if that helps. I barely even touch eq's anymore tbh. I'm pretty much all filters.
 
Russla-DJ said:
also worth noting that big djs do studio mixes these days.
Click to expand...

this. and you should try to mix with the line faders for most stuff like Afek said, or at least make sure your cross-fader is set to the more gradual setting.

and what's your set up by the way? I dunno why, but i'm not as comfortable using the eq in torq when I do digi stuff (I feel like the mid is way too sensitive and even a small nudge can really drop it out). so it took me longer to get acclimated with.
 
Does this happen every time? Maybe you're choosing tracks with different drum patterns that don't go too well together, or try bringing tunes in as slowly as possible?
 
Sorry for the delay but I was looking at all the helpful answers and you are all right. I am using 2 CDJ 1000MK1 and a DJM 800 mixer. I record through the Audio 8 DJ interface in Traktor.

I use only the line faders with the gradual slope for the upfader curve. Also mixing in key seems like the best way to go as well. I am purchasing a new CD case and I am going to burn 4 tracks on a CD and each CD is going to have tunes that are in a certain key. It is definitely the tune selection with drum patterns that are the same or close. Even if the tune isn't matched 100% (can be off by a fraction) will mess up the layering of the snares and high hats. I also lower the line fader just a tad when bring the new tune in to the mix along with turning the mid pot and high pot down just a tad. (obviously switching the bass pot when ready to unleash the track)

I went over a few mixes I did on the fly and everything you guys have mentioned I can hear now. I guess I just over analyze things too much/perfectionist and just need to practice more and try different things to make the mix better. My whole problem was when I was layering the tunes together, the snares did not sound tight at all and I guess you could say it sounded "messy;" but this was because either the track was off by a fraction or like you all said the drum pattern isn't as close or mixing in key.

Also I am going to get my equipment serviced soon just to make sure it isn't anything to do with that.

Thanks again guys for all the great help. You are guys are truly amazing, appreciate it.
 
SgtBlade12 said:
Also mixing in key seems like the best way to go as well.
Click to expand...

I do not agree with this at all.

Yes ok - key mixing is great for people who don't want to use their ears.
But you have ears.
So use them.

I personally have spent many tedious hours finding records that blend well together. When I've looked at the keys of the tracks on my mates traktor that he has downloaded they aren't anywhere near each other...but it sounds good? Funny that.

Don't limit how much you can do with key mixing. You can mix anything with anything within reason. EQing is a huge part of mixing which took me time to master, and mastering it could help you.

Practice makes perfect and the last thing you want to do is follow key mixing which other people do, then end up making mixes which other people have done because they key mix...trust me I listen to a lot of mixes!

Enjoy your hunt for success.
 
seems to me your looking way to much into the mixing thing. just bloody enjoy it and mix tunes! try and go for tunes that you wouldnt usually put together, this is what you call having fun and experimenting. there are no fucking rules to mixing.
 
Agent Smith said:
I do not agree with this at all.

Yes ok - key mixing is great for people who don't want to use their ears.
But you have ears.
So use them.

I personally have spent many tedious hours finding records that blend well together. When I've looked at the keys of the tracks on my mates traktor that he has downloaded they aren't anywhere near each other...but it sounds good? Funny that.

Don't limit how much you can do with key mixing. You can mix anything with anything within reason. EQing is a huge part of mixing which took me time to master, and mastering it could help you.

Practice makes perfect and the last thing you want to do is follow key mixing which other people do, then end up making mixes which other people have done because they key mix...trust me I listen to a lot of mixes!

Enjoy your hunt for success.
Click to expand...

I agree with this, but if you have a song with vocals or other melodic parts it is extremely helpful to know the key of the song. It's very easy to overly rely on key signatures and i was guilty of this when I first started mixing but in the long run it has definitely improved my ears in knowing what songs will blend well if they have a lot of melodic content. As with most things in life moderation is the key, but I don't agree with 'if you look at the key of the song you aren't using your ears'...
 
It's not just playing the songs in the same key, it's about learning basic theory and what keys complement each other.
 
Yeah and just practice. I've noticed I play around with the EQs a lot but sometimes you only need a gentle touch. I'll often turn some eqs down to enhance more of one tune, like when you know a vocal part is coming through...then kick them back in. Some tunes you may want to cut in/out sharply others bring in/fade out slowly. It's nice to have a long mix sometimes and just switch parts between the two, you can't really over-think mixing more just do what feels right and have a good play around with the eq's as they are there to be used. I feel a lot of mixing is down to intuition, selection and doing what feels natural. So also on the 4 tunes per cd thing it's alright on the amount but the in key thing I agree when just have a feeling of what is going to go it is easier

Maybe take a step back and just mix anything, tunes you would not think would go together, then maybe see they will actually they go well!
 
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On the contrary to people against mixing in key, ive found loads of mixes that I never thought would work from my old collection. Also like said above understanding how you can change the vibe just by switching key can be really useful.

Ive heard too many mixes from noobs where it just sounds dreadful cos of key clashing. Deffo a useful tool for beginners imo! Especially when it comes to melodic stuff!
 
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