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I searched around and haven't found an answer yet..

What are some techniques aspiring dj's should know, and use in there mixes...


Obviously for me a good mix consists of: Goodtunes, teasing, and proper structure.

Cliched though it is, mixes should take people on a 'journey'. Nothing worse than a mix that starts and ends in exactly the same place, tune wise. Bit of progression, like gradually ramping the energy/intensity up over the course of it.

Seamless mixing should be a given, plus I like mixes that have at least one "How'd they do that?" moment that makes me wind back a bit to try and figure out a technique/effect that is used.

Tunes should be a mixture of the familiar with the unfamiliar - sprinkle in a couple of old (but not over played) favourites alongside new cuts to keep interest piqued.

Depends on the context / genre…

Live = Keeping the energy in the room. Which, in Dubstep /D&B / Hiphop generally means shorter crossover times (going from one build up, drop, breakdown, rinse repeat) in House music of course that doesn’t apply with it’s insanely long intro/outros of just drums, you can blend ends of songs together endlessly and seamlessly--in which case the “energy” comes from the literally non-stop 4/4 pounding without breaks except for the built-in breakdowns of the record. Record selection is not as important Live as it is in a studio mix because its not permanent… a crowd of drunk and drugged up party-goers don’t remember what you played 3 songs ago, as long as the energy is still there. But you still have to read the vibe of the room and be able to adapt. That will make the live mix good.

Studio = Pristine tune selection, Pristine mixing, absolutely NO train-wrecking. Energy should still be there, although its achieved differently than Live. Its by creating an ebb and flow to the mix, like an unmixed album does--it should start out with impact, grab the listeners attention, keep that attention with high energy tunes for a while, then give them a reprieve--tunes that let them relax. This doesn’t mean going from extreme’s like BroStep to Deep. But, for instance, going from a tune with Vocals to an instrumental one / vice versa. Mixing them in a pristine way, and keeping the listener interested by crossing over at the appropriate time. This will be different different depending on the vibe your trying to convey… A deep chillout mix, can be mixed tail-end to tail-end seamlessly, allowing the entire tunes to play, because its about a vibe, a feeling that shouldn’t be interrupted. If you’re playing dancefloor bangers, going from end to end--for whatever reason--tends to sap the energy out of the mix, you might as well just be Playing Music off your iTunes. They need to be mixed from drop to drop. Again, keep in mind, you can’t slam banger after banger on people, they will get tired of it mentally. There needs to be balance.

What Wub said is 100% correct. It’s a Journey your taking them on.

Selection that works well together, quality mixing, keeping it original.

Dodgy key mixing makes some mixes taste bad for me, so knowing what works together will obviously make the mix sound much smoother.

Here are two mixes ... besides what you guys have said, I can;t stand a mix that doesn;t have bass because of a distorted recording. Also I believe that Melody is a huge miss by a lot of djs!



party vibes
Soundcloud
deep vibes
Soundcloud