how to improve my mixing?!

bright maroon · Post by **bright maroon** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 5:11 pm

Do you really want a full instructional? Because if I answer on this thread it is going to be at least a 4 page essay if you want it broken down clearly...It's not hard, but there is more than one thing you have to do right..

I feel paranoid like this is a jokes thread...like everyone wants to see me go through it just for fun..like a gauntlet..

djelements · Post by **djelements** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 6:10 pm

bright maroon wrote:Do you really want a full instructional? Because if I answer on this thread it is going to be at least a 4 page essay if you want it broken down clearly...It's not hard, but there is more than one thing you have to do right..

I feel paranoid like this is a jokes thread...like everyone wants to see me go through it just for fun..like a gauntlet..

Heh, don't think it's a jokes thread. This seems like a pretty legit question.

benjybars · Post by **benjybars** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 3:17 pm

bright maroon wrote:Do you really want a full instructional? Because if I answer on this thread it is going to be at least a 4 page essay if you want it broken down clearly...It's not hard, but there is more than one thing you have to do right..

I feel paranoid like this is a jokes thread...like everyone wants to see me go through it just for fun..like a gauntlet..

haha.. no, i do genuinely want any tips etc with regards to mixing!

corpsey · Post by **corpsey** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 7:58 pm

As a grime fan I'd imagine you know what a bar is, by the way, but if not its (by and large) four beats i.e. in the simplest halfstep beat one bar = kick snare two bar = kick snare kick snare.

Sorry if thats patronising but I used to think something else

lonecurrent · Post by **lonecurrent** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:25 am

£10 Bag wrote:nod ya motherfuckin' head til ya break yo neck, in time with the tune that is playing. then nod your head in time with the one in your headphones...get 'both' your heads nodding at the same time and the two tunes will be mixed.
or tap your foot.

lol. are you really saying what I think you're saying?

__________ · Post by **__________** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:37 am

LoneCurrent wrote:
£10 Bag wrote:nod ya motherfuckin' head til ya break yo neck, in time with the tune that is playing. then nod your head in time with the one in your headphones...get 'both' your heads nodding at the same time and the two tunes will be mixed.
or tap your foot.
lol. are you really saying what I think you're saying?

i'm saying nod your head in time with one tune, then while still keeping that tune locked in your head, nod your head in time with the other tune.

so, yes maybe i am saying what you think i'm saying.
all depends on what you think i'm saying though!

its hard to explain how to mix on the internet though. best advice i could give is get your head around traktor or virtual dj, then try turntables. if you can mix on the pc, you should be able to mix on decks.

benjybars · Post by **benjybars** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:03 pm

i'm finding tracks with a really pronounced snare (esp. el-b/ghost/2-steppy stuff) very SLIGHTLY more manageable... at least i can hear what i'm aiming for.

but i still feel completely lost with the sub-heavy dubstep stuff..

i'm really scared that i'm a musical spastic who can't even keep time or count a bar.

tempest · Post by **tempest** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 1:38 am

benjybars wrote:i'm finding tracks with a really pronounced snare (esp. el-b/ghost/2-steppy stuff) very SLIGHTLY more manageable... at least i can hear what i'm aiming for.

but i still feel completely lost with the sub-heavy dubstep stuff..

i'm really scared that i'm a musical spastic who can't even keep time or count a bar.

Nah bro, just persist... As much as its rinsed you just have to practice, muscle memory and all that...

FACT: Everyone who has ever started learning an instrument has felt retarded at the start.

drifterman_ · Post by **drifterman_** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:14 am

DJelements wrote:Maybe it's the fact that I can pick out individual elements of stuff in my mind, but the mixing thing doesn't seem like it would be that hard to me. >_> I don't have decks or anything, (Ignore the term 'DJ' in my name for now) but with live, and some shite virtual dj thing I downloaded for the lulz, mixing seems very easy. Keep in mind, I never quite got one tune to go in my headphones and the other tune to come out of the speakers. So, it's probably even easier.

LOL

badger · Post by **badger** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:43 pm

benjybars wrote:i'm really scared that i'm a musical spastic who can't even keep time or count a bar.

heh yeah i've thought this about myself for time, and still do a bit. i'm sure i'm not as musically gifted as other people and mixing has been probably more of a struggle for me than most people but i'm starting to get reasonably good now (good job really as i've got a radio show starting on the 19th lol). the way i learnt to mix was a way i thought was "easier", ie mixing from snares, not starting on the first beat of a bar and not matching phrases. it was probably an easier way to learn to beatmatch as it's far easier to pick out snares in the mix but ultimately it made me pretty shit at mixing. recently i've been making sure to mix from the first beat of every bar, counting beats (this helps SO much) and matching phrases and it's got so so much easier and sounds loads better. i still struggle being able to pick up phrases etc unless i start from after a breakdown or lull in the music but i guess that's something that should get easier with time

hope that helps

best bit of advice i can give though is to get this book
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-DJ-Properly ... 801&sr=8-1
it worked wonders for me

djelements · Post by **djelements** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:45 pm

drifterman_ wrote:
DJelements wrote:Maybe it's the fact that I can pick out individual elements of stuff in my mind, but the mixing thing doesn't seem like it would be that hard to me. >_> I don't have decks or anything, (Ignore the term 'DJ' in my name for now) but with live, and some shite virtual dj thing I downloaded for the lulz, mixing seems very easy. Keep in mind, I never quite got one tune to go in my headphones and the other tune to come out of the speakers. So, it's probably even easier.
LOL

Actually, it's true. Mixing is pretty easy for me, especially if I've got stuff that shows waveforms, like Traktor. Match waveforms, and shablam!

benjybars · Post by **benjybars** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 10:31 pm

badger wrote:
benjybars wrote:i'm really scared that i'm a musical spastic who can't even keep time or count a bar.
heh yeah i've thought this about myself for time, and still do a bit. i'm sure i'm not as musically gifted as other people and mixing has been probably more of a struggle for me than most people but i'm starting to get reasonably good now (good job really as i've got a radio show starting on the 19th lol). the way i learnt to mix was a way i thought was "easier", ie mixing from snares, not starting on the first beat of a bar and not matching phrases. it was probably an easier way to learn to beatmatch as it's far easier to pick out snares in the mix but ultimately it made me pretty shit at mixing. recently i've been making sure to mix from the first beat of every bar, counting beats (this helps SO much) and matching phrases and it's got so so much easier and sounds loads better. i still struggle being able to pick up phrases etc unless i start from after a breakdown or lull in the music but i guess that's something that should get easier with time

hope that helps

best bit of advice i can give though is to get this book
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-DJ-Properly ... 801&sr=8-1
it worked wonders for me

safe badger.

yeah the only (very slight) success i've had so far was on a couple of similarly tempo'd skream tracks with really pronounced snares.. managed to get the snares in time and it didn't sound too bad.. but you reckon i should steer clear of that yeah?

badger · Post by **badger** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:13 am

well i don't know really. it's bad technique and gets you into bad habits, but it does make it easier to beatmatch, but that's not necessarily the most important thing about mixing well. it's possibly a good way to get to grips with beatmatching as it is a lot easier to hear snares but as it's not a good thing in the long run. i guess just starting to mix from the first beat and always listening out for snares is better, rather than just cueing a tune straight from the snare like i always used to do.

but make sure you're not relying solely on snares as some tunes simply don't have any so they'll be completely unmixable. also, if you're only mixing from snares you've only got one marker per bar to be able to gauge whether tunes are in time with each other, if you're mixing say a halfstep tune and listening for kick drums and snares then you're going to have 2 markers each bar to tell if both tunes are out of time or not which will mean that you should be able to get tunes beatmatched faster.

i know everyone's said this but it does get much easier with time and practise is vital. the thing that helped me most to be honest was when i got properly comfortable with the tempo and rhythm of dubstep, instinctively knowing when beats were going to fall etc and that's something that comes with practise. i still really struggle with other genres because of this

lonecurrent · Post by **lonecurrent** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 12:04 am

£10 Bag wrote:
LoneCurrent wrote:
£10 Bag wrote:nod ya motherfuckin' head til ya break yo neck, in time with the tune that is playing. then nod your head in time with the one in your headphones...get 'both' your heads nodding at the same time and the two tunes will be mixed.
or tap your foot.
lol. are you really saying what I think you're saying?
i'm saying nod your head in time with one tune, then while still keeping that tune locked in your head, nod your head in time with the other tune.

so, yes maybe i am saying what you think i'm saying.
all depends on what you think i'm saying though!

its hard to explain how to mix on the internet though. best advice i could give is get your head around traktor or virtual dj, then try turntables. if you can mix on the pc, you should be able to mix on decks.

sorry i thought we were talking about wagging our penises about for a second there.

optimum · Post by **optimum** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 1:04 am

listen to bradien

waaaae9 · Post by **waaaae9** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:43 pm

Do not interfere with the vinyl!
Use the pitch control as much as possible.
As opposed to pushing the vinyl or slowing the plate to keep the beats matched.
Probably the most important thing i learnt.

yooamatwa · Post by **yooamatwa** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 1:45 pm

I don't know if this is a bit awkward but i got torq recently and got to thinking how it could help someone learn to mix vinyl. I backup all my vinyl to wav just in case and as DJelements mentioned software lets you see the structure (down beats etc.) of a tune. So technically you could use this to see what tunes work then just have a bash with vinyl....could help

concept_ · Post by **concept_** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 5:19 pm

i could talk for days about this, seriously...mixing and fidelity of a mix is VERY important to me, specially as I know next to nothing about production and wanna keep it this way for now- there is much more to mixing records than most people make out or care to investigate.
but I won't as most of the advice here is sound enough.

all i'm going to say is, use your ears, listen carefully, concentrate, and feel the music.

corpsey · Post by **corpsey** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 6:34 pm

The funny thing is the technical part of mixing is actually the easiest thing to learn in a way, the hard part is learning how to tell which tune to mix, how to shape a set etc.

And I've never even played out lol

benjybars · Post by **benjybars** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 9:25 pm

Corpsey wrote:The funny thing is the technical part of mixing is actually the easiest thing to learn in a way, the hard part is learning how to tell which tune to mix, how to shape a set etc.

And I've never even played out lol

yeah i think that's why kode 9 is fun to watch.. maybe not the most technically talented dj but his sets are stupidly fun. big selector!

i've been practicing with some doubles today.. is this recommended? i managed to get 'fat larry's skank' in time i think.. really struggled with 'just don't give a dub' tho... found the vocals REALLY offputting! are there any tunes in particular people would recommend practicing with (doubles or not)??

how to improve my mixing?!

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