Techniques to make your mix feel more consistent

**bobalandi** · 01-17-2012, 12:03 AM

Originally Posted by lucidstrings

Make sure when one tracks "main" part ends the new track "main" part is beginning alot comes down to timing. Sorry tried to explain as straight forward as possible... What genre are your mixing?

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Mostly top 40 music, with some house and such.

Also, I'm going to second rcs1113, a guide on mixing his and mids would be super helpful.

**ZxZDeViLZxZ** · 01-17-2012, 12:03 AM

With waveforms visual is great using traktor you learn to gauge when the time is right by eyeing it. I can consistently mix unknown tracks this way for hours without missing it... But I have been djing for over 15 years this likely helps.

What I mean is ever white/gray bar is 1minute gauge where the ontro of the song starts then on incoming track see where the intro ends and the track starts moving(usuall bass drops or drums progress) can be seen in waveform overview underneath. You want to match these that when the track playing ends the tack mixing starts.
This 100% improves your sets.

This used to be harder to do before the invention of DVs where you can see waveforms. Used to take knowing your tracks although my friends and I used to swear could read on vinyl lol. But no you get the point I think.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe what op wanted to know

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**keithace** · 01-17-2012, 12:05 AM

when the previous song has an obvious change towards the end...memo to self...

when the next song has an obvious change towards the front...memo to self...

line up the memos...

rinse...repeat...

(i write down and mark times on a little notepad...sooner or later they are implanted in my head...i also read the wav forms for times and changes...)

**ZxZDeViLZxZ** · 01-17-2012, 12:07 AM

Eq's use your ears I mean usually you don't want the track your mixing in balls deep on the eq you want to ride them in slowly and out slowly. If you want to plays 2 tracks same time your gonna have to cut each track and blend the sounds with the eq's make sure you keep your hats under control as they get whacked quickly at times

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**ZxZDeViLZxZ** · 01-17-2012, 12:11 AM

The biggest thing is timing if your tracks are hitting mid way through a 64 bar sequence it won't sound the same as they are meeting spot on. I use extensive use Of the loop function at 32 bars then after a 64 bar sequence cue the start of the 32 loop then make sure to de activate the loop 64bars before the end of track. Most house/trance music works with this formula

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**bobalandi** · 01-17-2012, 12:12 AM

Originally Posted by lucidstrings

With waveforms visual is great using traktor you learn to gauge when the time is right by eyeing it. I can consistently mix unknown tracks this way for hours without missing it... But I have been djing for over 15 years this likely helps.

What I mean is ever white/gray bar is 1minute gauge where the ontro of the song starts then on incoming track see where the intro ends and the track starts moving(usuall bass drops or drums progress) can be seen in waveform overview underneath. You want to match these that when the track playing ends the tack mixing starts.
This 100% improves your sets.

This used to be harder to do before the invention of DVs where you can see waveforms. Used to take knowing your tracks although my friends and I used to swear could read on vinyl lol. But no you get the point I think.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe what op wanted to know

Sent from my jailbroken iPhone

Yeah, I think that helps a whole lot, I'm going to think about that and keep practicing.

**synthet1c** · 01-17-2012, 01:07 AM

sorry that advice is really only good for dance music as it follows a pretty standard structure, I have never mixed top 40 but I assume you dont mix the vocals, and the tracks are made for radio, so you will probably need to loop the start and end of the songs so you can smoothly mix them together. with the eq's for top 40 I'd say less is more, I'd probably loop the incoming track introduce the highs to about 10 o'clock, then when the singer is almost finished bring in the mids on the new track, loop the outgoing track, switch the bass and exit the loop of the new track and let it play,

But like I said I don't mix top 40, the biggest thing is use your ears.

**tararan** · 01-17-2012, 02:01 AM

First I just want to state that i'm a noob as well so i'm in the same boat. However, I noticed recently that i've been mixing much more comfortably lately as I practice everyday. It's a bit tiring to keep going back to the basics day after day but it really helps me get familiar with the technique and with my music. I'm a top 40 type of DJ too but I mix from different era to keep my mix a bit more dynamic than what they play at the radio.

This is what helps me with my mixing in my S2.

1. Song Selection
2. Cueing my tunes and setting loops (intro and outro)
3. keeping the tempo of the next song within 5 BPM of the current track
4. SYNC button - yeah I cheat since i'm more concern about the flow of the mix which is my priority.
5. listening to my headphones and gauging how the new track sounds along side of the current track. (I then experiment with the EQ til I know that the new track is not over powering the old song)
6. At the proper part of the song I then moved the crossfader and channel volume to slowly introduce the new track.
7. I wait again before I switch the bass within the two decks
8. fade out the old song then hit my cue up the new song to its lyrical parts.
9. Voila

this doesn't always work smoothly but my prediction is that I need to just practice more.

**photojojo** · 01-17-2012, 07:59 AM

http://www.djtechtools.com/2010/03/2...or-not-to-key/

http://www.djtechtools.com/2010/12/2...rgettable-mix/

http://www.djtechtools.com/2009/02/2...-sonic-mixing/

And finally the most important on imo

http://www.djtechtools.com/2009/01/2...e-perfect-mix/

**Connekted** · 01-17-2012, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by lucidstrings

This used to be harder to do before the invention of DVs where you can see waveforms. Used to take knowing your tracks although my friends and I used to swear could read on vinyl lol. But no you get the point I think.

You and your friends were correct, u can read vinyl. Just look at the grooves. Grooves were the first waveforms, and as long as the the two records played at the same speed, you could line up everything perfectly. It helped so u didn't have to know all your tracks inside and out. Thats why when i switched to dvs years ago, it seemed so much easier, just cuz the more detailed visual aspect of the waveform.