I noticed there were very few actual mixing technique threads which sort of surprised me considering that should really be our number one priority.
My idea for this thread is to post a small note or lesson you have learned in your day to day practising, gigs, and so on. For example, after reviewing one of my own sets, here is what I learned today(here is a good structure for a post to make things simple: main point lead by a dash and a paragraph below to explain it):
Turn on keylock when the next track is ready to transition, and keep it on throughout when the track is playing.
I find keylock off generally makes the track sound a lot better and more clear when I am preparing it and setting the bpm before I begin the transition. However I alter my bpm slightly sometimes during tracks to prepare for the next one/increase energy/etc.. With keylock off though, this changes the key DURING the track and makes it sound like crap. So with these small bpm alterations mid-song, it would be better to keep the keylock on because not only would the key remain the same, but small bpm differences won’t really change the overall quality of the song.
Not only would we be teaching ourselves with this thread but making sure we remember our own little mistakes, but we can learn other ones as well.
The first time I read this I got:
just because a girl leaves the club without you doesn’t mean she’s not gonna let you boink her
Sorry for hijacking the thread a little. With my last mix I learned that a little overall compression (by recording in Ableton) helps a lot in making your mix sound more professional.
What I learnt… always save your settings on Traktor if you change anything to do with controllers or key settings. If it doesn’t close down properly then you lose them otherwise
Oh right, I learned a simple yet valuable lesson the other day:
If one of your channels does not output any sound and you have no idea why check your crossfader
Of course, this mainly just happens to DJs who prefer upfader-mixing but still…
Very similar. If one of your channels has no output, and you have no idea why. Check your filter. Sometimes i mix out by slowly filtering out to nothing, and then i forget to reset the filter. The first few times i did this, i went as far as checking connections before i realized what i had done.
I discovered to listen to other artists sets. Example: I’ve liked Moonbeam a long time, but only recently listened to a couple of podcasts featuring them. And yeah, I’ve gotten some inspiration, ideas and tracks
Just look out for mixing techniques, track selection, buildups (slow/mellow in the beginning or just full-out instantly) and FX usage.
traktor pro tip (): activate “reset deck settings on track load” if you’re a maniac who likes to go wild with key, pan and fx… and have one keyboard mapping to reset and switch off all effects on all decks in case sh*t happens and your controller dies on you (not funny when a nanopad gets stuck in note-on with a beatmasher).
lesson learned during the first few weeks after switching to traktor.
Pro-tip I have yet to apply : if you’re gonna have keyboard mappings for critical functions such as play/pause/cue, trigger them with multiple keypresses to reduce the risk of fµckµp$.
ie : I have space and backspace bound to play/cue for when I’m fiddling in traktor with no controllers and should really remap these to shift+space, shift+backspace or something similar. As a result I’ve paused a playing deck a few times in practice when typing something with the search box not focused…
I learned today that if I smoke weed, that navigating my track library becomes next to impossible, but pressing the pads on my interface [with the lights and all], become strangely pleasing…
Macros save my butt all the time.
Macros meaning, loading a deck automatically turns off key lock, turns off loop active, resets eq, and turns off and resets FX to default, focuses deck, etc.
Entering or leaving juggle mode automatically resets my beat jump lengths to a default length I use most.
(For steady tempos on multiple beatgridded decks) Changing tempo on a deck sets that deck to master, sync-locks all playing decks and switches tempo mode to Internal with master clock controlled by the deck I’m manipulating. Hassle-free global tempo changes.
