Ampa is really Stu Allen
Mix Club - The Remedial Class
Amps is woody allen and cyril is mixing like woody woodpecker?
Was hoping he could sign my Airport 89 12″
LT42 Here’s a tip while waiting for a technical answer on the phones - mixing using higher frequencies is more accurate anyway eg: mixing with hi-hats is easier to hear and ultimately more accurate in terms of grids if you’re using software.
this works in loud environments, but only if the hats are locked to the grid. otherwise you’re beat-matching to a swung/shuffled pattern and that can be problematic, especially if you’re new at it. learning to beat match with lows and highs is a good idea.
Think the penny dropped tonight.
Can see this getting very addictive!
️303abuser
Found a pretty easy way to blend without dropping energy/ levels.
And also found out how to use the cue/loop buttons to make it easier to match phrases. Had previously only used loops off the pads.
Not perfect by any means but have been shocking last few weeks so watched some videos and tonight it clicked.
Is good fun when every mix isn’t a complete horror!
12 days later
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Buying Tunes
Interested in people’s process for buying tunes.
Do people;
Just throw what they like in carts, then select what they think will work together?
Just buy tunes, then try throw them together?
Follow labels / artists
Trawl
I like so many different things, but don’t have the skill to stitch together yer I’m struggling.
Also hard to know what will go together without getting on the Fisher Price.
Ideas appreciated
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3 and 4.also, nabbing stuff you’ve heard in other people’s mixes.
I never buy tunes thinking about mixing them. I just buy what i like, then see which tunes work together.
2 and 3. I never buy two tracks specifically thinking they’re gonna mix well together. I buy stuff I like the sound of, then have a few spins to see what works with what…
3 and 4 plus thieve tunes from JC mixes and the what are you listening to thread.
I buy quite a few more tunes than I need - I need a lot to get tunes that fit and that I’m capable of mixing effectively for an actual mix proper. I do go back to those discarded tunes quite often though when I’m doing a mix further down the track
Mad_Cyril I have a fuck load of different carts on Beatport. I have main ‘all’ cart, which anything I like goes in, if in that mad jumble some bits stick out or sound like they could be the focus for a mix, they get split out into another cart, I then trawl for tracks that might work with them. That break out cart might have upward of a hundred tracks in it that will get whittled down to ten or twelve or more tracks for the mix. Sometimes have five or six of those break out carts on the go.
If none of that makes sense, let me know.
Oh yeah, follow artists and labels too. Use the charts a lot for the trawling, they’re defo a help for finding stuff that works together. My tastes are pretty eclectic so a scatter gun approach for me would make a proper dog shit of a mix.
Why don’t you post a mix up, Amps?
Along_the_Wire No need to inflict them on anyone other than the poor souls who stumble across them on the internet.
Amps
Makes perfect sense, as does your following post.
I’m kind of between the two, a few carts but never get enough for a coherent mix as always end up pulling the trigger.
Result, loads of disparate purchases and a rapidly filling hard drive!
All a learning curve, good to hear how others approach
buy music you like and mix it in an order you like. if you’re good, you’ll have a style and people will enjoy it. if you’re not, at least you’re having fun.
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No crates, just thrown them all in a playlist and see what works. Mixed in key is a bonus if your head scratching half way through or can’t get it to progress nicely. I’m fucking lucky I’m on some decent mail outs and my mate runs a promo company…so I hardly spend anything….prob about £5 a month. Rule of thumb is if you really want a track buy a WAV….that way you definitely need it and will use it rather than it being used once and then clogging up your HD.
I follow hundreds of labels and artists on BP, and just check new stuff from those on there. New artists and labels get added all the time. Otherwise I check “curated” places like Muting the Noise, Clone and staff tips on Whatpeopleplay. DJ mixes are a big source too. One reason I’ve bought so much music during lockdown has been the ridiculous amount of mixes to Shazam every week. I buy anything I like with no consideration if I’ll ever put it in a mix.
23 days later
Still fucking about…
Something @Unbroken1 said about mixing with the filters on a rotary has stuck in my head.
Spent last weekend fuxking around with the filters on my Fisher Price, found easier but getting pissed off with the echoey effect they produce. No way around it but was a lot easier than using sliders.
Swapped the filters for the gain controls this week, miles better (relatively speaking). Have more control and time.
Think the future might be rotary if i get better / less rubbish
Mad_Cyril One of the best tips I got off Hannu was to just use sync until you’ve got the hang of the EQs
Mad_Cyril Swapped the filters for the gain controls this week, miles better (relatively speaking). Have more control and time.
Having spent a fair bit of time on both I would urge you to stick at it and get good on your faders. In my highly unprofessional but time served opinion, once you get stuck in, there really isn’t any difference.
What mixer are you using at the moment?
Along_the_Wire
I’m all down with that
Amps
I’m not great at describing so echoey might be there wrong word. If you flick through most if the transitions on the first ½ hour here you can hear the same.
Ref the channels, there’s no really difference to using the gain than the faders is there?
I still eq, but using gain knobs, as opposed to sliders, just feels easier to make adjustments amd establish the tune in the mix to me.
Mad_Cyril I still eq, but using gain knobs, as opposed to sliders, just feels easier to make adjustments amd establish the tune in the mix to me.
you sacrifice the ability to properly gain stage if you use the gains pots to mix instead of faders, but that’s up to you to decide if it’s a problem or not. not saying one is right or wrong, just something to consider.
Mad_Cyril just a ddj400 controller
I would assume Pioneer haven’t spat out a completely useless item here, so yeah, learn the thing inside out, know what every dial or button does and then you can start to get an idea of it’s limitations.
As regards the bigger picture of your next purchase and dials vs faders, do you know anyone you can borrow a proper mixer off? Even if it’s only for an evening? That would be my move.
Along_the_Wire which over +/- 4% pitch makes drums sound muddy
i’ll qualify this with i haven’t actually listed to the mix so maybe this is way off, but is it possible that the eq’s have really steep curves? using a 48db/octave cutoff, as an example, can cause phasing issues, but i can’t say i’ve ever noticed it out of any dj mixer.
Dubman Don’t know if you really liked that mix I sent you but it was done on a Numark mix track pro which very a basic controller so you I wouldn’t spend more money on something more expensive just yet.
I did mate, think I posted at the time that it opened my eyes to the importance of phrasing to maintain energy / flow. Great learning listening.
I’m not spending anything for a long time, just beginning to think I prefer dials to sliders.
Enjoying finding my way and an hour I did tonight sounded smoother