dj-unknown69
Hi Everyone I am a DJ in the LAS VEGAS Area and I enjoy spinning EBM, Aggrotech, powernoize, futurepop, dark electro, cyber, etc..
I am bassically looking for 2nd opinions from other DJ's who play EBM, Aggrotech, etc.. Below are 2 samples of my style and how I like to mix.. Recently a klub here in vegas (which shall remain nameless) has cancelled a gig on me stating that my music format/style doesn't work with their klub. I have dj-ed at this klub 5 times this year and now decided cancel all my upcoming gigs. This club is a well known Goth / Industrial klub here in LAS VEGAS. Last gig I had people keep asking me for songs which are about 7 years overplayed (and that every other dj has overplayed) and because I didn't play them I got shit talked. Vegas is a weird scene as is and a tough crowd in the gothic/industrial scene to please! I am trying to introduce new/upcoming/underground music and not play the same old overplayed songs that every other gothic/industrial dj does in our scene. I also not a fan of playing a song from start to finish then changing because I feel thats not really DJing (which is what a lot of them do). I like to know what am I doing wrong? Are my songs bad choices? Am i playing them too long? Am I cutting them too short? Is the BPM mix/blending f**ked up? some body tell me ! NOTE: Las Vegas DJ's need not comment.
http://soundcloud.com/lvdjkarnage/germany-ebm-electro-industrial
http://soundcloud.com/lvdjkarnage/june-2011-ebm-mix-part1
I am bassically looking for 2nd opinions from other DJ's who play EBM, Aggrotech, etc.. Below are 2 samples of my style and how I like to mix.. Recently a klub here in vegas (which shall remain nameless) has cancelled a gig on me stating that my music format/style doesn't work with their klub. I have dj-ed at this klub 5 times this year and now decided cancel all my upcoming gigs. This club is a well known Goth / Industrial klub here in LAS VEGAS. Last gig I had people keep asking me for songs which are about 7 years overplayed (and that every other dj has overplayed) and because I didn't play them I got shit talked. Vegas is a weird scene as is and a tough crowd in the gothic/industrial scene to please! I am trying to introduce new/upcoming/underground music and not play the same old overplayed songs that every other gothic/industrial dj does in our scene. I also not a fan of playing a song from start to finish then changing because I feel thats not really DJing (which is what a lot of them do). I like to know what am I doing wrong? Are my songs bad choices? Am i playing them too long? Am I cutting them too short? Is the BPM mix/blending f**ked up? some body tell me ! NOTE: Las Vegas DJ's need not comment.
http://soundcloud.com/lvdjkarnage/germany-ebm-electro-industrial
http://soundcloud.com/lvdjkarnage/june-2011-ebm-mix-part1
Inviato Tue 12 Jul 11 @ 12:01 pm
pst65
Hello and greetings from Germany!
I listened to the Germany Mix, and seriously... Had I been at a club where I payed money to get in, I'd have left after these 16 minutes, wanting my money back.
Squashing 9 different songs into 16 minutes, that's an average of less than 2 minutes per song. This is not a mix, it's a medley. And mixing in the next song in the middle of a verse? Really? On the first track, SITD - Hurt, you didn't even let it play to at least the chorus, you just randomly mixed in Centhron - WK III.
Which was btw a key switch from Fm to F#m (at least that's what I see in VDJ). Ouch. No go.
Unfortunately beatmatching is not everything, looks like there is some more homework for you to do.
I listened to the Germany Mix, and seriously... Had I been at a club where I payed money to get in, I'd have left after these 16 minutes, wanting my money back.
Squashing 9 different songs into 16 minutes, that's an average of less than 2 minutes per song. This is not a mix, it's a medley. And mixing in the next song in the middle of a verse? Really? On the first track, SITD - Hurt, you didn't even let it play to at least the chorus, you just randomly mixed in Centhron - WK III.
Which was btw a key switch from Fm to F#m (at least that's what I see in VDJ). Ouch. No go.
Unfortunately beatmatching is not everything, looks like there is some more homework for you to do.
Inviato Fri 15 Jul 11 @ 7:55 am
dj-unknown69
@ PST....
OK i appreciate your opinion but you don't half to be rude about it. I was ONLY asking for kind constructive cristicism.
anyways well seems like you know more than I do and if so instead of slamming me why don't you give me advice to help me! Like what would you recommend I do!
Anyways I have become aware that i do mix my songs way too fast. Have a listen to this mix and tell me what you think and please kind about your constructive criticism.
http://www.mediafire.com/?h1u9gjtzfa9wsae
OK i appreciate your opinion but you don't half to be rude about it. I was ONLY asking for kind constructive cristicism.
anyways well seems like you know more than I do and if so instead of slamming me why don't you give me advice to help me! Like what would you recommend I do!
Anyways I have become aware that i do mix my songs way too fast. Have a listen to this mix and tell me what you think and please kind about your constructive criticism.
http://www.mediafire.com/?h1u9gjtzfa9wsae
Inviato Mon 18 Jul 11 @ 2:13 pm
Blulite
what pst said, is constructive, what better criticism can you recieve than the truth. the music you play belongs in an underground alternative venue.
a lot of your transitions were really rough and very sudden, there was no harmonic fusion involved at all, in all honesty when playing at a venue, you have to cater not for yourself but for the crowd. let me ask you this, how many people in Vegas are into the same music scene as you compared to the mainstrean scene?
my guess is, not a great deal.
jamming a beat in with little to no volume leveling is nothing less than a disaster. a train wreck.
it is my suggestion that you read up a lot on harmonic mixing and learn to under mix without the use of headphones. learning to mix without the use of headphones does several things, trains your ear, allows you to hear what the crowd would be hearing, teaches you the difference between key changes, volume levels, track structures and more importantly EQ's.
another thing im sure i noticed, is a sample of a hitler speech in there somewhere, truly, do you believe this will go down well in most clubs. people dont want to hear pumped up thrash meatl that is full of suicidal and racist content. if i wanted to enjoy muself i would certainly NOT attend one of your sessions unless i was headed to a genre specific event.
from what i hear your main problems are timing, harmonics, volume leveling and EQ usage. which in all honesty are some of the the most important techniques you need to learn and master.
i know just by listening to your mix that you are using the cross fader to mix and not working enough on your equalisation to smooth out the transition. cueing up the first beat then slamming in your fader and play button at your chosen point isnt a good way to mix.
as i said before, practice without headphones and you will pick up on mistakes and bad habits a lot better. master harmonics, select your tracks carefully and be sure they are within the correct key range and tempo. you need keytones to be within 1 semitone range of each other unless you want to build up the energy of the set, in which case you can take it 2 semitones. as for tempo, you need to try and keep the bpm's as close as you can to a match, and no more than 5bpm difference unless you can pull off a really good harmonic mix that is worth noticing.
the crowd will notice big changes in tempo and if the change doesnt end with something they like then the dancefloor is going to empty.
anyway, enough of my babble....in closing, you have a lot to learn and master before your skills will be recognised. im not perfect and still have a lot to practice and learn myself, as do pretty much all dj's. just dont be def to your own faults. notice them, embrace them and improve them.
peace...
http://www.harmonic-mixing.com/
a lot of your transitions were really rough and very sudden, there was no harmonic fusion involved at all, in all honesty when playing at a venue, you have to cater not for yourself but for the crowd. let me ask you this, how many people in Vegas are into the same music scene as you compared to the mainstrean scene?
my guess is, not a great deal.
jamming a beat in with little to no volume leveling is nothing less than a disaster. a train wreck.
it is my suggestion that you read up a lot on harmonic mixing and learn to under mix without the use of headphones. learning to mix without the use of headphones does several things, trains your ear, allows you to hear what the crowd would be hearing, teaches you the difference between key changes, volume levels, track structures and more importantly EQ's.
another thing im sure i noticed, is a sample of a hitler speech in there somewhere, truly, do you believe this will go down well in most clubs. people dont want to hear pumped up thrash meatl that is full of suicidal and racist content. if i wanted to enjoy muself i would certainly NOT attend one of your sessions unless i was headed to a genre specific event.
from what i hear your main problems are timing, harmonics, volume leveling and EQ usage. which in all honesty are some of the the most important techniques you need to learn and master.
i know just by listening to your mix that you are using the cross fader to mix and not working enough on your equalisation to smooth out the transition. cueing up the first beat then slamming in your fader and play button at your chosen point isnt a good way to mix.
as i said before, practice without headphones and you will pick up on mistakes and bad habits a lot better. master harmonics, select your tracks carefully and be sure they are within the correct key range and tempo. you need keytones to be within 1 semitone range of each other unless you want to build up the energy of the set, in which case you can take it 2 semitones. as for tempo, you need to try and keep the bpm's as close as you can to a match, and no more than 5bpm difference unless you can pull off a really good harmonic mix that is worth noticing.
the crowd will notice big changes in tempo and if the change doesnt end with something they like then the dancefloor is going to empty.
anyway, enough of my babble....in closing, you have a lot to learn and master before your skills will be recognised. im not perfect and still have a lot to practice and learn myself, as do pretty much all dj's. just dont be def to your own faults. notice them, embrace them and improve them.
peace...
http://www.harmonic-mixing.com/
Inviato Mon 18 Jul 11 @ 3:19 pm
dj-unknown69
Blulite - IDK what you are trying to prove about crisitcizing the genre I play but yes my music is indeed intended for those kind of clubs where ONLY EBM/Aggrotech is played! I am of hispanic heritage and I understand where music is coming from so NO i am certainly NOT trying to be racist so that my friend YOU ARE WRONG about that! (NOT trying to be rude here but thats the TRUTH) !
Yes a lot of people in vegas are NOT into this style of music but hey you always got to start small and somewhere and work your way up like all DJ's do!
Imo if all DJ's had the same style and nobody tried anything new then everybody would sound the same and get boring after awhile and new things wouldn't happen.
Anyways I read up upon your little harmonic mixing technique and will practice it. btw if you are such an expert why don't you give me a guide on how to do volume leveling and eq usage ?
Yes a lot of people in vegas are NOT into this style of music but hey you always got to start small and somewhere and work your way up like all DJ's do!
Imo if all DJ's had the same style and nobody tried anything new then everybody would sound the same and get boring after awhile and new things wouldn't happen.
Anyways I read up upon your little harmonic mixing technique and will practice it. btw if you are such an expert why don't you give me a guide on how to do volume leveling and eq usage ?
Inviato Mon 18 Jul 11 @ 4:06 pm
pst65
"Anyways I read up upon your little harmonic mixing technique and will practice it."
It's not anyones 'little technique', it's simply essential. If you understand where music comes from, you should have heard it yourself, that something sounds wrong in your mixes when the harmonics don't match.
"btw if you are such an expert why don't you give me a guide on how to do volume leveling and eq usage ? "
Ehm... maybe because just a little research would show you that there ARE already tons and tons of guides out there? You are posting in the Forum 'Mix lessons', it's full of very helpful advice... like this thread for example: http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/6288/Mix_lessons/DJ_MIXING___basic_-_advanced_-_pro.html
But careful, you might find a lot more experts there...
It's not anyones 'little technique', it's simply essential. If you understand where music comes from, you should have heard it yourself, that something sounds wrong in your mixes when the harmonics don't match.
"btw if you are such an expert why don't you give me a guide on how to do volume leveling and eq usage ? "
Ehm... maybe because just a little research would show you that there ARE already tons and tons of guides out there? You are posting in the Forum 'Mix lessons', it's full of very helpful advice... like this thread for example: http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/6288/Mix_lessons/DJ_MIXING___basic_-_advanced_-_pro.html
But careful, you might find a lot more experts there...
Inviato Mon 18 Jul 11 @ 11:49 pm
jboerlage
@dj-unknown69
You asked for comments and you are getting them. Dont attack the people who give them, anyone taking the time to comment on your mixes is taking their time to help you, out of best will, not to put you down. It helps in general to think about what people say before jumping on them in defense.
You've choosen such an intersting style to play with and yet you manage to make not only your songs short but also your 'mixed parts', litteraly bumping from one record to the other after a short time. This isnt really mixing, its back to back blending.
Mixing is all about playing multiple songs together creating a new experiance for your listeners out of the songs you mix. Especially this music, with its rawness, freaky samples is ideal to use to create a unique trip. And you might hate all the 'oldies' but apperently the audience doesnt. But why not refresh the oldies by mixing it with new songs. And as stated multiple times before, you can only do this if you master harmonic mixing, think about patterns, and build up. Than your mixes will sound like it was 'meant to be' as if 'one song'.
As example for harmonic mixing, listen to these individual songs
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQIZWImGZ9M
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x7aEKiFVTo
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bdeizHM9OU
And now listen to what happens if you mix these three together all in the same key: http://i.mixcloud.com/CUycG
From 0-1:20 Song 1 alone
1:20 - 3:18 Song 1 & 2 together
3:18 - 4:20 Song 2 alone
4:20 - 5:54 end Song 2 & 3 together
You notice it becomes a whole new experience? The Guitars with the rap and the rock drum with the Zef beats of Die Antwoord. Also notice how the patterns are all synced? for example on 5:25 the drums kicking in entirely in sync with the chorus.
Let me give you some other examples on a mix that might be your taste, its pretty dark dub- psystep, but notice how long the mixe time is andhow fluwently the songs progress into eachother.
Open this one: http://i.mixcloud.com/C3ov9
example 1: Intro of Juno Reactor is relative slow and long. It sets the atmosphere, take your time for this. The mix starts at 4.25 with the loud snare, next song is dubstep, so I need a drop to change the genre. this happens 5:30, a whole minute later.
example 2: Jabba -> M.A.D. -> ExMen. At 12:10 M.A.D starts mixing into Jabba, building up and taking over at 12:40, but Jabba's not gone yet. It says goodbye at 13:20. ExMen kicks in at 14:00, recognizable at 14:30 and takes over at 14:55. As you can seen pretty short tunes as you do but one fluent movement with long mixed period
So.. best tips:
1- listen to others, to their music, to their comments and let it alll sink in..
2- Yes, harmonic mixing is your friend
As a last tip:
Listen to this Japanese DJ, he is pretty masterfull in creating an atmophere: http://www.mixcloud.com/keit4min/
Good luck!
You asked for comments and you are getting them. Dont attack the people who give them, anyone taking the time to comment on your mixes is taking their time to help you, out of best will, not to put you down. It helps in general to think about what people say before jumping on them in defense.
You've choosen such an intersting style to play with and yet you manage to make not only your songs short but also your 'mixed parts', litteraly bumping from one record to the other after a short time. This isnt really mixing, its back to back blending.
Mixing is all about playing multiple songs together creating a new experiance for your listeners out of the songs you mix. Especially this music, with its rawness, freaky samples is ideal to use to create a unique trip. And you might hate all the 'oldies' but apperently the audience doesnt. But why not refresh the oldies by mixing it with new songs. And as stated multiple times before, you can only do this if you master harmonic mixing, think about patterns, and build up. Than your mixes will sound like it was 'meant to be' as if 'one song'.
As example for harmonic mixing, listen to these individual songs
1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQIZWImGZ9M
2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x7aEKiFVTo
3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bdeizHM9OU
And now listen to what happens if you mix these three together all in the same key: http://i.mixcloud.com/CUycG
From 0-1:20 Song 1 alone
1:20 - 3:18 Song 1 & 2 together
3:18 - 4:20 Song 2 alone
4:20 - 5:54 end Song 2 & 3 together
You notice it becomes a whole new experience? The Guitars with the rap and the rock drum with the Zef beats of Die Antwoord. Also notice how the patterns are all synced? for example on 5:25 the drums kicking in entirely in sync with the chorus.
Let me give you some other examples on a mix that might be your taste, its pretty dark dub- psystep, but notice how long the mixe time is andhow fluwently the songs progress into eachother.
Open this one: http://i.mixcloud.com/C3ov9
example 1: Intro of Juno Reactor is relative slow and long. It sets the atmosphere, take your time for this. The mix starts at 4.25 with the loud snare, next song is dubstep, so I need a drop to change the genre. this happens 5:30, a whole minute later.
example 2: Jabba -> M.A.D. -> ExMen. At 12:10 M.A.D starts mixing into Jabba, building up and taking over at 12:40, but Jabba's not gone yet. It says goodbye at 13:20. ExMen kicks in at 14:00, recognizable at 14:30 and takes over at 14:55. As you can seen pretty short tunes as you do but one fluent movement with long mixed period
So.. best tips:
1- listen to others, to their music, to their comments and let it alll sink in..
2- Yes, harmonic mixing is your friend
As a last tip:
Listen to this Japanese DJ, he is pretty masterfull in creating an atmophere: http://www.mixcloud.com/keit4min/
Good luck!
Inviato Tue 19 Jul 11 @ 6:54 am
dj-unknown69
@ jboerlage - Well I wasn't trying to be defensive at first. I do admit maybe I have took the comments the wrong way but people should at least be like "NO OFFENSE" but i didn't even get that courtesy! I was asking for HELP not for attacks! Unless you people don't like seeing other DJ's get better?
As far as Harmonic mixing is concerned the funny thing is NOBODY and I mean NOBODY until you guys started posting had literally mentioned harmonic mixing to me until this day! No DJ i know of that plays EBM has mentioned Harmonic mixing to me. After reading these posts yesterday I asked a few of my friends who also play EBM about harmonic mixing and they don't know a thing about it! I also have lots of friends who DJ to music like Reggaeton, Cumbia, Merengue, Salsa, and even Latin House and they also have NEVER mentioned Harmonic mixing to me.
So excuse me if I am ignorant on the subject but NOBODY until you guys has ever brought this to my attention.
The usual advice I am always given is "work on bringing the songs in/out " and I am also told a lot "you will never get better unless you play in front of a crowd and know how to work them" . Am I getting advice from the wrong people? If so TELL ME!
Whats the best way to get started with harmonic mixing?
As far as Harmonic mixing is concerned the funny thing is NOBODY and I mean NOBODY until you guys started posting had literally mentioned harmonic mixing to me until this day! No DJ i know of that plays EBM has mentioned Harmonic mixing to me. After reading these posts yesterday I asked a few of my friends who also play EBM about harmonic mixing and they don't know a thing about it! I also have lots of friends who DJ to music like Reggaeton, Cumbia, Merengue, Salsa, and even Latin House and they also have NEVER mentioned Harmonic mixing to me.
So excuse me if I am ignorant on the subject but NOBODY until you guys has ever brought this to my attention.
The usual advice I am always given is "work on bringing the songs in/out " and I am also told a lot "you will never get better unless you play in front of a crowd and know how to work them" . Am I getting advice from the wrong people? If so TELL ME!
Whats the best way to get started with harmonic mixing?
Inviato Tue 19 Jul 11 @ 11:32 am
jboerlage
@dj-unknown69
Harmonic mixing used to a bitch since you'd have to figure out the key of all your records and the pitch of a non digital device changes with the speed change anyways. Nevertheless various DJ's used it and just prepared their sets and records allot.
When using digital technology like virtualDJ this info becomes instantly available to you. Making more complex and better sounding mixes possible.
You need two things.. good musical understanding of build up and harmonics.
As allready mentioned by pst65, this thread is worth FULLY reading http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/6288/Mix_lessons/DJ_MIXING___basic_-_advanced_-_pro.html
Aditionally both Blulite and me wrote some guides on build up and harmonics in this thread: http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/149144/Mix_lessons/Sync_Button.html
Now for harmonics, Blulite allready gave you the best link possible: http://www.harmonic-mixing.com/
Good luck
Harmonic mixing used to a bitch since you'd have to figure out the key of all your records and the pitch of a non digital device changes with the speed change anyways. Nevertheless various DJ's used it and just prepared their sets and records allot.
When using digital technology like virtualDJ this info becomes instantly available to you. Making more complex and better sounding mixes possible.
You need two things.. good musical understanding of build up and harmonics.
As allready mentioned by pst65, this thread is worth FULLY reading http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/6288/Mix_lessons/DJ_MIXING___basic_-_advanced_-_pro.html
Aditionally both Blulite and me wrote some guides on build up and harmonics in this thread: http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/149144/Mix_lessons/Sync_Button.html
Now for harmonics, Blulite allready gave you the best link possible: http://www.harmonic-mixing.com/
Good luck
Inviato Tue 19 Jul 11 @ 12:00 pm
Blulite
dj-unknown69 wrote :
Blulite - IDK what you are trying to prove about crisitcizing the genre I play
Anyways I read up upon your little harmonic mixing technique and will practice it. btw if you are such an expert why don't you give me a guide on how to do volume leveling and eq usage ?
Anyways I read up upon your little harmonic mixing technique and will practice it. btw if you are such an expert why don't you give me a guide on how to do volume leveling and eq usage ?
ok, firstly im not critisizing your genre, second im not trying to prove anything. i dont need to. its been proven time and time again, year after year, that to be a successfull dj you have to cater for all genres. being a dj isnt about playing one type of music just because you like it. its about being versatile and able to cater for any crowd. i personally aint that into mainstream, but i still play , mix and remix it.
simply because it makes peoples experience much more fun. i just have to slip in some tracks that i like. if im djaying a party where people are into the same genres as me then ill jump straight in with the techno or happy hadrcore or makina. if not, i build up the atmosphere with mainstream then house then some techno, maybe onto jumpstyle and into makina then onto hardcore if i feel thats the way to go. the thing is if i got to house music and the corwd were feeding from it then id stay with house untill i felt the crowd wasnt as interested as they were. then i turn it up a notch.
im not an expert, but i do seem to have a whole lot more knowledge about music and djaying in general than yourself. i spend a huge amount of time on the forums helping people like yourself who ask for advice and help. ive helped a great deal of people and taught people a lot of various techniques and skills.
passing on knowledge is one thing, but the recipient has to be open to criticisms of any sort. the biggest cirtics you will ever encounter are the people you perform for, and the club managers. (which btw didnt want you to play at their club, just think about that for a second).
if the people you know, dont know about harmoinc mixing, then they arent very good djays. any dj/producer who has a real knowledge of music and of the job, will rely heavily on harmonics an undermixing, looping, sampling, eq usage, voume leveling, timing, beat matching, beat counting, scratching, dropping and all kinds of other techniques i cant really be bothered to list as theres a huge amount. they rely on a full ranged arsenal of skills to perforem their job correctly.
would a carmenter try to do their job without a full set of tools?? no.. then why try to dj without a full set of tools? your skills are your tools. without constant advancement in your knowledge then you will never advance as a dj. working your way up doesnt happen if you dont work on your skills.
as already pointed out, ive wrote guides already covering a wide range of subjects. so if you really want me to write guides, then i first suggest you read the other guides ive wrote already in various threads. if theres no info or guide that covers a specific technique, then i will gladly do my best to provide you with as much info as i can based on my colllective knowledge.
please know that we are not trying to attack you in any way, al members here have at some time been throught the mills as you are now. strong criticisms are the best.
no one here will say "oh man your a great dj you should be huge" when the truth is you have issues. just as everyone else here has issues. no one is perfect, but you have to be willing to tear down your entire tool kit and clean it up before rebuilding it to be better than before.
Inviato Tue 19 Jul 11 @ 4:53 pm
Blulite
jboerlage wrote :
Aditionally both Blulite and me wrote some guides on build up and harmonics in this thread: http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/149144/Mix_lessons/Sync_Button.html
i was looking for this the other day. i was thinking i whould gather together all my informative posts and put them in my blog. at least that way i can point people to it if they ask a question thats relevent. its good to be working alongside you again.
Inviato Tue 19 Jul 11 @ 4:56 pm
synthet1c
you just need to do a google search for "blulite vdj forum" that is the only way to search for a post by an author <end of off topic discussion> LOL
Inviato Tue 19 Jul 11 @ 5:04 pm
Blulite
dj-unknown69 wrote :
As far as Harmonic mixing is concerned the funny thing is NOBODY and I mean NOBODY until you guys started posting had literally mentioned harmonic mixing to me until this day! No DJ i know of that plays EBM has mentioned Harmonic mixing to me. After reading these posts yesterday I asked a few of my friends who also play EBM about harmonic mixing and they don't know a thing about it! I also have lots of friends who DJ to music like Reggaeton, Cumbia, Merengue, Salsa, and even Latin House and they also have NEVER mentioned Harmonic mixing to me.
So excuse me if I am ignorant on the subject but NOBODY until you guys has ever brought this to my attention.
So excuse me if I am ignorant on the subject but NOBODY until you guys has ever brought this to my attention.
wow, its a shame this knowledge wasnt passed onto you before now. harmonics make transitions and set flow a whole lot smoother.
dj-unknown69 wrote :
The usual advice I am always given is "work on bringing the songs in/out " and I am also told a lot "you will never get better unless you play in front of a crowd and know how to work them" . Am I getting advice from the wrong people? If so TELL ME!
yes, you are recieving the wrong advice. bringing songs in and out isnt even a description of how to mix or of any technique used for "transitioning", which is the correct term for bring songs in and out. we will help you with some real knowledge that will advance your skills at a much faster rate and improves your mixing tenfold.
dj-unknown69 wrote :
Whats the best way to get started with harmonic mixing?
firstly, read through the info on the harmonic mixing site. anything you dont understand just ask here on this thread. me and jb will provide you with real answers and explainations.
next you need to scan your entire music collection for bpms, to build your database so it contains harmoinc keys. also try to study the camelot wheel as much as you can. i added it to my desktp background so i can revise it as much as possible.
once you have some understanding of how harmonics work, try to put them into practice with your mixing.
after that you need to work on undermixing, volume levelling etc. which again we will help you with as best as possible.
Inviato Tue 19 Jul 11 @ 5:09 pm
Blulite
synthet1c wrote :
you just need to do a google search for "blulite vdj forum" that is the only way to search for a post by an author <end of off topic discussion> LOL
does this work for posts in threads that i contributed to as well as authored?
Inviato Tue 19 Jul 11 @ 5:11 pm
jboerlage
And now.. we say goodnight to this topic.. and wait for a new mix of dj-unknown69 that shows out writing was not in vain
Inviato Tue 19 Jul 11 @ 5:37 pm
synthet1c
@blu <continue off topic discussion> LOL actually it doesn't search by author it's by poster, so it will be eveerything you have ever posted..
Inviato Tue 19 Jul 11 @ 6:50 pm
dj-unknown69
Ok guys I been practicing harmonic mixing a lot and I do notice the difference. however I must say it does make putting my playlists together a little more difficult. Is that normal?
Another question while using the harmonic scale to mix say Bachata music....
Lets say I play a bunch of songs that are between 130-133 bpm and all the songs are in keys ( 7a,8a,9a) and to make a good transition is it ok every now and then to blend a song A (which is 133 bpm but in key 7a) to song b (which is 133 bpm but the in key 5a) ? is that ok to do every now and then as long as i am not jumping say 5a-9a-6a-1a ?
another way of asking this is , is it ok to blend songs in a set like this.... 6a-6a-7a-8a-8a-9a-8a-7a-3a ? all songs have the same bpm though !
BTW.... I can't believe that guys who DJ here in Las Vegas in big clubs like Blue Martini, The Mayan, The M, Diegos, and Nu Santactuary have told me that they know NOTHING about Harmonic mixing! I am wondering how these guys even land these positions if you guys are telling me that harmonic mixing is essential and universal
Inviato Thu 21 Jul 11 @ 1:58 pm
jboerlage
@dj-unknown69
The rules are simple.. either +1 or -1
and if you want to get an 'energy boost' work your way to a climax and drop in a record 2 semitones higher (immediately killing the other record)
The rules are simple.. either +1 or -1
and if you want to get an 'energy boost' work your way to a climax and drop in a record 2 semitones higher (immediately killing the other record)
Inviato Thu 21 Jul 11 @ 2:10 pm
Blulite
it is perfectly fine to transiton from 7a to 5a but this will produce quite a noticable drop in the energy of the mix.
increase or decrease of 2 semitones i would only recomend if you want to increas or lower the energy. however, if you transition from 7a - 6a - 5a it will be a smooth flowing transition and wont be as noticable.
yes, it is perfectly normal for track selection to be hard. track selection is one of the most important parts of creating a good experience for the crowd. sometimes i spend a full day looking for just the right track to blend with another. when using harmoinc mixing you become accustomed to the difficulties of selection. on the other hand you will notice you start to take more notice of whats in your collection and whas good to blend.
there are a huge amount of benefits from learning to mix the right way. you will find harmonic mixing doesnt just stop with blending of keytones, it also transitions into other aspects of you technical abilities such as sampling, scratching, dropping, remixing and even down to fx.
6a-6a-7a-8a-8a-9a-8a-7a-3a ? this pattern would be ok if you took out the 3a such a dramatic change in key will kill the flow completely. personally i try to work a set so i can start from lower keys and move up the scale. once i get to say 12a then i will either go to 1a to bring the crowd down a level or go back down the scale. i try to avoid going from 12a - 1a - 2a i try to increase by 2 semitones f i get all the way round the scale. so i would go from 12 - 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 9 etc. so theres that big build up of energy that gets the crowd rushing.
how you work the scale is entirely up to you. just try to always keep to the rules. on occasion you can get away with several more seimtones but it has to be on a break down and with a drop, i find however that it has to be pre planned and well practiced to make it a success.
on the other vegas dj's if they have never heard of or used harmoic mixing then i too wonder how they get their gigs. just grbbing tracks and dumpng them in randomly is in my opinion "complete trash.
increase or decrease of 2 semitones i would only recomend if you want to increas or lower the energy. however, if you transition from 7a - 6a - 5a it will be a smooth flowing transition and wont be as noticable.
yes, it is perfectly normal for track selection to be hard. track selection is one of the most important parts of creating a good experience for the crowd. sometimes i spend a full day looking for just the right track to blend with another. when using harmoinc mixing you become accustomed to the difficulties of selection. on the other hand you will notice you start to take more notice of whats in your collection and whas good to blend.
there are a huge amount of benefits from learning to mix the right way. you will find harmonic mixing doesnt just stop with blending of keytones, it also transitions into other aspects of you technical abilities such as sampling, scratching, dropping, remixing and even down to fx.
6a-6a-7a-8a-8a-9a-8a-7a-3a ? this pattern would be ok if you took out the 3a such a dramatic change in key will kill the flow completely. personally i try to work a set so i can start from lower keys and move up the scale. once i get to say 12a then i will either go to 1a to bring the crowd down a level or go back down the scale. i try to avoid going from 12a - 1a - 2a i try to increase by 2 semitones f i get all the way round the scale. so i would go from 12 - 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 9 etc. so theres that big build up of energy that gets the crowd rushing.
how you work the scale is entirely up to you. just try to always keep to the rules. on occasion you can get away with several more seimtones but it has to be on a break down and with a drop, i find however that it has to be pre planned and well practiced to make it a success.
on the other vegas dj's if they have never heard of or used harmoic mixing then i too wonder how they get their gigs. just grbbing tracks and dumpng them in randomly is in my opinion "complete trash.
Inviato Thu 21 Jul 11 @ 3:13 pm
Blulite
just wondered if you have anupdate on how your getting on with the whole harmonics and track selection?
Inviato Mon 25 Jul 11 @ 1:00 pm
