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easy folks,

has anyone got any tips of putting a good mix together to make it easier to do? Does anyone write the tunes in order and whens best to bring the next one in like im currently doing? or is it just bringin in any random tune you like and recording the outcome

answers much appreciated

Always randomly play what I want to hear at that moment and record the outcome.

_cheef_ wrote:Always randomly play what I want to hear at that moment and record the outcome.

2nd...

Personally though I like to play a jazzy tune or something after a banger.. It gets kind of too much if its just banger after banger...

some people probably take identical track lists from other DJs and try to mix them the same way. you might try that. ;P

Yeh if you play banger after banger they will lose their impact on the set. Drop some "fillers" in there.

i tend to mix out of a vocal track with an instrumental track

thrush wrote:i tend to mix out of a vocal track with an instrumental track

generally a good idea, clashing vocals sound absolutely terrible.

i like to build up to a crescendo, so start with deeper/mellower stuff, build up in intensity, then hit it with more rowdy stuff towards the end. take people on a journey.

depends on what the mix is intended for though really, mixing in a club or whatever you have to keep peoples attention so my approach doesnt really work, although its great for mixes intended for listening.

gravity wrote:

thrush wrote:i tend to mix out of a vocal track with an instrumental track

generally a good idea, clashing vocals sound absolutely terrible.

Except when they don't

Practice practice practice. Try things. See where it goes. Remember what works and when you have enough "moments that work" think of how it can all function together as a whole. You probably want to have some sort of ebb-and-flow and build up: going from a half-step wobbler to a garage track to a pop remix to an experimental joint could be awkward but correctly sequenced and spread over a mix all of those tracks can work.

If you just want it to be easy, then choose tracks that have very much the same BPM.. It makes it a lot easier mixing them together..

You can also make a tracklist and then cue up your tracks before getting started, but this takes a loong time and takes out the thrill imho..

twentyOneDummies wrote:

gravity wrote:

thrush wrote:i tend to mix out of a vocal track with an instrumental track

generally a good idea, clashing vocals sound absolutely terrible.

Except when they don't

ahh but they're not clashing then are they, they are complimenting each other. its a rarity but when it works its really cool.

i find it works alot

if i'm doing a "studio" mix, i plan it out. run through the transitions once or twice to get the feel of how the tracks interact with each other. build a story. like if you start with hatcha then go to datsik then back to something like burial and so forth...it throws the whole vibe off. also, pay attention to the first track (and last track, for that matter), it's the most important and will "set the mood". i like tracks that seemingly come from nothing for this.

I like to vaguely work out a set-list before hand for a mix. And because im into my quick mixes, i like to have everything just on 2 cds so i dont have to take forever to find the next tune. Obviously if the crowd arent liking what im playing then i will change it up, but i generally say just go with your gut.

bi nka bi wrote:If you just want it to be easy, then choose tracks that have very much the same BPM.. It makes it a lot easier mixing them together..

You can also make a tracklist and then cue up your tracks before getting started, but this takes a loong time and takes out the thrill imho..

when u say cue up your tracklist before what do you mean? and how do u do it?
but anyway cheers 4 the help, im strange in a way, i can create a better mix when im just bringin in any random track i like than having a set list too look at!

What I do is decide on a tracklist, then play about mixing the tracks, and see if any work especially well together.

never plan a mix... just go with the flow

First of all , for me it makes a big difference if its live or a studio mix, if its live, then very little is preplanned, a good dj feels the crowd,if you've already decided the set you cant respond to what the crowd is feeling on that particular night, secondly something could go wrong, forget a record or whatever, so if you're commited to a "set" then youre up shit creek. You need to know you're songs (records) inside n out. i usually have 3 or 4 records that i know will sound decent with whatever reocrd im playing, that gives some manouvering room to respond to the crowd and some control. With rare exceptions i never try to mix two tunes for the first time live.

if its studio mix, i m much more structured and generally ill put a set list together, but i would never go so far as to know exactly where to drop each tune, that would be a bit boring, but unlike live sets, studio mixes are heard over and over so you want it to flow properly, and you can really just play what you want w/o worrying about a dance floor or crowd reaction. -just my 2 cents-

cheers robbie thats helped me alot, the only reason i do the whole 'exact drop in point thing' is if i get 50 mins into a studio mix and fuck it up its so annoyin

If its a studio mix I'd definitely have cue points for where to drop things, if your putting out a pre recorded set you want it to sound as good as possible, otherwise it just sounds sloppy.

Plus you'll remember where the cue points are to make your drops hit better so when your playing out you can bash out a couple of pre planned badboys.

oh right ok, guess people do it differently, i like cue points, i think if u have cue points its gonna sound better simple as that, it just aint gonna be as much fun to do i guess. this link has helped me loads

cheers