How did you learn to mix?

[Corabar Entertainment]

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?

[Larry B Entertainment]

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.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Yeah, but that's the 'where' and 'when'.... not the HOW :p

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

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.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

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.

[MikeW]

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.:)

[Cowlinn]

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. :o

[Mark Wild]

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 :p

Chris DVS - one on one - YouTube

[Javlingames]

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.

[DeckstarDeluxe]

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=how+to+dj+properly+book&gs_upl=690l4112l0l4312l23l17l0l5l5l0l201l1689l3.9. 1l13l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1600&bih=775&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=1757129731896813138&sa=X&ei=PTpWTr3nO8-o8QPLqs2yDA&ved=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.

[Shaun]

If you can mix, how did you learn the basics?

Plenty of long hours practicing.


I learnt to mix with a load of great 80's 12" vinyl. Most followed the same format and a lot were in the same BPM range which was definitely a bonus. First I used to just chop mix between tracks of a similar bpm. Jumping back and forth and places in the track I thought sounded good.

I then started getting better at manipulating the tempo to match tracks up precisely. Once I mastered that it was childs play. Most of the vinyl I had all followed the same format. (Intro, build ups, choruses, break, outro, etc). So it was easy to figure out that if I started bringing in the incoming song at a certain point near the end of the track, by the time it got to the end of the outgoing track, the intro to the incoming track would have reached just the right point - giving a seamless mix that flowed well.

The concept of basic beatmixing is relatively simple. It just needs plenty of practice to fine tune it.

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Grandmaster Flash - Wildstyle - YouTube

This is what made me want to learn it. It's moved on so much from here (and the breakdancing too) but this was where it started really. I was well into it.

[NKR]

I learnt on a Numark CD22 Mark 1

I can count to four, which is a great start.

I then spent time with two copies of the same track as i knew they were both the same speed and learnt to sync them up.

Then I started working with tracks of the same genre and using my ear and the twist pad to work out which was running slower / faster.

I was never amazing, but could mix sets together off the cuff, which means I must have a fairly decent ear.

[Jonny Boy]

I learnt on a Numark CD22 Mark 1

I can count to four, which is a great start.
I was never amazing, but could mix sets together off the cuff, which means I must have a fairly decent ear.

Pretty much the same as me, cue-point on CDN22s were a blessing
after "mixing" (in loosest possible sense!) after my band's sets off 2 stand-alone CD players. (1 was a CD walkman, the other an aiwa hi-fi, plugged into the band's mixer-amp.
:eek:
It was pretty much a case of fading in track 2 as track 1 was fading out and being as precise as possible on the pause button to cue it to the nearest 2 seconds. ;-) :muppet: :muppet:

My lord were were amateurish....we had to unplug one of the keyboards to free up a 2nd channel, and it took some persuasion that I needed two channels!

AND THEY STILL WONDER (11 years later) WHY I QUIT!

[Daryll]

The simple answer.

I cant....

Daryll

[WWDJ]

When Traktor invented the Sync button :D

.... seriously though ....

I started on a pair of 1210s that we were using to DJ with at the time and was taught by a DJ who we used to buy records off. Basically not being too hamfisted with the pitch and stroking/tweaking the record to get it into time.
I was never brilliant but could get 9/10 fairly short 16 beat mixes.

Then moved over to using this combined with the mighty Denon 2000F Mk2 CD players, which made cueing so much easier.

I then dropped DJing for an number of years and when I came back it was a Denon HD2500 which had BPM displays, a great aid to know you are in the right ball park before you try and mix.

Now I just use Traktor and I am a slave to the sync button, mainly because it makes life easier, I can talk to punters and play with effects instead of beatmatching. I tend to buy Radio Edits rather than Extended Versions as my work is more mobile than bars and this is what they like to hear, so Traktor helps me extend/mix those radio edits easily.

[Spirits High]

For me it was when I was leaving the Army. Some of you may remember that I spent a week down at the DJ Academy in Worcester :D

A real eye opener having one to one tution from 10am - 4pm with DJ Tanz. Learnt alot that week.

[DazzyD]

I was never much good at mixing using sound so when Traktor and VDJ gave me the option to beatmatch visually it was something I practised long and hard on and now I can get away with it nicely!!

[DJ Jules]

I bought this book : How To DJ Properly : The Art And Science Of Playing Records: Amazon.co.uk: Bill Brewster, Frank Broughton: Books

Then I practised using a range of tracks with a similar BPM and then moved on to finding techniques to jump from tracks with different BPM's styles and genres. This was all on the Cortex. I'm now back on VDJ which has the Cheat button (SYNC), but I still frequently finding myself reverting to manually setting the pitch where VDJ hasn't managed to automatically set the beatgrid properly (Chris Brown - "Beautiful people" anyone?)

The other thing I've found inspirational (as a lot of people on here have said) is checking out what other DJ's do and the techniques they use. There's been a few times I've spent quite a while tracking down and buying music I've heard in other peoples sets and trying to re-create their performance - and learning a lot along the way.

Recently I've picked up a lot by listening to the Student Traffic Promo mixes out there (I would link, but the mixes are on Soundcloud) and to DJ Lee Harris (Google for "Lee Harris Housenation UK"). Some of the techniques used by Sammy P (who has a whole load of other mixes on Soundcloud alongside the Student Traffic ones) are really impressive.

Julian

[BeerFunk]

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.Don't worry, you're not the only one to have gone through all that! I was the same, I used to feel the rage building up due to the frustration... it's so soul destroying putting everything into it, really concentrating on it, and still you can't get the tracks to sit right :mad:

It used to put me in a bad mood for the rest of that day, but I would always go back to it the next day (or the day after!), and eventually you start to pull of more mixes than you mess up, and even more eventually... you only mess up occasionally :cool:

No DJ on this planet makes a perfect mix every time though, but some have better ratios than others :)

[chrisj]

On a Citronic Thames in the early 80's twin deck unit, yes 7" and 12" discs. My friend Steve http://www.stevespahire.co.uk/data/stevespahire.nsf/Index?OpenForm used to do a disco at Gt Yarmouth, rollerdisco,and on his way home most Fridays, called in to see me at the club where I worked. He always did a mix session and I listened and watched and then tried myself. After many attempts I got it right and really do miss mixing vynil, it was great.
Must call in and see him again as he lives just up the raod from me but is seldom home due to his work at concerts with 45Kw pa system.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

I learnt to mix on dual rack mount citronics first...with the aid of a beat counter. :o

I learned to mix on 1210s in a pub/club as i was using them and under the guidance of a older and wiser house dj....

[DeckstarDeluxe]

One thing I have to say is I found it so much easier to mix in a club that in the living room.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

One thing I have to say is I found it so much easier to mix in a club that in the living room.

With regards to the fact that in a club, there would be equipment and in a living room would be sofas and occasional tables...? :D

[Spirits High]

As some members probably remember when I was leaving the Army a couple of years ago now I went to the DJ Academy down in Worcester and spent a week there.

I had one to one tuition from 10am - 4pm for 5 days from DJ Tanz.

Using Mk3 CDJ1000's. Was really good, admittedly not cheap at £750 but well worth it.

Wasn't just about mixing it went into mixing in Key, mic techniques etc. At the end of the week I had to do a mixing "Exam" to a couple of the DJ Academy tutors.

Still enjoy the odd mix here and there now. Came in particularly useful a few weddings ago when I did the 1hr 40 Trance set ;)

[Larry B Entertainment]

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.


Yeah, but that's the 'where' and 'when'.... not the HOW :p

Sorry, missed out some detail in my post, so better correct it (only 5 years, 9 months, 26 days late :o)

I must have only been 14 when I started messing about with a couple of cassette players and a Tandy Realistic mixer in my bedroom (It was basic but back then I thought it was fantastic). After hearing the likes of Pete Tongs Essential Selection on the radio, I became intrigued with how he was merging tracks together with no breaks in the music. I got used to phase mixing on the cassette decks then my dad bought me one of those 2 turntables and mixer in a wooden box jobs, which I proceeded to blew up the same day after putting the wrong sort of fuse in it.

I then got some Sound Lab belt drive decks and that felt like a real upgrade compared to tape decks. I raided my dads vinyl collections and tried to beat match whatever "dancey" records I could find, sometimes not very successfully. I then used to trawl round the car boot sales looking for vinyl to mix and the first one I bought for myself was David Morales "Needin U" followed by Gusto's "Disco Revenge" and then I got on the Hard House tip and then my BPM tastes got faster and faster moving me up to Happy Hardcore. I eventually made the upgrade to Direct Drive decks but it felt like starting again and I had trouble getting used to less lag when letting go of the record.
It was after spending many hours in my bedroom mixing and learning the craft and trying to emulate mix tapes that I decided I wanted to do it for a living so when I went to music college, I also started the discos and went on from there really and then moved to CD's (And had to pretty much learn again)
I actually ended up with quite a decent vinyl collection at one time that I let go for peanuts because I was young and didn't know any better. I didn't recognize the value in them back then.

I still enjoy hearing the traditional DJing techniques. Today's mixes are just too perfect compared to the M.O.S tape packs I used to play. I love hearing a bit of vinyl drift, its what gives the music feeling and the sense of a human element.