First Recorded Mix - Electro
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  1. #1
    Tech Mentor DoctorMogal's Avatar
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    Default First Recorded Mix - Electro



    Can you guys give me comments and suggestions?

    I've finally gotten my ass out there on the internet so people can hear me after 2 years of bedroom DJ'ing and occasional mobile gigs like dances/birthdays.

    Anything would be greatly appreciated.
    My Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/djmogal Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/dj.mogal Equipment: 2011 MBP 13"/ CDJ 350s/ DJM 350/ V-Moda CrossFade LP/ Traktor Pro

  2. #2
    Tech Mentor DoctorMogal's Avatar
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    Bump. Any Comments?
    My Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/djmogal Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/dj.mogal Equipment: 2011 MBP 13"/ CDJ 350s/ DJM 350/ V-Moda CrossFade LP/ Traktor Pro

  3. #3
    Tech Mentor hesitant's Avatar
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    I'll have a listen after work.
    CDJ2000 x 3 : DJM900 : Novation Remote SL25 : Ableton L8 : Traktor Pro 2

  4. #4
    Tech Mentor DoctorMogal's Avatar
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    Boo. Still no comments.
    My Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/djmogal Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/dj.mogal Equipment: 2011 MBP 13"/ CDJ 350s/ DJM 350/ V-Moda CrossFade LP/ Traktor Pro

  5. #5
    Tech Guru DigitalDevil's Avatar
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    I typically never do this but you seem so eager for comments, so...

    In general - Watch the levels on your transitions, try to keep the average volume the same as when just one track is going and don't drop too much energy from the outgoing track if its still going hard. Overall it kinda feels like you're forcing tracks in too soon to keep from getting bored more than really needing the sound to switch up. Also there were some strange stutters at a few points (around 4:30 for instance), not sure if those are from misplaced cue-jumps or just recording problems.

    First transition - Pretty abrupt and lost a lot of energy that was still fresh from that drop. It probably would've been better to line that up so the Illmerica break happened 32 bars after the white noise/red meat drop (with most of the EQ switching taking place in the last bar or so where both tracks have a little build marking a transition) and cut the outgoing track entirely... having the main line from one track just hanging halfway in the background over another track's breakdown doesn't sound so hot

    Second transition - Again, you kept the main line of Illmerica going in the background a bit after the break... can't be letting that kind of stuff slip in a 13 minute mix. Song selection is also kinda iffy to be mixing the tracks straight over each other like that, lots of clashing in the section around 4:50. Probably better to use the intro/outro drums if you're really set on mixing in that order.

    Third transition - Levels... around 6:20 the outgoing track just kinda hung at half volume up to the switch.

    Fourth transition - Pretty good, incoming drum patterns sounded natural with the outgoing track.

    Fifth transition - Energy kinda disappeared... the outgoing track faded out halfway kinda awkwardly and the low-end switch was really noticeable. Not familiar with the structure of either track specifically but your mix in point should probably be right when the vocals stop on the outgoing track, as I'm guessing there's 32 bars of more minimal sound after that.

    Sorry if I seem like a dick but its a lot easier to learn when its laid out directly.

  6. #6
    Tech Mentor DoctorMogal's Avatar
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    Thanks so much for the comments! I'll definitely take them in when I record my next mix.

    When you say level, do you mean energy level or volume level?

    Also, if you want to keep your mix short how would you transition from the middle of one song into the next? When i'm mixing live i generally let the whole track play and mix outro/intro unless the crowd is bored then i'll try to mix mid-song - but i wanted this to be a bit more fast-paced...
    My Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/djmogal Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/dj.mogal Equipment: 2011 MBP 13"/ CDJ 350s/ DJM 350/ V-Moda CrossFade LP/ Traktor Pro

  7. #7
    Tech Guru DigitalDevil's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DoctorMogal View Post
    Thanks so much for the comments! I'll definitely take them in when I record my next mix.

    When you say level, do you mean energy level or volume level?

    Also, if you want to keep your mix short how would you transition from the middle of one song into the next? When i'm mixing live i generally let the whole track play and mix outro/intro unless the crowd is bored then i'll try to mix mid-song - but i wanted this to be a bit more fast-paced...
    When I refer to "levels" I mean the total volume and total level of each EQ band, as both should pretty much stay steady.

    As for quick mixing stuff, song selection and timing are the two biggest factors, as forcing tracks together often just leads to a trainwreck. I'll upload and annotate a sample from my ADD electro days when I get home from work tonight, as I don't think explaining how to do things in text would really get the idea across.

  8. #8
    Tech Guru DigitalDevil's Avatar
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    Alright, took a quick stab at the old ways to give you a little demo - certainly not perfect but I think it gets to the point.


    As stated previously, track selection AND timing are key for this style of mixing - both must be on point. Bringing in the right track in the wrong place will result in a mess just as much as bringing in a clashing track spot on time.

    The first transition is a pretty standard double drop setup - just line it up so the two tracks drop at the same time and mess around however you want during the double buildup. Its important to note that you should leave plenty of extra volume headroom available up to the drop to give the incoming track a little extra blast. This technique is easily ruined if you have both tracks going full tilt during the build then cut one and have half the volume on the drop. Track selection is somewhat forgiving with this kind of transition as well.

    After that, the next three tracks are all in the same key and could pretty much be played directly over each other with proper timing and some cue hops. Tracks don't necessarily have to be the same (or even close to the same) key for this to work, its just the only easy way to figure things out that I know of short of actually testing out a transition.. The next two transitions are basically removing the natural breakdowns and keeping the energy maxed out longer than usual as described in the comments. The general idea is just layering the intro drum section of the incoming track over the main section of the outgoing track, with a quick cut on the outgoing track's break, at which point you may choose to cue jump to the 2nd, typically harder drop of the incoming track.

    Another thing you can do for quick mixes that I didn't demo here is playing the incoming track's buildup section instead of the intro drums over the main section of the outgoing track; you just have to be a bit more careful with the EQing in this case to find a balance that accentuates the buildup without dropping the energy from the big sound already going hard.

    DJ Ravine has made some pretty entertaining 10-15 minute mixes (mostly hardcore, but the same ideas carry over) if you want to check out some more examples.

    Hope I've saved you some time on the learning curve... Let me know if you have any specific questions.
    Last edited by DigitalDevil; 07-06-2011 at 05:34 AM.

  9. #9
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    if he not going to take any of the feedback... I sure as hell am THANKS HEAPS DD!!!!

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