alienpruts
I'm a amateur bedroom DJ using the Hercules DJ Console and Virtual Dj, just for fun.
But every now and then i record my mixes for a ) listening to them and correcting myself and b) because my friends often listen to them too, and ask for a new mix on a regular basis.
My question to you all is this :
When I'm mixing music and not recording it, everything goes smoothly, a few errors, but in general a rather succesfull mix, at least for my standards... :-) .
But when I'm recording my mix I encounter a few problems : I get a little nervous (no I don't use coffee... :) ) and lose my concentration and more than often the mix fails because I want it to be a good one. Now this is a personal thing( beeing unsure) and I know you can't help me with that, but I encountered a problem which could solve this.
How do you guys decide what tunes to play? I mean, when I'm not recording my mix, I just "go with the flow" and select the music (some by heart, some even random), and while it isn't all that pretty, I don't seem to care and afterwards I believe it was a good session. But when I intend to record a mix, I usually try to make a playlist and spend some 20 to 30 minutes of listening to music and selecting the tunes I'm gonna use in my recording. But when I start to mix, most of the time it all fails. Either one of my songs on the playlist doesn't "fit in", or a song just doesn't seem to blend in.
OK, enough om me rambling on.
So do you DJ's all make a playlist BEFORE you mix, or do you just select them "on the fly"?
Tnx for yer thoughts on this...
PS sorry for the long post, was hard for me to describe it...:)
But every now and then i record my mixes for a ) listening to them and correcting myself and b) because my friends often listen to them too, and ask for a new mix on a regular basis.
My question to you all is this :
When I'm mixing music and not recording it, everything goes smoothly, a few errors, but in general a rather succesfull mix, at least for my standards... :-) .
But when I'm recording my mix I encounter a few problems : I get a little nervous (no I don't use coffee... :) ) and lose my concentration and more than often the mix fails because I want it to be a good one. Now this is a personal thing( beeing unsure) and I know you can't help me with that, but I encountered a problem which could solve this.
How do you guys decide what tunes to play? I mean, when I'm not recording my mix, I just "go with the flow" and select the music (some by heart, some even random), and while it isn't all that pretty, I don't seem to care and afterwards I believe it was a good session. But when I intend to record a mix, I usually try to make a playlist and spend some 20 to 30 minutes of listening to music and selecting the tunes I'm gonna use in my recording. But when I start to mix, most of the time it all fails. Either one of my songs on the playlist doesn't "fit in", or a song just doesn't seem to blend in.
OK, enough om me rambling on.
So do you DJ's all make a playlist BEFORE you mix, or do you just select them "on the fly"?
Tnx for yer thoughts on this...
PS sorry for the long post, was hard for me to describe it...:)
Posted Wed 08 Jun 05 @ 2:17 pm
dj maddsound
Well it all depends on the DJ. Some folks are professional DJs that play at clubs, bars or other venues...while others are just bedroom DJs as yourself. At a club, you always have a playlist of what is popular at that time for that genre of music. But of course you are also mixing on the fly. Feeling the vibe of the room and the people. At a wedding or birthday party, you might go with what people are asking you to play. But your situation is similar to mine. I record mixes and remixes for people all the time. First of all, what does the buyer want to hear. Then gather all that music together and listen to it. Blending, sampling and mixing. When you hear something that sounds good, add it to your playlist. Make you mix once all of this is done. If you hear something that doesn't sound good, edit it out and redo it until you get to the quality that you are satisfied with. But it is al in the time to listen to what sounds GOOD together. After all satisfied customers always come back!
Hope this helped alittle.
MS
Hope this helped alittle.
MS
Posted Wed 08 Jun 05 @ 5:21 pm
alienpruts
You're absolutely right...
Perhaps I'm just making it so difficult for myself when I should just mix on the fly, listen to the record, and note my mistakes and redo them...
"But it is al in the time to listen to what sounds GOOD together"
So simply said, and yet so much truth in that one sentence... :)
I shouldn't worry so much when mixing, after all it is all about the fun isn't it...? :)
Tnx djmaddsound
Perhaps I'm just making it so difficult for myself when I should just mix on the fly, listen to the record, and note my mistakes and redo them...
"But it is al in the time to listen to what sounds GOOD together"
So simply said, and yet so much truth in that one sentence... :)
I shouldn't worry so much when mixing, after all it is all about the fun isn't it...? :)
Tnx djmaddsound
Posted Wed 08 Jun 05 @ 7:19 pm
vixmix
my experience has been while mixing -the minute you begin thinking its like a job i run into errors.If you have a mind for music and mix with soul, the bits and bites follow you.You now have the power to take the music to any level and have your audience at your command.Follow your mind and soul and everything will sound good.
Posted Tue 21 Jun 05 @ 9:38 pm
djmixing
I have that same problem yes. When i am just mixing for myself I don't really care about it and I just mix. I just pick songs on the flow and I mix them. But then comes the hard stuff -- > The recording.
When i am recording I am too nervous to mix good. Without recording i just press play (example) right with that beat, when i am recording i am nervous and sometimes i press it just too late or too early. Well this example is very extreme. It is not that it happens all the time. I noticed it when i was recording. My sister just turned on the boxes of my pc, but i didnt notice. So I was mixing good, and everyone listened to it (my pc is in the livingroom). Then it suddenly goes perfectly good. But it's just the thought about the 'failing', what makes me nervous.
About the selection of the songs, i just go on the flow. I don't select tracks, cause i am then (more) nervous then normal. I just pick a song, and just start mixing. When i am mixing like 30 min, and you are full in the mix, then it is going smooth and then you just have to pick with the flow.
DJMixing (www.djmixing.nl.tt)
When i am recording I am too nervous to mix good. Without recording i just press play (example) right with that beat, when i am recording i am nervous and sometimes i press it just too late or too early. Well this example is very extreme. It is not that it happens all the time. I noticed it when i was recording. My sister just turned on the boxes of my pc, but i didnt notice. So I was mixing good, and everyone listened to it (my pc is in the livingroom). Then it suddenly goes perfectly good. But it's just the thought about the 'failing', what makes me nervous.
About the selection of the songs, i just go on the flow. I don't select tracks, cause i am then (more) nervous then normal. I just pick a song, and just start mixing. When i am mixing like 30 min, and you are full in the mix, then it is going smooth and then you just have to pick with the flow.
DJMixing (www.djmixing.nl.tt)
Posted Tue 05 Jul 05 @ 4:10 pm
jmez
Hey guys , wen i am going to record a mix i make a playlist and just practice mixing it untill li can do it perfect , Practice practice practice !!!!
Posted Wed 08 Mar 06 @ 11:43 am
Totyo
I have the same feeling when I record my mix! (we have this feeling because we are "bedroom" deejays!)
I plan my playlist of my mix veery properly and then practice just the transitions.
Then I press record and I start to play the songs. And when that cue point comes I become nervous!
Its very annoying!!!!
I plan my playlist of my mix veery properly and then practice just the transitions.
Then I press record and I start to play the songs. And when that cue point comes I become nervous!
Its very annoying!!!!
Posted Fri 17 Mar 06 @ 8:59 pm
MUSIKGUATE
to alienpruts:
That used to happened to me very often, but you know what.......???????? the only way to correct that mental glitch of what goes with what when you are recording and not making mistakes is :
1) make a playlist ( longer of what you plan to record so you can decide the best choice )
2) mix at loud, the loudest the better ( it helps you get in the mood )
3) Listen to other DJ's mixing live so you[ll get an idea what goeas with what
4) use your bass EQ when you mix ( I use it almost every mix ) it helps you make the mix cleaner.
5) Imagine yourself in a club mixing live ( that help's me a lot )
6) One of the most important tips is learn your songs, you have to memorize when it comes a instrumental part of the song or just vocals with no rythm, then you can mix clean.
these are the few tips I can give you, but the most important Tip is " PRACTICE A LOT " WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT YOU WILL BE MIXING AS NORMAL AS WALKING.
Hope this can help you.
That used to happened to me very often, but you know what.......???????? the only way to correct that mental glitch of what goes with what when you are recording and not making mistakes is :
1) make a playlist ( longer of what you plan to record so you can decide the best choice )
2) mix at loud, the loudest the better ( it helps you get in the mood )
3) Listen to other DJ's mixing live so you[ll get an idea what goeas with what
4) use your bass EQ when you mix ( I use it almost every mix ) it helps you make the mix cleaner.
5) Imagine yourself in a club mixing live ( that help's me a lot )
6) One of the most important tips is learn your songs, you have to memorize when it comes a instrumental part of the song or just vocals with no rythm, then you can mix clean.
these are the few tips I can give you, but the most important Tip is " PRACTICE A LOT " WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT YOU WILL BE MIXING AS NORMAL AS WALKING.
Hope this can help you.
Posted Tue 21 Mar 06 @ 1:57 am
vpcdj
i suggest u just do little mixes and record them.
i think its normal to mess up the first 2, 3 songs and u can find yourself messing up.
so this is what i do with pcdj red... (can also be done with VDJ):
Get ur Sound Card recorder (or VDJ recorder) to record the file at a low bit rate so that u dont waste file space... eg. 56kbs. then record any 4 or 5 or 6 songs... do crazy stuff. anything. pause the songs if u have to and start them all over. if u did something and messed up go back and start all over without stopping the recording. then after ur done with your little 5-6 track mix go back and listen to it. listen to all the blunders and laugh at yourself. and think about how u couldv done the mix. keep that file. keep a date in part of the file name.
keep doing that and save these practise files.
listen to them when u just chillin in the crib. or play them on your usual mp3 player (winamp, wmp, musicmatch) while surfing the web or doing other things.
compare them with other ppls mixes.
with time you'll notice your mix improving and u wont get nervous about recording files. recording wont be a big deal coz you are always doing it.
i think its normal to mess up the first 2, 3 songs and u can find yourself messing up.
so this is what i do with pcdj red... (can also be done with VDJ):
Get ur Sound Card recorder (or VDJ recorder) to record the file at a low bit rate so that u dont waste file space... eg. 56kbs. then record any 4 or 5 or 6 songs... do crazy stuff. anything. pause the songs if u have to and start them all over. if u did something and messed up go back and start all over without stopping the recording. then after ur done with your little 5-6 track mix go back and listen to it. listen to all the blunders and laugh at yourself. and think about how u couldv done the mix. keep that file. keep a date in part of the file name.
keep doing that and save these practise files.
listen to them when u just chillin in the crib. or play them on your usual mp3 player (winamp, wmp, musicmatch) while surfing the web or doing other things.
compare them with other ppls mixes.
with time you'll notice your mix improving and u wont get nervous about recording files. recording wont be a big deal coz you are always doing it.
Posted Thu 23 Mar 06 @ 1:21 am
Chunky
Bear with me!....
If you are a fan of fly-on-the-wall documentaries then you might know just how much work goes into them. Often for days, maybe weeks before the proper shooting takes place, I've seen cameras follow their subjects round, in their faces, annoying them, inconveniencing them, being everywhere. Initially, they are aware the cameras are there and keep looking at them, thinking about them, acting unnaturally cos "they're watching".
What's this got to do with DJing? Lol - plenty!!
For the first week of filming, they don't tell them that there is NO FILM in the cameras. So the subjects get used to being recorded all the time. They stop thinking about the cameras, stop making allowances for their presence, and just get on with being themselves. They get used to them and so completely forget that they're there.
I record EVERYTHING I do on my decks - be it on vDJ or just using plain, old vinyl. I run a wire from the booth monitor of my mixer (you could just split your line out if you don't use a mixer) and record it on either a mini-disk player or another PC.
Even if I tell myself I'm only going to play a "couple of tunes", I might get on a roll and come up with some great stuff. Too late to think about recording it then, eh? Oh - but I already am! :o)
So.... RECORD EVERYTHING! It helps your mixing skills - even when you cock up - as you can see exactly how well (or badly) your mixing went. And, best of all, if it was embarrasing, you can then just wipe it clean. ;o)
If you are a fan of fly-on-the-wall documentaries then you might know just how much work goes into them. Often for days, maybe weeks before the proper shooting takes place, I've seen cameras follow their subjects round, in their faces, annoying them, inconveniencing them, being everywhere. Initially, they are aware the cameras are there and keep looking at them, thinking about them, acting unnaturally cos "they're watching".
What's this got to do with DJing? Lol - plenty!!
For the first week of filming, they don't tell them that there is NO FILM in the cameras. So the subjects get used to being recorded all the time. They stop thinking about the cameras, stop making allowances for their presence, and just get on with being themselves. They get used to them and so completely forget that they're there.
I record EVERYTHING I do on my decks - be it on vDJ or just using plain, old vinyl. I run a wire from the booth monitor of my mixer (you could just split your line out if you don't use a mixer) and record it on either a mini-disk player or another PC.
Even if I tell myself I'm only going to play a "couple of tunes", I might get on a roll and come up with some great stuff. Too late to think about recording it then, eh? Oh - but I already am! :o)
So.... RECORD EVERYTHING! It helps your mixing skills - even when you cock up - as you can see exactly how well (or badly) your mixing went. And, best of all, if it was embarrasing, you can then just wipe it clean. ;o)
Posted Thu 06 Apr 06 @ 5:21 pm
DJ Mezzanine
Hi Everyone,
I am a new DJ and I wanted a few words of advice. I have a lot to learn and I read all of the comments here. They are very helpful. Here are my issues as a new aspiring DJ. My background: I mix my own music and add beats, and know how to use the Phaser, Flanger, Reverb etc for my songs. However I am afraid to mix too much effects in to mixed songs while I play them because I am worried that I will get over focused on effects.
Also I love the idea of recording to see where I stand later. Should I record at 320 kbps or at 196 kbps when given the option for MP3's? Is OGG better to record for website hosting or Mp3? Do any of you use Icecast or Shoutcast? I am having trouble getting on them due to server set ups. Lastly...
I have a DJ blog to get some interaction with friends and fans. Do you add your Playlist and show what you played so they can get the songs or do you leave mystery so that you can offer mixes instead? I really appreciate answers to these questions. Thank you for your time ; )
I am a new DJ and I wanted a few words of advice. I have a lot to learn and I read all of the comments here. They are very helpful. Here are my issues as a new aspiring DJ. My background: I mix my own music and add beats, and know how to use the Phaser, Flanger, Reverb etc for my songs. However I am afraid to mix too much effects in to mixed songs while I play them because I am worried that I will get over focused on effects.
Also I love the idea of recording to see where I stand later. Should I record at 320 kbps or at 196 kbps when given the option for MP3's? Is OGG better to record for website hosting or Mp3? Do any of you use Icecast or Shoutcast? I am having trouble getting on them due to server set ups. Lastly...
I have a DJ blog to get some interaction with friends and fans. Do you add your Playlist and show what you played so they can get the songs or do you leave mystery so that you can offer mixes instead? I really appreciate answers to these questions. Thank you for your time ; )
Posted Thu 12 Feb 15 @ 11:40 pm