I got an NS6 for Christmas and have been practicing on it. I took a few DJ lessons a while back and learned all about beatmatching and and setting loops and cue’s and all that. Just beginner stuff. But I was wondering how I can get better and what things and techniques I can do to get better. While practicing I’ve realized that beat matching isn’t as easy as it seems which I totally understand and I’m completely willing to put in the time in effort to become better. So my question is, should I just continue to work on my beat matching skills and learning how to place loops and cue’s better? And keep that going? Or is there more I should to do improve? I just want to make sure I’m on the right track. Also, where should I go to look for good music to start mixing? I’m new to the DJ scene so I want to make sure I’m going to the right places and doing the right things. I can find popular, hot music on youtube easily, but where can I find new and recent music to use in my tracks that aren’t super popular, but still good? Any tips and comments would be appreciated. Thanks
Also, I’m planning to focus more on mixing top 40, progressive house, house and dub. And how do you mix dub? I can’t seem to figure that out. Thanks
I was lucky enough to learn to play on my own. From beat matching to phrasing, I taught myself by simple practice. Hours and hours of practice. Actually, come to think of it, maybe I wasn’t so lucky.
One thing I did that really helped was set personal “skill” goals. As far as beat matching goes, I set 2 goals for myself: match the beats within 32 bars and keep a mix for 2 minutes. Keeping a mix going too long is not a good idea for performance purposes, but it is great practice for your ears. It helped me with the subtle changes in tempo or accidental needle jump in a mix. I know that with all the dj software, beat matching is made easier with visual representations of the music, but in the end it comes down to your hands and ears working together.
Also, but probably most important, know your songs. Every kick every snare, every drop, every build up, every breakdown.
Only way yer ever gonna get better is to keep at it, practice practice practice, and play to a crowd even if its only a room full of mates - and ask em to rate your performance honestly. It’s no good 'em sucking up, if you suck , just to spare your feelings. Positive criticism is essential. And the opposite applies, if your sounding good you need to be told
I’m doing it right now to practice, and I’m at work. I feel like its getting better, but I can’t get Sync timed up with raising my hands up. Oh well, practice makes perfect.
RECORD your practice sets!!! and LISTEN to them. You’ll only get better by listening to your mixing and hearing what you’re doing wrong(you’re your own worst critic, or definitely SHOULD be). Also, you should ask other people what they like and don’t like about your mixes.
Just get inspired by demo videos like those being shown to introduce new DJing gear. For example the ones done by Ean Golden for Native Instruments are quite impressive. Why not try to imitate them and learn by figuring out what those DJs are doing?
Honestly the best thing you can do is get out and watch other djs spin. Train spot for a bit, it’s not exactly a cardinal sin when you are new. Just listen to the transitions, listen to the flow, watch the club and how it moves with each change. There has been nothing more beneficial to my growth as a Dj than hearing other good/great djs spin and trying to replicate the flow they had going. Even hearing bad djs spin has been beneficial. It’s not about stealing mixes they do or stealing tracks - I can find my own - its about understanding their mechanics and how to get in a good rhythm and flow.
best advice i read yet was: listen to your recorded mixes - you’ll think “oh i shoulda brought that in 4 bars later” or not added the delay at a certain point, etc. then go back and do it again.
some of the routines you watch on youtube are developed over days or weeks and practiced until perfected. don’t get discouraged. just come up with a concept for a strong 30 minute mix, make notes and practice it until you get it down. then perform it in front of others.
That is the best advice to take. The biggest thing for me was mixing with other people a good and I would spend countless late nights mixing over and over it is very crucial to be flexible. The other thing is know your tracks this has been made easy with visual mixing since you can see the drops and hits and time them. I personally shoot for every transition to end when track 2 hits again I will start track 2 before but loop 32 until the timing is right then hit the first cue to make sure both tracks are flawless. With that said I will also ride 2 tracks that play well together for as long as 5 minutes. But I also know these tracks and make it way easier.
Great post and response. This beneficial as i’m on the same situation. recently picked up an S2 and trying to improve my transitions in my mixes. i find it easier to do it with electro/house type of music.
