What’s Mixing in your terms?
Hey guys. I just want to hear from you what you think mixing is. I want to get a solid definition from you guys. Is it just matching the BPM’s and then using the crossfader to move it into the other song to sound good? Or is it adding different effects to make it sound good? Kinda confused on this one, and I just want to hear what you guys have to say.
Thanks
it can be either or, getting 2 songs matched up and a simple smooth blend across is mixing, but there are different techniques to mixing 2 song 3 songs or 4 songs together.
think of it as a judo throw, there are different types of throw, and each of them have there own technique but in the end you still throwing someone.
So if you add effects, loop a track to mix in with something in the end its all mixing.
hope that made sense.
Mixing to me is the art of creating something new from existing songs, by putting them together. And of course, you can put songs together in a million different ways, from your basic transition to a long drawn out blend to cue point juggling routines, etc.
of course some of those throws look much cooler 
And some hurt more 
mixing for me is pushing ‘next’ on the ipod!
trainwrecks are the new blends for '09!
I have had this conversation with a few budding DJs in the clubs around cause, well, I’m one of the few DJs in the scene around here that can mix more than one way.
I look at it this way. The umbrella term is “mixing”. There are many ways TO mix, but they all fall under mixing. You can beatmatch, scratch, use effects, fade, cut, blend, mash, trainwreck, etc. etc. etc.. My issue is that DJs can usually only cut or fade, with no real use of blends or beatmatching. Or they can beatmatch but with no use of fading or blending. SO you just hear the second kick drum come in and that’s it.
In the end, however, it doesn’t matter how you do it, it only matters how the crowd reacts. Some mixes are more complicated and sound a LOT cooler (as some judo throws are more complicated and/or hurt a LOT more), and if that builds you crowd’s energy (incapacitates your opponent) then you’ve done a good job.
I think the best way to describe what mixing is… “The technique used by a DJ (or the software he uses) to get from one song to the next to keep the crowd dancing/listening/drinking in the best way possible.”
From there on out it’s all personal taste. And I, for example, am REALLY critical of DJs.
While on the subject, I would rate a DJ’s choice of songs, set progression and ability to work and read the crowd he/she is playing to over the ability to “mix” per say.
I would much prefer to listen to someone playing a set of 20 balanced, well thought out (in terms of going track to track) and stompin tunes faded into each other through winamp over a boring and flat/lackluster 20 track set “mixed” perfectly into each other with all the bells and whistles.
But thats just my $2 
ehh..don’t know where you live but over here in the Netherlands every good DJ beatmixes using all the EQ’s and shit to create seamless transitions…anyway, it’s not if as it’s a real magic art isn’t it? 
to me you have beatmixing, which is basically mixing tracks on the same tempo and making a as seamless transition as possible to keep the dancefloor flowing..
and there is “mixing” which is basically programming the right tracks in the right order, and blending them using the best technique.
This is a hard one: Mixing is something that’s always evolving and will always continue to evolve. If you go back to the 50’s-60’s, a dj was somebody who played one good song after the other. When beatmatching came on the scene (in the belt-driven tt era) they were only using pitchfaders, while touching the platter or the vinyl was out of the question!
Scratching came on the scene, direct-drive tt’s, mixers with fx,…
The moment cd players where used, vinyl dj would say: This has nothing to do with ‘mixing’ anymore, you have bpm-counters etcetc… The same happens now with the digital DJ who always gets the same critics.
When CDJ’s came on the market and changed the scene totally, DJ’s started using loops, cuepoints, fx,… more and more! Now the digital era is having his big breakthrough and things like cuepoint juggling and a lot of special fx are becoming ‘the standard’ for an outstanding set/mix. With the possibility of using a simple button to sync two songs, a dj has more time to concentrate him/herself on the crowd, to use fx and play around with cuepoints and loops.
But every DJ will always be mixing… By the way the most important thing is still to please the crowd!!
Me myself, I can beatmatch (used to spin with tt’s for about 3y), I love to use CDJ’s and since I started mixing with traktor, my vci 100 (SE’ed) and the nanopad I really am addicted to the possibilities a digital dj can use…
Who knows what we will be able to do in 10-20years… But even then, the ‘oldskool’ DJ will still be mixing.
That’s my point of view
its mixing.
beatmatching, eq and effects where applicable. I like long transitions (1 minute+). I mainly mix Techno and Tech-Trance so for me it is kind of easy. Being able to read a crowd is really important as well. If your crowd does not like your style, you have to be able to make your crowd like what’s coming next… Hard one, but doable!
Mixing / DJ’ing also means, you shouldn’t have to or be taking requests (unless you get somebody that knows what you are playing and requests something appropriate). Let the DJ do their thing with beatmixing for more than 8 beats from one song to another, work the EQs and levels that sound pleasing. The mixes should sound natural to the effect where you can barely tell which part of one song is in or out at a given moment. Also throwing in a few quick crossfader cuts in/out/back&forth is fun too in nice rhythmic movements. An occasional flubbed beatmix is acceptable from time to time if the track selection is strong, people will tolerate that, but an evening of trainwrecks is too frustrating and taking the piss is acceptable at this point.
The tools you perform on shouldn’t matter. With the one exception: turntables. Anything less than the Technics 1200/10s turntables (or possibly the vestax ones) should not be tolerated.
Excuse me? I learned everything on simple JBsystems tt’s and the first time I stood in front of the technics I could mix like it was nothing. If you can mix on cheaper tt’s you can mix on everything (believe me). By the way what’s wrong with tt’s like reloop rp600’s, synQ Xtrm-1’s,… They are of great quality and have even more torque than the technics.
peace
Sorry, I’m not familiar with any of these other brands of turntables. At least here in the States, if you saw turntables at a house party by Numark or even worse, Gemini, you really cringe at the thought. I’ve also never been to a venue (restaurant/bar/club) and saw anything other than Technics to play on. I believe the Technics are pretty much the one piece of kit that is pretty much de facto standard anywhere there is a tuntable setup at a venue. Everything else after that is a mixed bag (mixers, carts, amps, monitors, speakers, etc).
Yes, people may have learned on these cheaper lower torque turntables, but are you dying to ever have to play on them? If given the choice… you should be mixing on something with proper torque platters. If these other brands have that heavy torque… I’ll give them the nod.
See, while yes, this is how it is, I think the argument that any other decks are cringeworthy are bullshit. I have a pair of Numark TTX’s and I think they are amazing. I learned on the Technics, but the TTX’s are a powerful set of decks. And any DJ who cringes at those is no different, to me, than a DJ who cringes are a laptop or CD decks or whatever.
shrug And it’s the state of things, it just frustrates me just as much. Cause there are other decks that are, pretty damn good and, well, transmitting over Line instead of phono has a lot of advantages as well.
The Numark TTX’s have S/PDIF coaxial digital outputs, right?
that’s awesome in my opinion, wish more TTs came with that option…
Yeah, they do, and they have 10%, 25% and 50% pitch bend options, and their torque is really powerful. And they have interchangeable straight and S-arm
I guess I’m ignorant of anything newer cause my decks have lasted since I picked them up in the early 90’s and never needed to look at purchase anything else.
Sounds like some of the newer gen decks have got their specs in order that go way beyond the Technics standard… That said, outside of your home studios, I think you’ll still be hard pressed seeing any of these installed out anywhere. It’s still 1200s/1210s when you play out, that is, unless you are lugging all your rig to the gig.
About the 50% pitch bend range.. Is that really effective for doing smooth accurate ‘beatmixing’ but more for effect… turning drum and bass into dub and hip hop/downtempo into drum and bass. I guess I’m losing touch with what the kids are doing these days with wild pitch ranges.
For the digital out options, that sounds great if you are looking to digitize your vinyl for playing digital later into your computer’s audio interface, but how may mixers out there in use today have these digital ins on dj mixer on multiple channels?
Again, more setups you are not likely going to see when playing out at a gig.
Sorry, I should I have clarified I was basing this judgment based on the time frame decade of the 1990’s, where there were no real alternatives to the Technics at that time. It took getting to the 21st century to see some other alternatives to come onto the market to ‘compete’ against the technics machine.