Beatmatching is HARD
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  1. #1

    Default Beatmatching is HARD

    Just started learning on my Traktor S4, turned the phase meter, BPM, track BPM (deck and browser) and beatgrid/large waveform off. I think I'm slowly making progress, but I reckon my ears need a lot more training. I'll stick with it though, I've fancied getting away from the sync button for a while - not that I've got anything against it, but it'll just make some things a lot easier if I know how to beatmatch

  2. #2
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    got any old dj friends? practice on vinyl. if you can beat match analog with no digital assists... than you'll do just fine. i totally use sync now, but the ear will always tell you when it's off and need to adjust the beat grid, or simply nudge it in real time off the sync.

  3. #3
    Tech Guru Coldfuzion's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by djfil007 View Post
    got any old dj friends? practice on vinyl. if you can beat match analog with no digital assists... than you'll do just fine. i totally use sync now, but the ear will always tell you when it's off and need to adjust the beat grid, or simply nudge it in real time off the sync.
    What he said.

    I started on the S4 as well, but was taught beat matching by DJTT members on Vinyl. It was much easier, and made a lot more sense when doing it on the S4.

    Hell, if you don't have any DJ friends with vinyl go and look for the closest record store and see if you find any cool people there spinning (if they have gear out) or just talk to people and try to find someone with vinyl who can help you out!

  4. #4

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    What makes it easier on vinyl?

  5. #5
    Tech Guru Coldfuzion's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mistertuckshop View Post
    What makes it easier on vinyl?
    It takes away all the crutches, and extra jazz and it leaves you with three things. The mixer, your 1200s, and your ears. It's a completely different feel. I felt so lost without a screen in front of me.

    The difference is night and day. And it's super easy to learn how to beat match on vinyl. Took me about 15 minutes to learn. Perfecting it is a slightly different situation .

  6. #6
    Tech Guru Patch's Avatar
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    Beatmatching is not hard.

    Learning to beatmatch is hard. It goes like this:

    1) Play tune 1 through the main out.
    2) Play tune 2 through the headphones.
    3) Start tune 2 at the same time as tune 1.
    4) Count to 4 beats in time with tune 1.
    5) Ask yourself - did the 2nd (usually comes after a crash cymbal) downbeat on tune 2 start BEFORE or AFTER the 2nd downbeat on tune 1?
    6) If it was BEFORE, tune 2 needs to be SLOWER
    7) If it was AFTER , tune 2 needs to be FASTER
    8) Adjust tempo in line with either 6) or 7)
    9) Go back to 1).
    10) Cue points are your friends.

    Geddit?

    Pretty soon you won't even need to wait until the downbeat to decide whether to pitch up or down, you'll just adjust on the fly, hitting cuepoint and adjusting the tempo until the tunes are in time.

    You CAN'T learn to do this quickly. People that tell you they learned to beatmatch in a day are liars. You need to be able to learn to listen to, identify and separate 2 individual audio signals in parallel.

    This only comes with time and practice.

    The best way to practice is to do it all through the headphones. Mute your main out, and pan each deck to one side of the headphones. Tune 1 in your left ear, tune 2 in your right ear.

    Pretty soon, you'll be able to listen through each ear separately. It'll take time, and it'll seem impossible, but it will come.

    Right now, your brain processes everything you hear as a single sound. You need to train your brain to process separate sounds individually. Easiest way to do this is to separate the audio into 2 streams, 1 going into each ear.

    Easy, innit?
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  7. #7
    Tech Mentor Jo3's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coldfuzion View Post
    It takes away all the crutches, and extra jazz and it leaves you with three things. The mixer, your 1200s, and your ears. It's a completely different feel. I felt so lost without a screen in front of me.

    The difference is night and day. And it's super easy to learn how to beat match on vinyl. Took me about 15 minutes to learn. Perfecting it is a slightly different situation .
    I don't believe you could beat match in 15 mins.
    MBPro - UC-33e - Audio 10 - TSP2 - Xone 22 - 1210's - Mackie MR5's

  8. #8
    Tech Guru Coldfuzion's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jo3 View Post
    I don't believe you could beat match in 15 mins.
    Learning is a completely different thing then perfecting. Learning is understanding what you have to do. Perfecting is getting it right. You learn math, you practice to make it perfect.

  9. #9

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    Oh, I know *how* to do it, it's just the learning to do it that gets me. I'm impatient... but as I said, I'll stick at it.

    I still don't get why it's easier with vinyl - the way I'm doing it at the moment is without any of the visual aids from traktor, as I said in my first post I've disabled the phase meter, BPM, tempo, track BPM, beatgrid and waveform...

  10. #10
    Tech Guru Patch's Avatar
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    You can be TOLD how to beatmatch in 15mins (maybe).

    Just like you you can be told how to do a kickflip on a skateboard in 15 mins. Doesn't mean that you can do it after being told.

    I think realistically, you could understand the theory of beatmatching in 15mins.

    Training your brain to separate the 2 audio sources can only be done with LOTS of practice.
    DJ'ing: 2x1200MK2, DJM 850, Dicers, F1, Zomo MC-1000, Sony MDR-v700, i7 Win 10 HP Envy
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