How to mix pop music?
Okay. I admit. Sometimes I like to mix pop music. Don’t kill me.
However, while I can mix electro and house relatively well, pop music just doesn’t lend itself to smooth transitions…or so I think
Does anyone have any tips on mixing pop tracks together? Specifically any tricks you use to transition from one song to another if you want to share.
Thanks guys!
most pop music is split into sections of 16 bars usually, so a 16 bar verse, 8-16 chorus, another 16 bar verse, etc.
Try to keep your transitions a bit shorter for the most part.
set crossfade to 12 seconds in iTunes wink ;p
anyone can fade from one song to another, but I’m looking for more creative ways to mix them into each other, especially with the advantage of midi controllers
cut and slam!
good tips here: cute and slam! keep it short, etc
its all about setting your songs up. Sometimes you can cut on a keyword and it sounds great. Other times I might create a quick loop on the playing song during the chorus and bring in the next song. Transition will be 4 bars. other times I might create a loop short the loop, shorten it again while bringing the next song and fade out the oringial loop. Even with a vci-100 you can do a baby scratch and bring it in on beat. use your for decks to set up a loop and transition from one pop song to the loop then to another song.
cut on a key work with an intro from the next song is probably the easiest. just keep on beat.
If not, try and get an accapella of the next track (and maybe do some juggling) over a non vocal part of the previous track, done it a few times and it came out really well, then slam it in where you feel it works
yea thats kinda more the thing i’m talking about.
got any tips specific to juggling and working in accapellas? I can never really seem to make them fit right..
I’d usually use a part people definitely would know, like a chorus (obviously) or a chant or something, not really long vocals, just snippets really. Saves from being too caught up with bpm issues etc…
Juggling, I tend to just grab words that fit and make a new loop with the slicer for a few bars.
It’s mostly just trial and error (like every other thing in DJing
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The easiest way, Is to look for remixes, or anything othre than the radio version of songs. You need lots of breathing room.
I usually look for a good instrumental i can loop in or out on, thats my bread and butter, its really easy to do with traktor, especially if you have a button set to loop 8 instantly