Vinyl BPMs

[dirt]

Just wondered if folk think having the records BPM printed on the label next to the track name would be a good thing for DJs when it came to record selection and mixing? Some tunes, such as Head No Good by Kromestar, always spin me out cos I cant tell what the frig the BPM is! If you knew the BPM then you'd get more consitant, better and more acurate mixes surely....

Thoughts?

Peace

[babylonburn]

If you cant work out the BPMs for a track then you dont really know how to mix imo

[djdowee]

No.

[noam]

it makes no difference really, bpm's always vary from tune to tune, one track might say 140 but actually be slightly off

and when you're mixin you dont think about the bpm, u jus think about gettin the speeds matched, i dont see a point

[Luke Yeah?]

Dont really see how much of a reference it would be for a lot of vinyl dj's, myself included.

1) Knowing your tunes is key to a good mix, set etc so not knowing the BPM isn't an issue as you will already have a rough guide in your head.
2) When i do occasionally use a CDJ that works out the BPM for you i still don't use it and continue to beat match by ear.

[tsunami]

BPM no, but the key match would be nice.

Thanks for chemical with the key wheel.

http://www.harmonic-mixing.com/

[Coppola]

Sometimes I think that it doesn't make sense that it isn't printed on vinyl considering that everything else is, but it wouldn't be that much help really.
Learning to beatmatch by ear will be a lot better and also the pitch control is percentage increase not increase by BPM so a 136 record sped up by 4% wouldn't be at the same speed as a 140 record.

[dubloke]

If you cant work out the BPMs for a track then you dont really know how to mix imo

work out the bpm! rah, so your saying you can listen to a tune and tell how many beats per minute! thats impressive. I can match BPMs but if you gave me a track to listen to and then at the end asked me to say how many beats per minute there were I'd probably laugh in your face!

[bagelator]

Working out the speed of a bpm is as simple as being able to count.

[babylonburn]

If you cant work out the BPMs for a track then you dont really know how to mix imo

work out the bpm! rah, so your saying you can listen to a tune and tell how many beats per minute! thats impressive. I can match BPMs but if you gave me a track to listen to and then at the end asked me to say how many beats per minute there were I'd probably laugh in your face!

I dont mean work out the "exact" BPM's (although all you need is a wristwatch and a bit of multiplication to do this), but I can certainly work out if a track is beat matched at the right BPM in relation to the track Im mixing into.

[Wolverine]

all about hearing the snares, beat match that way, 1...2...3...4 method, sod counting bpms really

[rev]

If you cant work out the BPMs for a track then you dont really know how to mix imo

work out the bpm! rah, so your saying you can listen to a tune and tell how many beats per minute! thats impressive. I can match BPMs but if you gave me a track to listen to and then at the end asked me to say how many beats per minute there were I'd probably laugh in your face!

I can usually tell the bpm (+/- 2-3 bpm), just by listening to a track. All it really needs is some archetypical tracks you know very well, in different tempi ranges, so you can compare them to the track playing. I know that it is not very helpful spinning dubstep since almost every track is produced in the range of 138-144 bpm, but it is still pretty easy to tell which are the slow ones and which are the fast ones in this range... so no I dont vote for bpm on labels, people can write them theirselves if they need that number present. And yes I vote for learning to beatmatch with your eyes closed as the proper technique.

[Pada]

well I know the BPM of a lot of my records simply through mixing them a lot.

You only need to know the BPM of one track is 140 and will be pretty easy to work out whether another is 138, 139, 140, 141, 142.

tracks out of that 4 bpm range I have a rough idea (about 4% to a 140 track, 6% to a 142 track or what ever)

[noam]

time 15seconds on your watch, tap out the beats and multiply by 4

BPM.

Done.

[dubloke]

didnt ever think about trying to work out BPM, considering I never mix a tune from the zero. what use is knowing a BPM when your mixing anyways? just a waste of time trying to work it out when your mixing. I find it much easier just to match the BPMs of the two tracks?

edit: noam, thats a pretty easy way of doing it!

[frank grimes jr.]

Listen to your records before you play them out.
Done.

I used to write bpm's on my hip hop records way back. By the time I had counted the tunes out and written it down, I had them all memorized.
I figure one of these days I'll hand them to my kid to mess about with.

[frebentos]

EARS FTW

[waaaae9]

Lets just say that I start a mix with a 140 bpm tune, then a couple mixes down the line I wana mix in a tune that is 127 bpm ( DVA ganja), theres not enough range on the pitch to actually get it up too speed.
So, if the first tune I played said its 140 on the label I could start the mix playing it slower, and I'd be able to mix the other tune in.
I understand this is not an issue for those who only mix 140 bpm dubstep ( I know they're not all bang on 140 but you know what i'm sayin )

[frank grimes jr.]

This is where as a DJ, you GET FUCKING CREATIVE.

[Hibbie]

I'm sure most people on here can tell the bpm +5/- 5 of most tracks by listening, just add a 4x4 beat to anything you hear