Hi,
To the moderators. Sorry if this is not the right forum but this is the closest I found to what I need to write about.
.....
I am not exactly a "new kid on the block" I've been doing mixing on PC using various softwares, as well as music production.
Lately I've bought AA gear and would like if someone can help me with the basics of DJing. Currently I am using only CD players.

Basically what I do is play one CD then look for a song with similar Beat on the other CD. Adjust the beat a little bit to match the song that is currently playing and then try to beatmatch them.

Sometimes it kinda work sometimes it kinda sucks :-)...
So I just want to know if I am on the right track, and If I am not, I'd like people to point out my mistakes and basically help me get started.

Welcome aboard!

There have been several discussions on beatmixing (beatmatching), try the Search feature at the top of the page.

Do your decks have Master Tempo (Tempo Lock)? That lets you speed up or slow down the song without getting that "chipmunk" or "darth vader" sound.

To learn, I started with two copies of the same song in both CD players. Something with a nice heavy repeating beat helps (I used Rob Base "It Takes Two").
Knowing the BPM of your music helps too. Generally, you want to try to stay within +/- 5 BPM of the song that's playing.
For example - Song currently playing - 120 BPM.
Next song - anywhere from 115BPM to 125 BPM.

You want to try to avoid mixing when both songs have lyrics playing.

And it just takes practice, practice, practice!

Good Luck!

Exactely.......also when you play to a crowd you have to read what they may want to hear and get them in that vibe. Once you find that vibe you will find it easy to keep your crowd entertained. Practice that beatmixing at home and remember when using effects or whatever ....do those things in moderation so it doesn't seem as though you are using that as a crutch for your mix.

Yep all good advice so far, the key here is to continue practising no matter how bad it sounds, you'll eventually get a natural feel for it and it will get easier. Also it helps to become familiar with the music you are beatmatching i.e. listen to the song for the breaks, like Bill said try not to mix over lyrics, use the breaks (non-lyric parts) to blend/drop your mixes in.

A very important thing that Tigersharc touched on is the crowd factor. If you intend on playing for an audience always remember you are playing for them, not yourself, so make sure the music you are playing is known to them. Don't play it just because it's mixes well with another song that you've been practising with. The entertainment factor adds a totally different dimension to your playlists and also plays a huge part in your future success. Good luck man.

ROQ out.

OK guys thanks for your replies... Seem like I am on the right track after all. I just wanted to make sure :-) .. I am sure I'll have more questions but for now seems like I just have to practice.
I'll do a "search" as well to see if I can pick up some other handy advices...

Cheers to all.

TerribleDJ.

Just one more thing: (a specific question to Billabong )

Let's say I'm playing a song at 130PMB...Nex song is 135. So do I try to adjust the tempo of the second song to 130 so that I can beat match it (and then bring it back up to the original BPM at 135) or, should I try beatmatching it the way it is. One song at 130 and the other at 135. ???

I feel that this may be a key element to beatmatching..(just thinking logiacally).

Thanks in advance for your reply.

I'd like to answer that, Bill if you don't mind.

Short answer is yes, adjust the tempo of the 2nd song to 130. It's probably best and not as obvious to adjust the tempo of the 2nd song i.e. the one you will be switching/mixing over to. Changing the tempo of the live song should only be done if you really have to - I personally don't. Tempo differences to within +/- 5 BPM still sound ok. This of course all depends on whether your decks have Master Tempo.

With that in mind when considering songs for mixing, make your life a whole lot easier by choosing songs that are no more than 5 BPM difference from each other. Anymore than that and you'll start "chipmunkining" the music just to keep up. You also don't want to go the opposite end by slowing the music down too much - it will basically sound cr@p.


Hope this helps.

ROQ out.

Thank you ROQ.
The picture is getting a lot clearer..
I'll keep you posted how my progress is going.

Cheers.

Yeah, what ROQ said.

IF (if) your decks have Master Tempo, you can adjust the live song (slightly). It won't be that bad.
But, ROQ's right, you don't usually want to change the "live" song.

I must admit, on occasions, I do change the tempo of the live song (slightly) and only because Master Tempo allows me to get away with it. I will do so if the song I am mixing to has a BPM that is way out of range so the transition isn't as obvious. Of course this is all subjective to the style of music you are mixing, most of the time for me it isn't always necessary, I usually just end up dropping the mix when I'm changing styles - everyone is different though.

ROQ out.