Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

[Funky Dredd]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

Start again. Good djs who know their shit do it in one take.

I remember when I started...it took a long time to work it out and get a smooth flowing mix.

Now I do it in one take. You will too, if you maintain the discipline and invest in it. When it gets too frustrating, just let it go and come back to it later. But don't look for some cheap shortcuts; it's not supposed to be easy. That's the beauty of it.

^^ Exactly! But you also have to remember that experience is key. The longer you play the more comfortable you are in your own environment. If your more comfortable with people around then ask a few friends to come over and hang out while you do it. Granted you can't always do this, but as time goes on you won't need them around. I am guessing that maybe your feeding off of the vibe when your playing live and your having a hard time adapting to nobody being around? Just a thought.

Back when I started playing in '92 the music was much different and harder to mix (a lot of those tracks back then weren't made to be mixed) and I have found that as the years have gone on the music has become more dj friendly in terms of mixing. Either that or I am seeing the music differently after 17 years?

Also another thing is you are your own worst critic. Do a mix and post it and ask for feedback. That way you can get pointers, don't be discouraged by the criticism either. Rather look at it as something to learn from. You never know what kind of tips someone else has that you have never thought of.

[bobjuice]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

^^ Good advice there - i'm not mad on the idea of splicing together mixes in parts. I think you'd get more satisfaction listening to a true performance of your own in the long run. Better a "real" mix with a small mistake or 2 in it (though hopefully not) than re-joining mixes that went wrong at some point no?

If you're playing out you don't get the luxury of re-winding and splicing things together, what people hear is your true performance and that's how it should be imo.
Like Funky Dredd says, just post a mix. People here will give you honest opinions and be constructive - also, yeah you will be your own worst critic like everyone is so think positive. If you mix 20 records together and make a complete mess of two of them - don't beat yourself up, be glad you got 18 right maybe..

Maybe not plan the whole set but may not harm to plan your first 5 or 6 tracks - you'll have a bit less to think about then for a start that way. Burn them onto 2 discs maybe and just use them at first, saving yourself the time you'll spend looking for tracks and changing discs, just till you get settled ? Good luck

[N-tchbl]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

.. also, yeah you will be your own worst critic like everyone is so think positive.

And this might be the major problem in here, indeed?
I have it, to be honest, while playing live you can often see me moody or nervous cuz i'm (almost) never satisfied with smth i did at the moment, transition or something, the self-criticism's killing me and i always kinda think "It could be better, man.. i sucked" ..
Then after the set i go to the crowd which's my fav part of parties i do, indeed.. and then i hear ppl saying i was great, i was amazing, i was perfect.... and what the hell now, who's right, they or me?? ..so i kinda need some time to get to the ground and realize i didnt really suck the way i think and people were having a blast time downthere enjoying what i did for them, so..

..my advice is - take a bottle of some goooooood red wine ..make a mix, and post it in here, so other people will tell you their opinions, and no matter what they/we say, it will be constructive for you, i'm sure! cmon.. shoot it!!

[Shiva]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

Well, if things continue the way they are with your mix, there are big chances that you will get discourage, or at least get more frustrated and dropped it all; The more frustrated you get the least result you will obtain.

My advise is:

Change your tracklist, especially the tracks that are causing you problems, coz sometimes tracks might not be "compatible" in mixing them together...

or

If you insist on keeping that tracklist unchanged, record one transition at the time separetly on a cd; lets say you record track1 + track 2 on a cd, then track 3 + track 4 on a another cd and so on. Once you have recorded those 4 or 5 transitions, you try to stitch them together one after the other until you complete your set. At least you wont have to repeat the transitions again and again, and therefore you reduce the stress. STRESS & MIXING don't go together.

A good advise, like someone mentioned, is to have a beer or a glace of wine while you are mixing, and take it easy...

if you are at an early stage of your djing career (cdj dj), i would not advise to rely on software coz that would be taking the easy way when instead you need to forge your mixing skills. IMO using software to mix is good when you are an "advanced" cdj dj, the software will help you get over the mixes quickly and easily especially if you are hosting one or more shows. If you get the habit of using software at the early stage of your djing career, you might face serious problems if you are invited to perform live on cdjs (unless you are a software dj and that doesn't apply of course)

Good luck.

[chuckc]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

the key is to just relax. dont worry about your mistakes. the less you worry the more eaier time you will have. also, maybe keep practicing the transition u keep meesin up or like others said change the track

its not supposed to be easy or everyone would be masters at it.

i highly discourage going the software route. letting the cpu do all the match work for you is really not "djing" imo.

keep at it. with time it will be like second nature

[Shpira]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

You should only go software if you have mastered normal mixing IMO. I bought 1210's after buying cdj's just so that I could learn to mix vinyl and I bought tractor scratch after that...Its important to know the basics and appreciate how difficult it is.

[scifi pi]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

Just hire Steve Graham or Hafid Atzel and they should do you a good job.

[thornpicker]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

There is so much great advice on this thread
Relax is the key with or without a cocktail...
Record every mix and listen to them and give yourself an honest critique
Change up your playlist if it doesn't flow--try to be random

I have been spinning records and now CD's for 15 years and I'll tell you that it never gets easier--I haven't gone with the whole software thing because, like others have said, it really takes the talent out of the whole culture, at least until you have some mastery and control over what you are creating.

Learning the basics is so where it's at...I started out on 1200's and now use CDJ's and love them..I am very reluctant to go with Traktor or Serato because I want to keep getting better and match my own beats and stay in tune with the vibe of the music
That's the fun and challenge of DJ'ing this kind of music--it's a talent
I just like touching the vinyl or CD--it makes me happy
Old school, oh yea

Try this...
whenever I buy new music, chances are that I am listening to a particular sound and am seeking out that sound
When I listen to the tracks I just bought, I know that most of them will blend together well because that's just the mood I was in when I bought them
Then.. mix them together randomly without ever playing them together before and see what happens
You just might be surprised

I think the problem most people have when they try to make that perfect mix is that they overanalyze the situation and try to mix records that simply just don't jive with each other.
But the main ingredient is.....relax and listen to yourself

[khilla]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

Keep on spinning records and record anything and everything, even if you're only gonna play 20 minutes. Practice some more on 'when to push' the turntable plate/pitch button to avoid trainwrecks. (if you push/pitch up certain records during a mix you can here a slight pitch bend, like when the record has a small continuous synth or pad in the background. Maybe pitch up on an offbeat (when there is a sound on the beat that acts funny when pitching up) or sometimes it's better to pick the other track and slow that one down while mixing it out.
Train your ears, so they pick up the moment when tracks go out of sync sooner.


error correction can be done as explained in the other posts in differrent apps. Soundforge, Wavelab, Audacity etc... cut/copy/paste. You just need to make sure you keep the records at the same pitch of the original recording. So when your last transition is fucked up, press stop on the turntables, wait a few moments but keep recording and do it over.

[chuckc]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

There is so much great advice on this thread
Relax is the key with or without a cocktail...
Record every mix and listen to them and give yourself an honest critique
Change up your playlist if it doesn't flow--try to be random

I have been spinning records and now CD's for 15 years and I'll tell you that it never gets easier--I haven't gone with the whole software thing because, like others have said, it really takes the talent out of the whole culture, at least until you have some mastery and control over what you are creating.

Learning the basics is so where it's at...I started out on 1200's and now use CDJ's and love them..I am very reluctant to go with Traktor or Serato because I want to keep getting better and match my own beats and stay in tune with the vibe of the music
That's the fun and challenge of DJ'ing this kind of music--it's a talent
I just like touching the vinyl or CD--it makes me happy
Old school, oh yea

Try this...
whenever I buy new music, chances are that I am listening to a particular sound and am seeking out that sound
When I listen to the tracks I just bought, I know that most of them will blend together well because that's just the mood I was in when I bought them
Then.. mix them together randomly without ever playing them together before and see what happens
You just might be surprised

I think the problem most people have when they try to make that perfect mix is that they overanalyze the situation and try to mix records that simply just don't jive with each other.
But the main ingredient is.....relax and listen to yourself

very nice post. ur so right on alot of thos points.

especially "
I haven't gone with the whole software thing because, like others have said, it really takes the talent out of the whole culture"

[Steve Graham]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

the key is to just relax. dont worry about your mistakes. the less you worry the more eaier time you will have. also, maybe keep practicing the transition u keep meesin up or like others said change the track

its not supposed to be easy or everyone would be masters at it.

i highly discourage going the software route. letting the cpu do all the match work for you is really not "djing" imo.

keep at it. with time it will be like second nature

EXACTLY!
take last night for instance, i went on after some people using laptops, i got confused as to which cdj was going into my next mix and i accidently ejected the wrong cd.. i just put it back in, people were just having a good time, clapping, keeping the beat and i just shrugged it off.. was NOT a big deal.. the sooner you stop taking it so seriously and have fun with it, the more you will notice your transitions will reflect that

[i!!ustrious]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

great thread.

i've recorded some of my mixes, but it has taken me a some time getting the "levels" right, and learning how not to "clip" a whole set! for a good year now i've been mixing in ableton live's arrangement view, and that necessitates complex programming while "pre-made mixing" and recording them; it has really messed with my live mixing skills, having only mixed and recorded them the old ol fashion way in the past, but im maintaing and still learning how to integrate and record properly with software.

staying joyously open to anything, and going all out in probationary trial and error sessions makes for the highest level of creativity -- all while trusting and believing in ones inner self, to keep on keepin on.

wishing you all the very best in all your future endeavors mate!

[bobjuice]

Re: Recording a mix, n00b question... Keep making mistakes?

EXACTLY!
take last night for instance, i went on after some people using laptops, i got confused as to which cdj was going into my next mix and i accidently ejected the wrong cd.. i just put it back in, people were just having a good time, clapping, keeping the beat and i just shrugged it off.. was NOT a big deal.. the sooner you stop taking it so seriously and have fun with it, the more you will notice your transitions will reflect that

there's the voice of experience^

all steve did there was the modern equivalent of takin the wrong needle off
there are times when you just have to get on with it