Second gig and I want to do this right...Beatmatching?

[windsweptdj]

My first gig was a big party for a bunch of charter boat people.I started off with some good rock and roll and some country from various years and then cranked it up as the night went on.Man I had a great time,and I know I want to keep going.I was cheered and patted on the back and made a bunch in tips alone...And then I got paid?To play music and have fun and meet people?Wow..this is cool....Anyway all I did was play songs from start to finish,no interactive stuff and at that time I never heard of beatmatching...What is this and how do I do it?I should be able to do it with my Numark CD mixer right?Anyone have one?My equipment consists of,
Numark CD mixer
Peavey 1500 amp
pair of Sound Master 3 way speakers with 15 inch woofers
pair of Beringer 18 inch subs
Numark EQ
Nady wireless mics
JVC karioke? player.....also what are your thoughts on my equipment?
Thanks,Paul

[LunchieTey]

Good to hear your first gig went so well! Your equipment looks good(maybe matching behringers on top?-I use them and they're much better than people give them credit for,especially with eq) or maybe BI-amp,although if doing river cruises is going to be a common thing,lighter is better.
As far as beatmatching/beatmixing is concerned,it's not necessary but can add some punch to your set. The only problem is that most of the tunes you play won't have similar beats and need to be sped up/slowed down just too far(and sound crap). If you get to play a few dance tunes/pop/top 40 etc with similar bpm/basslines,you can certainly make it sound good.
The simple definition of beatmixing,is to 'align' two songs' basslines to the same BPM and to the same point in their 8/16 beat blocks. So for example,both songs are sped/slowed slightly to say 130bpm(dance),and then you use the 'pitchbend' on your mixer to pull one song back so both of their basslines are in sync. Once you are happy that they sound good(hopefully both start their next 'bar' at the same time) you can fade over.
The other way is to align both songs,then pause(cue) one at the start of a beat/bar and start it at the correct time so both are in sync(takes practice),then fade over.The most common trick of fading is the 1/4 rule. On the first fade,move the fader 1/4 of the way,then
on the next bar,fade another 1/4 and so on(pleanty of club dj's just do this) and combine with a kill on the bass of the first track after the second fade.
Obviously this is a VERY basic way to do it(you can use looping,beat cuts,kills,effects etc to make it better but until you can do it without these,you must practice!)

[windsweptdj]

Yeah my Sound Master full range speakers are JUNK!!! I have only had them less than a year and have had to replace both horns and all six tweeters...Thats what I get for trying to save a buck....The 18s however POUND hard...I love em...Im afraid I will be in the middle of a set and blow something again...I blew the other stuff at home...
Anyway,can you explain to me again about how to beatmix?Sorry,Im just not getting it and may never get it but I want to try....

[Atticus]

go to the tutorial section

[LunchieTey]

Toasted drivers ALWAYS mean too much power or clipping. Might be too much for them? The b1800x hax a crossover in it to remove bass from your tops so they may still sound ok,but the piezo tweeters are getting rather upset! Just work on getting the bass lines to line up first in your headphones and fade over,you'll immediately try other tricks cause you'll be having so much fun!
Even though there are a few on this site(and plenty of other sites) who dislike behringer gear,I have had an excellent run with mine and am very happy to say for people to try it(If you're on a budget). Just make sure you use it CORRECTLY!