Best way to beat match and transition from low to high BPM and vice versa
So I just started using my DJC4 controller and Traktor Pro software. So the question I have is regarding beat matching and transitioning from one BPM to the next (whether you are going up or down). For example if I start my set with a song at 130 bpm on Deck A and then I want to pick it up and my next rack on Deck B is at 134 bpm I noticed that if I hit the “Sync” button on the controller it will make the bpm of the 2nd to 130. So after I load another track into Deck A again and when I hit sync (even if the bpm on that track is 134) it will go down to 130 bpm again. So song after song I would be stuck at that same bpm.
I guess my question is how do you start to transition from low bpm songs to higher bpm songs when you keep using the sync button and it drops the bpm to the lower bpm? What is the best technique or method to do transitions here to make it smooth and pick up the bpm from song to song?
I was using a software called MixMeister Fusion which you can drop in tracks after each other (at various bpms) and it would automatically keep them in sync when going from like 134 bpm to 138 bpm. They way it worked was it would start to increase the bpm at the tracking that was ending to start matching the new track, but it did it in a way that kept the mix in sync and you did not realize it. I’d like to achieve the same thing now with my controller and Traktor Pro software.
If anyone can give me some pointers that would be great.
Well the question really is if track 1 is at 130, track 2 at 134, and track 3 at 136 once I hit the sync button on track 2 it will adjust the bpm to track 1 which will be 130. Then when I bring track 3 in (which is at 136 bpm) and I hit sync on that deck it will sync to track 2 which is at 130 bpm as well from doing a sync.
So if I want to gradually increase the bpm of my set by upping the bpm of each next track I play do I first sync so track 2 at 130 and then once I have the track 2 playing start increasing the pitch level to get it to it’s original bpm so that the next song I bring in will at least sync at 134 at first (original is 136 bpm) and then once that is playing I can then increase the pitch on track 3 slowly from 134 to 136. Is that how you guys do it or is there a better way to achieve this?
Yea basically that. Doesnt have to be gradual (a lot of the time it is for me though), depending on the song and where you mix in, there are some times where you can sneak the pitch difference in all at once or most of it, or even right on the transition, depending on where and how your mixing in, you can slam it. Practice, figure out what sounds good, and most of all, dont limit yourself to one method…try to be creative when you practice, and you’ll be much better and versatile.
stay away from the sync button… I like to use tears/fades/clovers for transitions… it really depends on what type of mix you are going for…an occasional air horn always works…lmao… You can also set a loop before you increase or decrease the speed for transition
fk that. use the sync button. traktor has an amazing sync feature so if thats what u use, and thats what u paid for, then use it. no shame in sync as long as ur being creative and not just mixing A>B>A
when I’m djing in a club, alot of the songs fall in the 128BPM range (obv) and if I get some songs that are in 130, ill mix in song B which is 130BPM synced to song A which is 128BPM… and ill wait for the breakdown in song B (where theres no kick drum/percussion) and thats when I’ll bend the fador up to 130. and u can do that going up or down. pretty simple. just practice. there isn’t ONE way to do things.
it varies for genres of music as well. U cant really just cut out a song and into another in house like u can in hip-hop/break-beat or even slower tempo’d songs like dubstep/trap.
The other side of this statement is if your using sync and quant don’t mess up a phase or drop cuts at wrong time. If I can do all this without sync and quant then surely you can using sync quant cue point juggling
Wait for just before a drop, or during a vocal breakdown, and pitch it up.
Also, don’t use master tempo in traktor, that’s what’s keeping your tracks at 130.
Echo freeze is always a safe bet if your are going from like 130bpm to 95 bpm. It can get annoying though. Its easy right after there is a small buildup to a break like “boom boom boom boom Ppsssssssssshhhhhhhhhwwwwwwwwww.” Sometimes you can use the bpm increase in combination with a build up to get the crowd amped! Right before the bass drops make sure the track is playing at its correct bpm. There is no standard way to do it. Just practice and figure out what techniques sound good. Who knows maybe you’ll figure something new out.
Filters and delays help heavily on huge bpm jumps and timing at breakdowns also is key before too much happens at that tempo a lot. I recently played out and was asked to bring the tempo down from 135 to 129 by the following Dj. Being polite I did however I wondered why he was unable to bump to my tempo and down. Found it rather brazen to ask especially since I was not far off.
I dropped to 126 an worked back to 129 all with in 3 tracks
Mixes a trak at 135 that had a breaks breakdown so when it cut into that delay filter dropped to 126 killed filter let delay off slightly and let the breaks happen then slowly increased to 128 and then next track to 129 done
I think sync is cool, but I am glad I can beatmatch. I agree with many others here that its an essential skill for a DJ. Time after time SYNC fails me. Songs drift, even new ones (yes I beatgrid my music). I would feel scared to rely on SYNC for anything more than a helper when needed.
Like others have said here, pitch fader is your friend.
To the OP; Forget sync - it’s holding you back from doing sensible mixing. This isn’t paint by numbers with absolute values. 130 - to 136 isn’t low to high mixing. Mixing or blending doesn’t mean sync from A to B the sooner you forget the button exists the better. Sync only has 1 useful redeeming feature ;- it allows you to bring in a track that starts on a vocal without guess work - thats it.
A normal range is ± 5% even 1210’s will take you to ± 8%. Between 130 to 136 all you have to do is pitch up 2.3% on the 130 track and pitch down 2 ish % on the 136 tune. Plan out you set, keep your transitions within 5% on each track and practice. And plan to have BPM changes, lift the set up & take it down a few times - variety doesn’t come with sync.
wow, didn’t think my SYNC comment would get that much response. I’m old school. I don’t even use BPM in my mix or selection. I have always used my EAR to make sure that everything flows correctly. I have yet to find a program that has perfected the sync feature and/or beatgrids…UNLESS, you want to spend multiple hours setting each and every beatgrid manually… better time could be spent practicing TRANSITIONS and mixes that you can use live.
I just loop the track I’m going into. For example: Going from 170 BPM DnB track down to a 160 BPM Juke track. I loop the juke track and then ride the pitch fader. I never use sync, ever.