Understanding this I'm sure will make me much better at mixing. Heck, I may even be wording the subject of this incorrectly.

I had a good buddy of mine attempt to educate me a couple years ago on this...but I had a brain-dump....argh....

Any help on getting this rookie up to par is greatly appreciated.

Thanks gang,
DJ Gonzo

Do you mean counting beats that make up bars? or counting beats per minute?

Dance music is almost always in 4/4 time. 4/4 time is basically counting 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, etc. Each count (or block) of fours is a measure.

the 32 beats your refering to is the "32 in-and-out" it takes 32 beats to mix the song. So you would need to phrase that. Saying that your mixing in your next track there would need to be a 32 beat section (usually the outro) where you mix in the intro of your new song. So you match the BPM's and mix on the deired 32 beat segment.

Here is a really good plain english article that explains it all.

http://www.discjockey101.com/oct2001.html

Aj

AJ, your information is on mark with what I was looking for.

I've opened up the link you provided...and I'm just getting started on my reading and comprehension of this. Hopefully a nott-head like me can finally make some sense out of what others have told me in regards to better mixing.

If anyone else has more readings or input...please post up. Like I said...I am a nott-head and I'm not too proud to say that.

DJ Gonzo

Ahhhh....good thing I took "Reading 101" last week.

Okay, here's where this rookie has a question in regards to beat-mixing in a 32 intro into a 32 outro.

How is it timed for bringing in the intro to the outro. How will I know to start on the song's 32 beat outro? Do you normally just time it by the time left on the song? Just a bit in the grey on this one.

And yes, I have found myself losing the energy on the dance floor before by having a long intro playing or a long outro playing....ahhhh, yea, I'm that guy.

each track is different so u need to know the tracks u play quite well and listen to when the outro begins, usually just after the 'last peak' of the tune. at the beginning of the outro i press play on the other track that i cued and get the beats aligned then begin to mix the tracks together. when cueing the track you are mixing into, try to find the point were the track starts to build up to its first peak, and set your cue 32 beats or 64 beats before this point. then by the time u align the beats and start the mix, the build up of the next track should be just about ready to kick in!

basically beatmatching is about two things and two things only...

1. Speed

and

2. Position

Imagine it like two gears of a cog fitting together.....they must be going at the same time and in the correct position to avioid mashing the teeth, yeah? so youve just got to focus on those things.

In reference to your Q about intro/outro.......Think about driving from one small town to another and using an expressway. You start off in town, (driving slowly) head out of town (increasing pace) then get onto the freeway (crusing at high speed). Then you get to the exit (slow down) and enter the second town....(outro).

hope that helps

quote:

Originally posted by DenkiBlue:
basically beatmatching is about two things and two things only...

1. Speed

and

2. Position

I knew that DJing and making babies had more in common....

quote:

Originally posted by aural:

quote:

Originally posted by DenkiBlue:
basically beatmatching is about two things and two things only...

1. Speed

and

2. Position

I knew that DJing and making babies had more in common....

hey hey hey........i thought this was a family program??

Here's the thing... Mixing intro's and outro's is ok, for dance music, but mixing hip hop is a different thing. Most hip hop choruses (the hook), are 32 beats, some are different, but most are, so this is a great place to mix another track in. Intro's for hip hop songs can be immediate, 2 beats, 4 beats, etc... So all you are doing is matching up phrases based on intro's, hooks and/or whatever your heart desires. I like to match up lyrics sometimes to complete a phrase that is funny or tells somewhat of a story. It's all a matter of learning the music you are playing, then you can get creative. Mixing a bridge of a track with a key change to another can build really good energy, but again, you have to absolutely know the tracks. Same thing for dance music. Dance music tracks like to have changes and different progressions.

quote:

Originally posted by AdamVanLithium:
Do you mean counting beats that make up bars? or counting beats per minute?

Dance music is almost always in 4/4 time. 4/4 time is basically counting 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, etc. Each count (or block) of fours is a measure.

the 32 beats your refering to is the "32 in-and-out" it takes 32 beats to mix the song. So you would need to phrase that. Saying that your mixing in your next track there would need to be a 32 beat section (usually the outro) where you mix in the intro of your new song. So you match the BPM's and mix on the deired 32 beat segment.

Here is a really good plain english article that explains it all.

http://www.discjockey101.com/oct2001.html

Aj

I have to say I have been doing this for a while and I was impressed by that artical thank you very much! Great Read

Can someone make a nice little list with songs that have 32 beat intro/outros? I don't mean any song...but particularly new songs.

Bartender - T-Pain & Akon
Buy U A Drank - T-Pain & Yung Joc
2 Step Remix
Walk It Out
LoveStoned/I Think She Knows
Beautiful Girls (Suicidal)
Summer Love
Glamorous
Don't Matter
Wipe Me Down
The Way I Are
Umbrella
Pop, Lock & Drop It

Just some examples ya know? lol

i don't understand why would you need something like that?? mixing stuff on intro-outro totally ruins the flow and mood of your mix. i play house, so for me it will be a sure way to lose the dance floor

I don't hold with all this beat counting malarkey.

Just listen to your tunes. Get to know them. They naturally divide up into sections. Most tunes just consist of a set of sections which are typically multiples of 8 bars long -- they don't have to be, but most are. The start and end of each section are usually identifiable by having something different - eg a crash cymbal at the start, a drum fill at the end. A good mixthru will line up with the starts but more especially the *ends* of these sections in both tracks. You don't have to wait for the last section/outro before mixing thru, in fact it's usually better to go before then to keep the dancefloor moving. You might mix through in 8 bars, 16 or 32 -- I'm a fan of looooong transitions especially for psybreaks and electro/tech-house, but it all depends on the track, could be a 1 minute or a 3 minute mix depending how they gel, but the mixthru always finishes on a section boundary, that's the crucial bit.

Very good website AJ, thanks. I needed to read that too to better understand some things about mixing.

Who knows another good websites like that one for newbies on djing?

Radio miradouro.pt - www.miradouro.pt | www.djalex.net

"i don't understand why would you need something like that?? mixing stuff on intro-outro totally ruins the flow and mood of your mix. i play house, so for me it will be a sure way to lose the dance floor"

agreed... this is okay when you're starting out... but it is really, really boring.

Gonzo,

Along with, "Always get paid", this...

quote:

Originally posted by Quaestor:
Just listen to your tunes. Get to know them.

...is some of the best advice you will ever receive about professional DJ'ing. Take it in.

quote:

Originally posted by Cheebatone:
Gonzo,

Along with, "Always get paid", this...

quote:

Originally posted by Quaestor:
Just listen to your tunes. Get to know them.

...is some of the best advice you will ever receive about professional DJ'ing. Take it in.

I'm hearing ya...

quote:

Originally posted by DenkiBlue:
basically beatmatching is about two things and two things only...

1. Speed

and

2. Position

Imagine it like two gears of a cog fitting together.....they must be going at the same time and in the correct position to avioid mashing the teeth, yeah? so youve just got to focus on those things.

Thats a very good parallel, especially for someone that isn't really an insider...
Makes it a lot easier to understand the motive and the thinking patern behind mixing.
that and what Cheebatone said "always get paid"


http://www.mydrumsclub.com/

I always say:

If you can count, you can be a DJ...

Just start by counting from the first beat till the 8th beat.
It's beste you always try to keep that in mind. Then your phasematching will improve.

i still dont understand the whole beat counting? someone tried explaining it but just dont get it?! i guess that once every somany beats or frames someting happends in house right?

arrggg! i dont get it. i will continue to just listed to the music progress befor echanging it to the next track.!