Just cant master doing a simple mix, any tips?
so i have been djing for a while now and i have dont several mixes, and the sound ok, but i sometimes sit down to do a simple mix (a pratice session) and i just cant mix, i dont know if its my song choice, or the if theres something i am doing wrong; i have watched plenty off videos! Sorry if this sounds a bit but it just fustrates me, any tips?
I started doing my practice sessions on Mixler so I know theres a chance someone could be listening.
It makes me perform to a better degree and feed back is good too.
Everyone has off days. If i’m not feeling the music, I don’t mix well. “You can’t force the cards.”
When I am learning to do something new…it tends to be OK at the start, when I am taking extra care and few risks. Then, as I get more confident, and start taking more risks…things can fall apart very quickly. Pushing through for a while is needed to allow the mechanics of the skill to catch up with the desire.
As an exercise…set a really solid loop…say 8 beats. Use a song with a simple music arrangement during the loop. Just let that run. Now beatmix another track onto that. In effect, there is only one track to control during the process…and no time limit on completing the mix.
Cue the second song to a “1”. Count with the loop to “8” a couple of times…then when the 1 of the loop rolls around, press play on the second song. This will at least start you off with everything “in the ballpark.”
listen to songs carefully, walk before you can run.
One recurring problem I’ve seen with beginners is not having a basic understanding of song structure(bars,phrases etc).
I have no idea what genre(s) you mix, but in many cases the structure and formatting will be the same across the board of a same genre ( there are also many exceptions obviously).
Now your message is also confusing, are you just plain “bad” or do you have off days? Off days happen to everyone but over time you develop ways to deal with these problems, you have to find your own formula
You are doing something wrong - not practicing enough. We’ve ALL been where you are.
Now, you won’t pull off a perfect mix ever single time you step in front of your decks/controller, but the longer you work at it, the easier it gets, and the more natural it feels.
Eventually, you WILL be able to mix perfectly for hours on end. But you HAVE to put in the hrs. Lots, and lots of hours. And you have to make mistakes (lots and lots and lots!!!)
The key is - NOT to call an end to your practice session just because you’ve made a train wreck. Resilience is your friend! Don’t get frustrated. Either hit stop and start again, or restart your last track and take it from there.
as others said just keep practicing and work on recovering from your errors. try not to let them frustrate you into stopping your sessions if it’s happening consistently. i’ve been djing (off and on) for a long time and i still have an occasional set that is borderline awful. i also make minor mistakes in just about every session, but they usually end up being virtually unnoticeable when i listen back, though they seem glaring in the moment.
if you want specific criticism because you can’t hear or feel what you are doing wrong, record a set and we can tell you where the mistakes are and what you might be able to do in order to fix them.
Even when I was DJing regularly, i had off days. If you feel it’s something more then an off day then here are some things to try.
Practice until you are blue in the face. If you make mistakes, you’re doing it right.
Just keep at it mate you’ll get there 
I think we are all discussing this process to a greater or lesser degree. Four stages of competence - Wikipedia
whats Mixler?
practice without the BPM displayed. You really have to know the music to mix well. It’s my personal opinion that computer programs have made DJing a lot more complicated then it really is. Now we have so much music loaded that we do not need or use OR most DJ’s rely on BPM display to organize their sets or to pick their next song out for them
I still organize my playlist like I used to back in the day… pick the songs, practice to see if they even mix well together…if yes, work on different transitions in/out of the track…if no, find another song that does mix well
My first experience in mixing was way back when I would record radio songs on cassette tapes
KEEP IT SIMPLE and LEARN THE MUSIC
One thing that I will never do it TRUST the dvs programs to have the correct tempo/speed EVER… don’t use the SYNC button and if you do… fine tune the tempo settings before you commit to the mix
You might just be having an off day or you’re not feeling the music. Usually when I don’t feel the music I can’t get into the mood of mixing and my set will sound horrible.
Something else is that you’re mixing the wrong songs together or your transitions are not clean as the lead of both songs can be overlapping and they are different keys then it will sound like a train wreck. Count the bars/phrases correctly before you transition so you can make smooth ones. Most music has a 16 count intro, so you can use that to your advantage to make a perfect transition.
also try mixing in key it will help you a lot to make clean and smooth transitions.
Well I made a typo. Its actually Mixlr without the e. Mixlr is an online broadcasting site that you can broadcast your mixes live. Its pretty sweet. It has iPhone support too. So you can listen from anywhere.
ah cool, thanks for that as I googled Mixler and its something different! Will have a look into that as I like the idea of receiving feedback in that way
Nice reference. I have found that the Dreyfus model “feels” like a more accurate description of the different levelt, at least for me.
Those 4 stages are awesome - it’s the first thing you should be taught as a kid.
Peoples confidence would sky rocket if they understood WHY they are crap, and what they have to do to NOT be crap!
I still fall into the trap of trying to do too much, instead of just letting the mix flow.
‘‘Oh lets add a loop here and an effect there, and lets grab a clap on a third deck and mash it about and WRECK!!’’
A-B mixing nice and smooth and keeping it simple alway seems to be the happiest mix.
you will have your off days. try not to critique your mixes too much. remember to always have fun while doing it. if you pay attention too much to the little details, you will start looking for mistakes rather than just doing you.
know that you will have your off days and moods depend on your mixes. i mix from disco to (deep/bass) house, to trap to moombahton. some days i dont feel like mixing a certain genre and some days i do. so it really depends on your mood, also.