Putting aside the debate on whether or not you do / need to mix as a mobile DJ, I can't recall us ever discussing how people learned in the first place, so....
If you can mix, how did you learn the basics?
How did you learn to mix?
Putting aside the debate on whether or not you do / need to mix as a mobile DJ, I can't recall us ever discussing how people learned in the first place, so....
If you can mix, how did you learn the basics?
On a couple of belt drive decks and a numark 2 ch mixer in my bedroom about 15 years ago. I felt special in those days to get a pair of belt drives lol. How things have moved on.
Larry Basham
Can you play something with a beat ?
Yeah, but that's the 'where' and 'when'.... not the HOW
I first 'tried' to mix on a pair of 'Dual' turntables which had varispeed, but didn't really accomplish anything until I bought my Technics 1210s at the age of 19.
I then practised and practised and was also into scratching back then. I used to put a coin on the headshell to make it weight more so it wouldn't skip across the records.
I watched the film 'Wildstyle' (still one of my favourites) and there was a scene in the film where Grandmaster Flash is in a kitchen with 3 record decks. I was amazed at what he was doing (it was 'The Wheels of Steel' track). I didn't have any decks at the time as I was too young but when I eventually got some 1210's later on down the line, I took what I had seen as an influence.
How did I learn? I wasn't taught or anything...I just observed other people and tried it myself. I did the 2p thing too but I was still no good at scratching and gave up.
I could never mix that well using turntables. I also couldn't mix that well up until a year or so ago................. Then Virtual DJ came along! I know it is using software to help with the mixing, but for me it is the difference between night and day.
I am not the best by any means, but a lot better than before.
Oh, and that first succesfull mix, when you manage to keep people on the dancefloor, because they don't notice the change to the next track is brill.
My cousin is a genius at mixing, scratching etc. So I started attempting it with him at a young age on his 1210's. He tried teaching me the basics but I was never any good.
9 years later I'm not much better.
Me and a few mates used to skip college and go to another mates house who had 1210's, he was a hip hop DJ but a cracking house DJ too and taught me the basics. We drank an awful lot of tea at his house
I'd tried mixing a C60 with my Dad's HiFi Beltdrive turntable before that but never really got anywhere lol. The video is Chris D V S, he's who's mums house we used to hide in and who inspired me to learn how to mix
I learnt to mix on a denon 2000 mk1 back in 1997. It took me 3 months to work out what the pitch bend buttons were for. I was taught the very very basics by a dj who i met in a disco shop. I hadn tmet him before but got into a conversation about mixing somehow and he showed there and then.
In 2000 i bought my technics and began to learn on them.
I was inspired to mix by watching local club dj's. I can honestly say i was well and truly bitten by the bug after that.
long live lightboxes..........lots of em!!!
http://www.google.co.uk/products/cat...ed=0CEgQ8wIwAw
By reading that book time and time again until I got it into my head how to select tunes (which is effected by their ability to bend into each other) and then using a pair of direct drive turn tables (one Vestax PDX and Numark TT500).
I spent so long on this ability and it use to drive me crazy. In fact one night I was so annoyed I took off my headphones and threw them in anger towards a glass framed picture.
That doesn't paint me in a good light but I'm really not a hot headed person so just goes to show how frustrating it was at times. I got there after a few years of trying and while I wouldn't say I'm amazing its a skill I enjoy using particular at bar and young teen events.
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