Turntable Watch
Turntable Watch
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How I started DJ mixing + Free Music Beats
I have always had a passion for mixing and have seen methods and techniques change a great deal. This is how I first got into mixing.
Stage 1: My 1st crude mixing method:
When I 1st started mixing I used to use the old cassette tapes which was a very crude method of mixing. Yes it was some years ago! Basically I had a double tape deck with pre-recorded music on it and I would play both tapes back simultaneously and mix the tracks. I would count the beats of each track manually using a stop watch then sequence tape cassettes with tracks of the same speed. So I would have about 10 cassette tapes all lined up but I had to ensure each tape would start in the right place when I mixed them into the preceding tape. So I would stop and start each tape until they were all exactly in the right place. I numbered each tape then mixed each one into the other in sequence. It was not easy but it was all I had to work with
Music I mixed:
I mixed mainly electro house – ( Soul Sonic Force, Cybertron, Planet Patrol, Jenny Burton, Lisa Lisa etc etc) as that was the easiest to mix – that and house music. Cybertron's Clear is an absolute masterpiece and for me the best electro tune ever and I still have the mint condition vinyl on Fantasy records!!! Anyway, to achieve pitch and speed control I would hold down the pause button on the cassette deck – very crude.
What a performance and at the time I regarded this as very high tech mixing and people did enjoy listening to my mixes. How things have changed. Those were the days when I couldn't afford any DJ equipment.
Stage 2: Turntable mixing
After a while I did start buying DJ equipment. I first bought 2 Soundlab decks and a Gemini 19" mixer which I still use. This was when I really got into mixing. I still had to record on tape cassettes though if I wanted to play back what I had done.
I have always wanted to get hold of Technics SL1200 turntables. If you know your DJ equipment then you know that they were the ultimate kit for turntable mixing. As years went by though the prices never went down unlike other turntables so I could never afford them. Even to this day they are still very expensive. As little as $300 on Amazon.
Stage 3:CD mixing
From there I progressed to cd mixing which I have to say is more difficult than turntable mixing. Not having the hands on control felt very strange and I almost wanted to take the cd and spin it. Anyway I persevered and bought two Soundlab mixing cd consoles and soon got the hang of cd mixing. It wasn't easy though - cd mixing was still in its infancy.
After that I bought a Numark all in one MP3 cd mixing console which mixes MP3s, has a beat counter, sampler and more. Now I was really getting into cd mixing.
Stage 4: Software mixing
These days I make more use of computer based mixing software – Mixmeister Pro, Abelton Live and Sony Music Studio. Its not as hands on but hey I'm no mobile DJ pro. I do most mixing in Sony Music studio as its loop based software which makes mixing a breeze. The only drawback is that it cant count beats very well if its slow tempo music like RnB , Reggae etc. For that you need the best beat counter I have ever come across – its in Mixmeister pro. This software can mix just about any music as it can count 120bpm, 80bpm etc. I prefer to count single beats though rather than double.
My ideal mixing equipment if I had the money:
What I would really like to get into is mixing using Serato scratch live or similar software mixing systems. Serato allows you to mix and scratch music files from your computer hard drive using 2 control discs that go on your turntables. These discs link to the computer and software interface which allows you to cue up tracks and manipulate them using the control disks. I believe the same is applicable to cd mixing consoles – Im not sure. Many radio and club djs use Serato – its very easy and quick to cue up MP3s and scratch/mix them in. Cueing, looping, keylock, sampling and DJ FX are just some of the features. I would so love to get my hands on such a system if I had the money. Its part of the reason why I have ended up doing mainly all out software mixing which I will talk about in another article.
About the Author
This is where I am with mixing today. Check out my new site Freeloopbeats and my new hip hop, rap and soul beats, loops and sample packs. You can download them FREE. Yes that's right – they are free – my site will NEVER charge for the beats and samples it has on it, ask you to fill in surveys or register for membership.
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