mixing songs in different time signatures
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  1. #1
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    Default mixing songs in different time signatures

    I've found a song in 3/4 that I want to mix, the problem is that I can't figure out how to sync it harmonically to a normal 4/4 song. So do anyone have any tips about it or some trixs about how to remix the odd 3/4 to 4/4?

  2. #2
    Tech Guru Fatlimey's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by petter View Post
    I've found a song in 3/4 that I want to mix, the problem is that I can't figure out how to sync it harmonically to a normal 4/4 song. So do anyone have any tips about it or some trixs about how to remix the odd 3/4 to 4/4?
    There is no good way. Recent examples of this I have heard (Sasha's Involver album) just drop the 4/4 tune to a beatless stringy wash and bring in the 3/4 track over the top. Another technique I've heard is to mix a slowed down 3/4 loop over the 4/4 so that the kickdrums match, drop out the 4/4 and speed up the 3/4 to it's correct speed.

    Get creative!

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    Dr. Bento BentoSan's Avatar
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    I was having a conversation about this today with my friend and brother strangely enough.

    As long as you have songs running at the same tempo you dont need to do anything too special, its just harder to find songs that feeling will work with one another. There is no need to slow down anything, the track will fall in time by itself, by the time the track with a 4/4 time signature has played 3 bars the track with the 3/4 time signature has played 4 bars.

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    DJTT Ninja Mod tekki's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fatlimey View Post
    There is no good way. Recent examples of this I have heard (Sasha's Involver album) just drop the 4/4 tune to a beatless stringy wash and bring in the 3/4 track over the top. Another technique I've heard is to mix a slowed down 3/4 loop over the 4/4 so that the kickdrums match, drop out the 4/4 and speed up the 3/4 to it's correct speed.

    Get creative!
    Had the same thing with an old DJset with my friend dannyboy.

    We wanted to start a progressive set with Come Alive by the Foofighters and follow it up with James Zabiela's Human. Same thing.
    We ended up chopping up the Foofighters song to 4/4 to make a subtle transition from foofighters to Zabiela.
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by BentoSan View Post
    I was having a conversation about this today with my friend and brother strangely enough.

    As long as you have songs running at the same tempo you dont need to do anything too special, its just harder to find songs that feeling will work with one another. There is no need to slow down anything, the track will fall in time by itself, by the time the track with a 4/4 time signature has played 3 bars the track with the 3/4 time signature has played 4 bars.
    True, it's all math. But if you were to do this, during those 3 bars things would be all wonky.

    I think a better solution would be cue-point juggling, so you could 'fake' the track into being 4/4 while mixing, and then just let it play once you've crossed over.

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    Dr. Bento BentoSan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by miyuru View Post
    True, it's all math. But if you were to do this, during those 3 bars things would be all wonky.

    I think a better solution would be cue-point juggling, so you could 'fake' the track into being 4/4 while mixing, and then just let it play once you've crossed over.
    Using Beatjumps, Looping, Cue point juggles once its beatmatched like this should work. For instance you could drop a loops on the 4/4 track to get it into 3/4 time by using a loop thats 3 beats long on the 4/4 track. Alternatively beatjumps could be used to jump one of the beats out of every bar on the 4/4 track, or to add an extra beat onto the 3/4 track. Cue point juggles i think are pretty self explanitory, let a 4/4 track play for a 3 beats before the next cue jump. Beatmatch it as i explained above and do that and i am pretty sure it will mix - to be honest ive never tried mixing a 3/4 track with a 4/4 track, i should really give it ago. Like Miyuru said its all maths.

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