Making promo's and mixes for the public

[DJArmani]

How do you guys set up your mixes? I mean do you just turn on your equipment when motivated and click record? The way I've always done it when it comes to making mixes for the public is creating a playlist of songs and putting them in order of genre or opening tracks, energy tracks, and winding down tracks. If I mess up I just keep doing the mix over and over until I can get it right and I still feel dissatisfied with my final result.

I've heard of people just dragging songs into a playlists in no particular order and making a mix with the songs in the list. What are some different methods I can try? For the most part my mixes don't come out the way I wanted them to come out when I do it the way I've always done it.

[Sigma]

I use multitracking to make studio mixes - obviously, I wouldn't use these as promos to get club work as they're not representative of what I can do live - but for just making mixes for other people to hear, it's the method I use the most. I like it because it removes all limitations of live mixing. Making mixes this way is a whole different skill and it can be painfully tedious when you get deeply into it, but if you put the effort in then the end result will be beyond what you could ever do live. And I don't just mean in terms of how clean the mix is - I mean in terms of how deep the mixing/technical stuff is, as you can do things that are simply impossible to do when you're mixing live.

If I'm recording a live mix for a particular purpose, then I work out the track listing in advance, I'll think how I'm going to do the mix in terms of where any trick mixing/scratching will go, then I'll try and bang it out and record it. If I mess it up badly, I'll start again from the beginning. It's basically how I would do the mixes for the battles I've done on here.

I only really freestyle mixes when I'm practicing, or when I used to DJ in bars/clubs. Outside of that, I like to put a bit more thought into it to try and make the end result better.

[DJArmani]

I use multitracking to make studio mixes - obviously, I wouldn't use these as promos to get club work as they're not representative of what I can do live - but for just making mixes for other people to hear, it's the method I use the most. I like it because it removes all limitations of live mixing. Making mixes this way is a whole different skill and it can be painfully tedious when you get deeply into it, but if you put the effort in then the end result will be beyond what you could ever do live. And I don't just mean in terms of how clean the mix is - I mean in terms of how deep the mixing/technical stuff is, as you can do things that are simply impossible to do when you're mixing live.

If I'm recording a live mix for a particular purpose, then I work out the track listing in advance, I'll think how I'm going to do the mix in terms of where any trick mixing/scratching will go, then I'll try and bang it out and record it. If I mess it up badly, I'll start again from the beginning. It's basically how I would do the mixes for the battles I've done on here.

I only really freestyle mixes when I'm practicing, or when I used to DJ in bars/clubs. Outside of that, I like to put a bit more thought into it to try and make the end result better.

thanks for the reply, I would do studio mixes but this is mainly so people know what I can do live. I'm really picky when it comes to my mixes and any little mess up and I start over, I always want quality in my mixes

[ben mills]

I don't have the patience to do a mix more than once. If I decide to record a mix, I'll grab some tracks, do a quick shuffle of sounds, but no real planning, hit play and press record.

What comes out, comes out - and that's what the people get. Warts and all.

[DJArmani]

I don't have the patience to do a mix more than once. If I decide to record a mix, I'll grab some tracks, do a quick shuffle of sounds, but no real planning, hit play and press record.

What comes out, comes out - and that's what the people get. Warts and all.

don't know about you bro but if I mess up badly and post it up I make myself look bad and will get no gigs.

[ben mills]

I generally don't mess up badly. You'll get there too.

There might be the odd time where something just goes completely bonkers for some random reason (needle jump, dust on the vinyl, any number of things) - but the physics of beatmatching is the physics of beatmatching and there really are no unknowns about it while mixing. Once you've got it down you can do it with confidence and without fear of messing up.

[JackStalk]

I usually start by getting a general idea of the type of mix i want to create (top40, mainstream club, underground trance, chillout trance, etc) and build a playlist in Itunes. It enables me to drag in all the tracks I want to use, and I can roughly structure the mix by key/bpm/feel. I'll usually put a big current hit as the intro to grab the listener's attention, and then progressively build energy until the last few songs. If you're mixing a demo, you want to make sure everything is perfect so it's good to record it in sections. I'll keep going until I mess up, rerecord from there, go until I mess up, and re-record until the end. In a 60 minute mix I'll generally make three or less mistakes, and instead of doing the entire mix over again I'll just piece it together. My podcasts are almost always a one-shot on the first take a few hours before it goes live.

[Finnish_Fox]

I don't have the patience to do a mix more than once. If I decide to record a mix, I'll grab some tracks, do a quick shuffle of sounds, but no real planning, hit play and press record.

What comes out, comes out - and that's what the people get. Warts and all.

Word... this is pretty much how I operate.

While I don't have a track list, per se, I know the tracks that I like to play together... not to say its a 1:1 thing, but if I play a certain track, there are 4-6 tracks that I think go well with it and will choose from there. Sort of like one of those choose-your-own-ending books.

Rinse and repeat.

[Finnish_Fox]

don't know about you bro but if I mess up badly and post it up I make myself look bad and will get no gigs.

What do you consider bad? A trainwreck or a mix that got a little loose that you were able to correct?

[Finnish_Fox]

I generally don't mess up badly. You'll get there too.

There might be the odd time where something just goes completely bonkers for some random reason (needle jump, dust on the vinyl, any number of things) - but the physics of beatmatching is the physics of beatmatching and there really are no unknowns about it while mixing. Once you've got it down you can do it with confidence and without fear of messing up.

Exactly... train-wrecking is a huge mistake. Once that isn't as much an issue, the "mistakes" are more to do with timing stuff - letting a track run longer than you want, not cutting/bringing in bass at right time, etc.

[JackStalk]

Overlapping vocals and having the wrong volume levels are my two personal biggest pet peeves

[Finnish_Fox]

Overlapping vocals and having the wrong volume levels are my two personal biggest pet peeves

Exactly... I love when you have small vocal samples that play together but it can be go wrong pretty easily too, especially with full on vocals.... and when it happens, it usually me spacing out around the hour mark.

[ben mills]

You should be using loop control on your incoming track to make sure you don't run into this problem. Keep it running the loop, and let it go one 32 beat phase at a time until you're ready for the full release.

[Finnish_Fox]

You should be using loop control on your incoming track to make sure you don't run into this problem. Keep it running the loop, and let it go one 32 beat phase at a time until you're ready for the full release.

Don't use a DVS. And the manual looping on CDJs escapes me... and that auto only goes to 8 I believe but I am no expert - I use my CDJs as regular ol' decks. :shrug:

[ben mills]

Ah, ok...thought you used DVS.

[Finnish_Fox]

Its actually something I'm looking into... stuck between Serato and Traktor Scratch. From what I've read, Serato seems like the platform for me as I typically am not a power user and probably wouldn't get the most out of Traktor... also, not sure how much "set up" (i.e. beat grids) there is involved in Traktor, whereas Serato seems more "plug and play" from the sounds of it. On top that, someone has told me its actually easier to map my NI X1 to Serato than it is to Traktor, but that does seem odd.

On the other hand, the price point of the A6 TSP package is much more attractive than an SL2 or 3. Was about to buy A6 TSP but then all the rumors of issues with the control vinyl on 2.5 surfaced, so I backed off. I've heard Serato is more "basic" than Traktor, but I just do basic mixing and that is what I enjoy. (Would be fun to loop and stuff like that though.)

Which do you use?

[ben mills]

I use Traktor Scratch 2.0 with a Kontrol X1. The X1 is completely native to Traktor, so absolutely no mapping or compatibility issues for me.

I have never set a beat grid in my life. If you're manually mixing, there's no need for...so you can throw that concern away.

I'm like you - basic mixing with two decks. Traktor would be perfect for you. I don't get fancy with loops...just use them to extend my mixes on both ends and to time breaks, double drops, etc., to add another level to the mixing.

It would be a great addition to your set up.

[ben mills]

If you watch a bit of my video you can see how I use the Kontrol X1 - nothing fancy, but adds another element with the loops.

[DJArmani]

What do you consider bad? A trainwreck or a mix that got a little loose that you were able to correct?

Bad is bringing in the song a little later to me, cutting vocals the 'basketball sound' on certain transitions (simply when my beatmatching is off), or mixing out too quick.

[DJArmani]

Overlapping vocals and having the wrong volume levels are my two personal biggest pet peeves

same here along with letting the song play too long and not being able to mix in until the next break

[Finnish_Fox]

I use Traktor Scratch 2.0 with a Kontrol X1. The X1 is completely native to Traktor, so absolutely no mapping or compatibility issues for me.

I have never set a beat grid in my life. If you're manually mixing, there's no need for...so you can throw that concern away.

I'm like you - basic mixing with two decks. Traktor would be perfect for you. I don't get fancy with loops...just use them to extend my mixes on both ends and to time breaks, double drops, etc., to add another level to the mixing.

Perfect... makes sense. Of course I'd be manual so I guess that works perfectly.



It would be a great addition to your set up.

Ah, so you haven't upgraded to 2.5? The CV issues with 2.5 is what put me off Traktor.

As for the X1, I guess I did know that it was native. I guess is didn't remember what I was told exactly... I think it was just that mapping the X1 to Serato isn't difficult (without comparing it to Traktor).

So, I guess where I am at now is that it seems Serato platform is pretty stable in terms of upgrading whereas Traktor seems to have issues. Do you know if 2.5 CV issues have been resolved?

[Finnish_Fox]

Bad is bringing in the song a little later to me, cutting vocals the 'basketball sound' on certain transitions (simply when my beatmatching is off), or mixing out too quick.

Gotcha... I think you need to ease up on yourself in some senses. You should be trying to get the song in when you want, but if it doesn't work out then its not the end of the world and most people won't notice so long as it is still phrased correctly and the EQ blends are good. Totally do this a lot... I'll be making a mix, a buddy calls and I miss the spot where I like to start the next track... I just have to wait till the next phrase but other than that, its like any other mix.

The cutting vocals - can you give an example?

Yep... the basketball sound is a beatmatching issue (if I understand what you mean). You'll tighten that up with practice... are you on wax or CDJs?


same here along with letting the song play too long and not being able to mix in until the next break

Sometimes waiting for the next break is a good thing... tracks with a longer phrase can make that an inevitability.

I like to bring in the next track as soon as I can, but I don't try to force the issue unless I'm screwing around and trying new things.

[ben mills]

You will be able to get it running fine, I'm sure. For you I am convinced Traktor is the better answer

[Finnish_Fox]

You will be able to get it running fine, I'm sure. For you I am convinced Traktor is the better answer

Cheers. I posted in digital DJ forum and am hearing that there really isn't an issue.

Will pull trigger soon.

[DJArmani]

The cutting vocals - can you give an example?





I mean like when I'm doing hip hop for example and I wanna cut into the next track I'll cut after a hook but the first word of the verse would come in quickly , making a "cut" sound.

[DJ-Veaux]

thanks for the reply, I would do studio mixes but this is mainly so people know what I can do live. I'm really picky when it comes to my mixes and any little mess up and I start over, I always want quality in my mixes

Same here dude xD Though I have two ways of approaching live mixes. Either I just mix and deal with my mistakes so that I learn how to adapt and overcome. The other style that I use is to do as you say. Perform until I make a mistake. When I do, I do it over.
Though in the long run, you gotta learn that mistakes will be made and that you can't always restart.

[aaron altar]

Though in the long run, you gotta learn that mistakes will be made and that you can't always restart.

Live in 1 try, warts and all, don't even run it through a DAW. Just do what you do and it is what it is. If you don't like it, then keep practicing. If you do like it, then keep practicing.

[dlove]

I do my mixes in one take - I get my new tunes together, add a few classics and record. I don't post edit or anything. My style is pretty easy; it's all about track selection, and as long as it sounds smooth, I post it up.

[dlove]

Totally do this a lot... I'll be making a mix, a buddy calls and I miss the spot where I like to start the next track... I just have to wait till the next phrase but other than that, its like any other mix.








my friends constantly text "Answer your phone!" :lol:

[ohdee]

Live in 1 try, warts and all, don't even run it through a DAW. Just do what you do and it is what it is. If you don't like it, then keep practicing. If you do like it, then keep practicing.


Whats a DAW?

[DJArmani]

any type of software you use to edit, produce, etc.

[aaron altar]

Digital Audio Workstation, ie, Logic Pro, Cubase, FL Studio, etc. Audacity is a very basic and free version which I have started to utilize to normalize (make it louder) and fix any clipping (only happens when I'm drunk).

[Dj Flam3s]

Hey guys im chris nunez , im new on this site and i was hoping i could gather information from you guys on how a mix should be properly made.

I have 2 years worth of experiance.

[Zafire]

All my stuff i throw up is raw.

I'll usually pull 5 or 6 tracks i want to play and then the rest is on the fly. Some sound good some sound not so good. I'd love to learn how to use Logic to make my mixes sound better though, for now however i'm happy them being raw as it means i need to be doing everything i'll be doing in a club situation.

[kickkickklapp]

All my stuff i throw up is raw.

I'll usually pull 5 or 6 tracks i want to play and then the rest is on the fly. Some sound good some sound not so good. I'd love to learn how to use Logic to make my mixes sound better though, for now however i'm happy them being raw as it means i need to be doing everything i'll be doing in a club situation.

I do EXACTLY the same, pick out 2-5 tracks after the mood I'm and then automatically I'll be picking the next song I wanna listen to. That's what makes it personal :)

[myndgruv]

i refuse to do studio mixes. If i am putting something out there it needs to sound the same as when i mix live. You can get booking from people who never hear you live and they could be rather dissapointed that you have this amazing mix tape but it sounds nothing like you do live.

[thehadgi]

I never was quite sure what the point of studio mixes were... :shrug:

[Sigma]

I never was quite sure what the point of studio mixes were... :shrug:
You have 100% creative freedom with a studio mix, because you are not bound by what you are able to physically achieve. For instance, I can't scratch 2 different samples live at the same time, but I can with a studio mix.

Here's an example from a mix I'm working on at the moment. A shot of a small section of the mix in the multi-track recorder: -

http://i.imgur.com/gj4gDJk.jpg

There's 4 different samples that I'm scratching on, each with panning/effects applied. I also scratch on parts of the underlying beat. That total section is only 40 seconds long, but it took a couple of hours to make.

Really, it's no different than saying "why don't you make an EDM track by playing it live all in one go?". While you can do that, people tend not to, because they build the song up in stages, experiment with different ideas and what have you. It's no different with this. If the end result is a mix that you could have made by doing it live in one take anyway, then yes, it's pointless, but studio mixes are a combination of traditional DJ skills and production.