Mixing

[Filo]

When makin a mix or mixin in general. Do you guys tend to prefer to mix in as many tracks or do you wait for the perfect time. Cuz you can really mix anythign into anything as long as it hits a cue point. Just there are alot of them. Basically what i'm askin is. is it better to make a nice clean mix and wait for the right cue point(the drop after a big buildup) or just throw it in and work with it however it works out

[sydeways]

Me personally I like to make a set cause I think if u are gonna play 2 records together why not play them the best way possible. But it is important to be able to freestyle as well to. U said after the buildup is the cue point, I disagree with that because i mix some of my tracks before the buildup, and drop it in when the buildup drops. All depends on the track. But that is just the way i mix. Thats what makes the dj though, there own style of mixing.

[matéo]

Originally posted by sydeways
U said after the buildup is the cue point, I disagree with that because i mix some of my tracks before the buildup, and drop it in when the buildup drops.

90% tracks cue at about that time perfectly. theres the odd track thats a measure after or two or yeah possibly before. I find it hard to have a track sound great dropping the beat right after a buildup. (Jeremy do you usually cut out the track being mixed into or keep it mixing?)

It all depends on how well you know the track(s) I personally love dropping cued tracks in the middle of another but complications can occur when both the tracks have outrageous melodies (but then thats when EQ's come into play) This style mixing works best on the dancefloor b/c of the music's repetetive nature.

I never jsut throw it in unless I fuck up. Theres always some sort of orderly fashion to throw it in.

[sydeways]

i always keep it mixin unless the track runs out, but then u gotta have the levels proper or else if the track dies out then the sound is gonna drop cause when two tracks are playing its obviously gonna be louder. I usually always create a set to flow from breakdown to breakdown, but u gotta be careful that ur mixes dont get two clustered!

[Lenny]

KNOW YOUR TRACKS!!!! If you know what you wannna do with your set the rest should take care of itself. Hit record whenever you're mixing you never know when you'll come up with something dope.

[Moon]

its fun to jam and throw in teasers and mix as many tracks as you can. if you can stay tight, clean with the levels and be on key while droppin as many tracks as you can, then thats a mix thats really worth listening to (badboybill style)

but in my opinion, whenever you drop a track, you gotta drop it for a reason, and the part of the song you play is played for a good one too. if youre just dropping track after track with no sense of flow, then it can get really boring no matter how tight your beatmatchin skills are.

[sydeways]

^ so true, if u know ur mixes then the flow will be so much cleaner,but u kinda have to be able to read tracks for freestyling purposes. Sometimes u can mix late resulting in a boring mix when freestyling, which results in the crowds energy levels dropping, and perhaps losing interest.

[Ryan Ross]

I like to freestyle it mostly... but when im getting ready for a gig or something ill get sort of an idea of the flow i want. I also try to keep things interesting by playing the tracks for a pretty short time so people dont get bored, at the same time it can be hard to avoid the melodies interfering with each other if you dont let the tracks play out a little... So you have to know your tracks well enough and be able to feel the flow of the rekkid

[Akeel]

depends on what i'm trying to do...sometimes i'll layer and play one track on top of another, sometimes i'll match up phrasing, blah do what you think feels right

[Sykonee]

^
Really, that's the best advice you can follow. The more you follow others' advice, the less you utilize your own talents. Do what feels right for yourself (because, if you followed my advice, you'd be buying CD's in an instant :hehe: )