Do you beatmatch manually or sync?

[drewjonn]

I just started with a controller (can't afford a nice CDJ). No, I'm not judging anyone and starts enjoying the syncing feature. Should I proceed or try to beatmatch with ear? It's the hardest thing I've learned so far. Effects and even beat juggling ain't as difficult.

[ImNotDedYet]

Having started out with sync and moving to vinyl and manaul beatmatching, I think it's a nice skill to have in your bag to beatmatch manually, and I think your mixes if you use sync would be better having learned to beatmatch manually. But at the end of the day, if your track selection, flow and mix is good - it's good whether you've beatmatched manually or sync.

[bc6]

Personally I like the sync feature I tend to use it when Im making recordings but hell were all human and screw up every once and a while. I try to not to use sync often and sometimes I do very well with out it sometimes I suck lol.

[keithace]

(Please don't let this thread go down the rabbit hole)

Iearned on vinyl 20 years ago and moved to sync about 4 years ago...I just moved to DVS and I miss the interaction with the music that beat matching forces you to do...my suggestion is to learn both so you can play on any rig any time...

[Kwal]

(Please don't let this thread go down the rabbot hole)

Iearned on vinyl 20 years ago and moved to sync about 4 years ago...I just moved to DVS and I miss the interaction with the music that beat matching forces you to do...my suggestion is to learn both so you can play on any rig any time...

Absolutely agree with your last statement. I manually beatmatch all the time when I spin but I do have a lot of fun mixing with 2 X1's using sync. Beat nudging on those pisses me off lol. All in all I say learn to beat match just in case you find yourself in a situation where you may look like a noob in front of a lot of people.

[TonyRome]

+2... learn both, but definitely learn to beat match manually. There WILL be circumstances where sync or beat grids don't cooperate and you will have to know how to mix manually. I have it happen to me at least once every few gigs... some due to bad beat grids or tracks that change tempo/poorly timed, and others because the tracks are old disco/funk style stuff that requires the ability to ride the pitch or bend.
it will also make you better over all when you know how to match manually because it helps with your timing a bit... makes everything flow easier for you if your ear is trained to stay in sync.

[deevey]

Is it worth learning ? - IMHO yes, its worth learning and its not that its that "difficult". It forces you to learn timing and phrasing far more consistently as you don't have the get-out-of-jail free card anymore.

Even if you don't learn to beat match, you should at least learn how to use the numbers, cue and bend rather than relying only on hotcues, beat jump.

Sync is a tool, and there to give open possibilities and make life more convenient. Its a bit like using a power tools to build a house -
you don't want the work to stop on it just because theres a brownout ?

Personally I do both just because it helps keeps the senses sharp, and I dislike idle hands - theres not much to do at a solo gig at opening time and no-one else around to chinwag with

[Kwal]

Is it worth learning ? - IMHO yes, its worth learning and its not that its that "difficult".

Very true, phrasing and learning song structure is a huge must. A lot of my friends sync and their mixing is technically on beat but they can't match phrases and harmonically blend too good.

[John Caine]

Their all right,

Also depends on what you want, I use a combination of both - when i'm mixing to base heavy or "beat" songs, i use sync to make sure the transition is smooth, but when I mix in acapella's I use manual as the beatgrid is generally off and harmonics/ sound is better.

So my input is know how to beatmatch manually, but don't be to afraid of the sync button. they do the job!

John C

[teknik1200]

manual, it's second nature and sync'd sets sound to sterile (assuming the dj even runs mixes out). you get natural phasing effects from things just a little off. I primarily play vinyl but with cdjs and a bpm readout the mix starts nearly dead on before even starting to match them.. I don't see the point in sync, and when things are sync locked if a track has a bad beat grid that sucker is gonna wreck and you wont be able to save it.

I see it happen around town sometimes the DJ doesn't know what to do to correct things and the look of shock is priceless.