When should I mix the second track?

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dario3004

New Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2009
Hello! I'm a newbie DJ and I'm still struggling with BPMs matches...

Sometimes I can barely match the tracks, but I'm a little confused on when should I mix the second track in..
Once the tracks are matched, I wait till the second track (the one that is on Cue) have no drums on it and I mix it into the first track.. But it's often a fail because while the first track is still running it's possibile that you hear the second track "drop" and it sounds really bad...

I know that this depends record by record, but is there a rule that should I follow to avoid this clash of sounds?

Sometimes when I hear that the second track is going to drop while is mixed on the first track that has dropped yet, I just cut the first track bass end then I put the crossfader all to the second track.
Is this a good technique?
But with this technique I have the impression that I'm not mixing at all..

Thank you in advance, hope I explained it right ;)
 
a good way to start is to get 2 of the same tunes an mix em as theyll have the same timings, speed etc.
thatll help ur beatmatching.
but u really just gotta no ur tunes inside out then itll come to you
 
really depends on how you want to phrase your mix which is tied to the layout of the tracks. So really like sc said you need to know your tracks very well so that you can phrase your mixes properly. Knowing how your tracks are laid out will tell you when you want to drop your next track.
 
right... most dnb tunes run in a 16 bar 'phase' (a bar being 4 beats or kick, snare, kick, snare), there are normally two 16 bar phases (32 bars) in most jump up tunes. To get a mix right you wana start the 2nd tune at the end of the 16, although at the end of the 32 often gives a better mix as most producers put more emphasis on the end of the phase.

hopefully that should help you understand the structure of a tune a bit better... this well in turn help your mixin ;)
 
When I want to start beatmatching the second track I just find the first beat, and drop it when I hear one phase ends in the first track (usually one or more sounds are added or removed)

My problem is when finally I got 2 tracks beatmatched and right phrased... What should I do to mix in the second track without doing a mess when the 2 drum lines overlays?
Less bass on the second track? Wait till the drum line of the first track ends? Or just let them overlays?
 
dario3004 said:
When I want to start beatmatching the second track I just find the first beat, and drop it when I hear one phase ends in the first track (usually one or more sounds are added or removed)

My problem is when finally I got 2 tracks beatmatched and right phrased... What should I do to mix in the second track without doing a mess when the 2 drum lines overlays?
Less bass on the second track? Wait till the drum line of the first track ends? Or just let them overlays?
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i normally remove the bass from the track I'm bringing in, and either fade it up slow or slam it in depending on the mix/tracks... then when track two drops, bring the bass back up and lower track ones bass (once you get past this point you are into more complex eq'ing techniques, but for your level of deejay, i would stick with above!)
 
richie_stix said:
i normally remove the bass from the track I'm bringing in, and either fade it up slow or slam it in depending on the mix/tracks... then when track two drops, bring the bass back up and lower track ones bass (once you get past this point you are into more complex eq'ing techniques, but for your level of deejay, i would stick with above!)
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Thank you man, I'm gonna try this out as soon as possible.. After you cut track one bass you still let run the 2 songs together for a while?
 
dario3004 said:
Thank you man, I'm gonna try this out as soon as possible.. After you cut track one bass you still let run the 2 songs together for a while?
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again, it depends on the mix... listen to some of you favourite sets and really listen to what the dj's are doing 'in the mix'

- cut... this mix you bring in track 2 and cut track one as soon as track 2 drops
- mix... you bring in track two over one and leave them running together
- double drop... you time the mix so both tunes 'drop' at the same time (ultimate phatness!)
 
Although you probably wont appreciate this advice much, the only way you can really get to know when to bring in a tune is by getting to know your tunes really well and practising a hell of alot. Eventually you get to know what sounds good and when you're listening to a song you think "that tune could fit in well there".

I used to be proper shit all my mixes would sound wank and didn't flow well at all but after practising loads I finally managed to do some mixes where it flowed well. I still fuck up majorly now and sometimes do some awful mixes but it's all practice at the end of the day.

I would also reccomend recording your mixes and listening back to see where you mess up and see where you are good.
 
Sweaty Teddy said:
Although you probably wont appreciate this advice much, the only way you can really get to know when to bring in a tune is by getting to know your tunes really well and practising a hell of alot. Eventually you get to know what sounds good and when you're listening to a song you think "that tune could fit in well there".

I used to be proper shit all my mixes would sound wank and didn't flow well at all but after practising loads I finally managed to do some mixes where it flowed well. I still fuck up majorly now and sometimes do some awful mixes but it's all practice at the end of the day.

I would also reccomend recording your mixes and listening back to see where you mess up and see where you are good.
Click to expand...

Good advice here.

Once you think you're amazing and stop looking for mistakes and new things to do you're not going to progress any further. Good to see someone openly admitting they have a lot of learning/practising to do. Once you know what you're doing wrong you can make it right!
 
pistachio said:
Never heard anyones call em 'frames'. I call it a 'break'
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i dont really call it anything, never called it a phrase or a break. when im mixing i just listen for a change in the tune, but i kno my tunes backwards (well most of them) so i do it with out thinking. tis jus practise really..
 
TongueFlap said:
i dont really call it anything, never called it a phrase or a break. when im mixing i just listen for a change in the tune, but i kno my tunes backwards (well most of them) so i do it with out thinking. tis jus practise really..
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yeah obviously it comes naturally if youve been djing long enough but you still need a name to refer to them as. for instance if one of my mates picks a tune out of my box that he's not familiar with he's gonna ask me how many breaks the intro has.
 
i would say personally to start out with something simpiler than dnb just so you can understand beatmatching maybe buy a few cheezy house records with similar bpms then after that just progress to dnb then partice mixes then mini mixes then hour mixes its all about practice and progression really.
 
Sweaty Teddy said:
Although you probably wont appreciate this advice much, the only way you can really get to know when to bring in a tune is by getting to know your tunes really well and practising a hell of alot. Eventually you get to know what sounds good and when you're listening to a song you think "that tune could fit in well there".

I used to be proper shit all my mixes would sound wank and didn't flow well at all but after practising loads I finally managed to do some mixes where it flowed well. I still fuck up majorly now and sometimes do some awful mixes but it's all practice at the end of the day.

I would also reccomend recording your mixes and listening back to see where you mess up and see where you are good.
Click to expand...

I couldnt agree more with this comment and it is definately sound advice you need to get to know your tunes and once you are at a stage where you know them you will find the beat matching easier because you will understand the tunes better, lets put it this way i've been mixing since 92 and I am still very critical of sets that I play now as a DJ I find its best to always be critical as you can always improve. I have been in raves where i have heard top dj's still make mistakes so dont feel that you will always get it right on every tune :D
 
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