So I’ve been practising for a while now and I’m slowly getting there, but I decided to read up on a few books to improve my knowledge on mixing and the like. Up until now I’ve been using the channel faders to mix and pretty much leaving the cross fader dead centre which is a way I was originally shown, but reading another book it suggests leaving the channel faders at 3/4 (to allow for volume adjustment, it does say this is optional though) and using the cross fader to bring the next track in.
I assume both are acceptable methods but wondering if there is any reason to prefer one over the other? I’m sure I’ve seen top DJ’s using the channel faders more.
I’m on an S2 if only having 2 channels has anything to do with it.
I do my blending w/ channel faders, mostly cause my x-fader is always set as sharp as possible for scratching. No set rule, what ever sounds and feels best.
IMHO that only applies if your mixer does not have Gain control per channel.
As the man above says there’s no hard or fast rule, personally I use the channel faders at 100% and the channel gains to match the volumes when blending which is the majority of the time.
I just use Xfader for sharp cuts on a breakdown if needed.
Yeah I figured that would be the case. Was just wondering if there were any reasons to do it one way over another.
I think the cross fader is sounding better to be honest, but doesn’t feel as good (partly because of the awkward sideways movement and partly because it doesn’t have the nice solid feel of the channel faders on the s2) . Might continue with it and see if I can get used.
Yeah again, I figured that was the case.
Gonna keep trying it each way and go from there then. I take it once you find which way suits you best you tend to stick with it every time?
Honestly it’s up to your style, some people prefer using crossfader for smooth or sharp transitions of two tracks. I prefer using my upfaders for transitions, since I tend to layer tracks over each other. I rely heavily on the frequency knobs. The only time I touch my crossfader is for filter effects (A&H mixer). Different music styles utilize different mixing styles, find one you are comfortable with, and rock out!
I dig the crossfader for scratching and for sharp cuts. It’s a great tool once you get used to it; channel faders for actual mixing and the cross fader with a sharp cut so you can turn one channel on and off on beat if you’re into that sort of thing. Sometimes it can be fun to go back and forth between two tracks, assuming they sound good together. You can do some cool things if you practice different patterns of cutting.
for me it would be odd to use the crossfader to control the volume of tracks. it seems like it would be too sensitive and just not stiff enough. if you accidentally nudge it, your volumes would get all awkward in the mix. if you find that you enjoy it though, go for it! i just have mine turned off since i don’t really do any scratching, quick cuts, or fancy tricks. if i was playing something like dnb i would probably turn it back on though, cause djproben has a point with some fun things you can do in certain styles.
i spin mostly house music these days and i do a lot of eq mixing. i know a lot of people like to use mostly the channel faders but i got used to using solely the eqs to mix on my first (and pretty much only mixer). it was cheap, and my faders would emit awful scratchy noises when i moved them, but would be ok if they stayed in place. now i use a combo of mostly eqs and a little bit of channel faders with my vci400 as i feel like i have more control that way.
I pretty much use the up faders for blending, leaving head room at about 3/4 for older tracks that need more boost, and use the crossfader if quickly cutting between two tracks, or beat cutting, or playing with scratching (which is just playing at my lack of skill level). This feels better for me control wise to mostly leave the x fader in the middle. Lately the EQ has been getting more use in blending than the up faders.
I do both depending what I’m mixing. The more minimal stuff I mix with the volume faders because of the extra control. The whole fader for volume as opposed to half the cross fader. But as everyone has stated, you do what works for you.
