The only way you are going to get better and beatmatching is practice. Do you have any friends that have a cdj setup that you could spend a few hours on ? It's really not that hard once you get the hang of it tbh.
Dance music mostly works in bars of 32 so remember to keep a mental note of this.
Regarding beatmatching in general, practicing is the only option you have, like the others said. But since you're in it for the fun that shouldn't matter, because practicing is fun and finally being able to beatmatch by ear is a really good feeling...
Regarding your gig, on the other hand, I'd like to point you to the following tutorial, that show's you how to beatmatch your tracks utilizing the BPM Display on Pioneer CDJs.
The CDJ 350s offer the same +/- 6% pitch range (and accuracy) as the 2000s, and they also have the BPM display with the first decimal of the BPM showing, so the trick should work just like in the video.
Have fun and good luck!
How do you beat match currently?
As soon as you press play/release the vinyl, manipulate the platter/jog wheel with your fingers to keep the two tunes together and in time. And as you do that, move the pitch fader up and down accordingly. ↑ for slower, ↓ for faster. If the tune is going very fast ahead of the other tune, move the pitch fader a further distance than you would say if the tune wasn't going out of time as quickly.
A good tip to try is if you have two tunes, (one playing out loud e.g. to the crowd and the other in your headphones) pitch the incoming tune way down so that you know it's going to be slower than the current tune that's playing out loud. So it's guaranteed that you're going to have to nudge the wheel/platter forward to get it in time.
Pioneer DJM 700 / Traktor Kontrol X1 / 2 x Technics SL1200MK5 / Traktor Scratch Pro 2.6.7 / Ortofon Concorde Nightclub MK1
Audio 8 DJ / Sennheiser HD 25-1 II / Magma Traveler / IsoAcoustics ISO-L8R155 / KRK RP6 G2 / Vinyl
All good tips! Just have fun dude, it's a house party with friends, one of the only places that you can all have a laugh when you trainwreck. No stress, no pressure, take it as a learning exercise.
Im not too familiar with your culture, man. but usually if your really nervous, just grab one drink (ONLY ONE THOUGH). But if that's not your thing than just alot of practice is all i can stress.
Why not try mapping some of the controls of VDJ to your computer keyboard. Like play pause, and pitch bend to you can get the hang of beatmatching tracks.
This is actually awesome that you have no access to any type of syncing. Your about to learn the right way.
And its pretty cool that your doing a 5 hour set, with the market flooded with djs these days, its hard to get on the decks for an hour. You should REALLY be able to hit your stride in 5 hours.
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