dubstepforum.com
worldwide dubstep community

Okay first of all a question to you, in an hour how many songs (roughly) will you go through in a mix? I was mixing yesterday and got through over 30 which seems like too much (it felt like it was too much too, I'm not just questioning the numbers)

also has anybody tried polishing the platter on their decks yet? my slipmats were gripping like a bitch, polished them up the other day and are working great (maybe a bit too much lol)

anybody else have any questions or tips related to dj'ing?

20 or so tunes in an hour, tops. N someone proposed the DJ Bible a while back, anyone still game on starting some megathreads?

Basic A wrote:20 or so tunes in an hour, tops. N someone proposed the DJ Bible a while back, anyone still game on starting some megathreads?

I thought that that's usually the norm 20 sph (songs per hour lol)

dj bible sounds pretty cool imo

in an half an hour set I usually get about 5-8 tunes in the mix so I guess i'd drop around 15-20 in an hour set, as when you're playing for an hour you seem to get more hyped and roll some faster mixes..

In general though when I am doing a studio mix, i want to showcase the tunes I am playing (apart from the ones widely available) so I will play tune out the longest(usually 4-5 minutes maybe longer depending on the track and its structure) I can get away with, without damaging the flow and drive of the set.

If you mix fast, you mix fast, just hope its clean and exciting to listen to, everyone has their own styles.

legend4ry wrote:in an half an hour set I usually get about 5-8 tunes in the mix so I guess i'd drop around 15-20 in an hour set, as when you're playing for an hour you seem to get more hyped and roll some faster mixes..

In general though when I am doing a studio mix, i want to showcase the tunes I am playing (apart from the ones widely available) so I will play tune out the longest(usually 4-5 minutes maybe longer depending on the track and its structure) I can get away with, without damaging the flow and drive of the set.

If you mix fast, you mix fast, just hope its clean and exciting to listen to, everyone has their own styles.

Yeah mate the thing is I mix fast because I assume that that's how fast I should be mixing, I'd much rather take my time but I was wondering if people would be expecting me to be mixing in a new track after 1:30 mins

Ive seen the AUX 88 DJ hit up a pile of 40 odd tunes in 30 mins - it was impressive but I wouldnt want to carry his bags.

Over the years Ive mixed in many styles - when I was younger I was more egocentric showing off how fast/often I could mix stuff in and out but in the end its like fret wanking on a guitar - impressive initially then you turn into Steve Vai and need to be killed.

I let my tunes play through more now - if some producer has worked hi ass off getting a 2 minute break perfect in the studio for months then I think its arrogant of me not to play it out, mix over it or screw it up with Dj triggered effects.

I tend to let tunes have their full break and play most of the way through - it makes for a more coherent recording and you still have plenty opportunity to mash up a mix. So I allow 3-5 mins per track and always carry an extra 20 mins or so.

Its all about your library in the end - what are you playing? Is it good? Then allow it to breath a little eh?

Good luck ...

Jees this reminds me that with all this production malarky Im so not playing out enough anymore *must* find a new London niche asap

lowpass wrote:

legend4ry wrote:in an half an hour set I usually get about 5-8 tunes in the mix so I guess i'd drop around 15-20 in an hour set, as when you're playing for an hour you seem to get more hyped and roll some faster mixes..

In general though when I am doing a studio mix, i want to showcase the tunes I am playing (apart from the ones widely available) so I will play tune out the longest(usually 4-5 minutes maybe longer depending on the track and its structure) I can get away with, without damaging the flow and drive of the set.

If you mix fast, you mix fast, just hope its clean and exciting to listen to, everyone has their own styles.

Yeah mate the thing is I mix fast because I assume that that's how fast I should be mixing, I'd much rather take my time but I was wondering if people would be expecting me to be mixing in a new track after 1:30 mins

I dont think there is a "right" amount of tunes or a "right" speed to mix at... I average anywhere between 15 and 30 an hour depending on many factors - song structure, my mood, type of tune, if Im showcasing the tune or if Im just having fun mixing, how much caffine or other things Ive had throughout the day/night/set... Ive noticed when Im, shall we say, a bit "tipsy" I get more agressive with my mixing and bang tunes together a lot quicker, where as when Im chillin at home spinning as a way to "actively listen" to tunes I just got, I mix slower and let them play out longer. Ive also noticed that with a set of my own tunes, I let them play out a lot longer since I put the work in and want to showcase the production. With bought tunes, especially more hype or filth type tunes where its more about the drop, I mix faster and with more double drops. All that goes out the window when Im mixing hip hop / skweee / midtempo since the structure of those tunes is usually not "standard" and songs themselves are generally shorter than dubstep tunes. There really is no right or wrong amount of tunes for an hour with so many factors that can affect how you mix.

As for the platters... deffo clean that shit often! The sides of the platter too (I need to do that one myself soon) if only to keep from getting gunk and junk off your fingers. Look into some Butter Rugs for under the slipmats to help keep it smooth for scratching, backcueing and to keep from having to clean the platters as often.

Oh yeah RE Platter sticking

Get one of those polythene lined white record inner sleeves - put a record on it mark the centre and draw round it
Trim the edges and remove the loose polythene circle under the paper. Put this in between you platter and the slip mat and bobs your scratching uncle
Occasionally it gets scrunched up but it remains slippy even when you are ina dank and sweaty club - unlike polishing your platter

Served me well for decades

eops wrote:Oh yeah RE Platter sticking

Get one of those polythene lined white record inner sleeves - put a record on it mark the centre and draw round it
Trim the edges and remove the loose polythene circle under the paper. Put this in between you platter and the slip mat and bobs your scratching uncle
Occasionally it gets scrunched up but it remains slippy even when you are ina dank and sweaty club - unlike polishing your platter

Served me well for decades

This def works, or another way to do it like that is a piece of wax paper... but really, the $15 for a pair of Butter Rugs is well worth it. I bought my one and only pair 5 years ago and they're still in great shape.

Oh yeah RE Platter sticking

Get one of those polythene lined white record inner sleeves - put a record on it mark the centre and draw round it
Trim the edges and remove the loose polythene circle under the paper. Put this in between you platter and the slip mat and bobs your scratching uncle
Occasionally it gets scrunched up but it remains slippy even when you are ina dank and sweaty club - unlike polishing your platter

Served me well for decades

Yep, tried and tested for over a decade now too!

I think 20 or so an hour is the 'sweet spot'.

I once saw Wolfgang Gartner play live (he's not dubstep) and he would play a single song for about 5 or 6 minutes. That's way too long

Around 40, get bored of the songs to quick

I used to try to play through every break in every tune.. TBH often times it can become like walking a tightrope and become frustrating doing studio mixes this way.. Kinda hard to nail every one but at a club if you can pull off a few of these they hit the crowd nicely. I now feel it's all about utilising each tune differently and making sure your transitions are less noticeable. Two basic tunes that sound similar are going to be able to be mashed together maybe even double dropped if the basslines go together, more drawn out epic tunes are gonna need a little more time to breath and if the producer is good they'll give the right kind of structure to mix out of it with. So I think, a little of quick mixing, a double up or two, and some long drawn out mixes should all be incorporated into one hour as it keeps the listeners sort of guessing as to what you are doing. ESPECIALLY if you have tunes that aren't as popular and being rinsed out as much.
Personally I'd like to get into mor minimal type stuff that I can really do long blends with. It's more satisfying than loading up bassline after bassline.....but if that's what people want to hear when they are out then..

WatchYourStep wrote:I think 20 or so an hour is the 'sweet spot'.

I once saw Wolfgang Gartner play live (he's not dubstep) and he would play a single song for about 5 or 6 minutes. That's way too long

lol, Joey Youngman. I used to DJ with that guy alot.. he came up big time.

step correct wrote:

WatchYourStep wrote:I think 20 or so an hour is the 'sweet spot'.

I once saw Wolfgang Gartner play live (he's not dubstep) and he would play a single song for about 5 or 6 minutes. That's way too long

lol, Joey Youngman. I used to DJ with that guy alot.. he came up big time.

No way! Dude I love Joey. Wasn't dissing him, just using a point of reference. I used to buy his jackin house tracks and msg him on myspace like a little noob lol

Yeah we both cut our teeth as DJs on the Central Coast of Cali back in the day. Real swell guy..

15-30.

Okay, heres one that I do soemtimes thats always a real eye opener n you can learn alot from...

After you record a mix, open it up in a bpm grid somewhere n watch it play through. take note of where you drift off, and what causes it, and then you can actively work to correct it in the mix later. I inadvertently figured this out a few weeks ago trying to run a whole mix through a compressor n limiter since my recording gain was real low, n actually seeing your waveforms after you mix em can be a good thing... I dont dig on visual djing though... so dont make it a crutch, use your ears, sometimes, perfect mixes will make no sense on the grid after all the bar-hold bends n shit, fuck that grid, if your ears say it was right, it is. But everyone can hear thier mistakes, n this way, you can see em too, which makes it alot easier to fix next time.

I think I mix about one tune every hour or so, as I can't mix and have never been in a position to learn.

However, I can clock up a mean 6 kills a minute playing TF2.

Astral wrote:I think I mix about one tune every hour or so, as I can't mix and have never been in a position to learn.

However, I can clock up a mean 6 kills a minute playing TF2.

DAW mixing huh? You poor guy. You dont need much man, anything that has two play buttons n two volume faders n you can start... get vdj or open two instances of winamp or some shit... its like mixmaster mike was on about in 'Scratch' with two walkmans n volume knobs, you can learn to mix on ANYTHING, and you have to know that theory, that when to let it go n how to let it lay... then you can worry bout the fancy shit