djing the 1st drop VS djing the 2nd drop in EDM music.. read on..

[lip5016]

hey guys, so lately i've been doing some thinking as to why some of my mixes haven't been sounding as great as i want them to..

i typically drop the 1st drop in EDM songs (assuming standard structure, with a given song having 2 drops, and the 2nd drop being a basic mirror of the 1st drop, usually with 1 or 2 extra things "added")

what i've noticed more recently (more so paid attention to, rather than simply noticing), is that after the 2nd drop, the song begins the outro (vocals are gone, and it's basically the beginning 30-45 seconds of the song, but in reverse, just fading out)..

could it be that my mixes don't have such perfect flow bc i'm dropping the song at the 1st drop, and then doing my outro into the middle instrumental, VS dropping the song at the 2nd drop, and allowing the song to enter it's minimalistic "outro" phase?

i hope i've been clear in explaining myself, please give me feedback as to what you other EDM dj's are using as common practice.. thanks!

[firebr4nd]

Try playing your big tunes out, let them get through both drops. If you're playing electro or progressive house, throw some vocals over your instrumental tracks too if they get boring. You can make some nice mashups in ableton beforehand too if you're well versed enough.

[CBRadi0]

try harmonic mixing to better build up the mood of your mix

[DJ Asand]

While song A is in its build up into the second drop, mix in the build-up of song B. This= double build up, then you can leave both songs running for a mashup, or fade out song A at the drop of song B.

[ZxZDeViLZxZ]

*note a lot of stuff below turned into a rant* sorry in advance


Umm dropping on first drop means real tweaking and mastery f eq and a lot honestly I would loose the add and try mixing on second drop and then when your synths end on the outro is when your synths need to start building on the second track.... But this all depends on kind of set doing...

I have done 45 minute house/electro sets with atleast 2 tracks playing at anytime and upto 4 this requires a enormouse amount of attention to levels and eqing also have good filters/isolators can make this even more dynamic but again enormous amount of attention to levels and making sure nothing gets muddy.

If your usin Ableton you can do stuff like this easier and more effectively from what I know however I refuse to learn how to run a dj set though Ableton... Sorry Ableton is doing the same thing people would do in the mid to late 90s in acid ala a sequenced set which is hardly the same as a dj set. Maybe it's my snobbery