How to find the right exit point on a running track
As I am still new to all of this and still learning all the proper points in my tracks where I should come in and out (let alone setting all of this up as cue points), I have been pondering how I could best be able to check such stuff when the track is already running.
The solution I came up with for now is to assign to keyboard mappings that will duplicate the track in Deck A to Deck D and one from Deck B to Deck C. This way I can then use the monitor to skip around in the running track to find the key places in the track.
Is this sensible .. are there other suggestions you guys can give me?
I do that too. Another thing Ive been doing (super time consuming though, but worth it)
I use cue points to help me figure out where my entry and exit points are. Another thing Ive been doing is adding cue points to remind me where cool effects can be used.
For example
Cue point (CP) 1 is my entry point.
CP2 is my exit.
All other CP’s are to remind me of cool effects.
I make comments for all my songs that explain what CP3, CP4 ect ect are.
Hopefully that makes sense? Another good thing is bring a notebook and write down any notes that make sense for adding to your comments and CP’s later.
I usually do all of that in the loading of the track, if I haven’t set it already ahead of time. Really, this comes with an understanding of song structure and all. At minimum I grid the point in the song that I’d want the beat to drop (usually where the vocals or melody kick the strongest) and the point where I should start fading in the next song.
That’s usually where the rhythm falls away and where I’d want the tracks to start crossing. But once again, it’s a technique thing you’d need to practice on.
i would think more traditional practice and getting to know your songs is still very important to improving your skill set. After hearing a song once or twice you will with practice start hearing those great exit points and developing an ear for song structure.
using cue markers to mark good exit points reenforces the track learning process by making you listen for where the cue marker should go.
like using the waveforms to beatmatch, if you relay on using the 3rd and 4th decks for “outro” previewing, you set yourself up for hardtimes if for some reason, those 3rd and 4th decks aren’t available.
i hope this makes sense. I’m not totally against the idea but wanted to add my two cents.
Yeah, of course ideally I would either set those cue points ahead of time or before I start playing the track. My concept is sort of a fall back when I failed to do both. I am not a pro DJ and so I want to freak out on the dancefloor with my friends .. so I fear sometimes I will be on cruise control ..
But on the other side, whenever you’re mixing you have to undertand cues as just another of the dozens of things you have to be aware of. The ideal exit (or entry) place of a track depends on the overall mixing you are doing. I don’t think there is an ideal exit point, the right one will depend on the track that is coming.
Exactly, you must know your songs.
What I find nice about digital djing is that you have so many options. Any method described is good, but really after a while djing and knowing your trakcs this will not be a problem, you will recognize very fast any part of a song that you might use as an exit point, and having so much tools available gives you the chance to make it happen.
Its is good to practice without knowing the tracks also because you test yourself and sometimes come out with original things man!
Remember that if you freak out nothing works smoothly, if you don’t find any exit poit you can always try things as looping, filtering, equing, freezing, … well many options that will enable you to mix in the other tune, sometimes no even in beat and it will work. But of course the first, second , and third steps are: Practice… practice… practice
I would like to add something as well. Knowing your songs is all and well, but I have over 20gigs of hardstyle, let alone the 30 gigs of Industrial and damn near 4 of other electro, thats alot of music (I know its not, but bear with me) I cant memorize 20,000 songs, shit I dont even have all of them BPM’d on traktor yet.
My advice to you sir (in addition to what I said earlier) is when you load your new track, examine the whole thing before it becomes the live deck, you can set the cue point then. No need to have all the CP’s done ahead of time. Sometimes Im not sure what I want to play next and I just pick a song browse through it and now I know all the important things I need to know about the song. It comes with practice. And boy Im still practicing lol
With prog stuff as long as i know the track is gridded an keyed, the cue points are pretty much just a suggestio rather than a rule, personally as long as i have a good 2-3 mins to play with, i can let the carslberg fuelled creativity flow freely. \when i started i spent hours gridding, setting cue points etc. nothing wrong with that of course, its all a matter of style darling… btw house of pain vs deadmau5 - jump around is a pain in the bum to grid as the bpm drops to the original’s then amps up again.
My One and a Half cent:
Let the music flow, mate. Some tunes must be heared from start to end and some others just a few beats to make a transition, or a special attention call to the audience, like a joke inside a serious conversation. Enjoy your songs by knowing them, feel the pleasure of show things to the crowd.
Perfection doesn’t exist, think in everything you can do, (all of those previous works on each tune) allways you could do it in a better way.
That’s what I feel after every gig, even in the best of all, just finished I remember that song that i didn’t play.
Like Dj Animus said, I can’t memorize all my collection at anytime…
looks like everyone beat me to it… learn your tracks inside out. after listening to your stuff a few times over you will get a pretty good feel for when to mix in/out of songs. this could be a problem for those of you who get on emule or the torrents and download all the current top100 from beatport’s electro chart…
Thx for the feedback. First up I probably did not make myself clear about this. I was looking for an interim solution, since between my day job and learning the basics of controlling Traktor Pro there was no chance in hell that I would have time to go through all potential songs ahead of time and settings them up.
At any rate the gig went through smoothly and I will be publishing my findings in my blog as well in various questions and suggestion threads on this forum.
