• Music

  • Mix Club - The Remedial Class

Rekordbox is solid in my view, but the odd mistake is easily recognisable

    Mad_Cyril It may be simplified by record box and tractor, but thats just a guess. I use ableton to dj, and there is no seamlessness between that and mixed in key. I color code all of my tunes to match the Camelot Wheel, which makes it easier, once I’ve gone through the initial process of loading, reviewing, and editing all of the tunes in Live.

        zackster all of that is exactly what sucked all the fun out of dj’ing for me. made it a job instead of just playing records that sound good together.

            303abuser
            Makes sense.

            Looking something to help me learn.

            Not something that turns me into a data input clerk

            • Amps replied to this.

                I don’t disagree. At the same time, I feel almost obligated to use it bc I am djing with ableton. Once the beat matching is taken out of the equation I feel compelled to do more with the available time.

                Along_the_Wire I’m not sure if we discussed drifting bpm on the RX2. Its still on the XZ but apparently you need too analyse the tracks in normal not dynamic mode. dynamic mode is apparently for live drum/analogue recordings.
                apologies if this is not something we have discussed!!!!

                    baggers44 Nice one - I shall make that adjustment. Not set up the XZ yet as I’ve been away, but glad you’ve mentioned that - I’d be well fucked off with the drifting

                      Mad_Cyril yes but it is variable - the useful tool is the keyboard- which you can use to check whether it sounds as it has suggested. i also found this which was pretty useful in terms of a quick workaround

                          baggers44 I’ve always wondered why Sasha hummed while he’s mixing.

                          Funniest thing I’ve seen today that is!

                            Mad_Cyril If you arent playing out to a crowd, then just get creative for now, play tunes that you think sound good together, get involved with interesting transitions and the like, worry less about the key and aim for interesting. You can worry about the key stuff once you start to get a bit more advanced or ambitious. Remember, you can pitch shift tracks if you need them to fit, but things like chord progressions, bass lines, miss matched percussions, clashing vocals etc can stop two tunes going together as much as key.

                              Thanks Amps.

                              I dont spend hours listening to tunes, so every little helps. Especially when practicing mixing.

                              Also happy to freestyle a bit, and would agree is more fun

                                Mad_Cyril i always found that i was better playing records i’d listened to once vs. trying to get perfect mixes and programming through over planning. knowing your records is important, but there’s something about the spontaneity and energy of doing everything on the fly.

                                    303abuser Aye….like most things there’s a load of ways to do it right. I reckon some plan the mixes almost to the phrase or beat, trying a multiple of combinations, mixing points, key combinations which is one way to do it if you are that way inclined. With the visual track layout it is so much easier to see what is coming - the real difficulty was in achieving smooth mixes with vinyl without endlessly listening to the tracks - endless surprises or too long extended transitions with not much happening when you linked a long outro with a long intro ……..so hats off to those who can mix vinyl well because the skill set is at another level i reckon.

                                        It’s almost unthinkable to me to mix vinyl, but I’m going to give it a go with a single deck to play some of my classic vinyl - just for the fuck of it though more than anything. Also it helps justify the outlay of the XZ and using at least one more channel…

                                        • Dan replied to this.

                                          Having used both vinyl & digital. Vinyl is a lot harder as baggers has said. you really need to know your records. Finding that first beat or sound, counting beats, bars & phrases in your head is so much different than having the screen in front you so can see the make up of each track. With digital though you can be so much more creative. Setting cue points or looping the last 4 or 8 bars of a track so it never runs unlike vinyl.

                                            Dubman absolutely - it allows you be more creative and you are freed from the tyranny of constantly listening to the tracks going out …and routinely nudging it the wrong way first time round!!!

                                              baggers44 so hats off to those who can mix vinyl well because the skill set is at another level i reckon.

                                              This exactly. I’m at the bottom of the Digital curve but appreciate, and can vaguely remember, how much harder would be with vinyl

                                                Dan
                                                Same here mate. It’s so hard not to touch the record.