noobie dj question

[BB317]

i spin dub, dubstep, bass...but i enjoy any genre tbh. i can get the beatmatching down fine. however it seems like i bring in the track at weird times. is there any set pattern for dubstep that i should be aware of, sorta like how house has 8/16/32 and all that. i feel like its really holding me back. it doesnt sound terrible, but it definately seems off when you listen back on the recording.

ive been in the edm scene for 10 years now. so for dancing and stuff ive always been good about counting the 4 beats pretty easy....it seems like when i spin. i just indirectly count the 4 and just bring in the track when i think a drop or something is about to happen. i almost can always call when itll happen. but i wanna see if there is a set structure. one of my mentors said "bringing the next track in on any 16th is usually okay". gahhh

also im having problems with getting my lvl's right.....like if im bringing in track 2, what should my low mid and high be on.......what about for the track 1 thats playing out, what's that on..........when do i know to take away low and high for track 1...and bring in the low and high for track 2. . . .. i know everyone has different styles, but im just curious as to some common methods.

Also, when im queing up my next dubstep track, do i listen for first opening sound of the track....or the first drum/snare?....bc some of them have quiet intros, then drums, etc...so would i que it up on the first thing i hear on the track, or the first snare/drum beat i hear?. ....also do i bring the next track in at the beginning of a break, or at the end?

also i should note that i am learning off of serato, but ive bought 15 vinyls overseas so far bc i really want to learn by ear instead of visually.do you guys agree on learning both ways?

i know its alot. but its questions ive had for 6 months. self teaching myself. thanks guys!

[Electric_Head]

concerning beat matching, I always look for the 1st kick or at least the first kick of a bar.
You can choose to mix into a break, out of a break, while the main beat is playing, etc.
It`s entirely up to you.
Each DJ has his own style.

I try to keep my mixes sounding fluid.
Use the above transitions but keep it sounding smooth and uniform.
I only do harsh cutting mixes for effect generally.

[brettheaslewood]

if theres no prominent kick for the first beat.
stick your headphones on your ears, crank the headphone level to 11, and listen out for that first synth, or look at the mixer levlels and when you hit cue, do you see the level slightly?

with the whole low/mids/highs part just do what you think sounds good, i couldn't tell you how i personally do it,because it depends on what songs im playing.

if you're struggling to get an understanding of where to drop tunes most tunes will drop after 16 or 32 bars.
16 bars at 140 bpm - will be about 00:27 and 32 bars will be 00:54.

when i first started out i went on this, but after a few mixes and getting to know your library it becomes fairly simple.

[Sheff]

for the EQ, drop the bass on the incoming tune to the point that its just above the EQ kill, that way the incoming still has a lot of presence and can be heard, but the basslines and frequencies wont clash.

on the drop or after 8/16 bars or whatever switch the bass EQs at the same time, so the first tune playing has its bass almost killed.

thats a rough guide to how its done for most songs. if theres a really sharp/loud snare then turn down the treble EQ whilst in the mix.

for tunes with thick basslines trim the mids too until everything seems to sit well

[MoonUnit]

look for the kick? why not look for the first snare... its always on the the third beat of the measure so just go back two beats from there

[blinx]

Jump on the ableton train and let it beat match for you lol just being funny ::blinx ducks so as to not get hit by flying vinyl dubplate projectiles and serato control discs::

Other then that my setup and advice isnt applicable to your situation.

[wub]

look for the kick? why not look for the first snare... its always on the the third beat of the measure so just go back two beats from there

Not all snares are on the 3rd - you're more likely to find a kick on the 1st that anchors the whole beat together.