How To Be Good DJ

Step 1: Know Your Audience

• In your house, you can play for yourself; if you're playing for a party, you need to please the crowd. It's important to know your audience before you DJ. While there may be the occasional group of goths who like to do the Macarena, or some grandmas who like My Chemical Romance, in general you'll have much better luck keeping your crowd dancing if you're playing the kind of music they like to hear.

1. If you know some of the people you'll be playing for, ask them what songs they'd really like to hear. This will help you get a feel for the kind of music that will go over well.
2. Go to the clubs your audience frequents and get an idea of what songs pack the dance floor. Have some of these songs in your repertoire for your big night.
3. Playing a club or bar on an off night, and not bringing your own crowd? Find out the vibe the club is going for. If they want a retro-lounge feel with lots of Thievery Corporation and Massive Attack and you pack your playlist with Three 6 Mafia and Lil Jon, your first night will likely be your last.
4. If you're playing a wedding, baby shower, Sweet 16, or Grandma's 70th birthday blowout, there is no such thing as "too mainstream". Make sure to have compilations of great disco, funk, rock, and other classics as well as an assortment of current popular music - that way you can play a little something for everyone.

DJ Tiesto performing in a large stadium in Chile.

Step 2: Get your equipment

• Once upon a time, almost every DJ spun using two Technics SL-1200 turntables and a basic mixer. In the '90s, more and more DJs started to use CD equipment, like the Numark dual CD decks. Now, computers have advanced enough that instead of walking in with a crate of vinyl or a backpack full of CD books, some DJs just bring a laptop and mix MP3s directly from it. Before you buy equipment, you'll need to decide what kind you need, and see if there's a less expensive way for you to get the gear you need.

1. What format is most of your music in? Don't buy turntables if the majority of your stuff is on your computer.
2. See if any of your friends have equipment you can use to practice spinning. You can both save money and see if it's the kind of equipment you'd want to buy.
3. If you're at a college or high school, you may be able to use their radio station's equipment in its off hours.
4. Got a friend who works at a bar or club? See if they can get you in to use the venue's DJ equipment before it opens for business for the evening.

Buying a Mixer and Headphones

• No matter what your setup will be, you'll need a mixer and a good set of headphones.

Mixer and headphones. Photo by David Villalobos.

1. Your headphones must have great bass if you are going to beat-match.
2. Your headphones also need to have closed backs to block out external noise, so you can hear what you're mixing. The less you can hear of the outside environment when you have them on, the better.
3. Your mixer must have a cross fader.
4. It also needs a cue that will allow you to listen to the music you're cueing up on headphones without broadcasting it out of the main speakers.
5. You can find many solid, basic mixers cheaply on Craigslist and eBay.

Buying Turntable Equipment

• Without the right equipment, you can't match beats. Follow the below advice to get a good starter setup.

1. Make sure your turntables are direct-driven. Belt-driven turntables won't allow the fine control you need for beat-matching or turntable tricks.
• DJ John Steventon, author of DJing for Dummies, says to avoid Gemini XL-100 or Soundlab DLP-1600 turntables.
• Technics 1200 turntables are universally considered to be the best turntables available. However, their price tag matches their quality.
2. Your turntables should come with needles and cartridges. If they do not, you will have to buy them.
• When you play out, some venues will provide you with a full set-up EXCEPT for needles and cartridges. Make sure to check before you get to the space!
3. Slip mats will allow your records to move almost frictionlessly on the deck plate when you are manipulating them.
• Remove the rubber mat from the turntable decks. It will prevent the records from sliding, even if you are using a slip mat.

Buying CD Decks

DJ Brady Williams explains the Denon dual-deck CD system.

• A regular CD player will not give you the fine control you need in order to match beats. If you want to mix properly, you'll need a CD deck that allows pitch shifting, cue setting, and fine adjustment so you can find the beat.

1. There are two basic interfaces for CD decks: buttons, or a turntable which controls the CD and emulates the feel of a turntable for vinyl records.
2. Numark makes some of the most popular dual-deck CD players. They also have a line of CD players that emulate turntables. Denon also makes both types of CD players for DJs. Gemini is another popular manufacturer.

Buying Software and Hardware for DJing Digital Media

• If you plan to DJ with MP3s, you have two options: software that will allow you to do all your mixing directly on your computer, or decks which contain a hard drive and have controls that emulate a turntable. New products are beginning to combine the two.

1. Almost every company that makes CD decks also makes decks for MP3 DJing.
2. Serato Scratch Live allows users to control the interface via actual turntables and CD players. It is one of the most popular applications out there. Traktor Scratch, another popular application, has similar functionality.
3. Traktor is a popular application that works entirely within your computer. A free demo is available, but times out after 30 minutes.
4. Virtual DJ is also extremely popular. It works within your computer, but its interface mimics turntables.
5. If you're just getting started, there's great free or shareware software out there. For the Mac, there's Djay. For Windows and Mac, try Tactile 12000. For Windows, Mac and Linux, try Mixxx.
6. To keep up on the latest DJ software, check out What's the Best DJ Software?, Ars Technica, and DJing for Dummies.

How to Set Up Your Equipment

• Setting up your equipment is easy, but can be a little confusing.

1. You will need three RCA cables. If you're plugging a computer directly into a stereo, you'll need one RCA cable. For some computers and most laptops, you'll also need a headphone splitter cable that will allow you to connect your headphone jack to RCA cables.

DJ Tutor demonstrates how to set up equipment.

2. The ends of the RCA cables are usually colored white and red. Frequently the ports on the back of the turntables, mixers, and CD players are color-coded as well, which makes things simple. If they're not color-coded, just remember: "Red is right, left is light."
3. In the back of your turntable or CD deck, you will see two holes labeled "Output" or "Out". One should be marked "R" and the other "L". Place the white cable end into the L port, and the red cable end into the R port.
• If you have multiple outputs (say, on a CD player), use the one marked "Line".
4. On the back of your mixer, you'll see areas marked for "Phono" (use these if you're using turntables) and "Line" (use these if you're using CD decks or computers). These should be numbered 1 and 2. For now, work with those numbered 1.
5. In the area labeled for the equipment you are using, there are two holes labeled "Input" or "In". Place the white cable end into the L port, and the red cable end into the R port.
6. Do the same for your second deck.
7. On the mixer, if your input 1 is a turntable, switch that input to "Phono". If it is something else, use "Line".
8. If you are using a home stereo system or amplifier, you can use RCA cables to connect your mixer to it.
9. There are ports labeled "Output" on your mixing board. Plug the red end of a third cable into the one labeled "R", and the white end of the same cable into the one labeled "L".
10. On the ports labeled "In" or "Input" on the back of your stereo, plug the white cable into the "L" and the red cable into the "R".
11. Make sure every item you're using is plugged into a power outlet.
12. Turn on your turntables, CD deck, or computer.
13. Turn on your mixer.
14. Turn on your amplifier or stereo.

Step 3: Learn the technical skills

• If you're going to DJ well, you need to learn to use the tools on your mixer to even out volume and fade from one song to another. For most genres, you also need to know how to beat match. This will keep the music flowing and make people less likely to leave the dance floor. NOTE: Some software applications have interfaces that do not emulate what is shown below. If that is the case, please refer to your user manual.

Learning the Mixer

• Before you get started with beat matching, you need to learn how to use the mixer to transition from song to song.

1. If you've never used a mixer before, start by playing around with it.
2. Set up your CDs, MP3s, or turntables so they are going through channels 1 and 2, and make sure that the two sides of your cross fader are also set to channels 1 and 2.
3. On certain cross faders, the left hand side is channels 1 and 2, and the right hand side is channels 3 and 4. If so, set yourself up on channels 1 and 4, and use channel 4 as your second channel for the steps below.
4. Make sure the fader between your channels is set to the middle, and the volume sliders for channels 1 and 2 are parallel.
5. Put one song on your first turntable, CD deck, or MP3 input, and let it play.
6. Put another song on your second turntable, CD deck or MP3 input, and let it play. It will probably clash. Don't worry about that for now.
7. In many cases, the two songs will be at slightly different volumes, even if the levers for each channel are set to the same volume. Slide the levers around until they're at equal volume.
8. Slide the volume for the the first channel all the way down, and note how the song fades out.
9. Now slide the volume for the first channel slowly up as you reduce the volume for the second channel at equal speed. Note how one song fades out as the other fades in. If you're ever stuck with a mixer that has no fader, you can use this technique to transition between songs.
10. Slide the fader all the way toward the first channel, and hear how the second song fades out. Now slide it 3/4 of the way toward the second channel. You can still hear the first song, but very quietly.
11. If you have controls for the bass and treble for each channel, slide the fader all the way to the second channel and slowly adjust each of those dials to see how it alters the song.
12. Continue playing around with your volume inputs, cross faders and other dials until you are entirely comfortable.

How to Cue

SkyHighAtrist has many excellent DJing tutorials on YouTube, including this one on how to cue and beatmatch a track.

• Cueing a track is setting up the song to precisely where you want it to begin, usually on the first beat. While the concept is the same, the execution is a little different based on what equipment you're using.

1. Play your first song through channel 1.
2. Listen to it until you find the first beat.
3. If you're on a turntable or turntable interface, place your fingers on the record label and spin the disk backwards until the needle is just before the first beat. You may have to slide it back and forth to find the right point in the song.
4. If you're using a dual-CD deck, use the scroll button to back up the track until you can hear the stutter of that first beat just beginning. Hit the cue button to mark this point in the song. When you want to fire up your song, just hit play. If you want to restart from the cue point, just hit the cue button to bring it back to that point.
5. If you're using software, you should be able to use your cursor to mark the point of the first beat.

How to Beat Match

In this video, DJ Tutor demonstrates how to count out the beat.

• It is much easier to practice beat matching if you have something with a clear, basic 4/4 beat. For your first few attempts, the more minimal and similar the two songs are that you are matching, the better! This process seems very long, and the first few times you do it, it will take a while. With time and practice, however, it will get much faster.

1. Select two songs that have very similar "BPM"s, or beats per minute. If they're very different, it will be much harder to match them up. Many records will tell you the BPM of each track. However, they're often wrong, so don't rely on the information on the record! Use your own ears to confirm the information.
2. Cue your first song up on one turntable, CD player, or input in your digital system. (Keep your crossfader set to the middle - for now, we're going to listen to both channels.)
3. Let it play for several seconds.
4. Find the beat. Emphasize it by nodding your head, tapping your hand on the table or your thigh, or tapping your toe - whatever works for you.
5. Most dance music is in 4/4 time; you can count the beats as a steady 1-2-3-4. Figure out what the first beat is in the sequence. This is called "the one" - it's where you're going to want to start your second song.
6. Now cue up your second song on your free turntable, CD player, or digital input.
• Listen to it until you find the first beat.
• If you're on a turntable or turntable interface, place your fingers on the record label and spin the record backwards until the needle is just before the first beat.
• If you're using a dual-CD deck, use the scroll button to back up the track until you can hear the stutter of that first beat just beginning.
• If you're using software, you should be able to use your cursor to mark the point of the first beat.

DJ Tutor explains why to use a pitch shifter to synchronize two tracks.

7. When you hear the one on the first track, start your second track.
8. You probably started the second track a little soon, or a little late. Back it up to the cue point, and try to drop it again. Do this repeatedly until you match that first beat.
9. Let your second track play to see if the two tracks are synchronized. Chances are, within a second or two, you will hear the beats slip out of phase. You now need to adjust the speed of your second track with the pitch shifter.
10. If your second track is running faster than the first, move your pitch shifter to slow the record dramatically (-8 or so). If it's running slower, speed it up by moving your pitch shifter to +8.
11. Return your second track to the cue point.
12. Start your first track over, and let it play for a few seconds.
13. Drop your second track on the one.
14. The song will likely now be out of synch in the other direction. (If it's still too fast at -8 or too slow at +8, you will need to pick another track that has a BPM that is closer to your first song.)
15. Bring your second track back to the cue point, and adjust the pitch shifter to -4.
16. Drop your second track on the one.
17. If it's too fast, stop it, adjust it to -6, and try again. If it's too slow, adjust it to -2, and try again.
18. Think you've got it matched up? Let the two tracks run for a few seconds. They may start to sound phased; this is a sign they are slightly out of synch. Adjust the pitch control a little more to fine-tune your beat match.
19. Continue until the beats match.

Step 4: Practice, practice, practice!

• The more you practice, the better you'll be, and the more comfortable you'll be when it comes time to play for a live audience.

1. Most skilled DJs practiced daily for extended periods when they were learning in order to build their skill set.
2. Practice fixing problems (a mis-cued track, for example), so you'll know how to fix the problem when it comes up while you have an audience. No one is perfect, and if you know how to fix those problems you'll be less flustered when they occur live.
3. Practice mixing with music you're unfamiliar with. You may have a situation where you have to mix in something you've never listened to or don't know solidly.

Step 5: On the big night

• It's your big day, and you're perfectly prepared. Here's what you need to do to make the night go smoothly.

1. Arrive early. If you're bringing your own equipment, you'll need more time than you think to set up. If you're using the venue's equipment, you'll need a little time to familiarize yourself with its quirks.
2. Don't get drunk or high. It won't make you any better at DJing; it will just make you less likely to notice when you screw up or annoy the audience.
3. Be flexible. Even if you've planned what seems like the perfect set, some of your songs just won't go over, and others will be more successful than you imagined. Be prepared to change up your music selection.
4. If someone from the audience approaches you, be friendly! Even if they request a song you think is lame, make sure to smile and tell them, "I've got a packed set, but let me see if I can work that in." They will always remember that you treated them well, and they might just be the person who introduces you to your next gig.

How RPM Differences Led to Beat Matching

DJ History: How RPM Differences Led to Beat Matching

The question went like this: Why did Technics invent a pitch adjust when they released the SL-1200MK2 turntable? This is a common myth amongst club DJ's - that the pitch adjust feature and beat matching in general originated when the "1200" was released. First, beat matching was introduced to the masses at New York's Sanctuary nightclub around 1969 by DJ Francis Grasso. Second, the pitch adjust feature - essential for beat matching - has been around for quite some time and can trace its roots to differences in rpm's (not to be confused with bpm's).

During the 1920's, hardened shellac records grew in popularity (gradually replacing Thomas Edison's cylinders) and were recorded at 78.26 rpm (revolutions per minute). Rpm refers to the total number of times a turntable platter revolves in one minute. The 10" 78 rpm record remained the industry standard until World War II, when shellac and other materials became scarce - propelling the introduction of plastic vinyl records as a replacement.

The 78 was also discarded because it played records too fast. For example, a 50 minute recording would require five discs. The word "album" originated from the way these packaged sets resembled photo albums. In 1948, Columbia introduced the "long playing" (LP) record (33 1/3 rpm) to get more recording time from a single disc. The length of the record was also later expanded to 12" to get even more music on each side. At roughly the same time, RCA released the 45 rpm "EP" (extended play), which typically provided four songs (two songs per side) - but was later shortened to the 7" single (SP). A "battle of the speeds" broke out between labels as each label sought to dominate the post-78 rpm market.

This created a dilemma for consumers since a separate turntable had to be purchased for every rpm speed (which could get quite costly). There were also recordings at 16 2/3 rpm, as well as very early recordings at 73 and 80 rpm. Hence, a true record collector in the 1950's would need a turntable to play records at 16 2/3, 33 1/3, 45, 73, 78.26, and 80 rpm. Turntable manufacturers wisely responded to consumer demand by producing "multi-speed" turntables, as well as "variable speed" turntables.

To play a record on a classic variable speed turntable, a listener would have to adjust the turntable's speed to find the correct rpm (since a preset option may not be available). In some cases, the listener would not even know whether the correct rpm was achieved. To alleviate this problem, the stroboscopic turntable was invented (see example H.H. Scott 710 Stroboscopic Turntable), where a strobe illuminator lights the peripheral edge of the turntable platter so that when the dots appear stationary, proper pitch is attained. It should be noted that a strobe illuminator is also featured on the popular Technics SL-1200MK2 turntable.

The variable speed turntable was essential to the rise of beat matching. Francis Grasso used Thorens turntables with variable speed to beat match in the 1960's. In fact, I phoned the technicians at Panasonic/Technics to collaborate this key point: the pitch adjust feature on the SL-1200MK2 is a vestige of the classic variable speed turntables when listeners needed to play records at different rpm's.

We are able to beat match because the recording companies of the early-20th Century engaged in a "war of speeds" by producing records at different rpm's.

Beat Matching Tips

Beat Matching Tips

This month's tip is brought to you from one of the world's leading DJ educators, Stephen Webber, author of Turntable Basics (Berklee Press, 2000) and Turntable Technique (Berklee Press, 2000). He is an Emmy-winning composer, record producer, and professor of music production and engineering at Berklee College of Music. He also received an Emmy nomination for his score in Zoetrobics, which was recorded at Lucasfilm's Skywalker Ranch, studied writing at Harvard University, and is a member of the Board of Overseers for the New England Conservatory. Disc Jockey 101 would like to thank Stephen Webber, Ami Bennitt, Keith Hatschek, and Michelle Jouan.

Beat matching means getting two records perfectly in sync with each other, then using the crossfader to switch between them. Beat matching is a skill that every DJ must master. When you're playing a rave, party, dance, or club, being able to segue (move smoothly) from one tune to another without losing the beat will help you keep the dance floor full. Beat matching must be second nature if you are going to get into beat juggling, a main component of many scratch-mixing routines.

You can beat match any two records that are close to the same tempo and have complimentary beats by adjusting the variable pitch controls on each turntable. It's a good idea to write down the tempos of the different tracks in your collection on the record label or sleeve, or on a list you keep with your records.

Tempos are expressed in beats per minute (bpm). There are devices that can help you find the bpm of any song. For instance, the "Dr. Beat" metronome by Boss lets you tap along with the beat to find the tempo. "Dr. Beat" displays the bpm numerically after four taps. There are other devices that detect bpm automatically, like the "Beatkeeper" by Numark. A few DJ mixers even have them built in.

The easiest way to start getting the hang of beat matching is to get two identical copies of the same record playing in time with each other. Since the tempos on both records are exactly the same, you can practice cueing before you start having to also use the variable pitch controls to precisely match beats.

Tips

* Use a metronome, drum machine, or beat-sensing device to determine the bpm of the songs or beats you want to work with, and write the tempos down. Once you choose two songs to beat match, write down the variable pitch settings you're using to put them in sync.

* There are dots on the side of the platter that are lit by a colored light (often red or pink) on most DJ turntables. When the turntable is operating at exactly 33-1/3 or 45 rpm, the dots look like they're standing still.

* As you scratch, hold, spin, drag, or adjust the pitch of your records, watch the dots to see when the record speed changes. If the dots look like they are staying still, the record's speed is not changing. The faster the dots seem to move, the more you are slowing down or speeding up the record.

* When two copies of the same record are close to being in sync, the records will sound "phased." Or, if the records are already in sync, when they start to sound phased, it's a sign that they are drifting apart. You can also use this sound, also referred to as "flanging," as a musical effect.

Beat Mixing: Understanding Drum Beats

Beat Mixing: Understanding Drum Beats

One way that you can better understand beat mixing is to understand basic drumming. This is because dance DJ's listen to the rhythm, as provided by the drum tempo, in order to beat mix. Even though most of today's dance tracks are composed with computer generated drum beats, these "drum fills" generally replicate the elements of a classic drum-set. In addition, the turntable, in terms of its incorporation into orchestras, is classified as a percussion instrument.

First, let's review the basic drum-set. As Figure 1 shows, a simple set includes a bass drum, snare drum, hi-hat, cymbals, and tom toms.

Dance music is almost always in 4/4 time (3/4 time can be found in Polka and Waltz). 4/4 time is basically counting 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, etc. Each count (or block) of fours is a measure. If you were to hit the bass drum and snare drum every time you counted to four, it would look like this (reading from left to right)

Now let's play the snare drum on the 2nd and 4th beat (where you snap your fingers) and the bass drum on the first and third beat. The note change will appear as follows

Most DJ's cue their song on the first beat (where the bass drum often starts) at the beginning of a measure. When a DJ is mixing a "32 beat in-and-out," it means the DJ mixed for this length of time

Let's call the above 32 beat segment a "phrase." By "phrasing," a DJ is starting the intro exactly at the beginning of a segment and matching it to the outro of a song with the same number of beats (i.e., 32 beat outro). If the intro is only 16 beats, then the DJ must match that intro with 16 beats of an outgoing song's outro. Fortunately for today's DJ's, the intro's and outro's of most dance tracks are essentially drum beats.

A common mistake is failing to compare the number of beats in an intro to an outgoing song's outro. For example, if a DJ starts to beat match a song with a 32 beat intro into a song with a 16 beat outro, the change at the 17th beat of the outro may ruin the mix (particularly if the intro was noticeable). If the DJ mixed out of the song with the 16 beat outro, then the remaining 16 beats of the intro will most likely consist of just drums, which will most likely drop the energy level.

Finally, you should note that most dance songs maintain the 32 beat pattern throughout the track. In other words, even though the intro may have ended after 32 beats (or four 32 beat segments, etc.), the verse may be 32 beats (or two 32 beat segments), the chorus 32 beats (or two 32 beat segments), etc. In some instances, you may discover a song that has a 16 beat segment between several 32 beat segments. Nevertheless, you can usually expect a change after every 32 beats. This should help you to predict change(s), particularly when you need to find a segment to mix out of a song that's not working.

Types of Mixing

Types of Mixing This month's tip addresses the different mixing styles. Is it live or is it Pro Tools? How does the DJ beat mix so perfectly on that new dance mix CD you just bought? As many of you know, most mix CD's are edited on computers. Even many radio dance mix shows are mixed on a PC. The DJ will first mix live into a computer, and then using a program such as Pro Tools, go back and edit the bad mixes by either deleting the off beats or by placing a "drop" (i.e., radio voice-over)over the bad section. This should be encouraging to those of you that thought your mixing wasn't CD quality perfect. If you want to detect a live mix, listen for the bass drum of the incoming song to kick-in (noticeably). Some live DJ's deliberately turn the bass down of the incoming song in order to sound CD quality perfect. As the cross-fader moves over, they gradually increase the bass until it matches the bass level of the outgoing song. Loose bass knobs on the mixer board are usually signs of bass manipulation. Is hip hop or faster dance music, such as house and trance, harder to mix? One could argue that hip hop is harder to beat mix because the time between beats (i.e., slower bpm) is greater, making it harder to judge, mentally, when the next beat will hit. However, a faster track makes the DJ more vulnerable to missing a series of beats (without affording him or her the time to fix the mix) because there's less time to adjust the pitch adjust. In sum, it really depends on what you're used to spinning. I once forced a great hip hop DJ to play a trance track, and despite his skill, he "train wrecked" the mix. He just wasn't used to the beats being so close together. While there are many different ways a DJ can mix two tracks together, I've outlined the five most common types below: (1) The Slam (aka "dropping on the one") (hip hop, and some techno). The idea here is to match the bpm of the incoming song with the song that's playing (through your headphones). When the outgoing song is about to end, the DJ "slams" the incoming song in time with the outgoing song -- while simultaneously cutting the outgoing song's volume (there's no beat riding). The DJ slams the first beat (in 4/4/ time) of the incoming song where the first beat of a break in the outgoing song would have been. This style of mixing is common for hip hop DJ's, although during the techno-era of the early-90's, many techno DJ's slammed techno songs in a similar fashion. (2) The 32-in-and-the-32-out (hip hop, commercial mix). This is the most common type of mix heard on commercial radio mix shows. The DJ will match the bpm of the incoming song with the song that's playing (through the headphones), and then when the outgoing song goes to break, the DJ will start the incoming song in time with the outgoing song and gradually bring the crossfader over. The DJ will beat mix a total of 32 beats before the crossfader's volume is completely pushed over (so that the incoming song's volume is at full level). Many remix services, such as Hot Tracks, design their intros and breaks for this type of mixing. It is conceivable to mix a "16-in-and-16-out" (or even shorter mix), although the DJ risks sounding unprofessional. (3) The Blend - or what I call riding it all day (trance). This type of mixing requires 12" tracks with long intros and breaks. Unlike the "32-in-and-the-32-out," the blend is a long continuous mix that may last several minutes or more. The key here is to blend/beat mix the two songs so that a listener can not tell when the outgoing song ended and when the incoming song began. This requires constant monitoring of the volume levels so that one of the songs does not muddle the other. The crossfader is brought over very slowly (although many blend DJ's prefer to use the upfader[s] instead of the crossfader). Trance DJ's are often known for this type of mixing, although trance tracks on continuous mix-CD's usually have shorter mix times to allow for additional songs. Some hip hop DJ's also blend. (4) The Radio Fade (fade in/fade out). This style of mixing is discussed in the Scratching section under cueing. This is not beat matching. It's simply turning down the volume of the song that's ending and turning up the volume of the song that's starting. However, you can hear the songs blend slightly (like on the radio) since the song that's ending can still be heard as it's faded out. (5) The Scratch and Slam (hip hop). This is common for turntablists. It's merely scratching the incoming song's first beat/sample over the outgoing song (as a tease) and then slamming in the incoming song while simultaneously cutting the volume of the outgoing song. The bpm's usually match even though the two songs aren't beat mixed per se. As you can see, the type of mixing you employ usually depends on the style of music you spin. However, as my friend, DJ Evan Samurin puts it "don't do what anyone else does, don't worry how John Digweed and Carl Cox are mixing, make your own style individualistic to you."

advanced

the dj reborn guide to that perfect beatmatch

first of all water is relaxing. before you do that demon mixtape to top every mix you've ever done before. jump in the shower or bath and just chill. put on some crisp clothes and get feeling kinda fresh'n'funky. you are now ready to begin so slap a record on deck one. set the pitch control outside of the zero groove. hit record on the tape deck and kick off your first tune. always have a tape recording from day one of getting your decks even if you're just messing about. this will give you more confidence when doing the real thing. put your next record onto deck two and have only this tune you are about to mix in playing in the headphones. always mix off the monitors never mixing two records in your headphones. get the beats as near as possible with a combination of stroking the edge of the platter {to slow it down] or gripping the spindle and twisting it [to speed up] whilst adjusting the pitch shift with your spare hand. always avoid actually touching the record. once you've got them as close as you can stand back and just let them play whilst gradually turning down the volume of the headphones. the quieter the sound in the headphones the nearer the beatmatch. after leaving the records alone for about 30 seconds or so you will easily be able to tell if you have the correct speed. the better you get the shorter the time you will need to leave the records alone. the more your ears get trained the closer you will get to that demon 45 second mix. once you get really good you can be flash and mix without headphones, beatmatching on the fly!

woo hoo you are now ready to release the tune into the monitors. either bring it in from the beatmatch you've just done or take the record, you are about to mix in, back to the head and kick it off again. keep the volume in the headset as low as possible and get the records lined with a combination of stroking the platter or twisting the spindle but don't touch the pitch control you've set. when they're perfectly locked start to shake yo booty and feel tha groove ... :) ... mix in your tune to taste... stirred... shaken whatever suits you! when your mixing in a record keep a headphone on one ear really quiet. this way you will be able to tell which tune is drifting a lot easier than if the beats are on top of each other on a monitor. always have one level slightly higher that the other on the mixer. use your crossfader for quick cuts'n'shifts and use your up'n'down faders for a gradual silky smooth mix. [the longer the length of the fader the smoother the mix]. if the tune starts to drift do not touch the record or the platter if you are in the middle of a mix - cos it can sound very weird and awful. use the pitch shift to nudge a record up or down. this takes a bit of practise at first but you can get away with a lot more than actually handling the record. when you are ready to mix the first tune out switch the headphone monitoring to deck one. leave deck two alone now as this has become your anchor beat. once your ears get really attuned you will notice that the quieter a tune gets it 'appears' to get faster [trainspotter physics of sound left out here] so as you fade out you will need to adjust the pitch shift accordingly until the tune is completely out .... ahhh! next tune on the platter gwarn! a couple of good things for practise are to set a tape off and go frantic trying to cram as many records onto one side of the tape as possible. mixing records in and out as fast as you can physically throw them on and off the decks. on the other side try and do as long and gradual and smooth a mix as you can. the first will train you to get a beatmatch quickly the second will train you to control it.

the most important things are: listen to the music, shake yo booty like real hard and just HAVE IT!!! hold tight! bang! .... bang!

beginners

How to beatmatch by DJ Reborn

the dj rebron guide to that basic beat match

the easiest music to learn beatmatching with is some very minimal four/four house. or anything minimal.

(the more there is going on in the tune the harder it will be to hear what is goin' on when learning …. on the other hand there is a lot more cover-up with something intense like drum and bass which means you can get away with a lot more).

seek out some very minimal four/four type stuff to start off with.

put on the first record and pitch your deck down to around -2. turn it up to a reasonable volume on the monitors and just listen to the way the track is structured, generally the basic kick drum will be structured….

[1]-2-3-4-[2]-2-3-4-[3]-2-3-4-[4]-2-3-4-and-so-on [four beats to the bar = a four/four beat].

now put the second rekkid onto the other deck and set the headphone monitoring so that you can only hear rekkid two in the headphones.

the biggest mistake to make at this stage is to have the headphones too loud. always set the volume in the headphones quieter than the monitors so that it doesn't drown out the tune you're mixing into. the quieter the headphones the closer the beatmatch.

find the first beat of record two and 'scratch' the record back and forth over the first beat. set off the first tune and start to count [1]-2-3-4-[2]-2-3-4-[3]-2-3-4 ... etc etc scratch the first beat of record two forward on beat 1 of each bar and backwards on beat two of each bar. release record two on the first beat after you've counted to 8-2-3-4 [ie on 9 of [9]-2-3-4] you should be able to tell after only a little practise whether the tune you've just released is going faster or slower.

if you are unsure set the speed of tune two to +8 and follow the above steps. you will be able to hear that rekkid two [in your h/phones] is way to fast. rewind the rekkid back to beat one and now set the pitch to -8 and follow the same steps again. you will be able to hear that the tune in your headphones is way too slow. the correct speed must be somewhere in between these two speeds. now it's just a question of splitting the difference between the speeds and narrowing down the gap between too fast and too slow, using the pitch shifter until you've got a beat match. just keep taking the record back to the first beat when things get a bit blurry and start afresh. the closer you get to the correct speed the longer you should stand back and let the records play. there is always a temptation to adjust as soon as it sounds a bit out but just be patient and stand back and don't touch anything. if you leave it a bit longer it will be more obvious whether it's too fast or too slow.

this doesn't just happen overnight so it means practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise phew!