So I started made the switch from ableton to serato dj with a ddj-sx and it seems to me like when i transition from one song to another it doesn’t sound balanced. When i would record in ableton and listen it seemed like one track wasnt overpowering the other but now in serato it does.
Prelisten the mix in you’re headphones, it will give an indication, level meters can give an indication.
Traktor among others does have a limiter and autogain. Most clubs have some kind of limiting.
These are tools to aid you to get a better understanding and to not make too big mistakes, but don’t rely on them solely, as era 7 said, use your ears.
The perceived loudness can differ from what the waveform seems to indicate. Also different systems can sound very different, so be ready to adjust to that.
When you’re not sure, bring in the next track gradually and adjust when needed. Hard cuts are only for when you are pretty sure the levels are ok for those tracks on that system.
After a while you’ll know some of your record’s relative gains and you’ll be able anticipate what to do better.
Pre-Mix: use your ears and the level meters to set both tracks at the same volume with the gain knobs.
This should make sure that no track can overpower the other.
In the mix: use EQs and upfaders (crossfader, with a soft slope) to adjust the relative volumes of the two tracks and their respective frequencies.
Generally cutting is better than boosting, so if one track seems to be drowning out the other, lower the fader of the overpowering track or cut some of its frequencies with the EQ, instead of boosting the other track.
