DJ Mixing Tutorial. Add a twist to the mix!

0:00 Demonstration and tutorial on another aspect of mixing

Alright guys, demonstration and tutorial on another aspect of mixing. Now bearing in mind when you mix one track into the other there are a phenomenal amount of ways you can do this so please be yourself, don't copy someone else, just maybe take tips and tricks from one person, little bit from someone else, little bit from someone else and bingo you've got your own style. It's a bit like making a cake isn't it? A little bit of that, a little bit of that, a little bit of that, stick it in the oven and it comes up like that. Down like that with a big dip in the middle if you haven't put the right ingredients in. But mixing is slightly different because you can experiment more. Now in the mid 90s, alright probably loads of people were doing this, but I decided to mix slightly differently.

Now first of all 99.9% of dance music is in 4-4 time, it's in bars, it's in phrases, it's structured etc. And generally what you will see, you will see a DJ bring in a little bit of that. So you will see a DJ bring in a track on the count of one. So in other words, the track that's playing let's say for example this one here. Like that. What the DJ will do is 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 and then 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 and then like so. But what I used to do is I used to bring it in slightly differently. Now I'm going to demonstrate how I brought it in. And then I'm going to explain exactly what I was doing. So we'll play this track here. In fact, what I'll do is I'll wham this one for you a bit. If you want any info on these tracks, I'll put it down in the description ok?

2:31 This particular demonstration tutorial and decide

Right. Very very subtle. But it takes the mix to slightly sort of more of a punk edge. Now again you need to look at this particular demonstration tutorial and decide if you want to use this technique or maybe add this into your mix. Ok. It's up to you. Now normally 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 and what the DJ will do is you know this track is up here. 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4-1 bring it in. And then quite often it's a slow movement with the up fader to bring the mix in. Alternatively of course if you've got the cross fade engaged you can give a slow transition from one side to the other using the cross fade. But what I did was a little bit more or less the same thing. It was a little bit more of a spike to the mix. I like whopped that slider straight up.

Alternatively I could have just cross fade straight over. But if I'd have put the cross fade straight over and the cross fade was engaged I would have gone directly to the second track and the first track wouldn't be heard. So what I would have done there, I would have gone half way through. In other words I would have gone half way in between the cross fade and the middle 50% sort of stuff. Right. So what was I doing? I'll explain. Now normally you have 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. What I was doing was this, 1-2-3-4. Now if you notice I was bringing that fader up on the count of 3 or maybe the count of 2. It gives it just a little bit more of a spike, a punk edge. So 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. So what you're doing, you're actually bringing that mix in almost before.

The count of 1. Now it does punk it up a little bit and in the right place at the right time. It sounds very good. Now you notice this track here, it's got quite a nice high pitch to it. Have a listen. Ah cross fade. See I like that. Wrong one. 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4. So what I'm doing, I'm actually bringing it in not on that boom, on that 2-3. Have a listen again. Play. You get my timing? You get my timing? On the beat, on the bass. High again.

Right so we'll do that again. Now this time watch and you'll see exactly what's happening. So put that on. Here we go.

5:29 At this point I can maybe consider bass down a bit

At this point I can maybe consider bass down a bit. High down on that side. You notice as well I came in with bass, mid and treble all at 12 o'clock. Again to give it more of a punch. And then at that point when they're both in the mix I can maybe start to decrease the bass on that side and also nice high end on here so maybe decrease the treble on this side as well so we get more emphasis on the high on this side. Got some filter on. . Shut up! Right again it's very, very subtle. Now sometimes, right put it another way. There's too many people out there who follow other people. I've said this so many times and there's probably a lot of people watching these videos going yeah you've said it a lot of times but guess what?

There's probably a few people who have never seen me before and after this won't want to see me again. Try to be different. The way to stand out in the crowd is to be different. By all means look at other DJs. Take little tips, little tricks. It's a bit like I said earlier on it's making that mixture. Bunging little bits of ingredients together and you come up with your own style so practice and enjoy and Brian S Red we're thinking of you. You're a star. Practice and enjoy, thank you.

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