Beat mixing is not important for the work that I do. I would, however, love to be able to acquire this skill just so as I have another weapon in my armoury. I've looked on a couple of sites, read through topics on various forums and looked in bookshops and libraries.

However, none of them seem to say any more than keep practicing. Well perhaps that's all there is to it and I'll pick up the knack eventually but I wondered if some of you guys could offer any real advice. Recommending some tracks that would be perfect to beat match would be really beneficial too.

Thanks

Where`s Mr Mole?

Come over to disco mans office, bring mcdonalds for 2 and your headphones and ill have you beat mixing in no time.

Simply practice....

Nope you didna wanna hear that did you.

Theres basically 2 elements to beat mixing:

1) matching the speed of the two tracks that you're hoping to mix.

2) matching the music phrasing within the tracks (I'll explain what music phrasing is, below)



As you'll probably know, nearly all tracks have a certain speed to them - their Beats Per Minute...this is simply aquired by tapping your foot to the music for a minute and counting how many taps you do. Lets say that the track you're playing out to the audience is 120 BPM.

The track that you're cueing up in your headphones is (say) 118 - its a bit slower than the playing track. So, you'll need to nudge the pitch controller on your playback device (record deck, CD-deck etc) until the 118 bpm track is playing at 120 bpm.

Listen to the cueing track in your headphones (but with just one ear covered by the headphones). Use your other ear to listen to the other track.

When the beats stay in sync, then you've got the BPMs of the two tracks pretty close to matching.

Thats the speed matching sorted out, now what about that Music phrasing thing...

Now, as you listen to music, count from 1 up, on every beat....(and a) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, (and a) 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 etc,etc

You could simply count through the whole track simply counting up to 8...but much more interesting things happen if you go to 16 or 32 before returning back down to 1. Try it...fron the beginning of a track, count the beats up to 16....chances are it'll all sound pretty ordinary but something "different" is normally heard as beat 16 approaches...a crescendo'ing drum roll maybe...a drum fill-in, some groaning vocals etc...when you get to 16, drop to 1 again, and again listen for that "something dfferent" as you approach 16.

Better still, count to 64....(4 x lots of 16 beats) you'll hear another change/difference in the music as beat 64 approachs...

Where music phrasing plays a part in beat mixing, is that you want (ideally) to mix the same beat (within a pattern of 16 or 64 beats) of one track, to the same beat number in a pattern on the other track.

eg: Count up to 64 on track 1, start the other track from a beat no.1 as you're about to drop back to saying "1" on the first track.

What you're trying to avoid is mixing beat (say) 6 of one track into beat 1 of the the track - if you dont, vocals come in too early into a mix, or instrumentals end too quick etc...

For practice purposes, try using two IDENTICAL tracks - eg: 2 x discs/records of the same track.

Learning mixing is really one of those things where you need to see/hear rather than talk about on a forum.

I am finding it really difficult to put into words what I know at the mo - I am delivering a intro into mixing at the next Seda meeting, so putting a Powerpoint presentation together at the mo!

Thanks guys. Being a drummer I should be able to do the phasing you are talking about quite easily Gary....I'll let you know though...


Would technology help me here? For example, I could use equipment that displays the bpm of the track?

When I get two tracks playing at the same bpm, what is your favoured method of syncing up the beat? Is this where a cd-player with lots of gadgets comes in handy or is it just a case of pausing one track for half a second?

Finally, I find it hard to listen to two tracks at the same time - is this the knack that you pick up over time and from experience?

forget bpm counters... you will never learn how to mix using one...

try taking two of the same track and mixing one into the other with both pitch controls at 0....


listening to one track in the headphones and the other on the sound system is somthing that you will pick up dead easy if your a drummer..

its just like listening to somone playing an insturment and then joining in to what there playing...


Practice, practice practice.....

Obviously it is easier to mix songs that are the same bpm to start with - like the guys have said, using 2 copies of the same song makes this the easiest way to start.

After that you'll need to work out the bpm of a few songs that are close and then try that. I learned to do this on the CD players after I'd learned to do it on the laptop. The lappy is easier because it gives you what you are looking for above - it displays the bpm for both decks. When you move the pitch fader it actually alters the bpm of the deck you are working with. So if the playing deck is at 120bpm and the song coming in is at 123bom you just nudge the non-playing deck down a bit until the bpm reads "120bpm" - I know - it's cheating, but it makes it easier to learn. After I could do this on the laptop it was much easier to learn to do it on the CD players.

Might be worth looking at.

Cheers,

Jack.

The art of 'mixing' is an acquired skill to the individual mixing!

Marky is right - suggest you get two copies of the exact same track.
(If you want to have a 'go', although it really is best to get a little hand on advice...)

A very brief guide...
Lets imagine we have two tracks...Source A and Source B.
When you play source track A, the B track can be played exactly at the same time and thus, the 'beats should technically match'.

If you are playing an arrangement of 16/32 beats (say intros) before any change or instrument is added to the song, or vocals start to come in, etc, then the time to play Source B would be on beat 1 of the next 'measure' of 16/32 beats.

If we break down (simplify) the theory for a 16 beat 'beat match' 4/4 time:

Source A has a 4/4 bass drum beat:

1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4
We count on the beat - not after the beat.



For the example, Source B is exactly the same as Source A, the 1st beat of the Source B track to 'come-in' after the 1st 16 beats would be thus:

Source A: 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4
Source B: * * * * [ * * * * [ * * * * [ * * * * [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4 [ 1 2 3 4
----------------------------------------------------------^

So the first 16 beats of the Source A track has played and we have played Source B on the first beat of the next 16 beats.
(Example represented as 1....16 beats, counting 1,2,3,4.....14,15,16)

(This is only an example but for 'modern dance music', the song structure is usually 16 beats per 'measure')

Notes
A 'drop mix' is literally 'dropping' the next played track into the current played track - on the beat, where as the 'mixing element' combines fader and applied eq (bass, etc) for 'smooth' mixing.


The theory changes when we want to add a track with a different tempo.
Players with 'pitch control' / 'tempo adjust' will allow you to mix 2 tracks of different tempo by simply '+' & '-' adjustment on an increment scale.

Master Tempo engaged on systems will allow you to adjust the tempo of a song without altering the vocal pitch.

Whilst source A is playing, the DJ will listen to source B in the headphones to 'match and adjust the tempo' in order to beat-match the tracks.

Quick ways of finding the tempo to mix in with.

An element of maths can be applied to mixing (beat-matching) but I'm no Carol Vorderman!
Those with BPM counters will be able to glance at the Source A track and see that (for example) it has a BPM of 120.
If the Source B track has a BPM of 130, then the source B track can be reduced (-) on the pitch tempo scale approx 8%.
When two tracks appear to be matched but later go out of sync (running out) then this can be down to the fine tempo and arrangement of the tracks used, or, the beats were matched but not 100% perfect.
The 'human element' will adjust the tracks manually to accommodate difference - more later on about this.

Another way to 'mix quickly' is to use the drop mix (mentioned above) but it can sound quite abrupt if the tempo difference between the tracks is a mile!

Looking at the pitch slide (tempo adjust) scale, you may see notch's that have full and half increments. Some may be numbered.
The 2,4,6,8 quick 'slide and play' process is literally move the pitch to '+' or '-' 2, then 4 or 6 or 8 and playing the track in between (obviously!) to see if the track you are going to 'mix in' is close to the track playing. Finer pitch adjustment would then be required to 'smooth mix' the incoming track.

There are 'other ways', practice, practice, practice..... and then some, to adopt in mixing but some important points to note on such practices are:

Time delay
Phase
Cue

Time delay is the sound-lag from the speakers bouncing the sound back from the 'walls' of the venue before it hits your ears!
It will vary from venue to venue as every venue is different in layout, size etc.

A 'booth monitor' or 'fold back sound' system will help when mixing but not everyone can work with these. These are a great aid to reduce time delay as it represents the actual sound coming out from the speakers but is usually positioned towards the DJ.
(Like vocalists have sound monitors on a stage facing them to help them keep time with the music.)

Mixing in headphones - such as mixing both tracks in the ear piece before you open the source B channel fader is more common but then again, not everyone can do that either! It takes time and practice. Some will take to it like a duck in water.......etc.

The 'image' of the DJ with one ear covered with a headphone and the other ear 'open' to listen to the music playing is common too but that DJ has had to 'eq the headphones' to compensate and 'balance' both ears with the levels of music played.
Thus, if the music in the headphone was too loud or too low, it would be difficult to mix - not impossible, but difficult and of course, long term, damaging if the level is too loud!

Finding a happy medium is all important and individual.

Going back to the main point - if you have two tracks the same and start them both at the same time, and then start them a fraction of a second apart, a 'phase sound' will be/ can be heard.
To compensate this phase or to produce this effect, the tracks can be brought back into or out of 'phase' by adjusting manually either source. Some systems have jog dials/platters, pitch adjust buttons (bend) or + & - buttons.
Note the 'direction' of the jog dials for forwards (speed up) and backwards (slow down) - like a record, clockwise and anti-clockwise respectivly.

So if the source B track was the latter track to be played, we can either increase that track with the '+' adjustment to 'catch up with the other track, or in turn, reduce the source A track with a minus adjustment if required.

Overall, setting the right 'Cue' for the tracks played is really essential.
If the track played starts with a long drum roll or sound effect then a Bass drum beat, then the cue point can be set from the bass drum. The sound of setting the cue point (ready for play) can sound like a 'stutter' on the various systems used today, but it is the start of the 'stuttering' sound (the front of the bass drum wave form) we are looking for.
So, when the source B track is going to be brought in, you can press play (or the old quarter spin) the track to come in on that beat, matching the beat of Source A.

Although brief - hope this helps!

It all makes great reading for those like us who are trying to pick up the skills, but my main problem is counting the beats. I tried it the other week and was fine until someone asked for a request!!!!! DAMN how many was that????
It's a great thread though.

Just Buy Traktor

Hee Hee

I've enjoyed reading this thread, as I too am trying to master Beat Mixing properly. When given the songs to play in can beat mix them ok now but, for example The Ones-Flawless and Kylie-Cant get u outta my head, But when requests pop up or its an older style of music Me cant Do!!

Hi

If you're a drummer and you know your music, beat mixing should be child's play.

Unfortunately, teaching hands on skills can't be done on a forum, you have to actually sit down at the decks and do it. Experiment, test, fail, do again, and keep doing it ntil it comes, which it will.

Darren

Some great advice there. I'm just going to echo some of the things said.

Like people said, the easiest way to learn beatmatching is to start practicing with two copies of the same track. Use pitch to move them out of sync and then try to bring them back.

You should be able to do beatmatching on most kit, but obviously it's easier if the kit is better. For example, on my CD decks, the track starts playing as soon as I hit the play button, so it's easy for me to get beats in sync just by hitting play at the right time. When I use other people's kit (or kit in bars), sometimes there's a delay before the track kicks in. This makes it more difficult 'cos you have to allow for that. The worst is the kit where there's a random delay before it kicks in. For that, you have to use the pitch control to bring the beats into sync.

Another thing to remember is the musical characteristics. You can line the beats up perfectly, but it will sound terrible because the pitch (or key) of the music is different and the notes will clash (not a problem if you're taking pure beats from one track and melody from another, but if they've both got melody then you need to get the pitch right). Again, better kit can help here - modern CD decks will have a "key adjust" feature (or "master key", I think it's also called) where you can change the bpm without changing the key. Otherwise, the key will change with the bpm. Also use your mixer to cut frequencies on one track, if that simplifies the sound. For example, on the track you are adding to the mix, it might sound better if you cut the bass, so it doesn't interfere with the bass on the original track.

Also, make sure you get the levels of the two tracks compatible, otherwise the mix can sound terrible. Again, equipment can help here. My mixer has level displays on all the inputs as well as the master, which makes it easier. Otherwise, I use the cue on both tracks and adjust the gain to match them (although I've had problems in the past with mixers where the gain doesn't affect the cued level, so you really have to guess where to set the gain).

Also, it helps if you know the tracks well, so if you are planning on moving to the track which you have mixed in, you can find a good time to do it. What I often want to do is mix the intro from the new track into the original track, then when there's a big "crash" or something after the intro finishes, I switch into the new track. If you've got effects knocking around, you can use them to smooth out the transition too, for example a touch of flanging on the original track, just as you fade it out isn't too noticeable, but makes the changeover sound slicker on some tracks (but don't overdo it).

Finally, you need to vary the changeovers, so you're not doing the same thing all night. Do some beatmatching, some slams. And obviously beware that too much beatmatching ends up with you playing a lot of music all at the same bpm, which can get monotonous.

You might want to look at this site, its a beatmixing tutorial written by an American DJ it echoes a lot of what already been said, but it does suggest some tracks and sets to practise with...... Look Here