Thats the right attitude man. It really seems like you want to learn so thats great. If youre really passionate about something go out and explore the huge amount of info out there, dont rely on asking people for guidance.
There are plentyyyy of places and people who can help you along the way, but in the end its up to you how you learn and take the information. (much of which is already out there, in brilliant articles and videos put together by DJs)
Best of luck, and HAVE FUN.
I suggest looking up some mixing tutorial videos on youtube. DJing is SIMPLE. (and there is a difference between simple and easy)
Only reason I started djing is because my friends said I had an abnormally good song selection for just a regular listener of electronic music, so I started to delve into it more about 3 years ago.
Op sounds like he wants to mix to be famous. Not because he is passionate.
Passion would come from knowing the songs he is trying to mix in and not having 200 + posts yet still asking how to mix in… without a mixer or controller lol
Yea I didnt want to call him out on that. There are enough 15year old DJ enthusiasts who want to do it just because its the cool thing these days. If hes passionate itll show.
OP posts a bunch of “mixes” on this forum. Dubstep, trance, house, etc. some 40+mins. Im surprised he doesnt know what hes asking..
Song selection is a key factor but if you can’t beat match or phrase correctly then thats where you need to work on. Even though I don’t know song structure & musical theory and still get 500+ plays on tracks and multiple downloads shows me people take the time sit down and enjoy the track selection. I just need to learn phrasing so it blends smoothly into a nice solid mix. I don’t need to be a top international dj like skrillex. As long as “I” enjoy the mixes then I will be happy and so far I don’t enjoy the mixes so I ask questions on the build up and breakdown so I can improve personally.
I did have a controller the kontrol s2 was my first controller. But I wan’t a more sturdy metal type of mixer so I returned the kontrol s2 and headphones and just and got my cash back so I can buy a more quality mixer.
You don’t own headphones at all & you’re going to drop 200 quid on them? Why don’t you just go out today & buy a £10 set of headphones? They might not be the same ones that Superstar DJ #6 is wearing but really, you’re nowhere near the point where you should be caring about expensive headphones. In fact, what you really should do is get a tiny set of in-ear ones & an MP3 player. Listen to your music. Don’t even attempt to mix anything, just listen.
You can’t even hear where the different parts of a song are (tbh this baffles me. Everyone I know who has ever listened to music can hear the change up in a track between the build-up, drop, intro etc). Stay well clear of trying to do anything other than listen to music until you understand the very basics of music. I wouldn’t even attempt to DJ or mix anything at all at the moment if I was you, never mind putting samples over things.
Stay away from FX, stay away for EQs even. Worry about making track A flow seamlessly into track B. Get some headphones, get yourself a cheap controller, and just work on basic A-B mixing for the next month. Listen to your tracks, listen to them again, then play them backwards, and then play them forwards. If you have a patch that will play them sideways, try that too.
Don’t worry about gigs, or parties, or anything infront of anyone but your dog, your stuffed animals and maybe one friend who will be brutally honest and tell you that your mix blows. Once you can beatmatch without using sync, echo, delay or any other button, then think about playing a houseparty for your closest friends, and don’t get pissy when they boo at your for trainwrecking.
These are all lessons we have/had to learn, easy or hard, you will have to learn them too.
You should take a solid amount of time and step back, listen to lots of music, listen to other people’s mixes, and work on grasping the main concepts. Most people who don’t DJ can still understand where a buildup in a song is. It’s not that hard.
As for spending $200 on headphones; that is simply unnecessary, especially since you have no equipment to use them with. I got a pair of Sennheiser 280HD-Pros for $90 over a year ago, and have played dozens of gigs with them since, with no problems. Spending an assload of money on headphones will not help you be a better DJ.
Wow, how do you say that and at the beginning of the thread literally ask what a build up is? And an S2 is a PERFECT place to start at such a low price point. Anyway i’m glad that a few people replied to your original post and tried to help.
i know that post confused me aswell… the way its worded its total opposite of his first post. its like he is answering himself. but hey, making fun of someone isnt going to help anyone. we all have dumb questions at some point.
as some said look on youtube for like a 10min mix someone did, usually has tracklist as well. Download the tracks, and follow along recreating that mix to get a hang of ideas for mixing.
we all started somewhere and a forum might be the best place to get to start/ask and learn. give him time and help him out, but please don´t judge. your first grade teacher didn´t judge on you when you wrote your first sentences…
