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Thread: What makes a mix good or bad to you?

  1. #1
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    What makes a mix good or bad to you?

    For me, it's like this: -

    Good: -

    Solid track selection - If a mix is technically impressive, then I don't mind hearing a bunch of tracks I've heard may times before, but I do like to hear tunes that are new to me.

    Good technical skills - My favourite mixes are all multi-tracked. Qbert's DPSM. Babu's Comprehension. Buddy Peace's mixes. Spinbads mixes, etc. I love the technical side of DJing - not when a DJ overdoes it - but when a skilled DJ that really knows what they're doing does it right, it really does make the mix a lot greater than the sum of its parts. Not that I'm saying a mix has to be multi-tracked for me to like - far from it - but they are the supreme examples of pushing DJing as far as it can go.

    Good sound quality - I'm not expecting to download mixes encoding in FLAC (although it would be nice), but good sound quality is a must.

    Bad: -

    Bland track selection - If you're just doing basic blends, then playing the same tracks that lots of other DJs are playing is gonna lead to a pretty dull mix.

    Poor technical skills - If you're not a very skilled DJ yet, less is more. I would rather hear a DJ just fade between songs if they can't mix but have a good taste in music and want to get a mix out there. I will listen to a mix with terrible tech skills all the way through if it's for critique purposes, but then I'll never listen to it again.

    Overusing technical skills in the wrong way - I used to record the Tim Westwood show when he had guest DJs on. Sometimes, he'd have Funkmaster Flex on and he's an example of a DJ that overuses tech skills IMO. For example, he would cut back and forth between an intro line of a hip-hop song, but he'd do it with nearly every track and he'd do it loads of times to the point where I'd think "just play the fucking song already!".

    Bad phrase matching - Often this means clashing vocals, then the DJ realises and quickly fades the outgoing track out. There's no excuse for this!

    Bad sound quality - One of the first things a DJ should do is learn how to set the levels properly (or use auto-gain) and how to record a mix. I don't want to hear mixes where the levels of the songs are all over the place, the overall sound quality is too low or too high so it's clipping (which is even worse), or where there's humming in the background cos the gear isn't properly grounded. If you're gonna use MP3s, use a decent bitrate. When you're using a mix of bitrates from various sources, it can be heard in mixes sometimes.

    Short mixes - I don't mind mini-mixes that are deliberately short cos they pack in a bunch of tunes, but to me there's little point in posting up a 10-15 minute mix of 3-4 songs. It's OK if you're a n00b who wants to know if you're on the right track, but outside of that, don't do it!

    Lazy/bland DJs in general - It's hard to stand out from the crowd, but DJs should at least try, whether it's with digging deep for great tracks, pushing the technical side of DJing, or both. I hate hearing hip-hop mixes where every blend is "lower the bass on the outgoing track and mix the outro with the intro of the next song" and there's no scratching, trick mixing or anything else that makes the mix interesting to listen to.

  2. #2
    Member Adzm00's Avatar
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    Track selection and reasonable mixing is what I look for most, you don't have to be mixing 3/4 tracks all the time to get my attention, just good solid mixing from track to track and nice tunes.

    I do not like talking in mixes, if it is anything more than to introduce the dj at the start, it bores me. If they have a "hype man" in it, I won't listen to it.
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  3. #3
    Track selection and Transitions (Phrase matching massively included in this category)

    Good post Sigma

  4. #4
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    Bad: same pop-electro-EDM-bait-top40-remixes that every other unimaginative DJF member is playing

    Good: good music played in an order that makes sense (whether that's building up nicely or thrilling in an unexpected way, as long as it works), competent mixing

  5. #5
    Member Adzm00's Avatar
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    Oh if you throw a cake at someone whilst you mix it, I consider that pushing the boundaries, really innovative.
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  6. #6
    Good track selection and mixing,nothing more nothing less.
    Y u no check out my music?
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  7. #7
    Member Schreiber's Avatar
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    I'd say the only thing that ruins a mix for me is bad "skills". Completely out of sync songs playing over each other for 30 seconds, trying to play two or 3 different vocal parts at once that clash, etc. If they release a mix like that & actually think it sounds good, they should really practice a lot more.

    The song selection really isn't a killer to me. If they like the songs, more power to them. Just because everyone else happens to like it, doesn't make it any less of a good track.
    My latest mix-Songs for a Temporary Madness
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  8. #8
    i have alot of respect for a dj who can mix quick and tight. hard to do i think, after a while i end up with alot pitch bending going on

    2 to 3 mins per song. nice and tight mixing no messing about thats what i like to here from a mix. also alittle bit of a scratch or some madskills are always nice.

  9. #9
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    Flanger. Lots and lots of flanger.











































































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  10. #10
    I don't want to hear any noticeable transitions. Everything should be fluid, and tracks should overlap each other. That's my biggest thing, the tracks are beat/keymatched and have a steady flow of energy between two songs.

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