Hey guys, I’m kinda new into djing and I feel like I’m stuck right now.
I used to mix in ableton and I’ve switch to traktor 5 months ago. I just
bought an S4 with a F1 to practice but I feel like I’m not progressing since 1-2 weeks.
What I do;
Mix in key
Phrase (I use beat to cue function)
Beatgrid (Every damn single track, I also put cues everywhere)
Eq well.
In fact, I am the 128 BPM master. I can do flawless mix and get everything clutch.
I also use the sync a lot and the phase meter, I can’t really beatmatch by hear for now.
The problem is that I am from a small city with 1-2 clubs and people here and not big fan of the
EDM scene. You can mix a couple of the top 10 beatport here and here but people really do like pop, hiphop and
even sometimes trap. When I was studying in toronto, djs would play only 128-140 stuff the entire night and the dancefloor was running the entire night.
I find it very difficult to mix different bpm stuff together. I overuse the freeze/delay fx but thats it. When I listen to local djs here, the transitions are most of the time meh and people don’t really notice. Most of them are from vinyl so they just do the scratch thing and switch very quickly. They also use a lot of segways.
So if you guys could help me I would appreciate. Also, I would take any books/dvd recommendation.
and some more and don’t put cues everywhere. put them where you want to start your track from. no sense in putting up multiple cues if your not using them, and it makes quick selection easier. You will have a hard time mixing different BPMs together if you use sync all the time. I’d stronly advise you to switch it off for a while and learn to mix by ear. You can then switch it back on but i think this is an essential skill if you want to fully understand the basis principles
If you want to make it more interesting, start beatmatching manually. It doesn’t sound like you’re doing that at the moment. You could also look into using other effects besides echo-freeze. The fact that you own an F1 means you can look into samples, fingerdrumming and using the sample recorder. In combination with the F1, the recorder is MAGIC.
Djtechtools has several tutorials on the above. Another great source for inspiration and learning for me is ellaskins on youtube. He has made literally thousands of tutorials on different levels, styles and equipment. Dubspot also has some good stuff for free, it’s where I got the inspiration to use the sample recorder.
Good luck and don’t give up! You’ll find your way if you keep trying different things.
I do this for that very reason. I usually have a cue where I should have started and an additional one 8 to 16 beats after just in case I goofed it the first time I can still mix the phrase.
Alright thanks guys! I’ll definitively look into beatmatching by ear. I beatgrided the 1/4 of my library and don’t feel like doing the rest, so i’ll def. want to learn that.
I’m trying to master the S4 before using the F1 ;p
I’ll look into hiphop dj’ing tutorial. Not a big fan but people’s seems to like it.
I love all of Traktor’s capabilities and features but for all the stuff it does, I feel more and more distance has come between me and mixing. Having screens are great interface but mixing is about sound. I guess where I’m going is…
Try doing things without looking at the screen.
Learn 10 tricks and ways to change bpm (reverb, echo, spinback, slowdown, drop on the one, using breakdowns wisely, airhorns, vinyl brake, and there is so much more possible).
That way your transitions won’t be overused and you can change tempo’s every 20 minutes to keep the dancefloor going.
