Hi there, I got into mixing about a month and a half ago and I was really starting to like so I got into the market for a controller. Ever since I started looking for a controller I feel like I’ve gotten worse or something. I practice on my computer about an hour a day (sometimes as much as 3 hours) but still I don’t quite feel like I’m progressing as much as I did in the beginning. I made one mix (pretty simple, basic transitions, fades) that all my friends loved as asked for more but now I feel like I have writer’s block or something and when I try to make a new one mix I don’t quite get vibe that I did before.
Not sure if it’s because I’m trying to run loops, fx and bounce between cues all with just a keyboard and mouse but it just isn’t working. Is this just my brain telling me that I need to get a controller in order to legitimately spice things up seeing as it’s nearly impossible to fade in/out run effects, control samples and loops with my current setup? After watching ean golden, porter robinson, zedd, etc. and listening to some of your guys’ mixes am I just expecting too much of myself?
I want to get good, but I’m scared to drop around $400 seeing as I’ve been facing “dj’s block” lately. In other words I feel like I’ll get the controller and still suck.
You said you cant control loops, effects, and transitions with mouse and keyboard, if your anything like me youll proboly grow out of the controler and get turntables + serato or cdjs
i used to feel this way all the time for the first 2 years of djing. after gigging for a while i finally hit a point where i felt like i “got it”. i started understanding (in my opinion anyways), what djing was about and where i wanted to go with my sound. its normal to feel stuck, trust me this feeling will come and got very often. just stick with it and you’ll be fine
also, instead of listening to other’s mixes and feeling down about your own skills, look at these mixes as sources of inspiration and try to tell yourself that you are gona strive to be that good one day. keep in mind you haven’t been doing this very long and it takes years to get good at it.
Don’t do it because you want to go pro, do it because you love the music. If you love to bang on for hours on end then any money you spend won’t be a waste.
I have had thoughts like yours before but then I realised that being a superstar isn’t my eventual goal (maybe it’s yours) but that I should just keep having fun and if I happen to get to a point where I feel I am good enough to go searching for gigs then I will, and if not whatever.
I say you should find yourself a used mixtrack pro as it is a cheap controller that is great for a beginner and is all in one.
I completely agree, eventually you’ll grow out of the controller and get into some cdj’s and Traktor or Serato… Heck maybe producing is your calling… try out Ableton and see what its like (i find it a hell of a lot more challenging though)
You may want to get a controller of some sort - just allows you to utilize more of the tools available to you… but you are only 1.5 months in … don’t stress
Dont quit, just practice more 6 weeks isnt a long time. get a controller or better yet get some tt’s they feel alot more like your doing something instead of looking at a screen.
you have good mix’s and bad mix’s just give your friends the good mix’s and delete the ones your not happy with.
Practice
Wow, that’s quite quick to become “stuck”. But ofcourse you will improve on anything you get your hands on a hellofalot in the beginning, cuz’ you come from 0, and going to 1 is a huge step. Then from 1 to 2 is a bit longer, and then when you’re really good you’ll improve slowly as hell… So it’s then you really need the passion. Was the same with me when I started playing guitar, started writing, making films etc. I got better quick in the beginning then felt stuck and quit. DJ:ing I’ve been going at it for a few years now at least, and feel I might not get better at the same pace but I’m getting there and it’s still fun as hell.
If you feel it’s a chore and it’s boring that you don’t develop any further, well frankly, maybe it’s not for you?
You’re right, you need a controller to start enjoying it properly.
However yo can get creative with your keyboard mapping. Set up instant fx buttons like dely freeze etc. Earl Panda has a wicked video somewhere of him djing on just a keyboard
But truthfully most people would agree that the interface you use helps you “feel” the djing better and be more in tune with the process.
Pretty much. When I first started out I thought all of my mixes were amazing despite being terrible objectively. Just keeping two tunes in time was impressive enough. Nowadays my mixing is obviously much better objectively, but my standards have changed so much that it all sounds terrible.
As for gear. I spent a lot of time trying to push basic midi controllers past their intended functionality just because it was possible rather than opting for new gear that was designed to do what i want, and it became frustrating, to say the least. I’ve got over $10k in gear now that I don’t utilize anywhere near its “full potential”, but having the right tools makes things much more enjoyable. If you really like DJing, a simple controller will be worth much more than the few hundred bucks you pay for it.
As for “I’ll get a controller and still suck” - yea, you will. Getting new gear doesn’t make you better. Learning how to use it does.
I’m amazed you made it 6 weeks with mouse + keyboard. I made it about a day like that before I gave up, waited a year or so, and then bought turntables.
I dunno, i don’t think DJing is something that is so hard that you have to “practice” it on a routine. I can say that my amount of actual “practice” is maybe a few hours a week tops. (been less as i am overseas and don’t have my TTs). But when im home i’ll have a quick mix every now and then, but i never do it for training. I won’t touch my decks unless i have inspiration.
However, that doesn’t mean i don’t put a lot of work into it. I spent countless hours buying/listening to tunes as well as getting into making my own stuff as well (had a 14 hour production session last week).
I would say, just keep listening and learning and building that library. DJing and music (to me) isn’t about training like an athlete would (going to the gym and having a workout routine), you need to have that spark to WANT to sit down and have a cheeky mix.
Also, i personally don’t see the difference between a mouse and keyboard and a controller. Keyboards are like a big midi button array right? I like to be able to put my hand on a record and stop it. (serato though because vinyl is effing pricey)
