Beginner mixing start up advice HELP !
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  1. #1

    Default Beginner mixing start up advice HELP !

    Hello,
    I've been trying to learn the art of mixing on decks myself but i have been struggling lately with a few things.
    I currently own 2 decks and a mixer setup.And my style is House and sometimes maybe trance. There are couple of issues i've been facing.


    1)MAKING PLAYLISTS
    I have been advised by several DJ's to make a playlist according to Genre.
    This is the toughest part as there are more than a thousand genres out there just in electronic music.
    Even though i categorize a particular audio file into some genre(eg: Deep House), there are other genres as well where the songs fits into(eg :Future house or whatever)
    Categorizing a song into a genre and making a playlist according to it and then coming to know that the song is not entirely the same genre is where im struggling.

    What method do you follow in creating Playlists and how to categorize songs accordingly.



    2)BEGINNER MIXING
    Other than the BPM and Energy of a tune what assets should i notice in a new song to make sure they fit in well with the ones in my collection.
    Other than this,
    What approach did you guys take when you'll started out practicing Mixing.
    Any advice would be appreciated.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Tech Convert
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    I started this hobby about two years ago so I say I'm still a big newbie myself.

    What has worked well for me is that I create playlists not based on Genre but rather based on how the music makes me feel. Also I use Traktor so the key analysis in there helps somewhat when trying to organise the playlist.

    Mixing between tracks I look out for an instrument or bassline that is similar to/complements the previous track. Don't always get it right but over time with practice I've been getting much better at picking the next track.

    Also listening to your favorite DJs and using their sets as inspiration helps a lot.

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by superock View Post
    I started this hobby about two years ago so I say I'm still a big newbie myself.

    What has worked well for me is that I create playlists not based on Genre but rather based on how the music makes me feel. Also I use Traktor so the key analysis in there helps somewhat when trying to organise the playlist.
    Thanks for the reply.

    Just wanted to know...
    how do u arrange/organize your stuff based on how the music makes you feel? How do you arrange it ??

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by oneadnonlyzedd View Post
    Thanks for the reply.

    Just wanted to know...
    how do u arrange/organize your stuff based on how the music makes you feel? How do you arrange it ??
    I create playlists in Traktor and name them such as Peak Time Techno, Chill, Groovy, etc.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by superock View Post
    I create playlists in Traktor and name them such as Peak Time Techno, Chill, Groovy, etc.
    that's about right. Make your playlists built on feel. The more you play and practice the more comfortable you will get. Just because two songs sit in two different genres doesn't mean they can't compliment each other. I organize my tracks by folders based on what I think they sound like. "tech house" "techno" "early" "funky" etc. After that I sort by date imported so I see and play the newer tracks I purchased. After that I stack tracks in playlists based on the groove I am looking for. I play often enough that I know where most everything is.

    Patch is in love with Itunes smart playlists. I can't speak to them and am too old to learn a new way to organize tracks in my brain.
    Weapons, not food, not homes, not shoes
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  6. #6

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    i make genre playlists but i add genres together. These are just for my weekly resident gig. When i play at clubs or raves, i will create a set special for that night but My 3 main libraries are:
    1. Deep, Tech, Future
    2. Bass and Breaks
    3. Bounce
    Also if i have a Future house song that is a lot more upbeat like bass house, i will change the genre to bass house but add "future" in the comments next to it. As far as mixing goes, learn to mix in key, master mixing in key, and then forget about it. when i moved from cds to a laptop, i learned how much better mixing in key can sound. but i got to a point where i was ONLY mixing in key so i just turned the keys off and i personally think it was the best thing i could have done. create a mix. a routine rather. find like 20 songs and make a mix that sounds perfect in your ears. find other people to mix with back 2 back sets. watch how they mix. try what they're doing. if you go to events, watch the dj mix as best you can. i cant say much about touring djs but i know some local GODS behind the decks.

  7. #7

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    The thing that helped me to improve my mixing the most has to always record my practice sessions and listen back. You will hear things that you don't while mixing live. Make adjustment and record again. The more you practice listen back the better the mixing will become. I am interested if others use this method and if it helped you?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Logical Impulse View Post
    The thing that helped me to improve my mixing the most has to always record my practice sessions and listen back. You will hear things that you don't while mixing live. Make adjustment and record again. The more you practice listen back the better the mixing will become. I am interested if others use this method and if it helped you?
    Absolutely, this has helped me a lot since I'm my own worst critic

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