the dj a j a x guide to that basic beat match <beginners>
the easiest music to learn beatmatching with is some very minimal four/four house. or anything minimal.
(the more there is going on in the tune the harder it will be to hear what is goin' on when learning …. on the other hand there is a lot more cover-up with something intense like drum and bass which means you can get away with a lot more).
seek out some very minimal four/four type stuff to start off with.
put on the first record and pitch your deck down to around -2. turn it up to a reasonable volume on the monitors and just listen to the way the track is structured, generally the basic kick drum will be structured….
[1]-2-3-4-[2]-2-3-4-[3]-2-3-4-[4]-2-3-4-and-so-on [four beats to the bar = a four/four beat].
now put the second rekkid onto the other deck and set the headphone monitoring so that you can only hear rekkid two in the headphones.
the biggest mistake to make at this stage is to have the headphones too loud. always set the volume in the headphones quieter than the monitors so that it doesn't drown out the tune you're mixing into. the quieter the headphones the closer the beatmatch.
find the first beat of record two and 'scratch' the record back and forth over the first beat. set off the first tune and start to count [1]-2-3-4-[2]-2-3-4-[3]-2-3-4 ... etc etc scratch the first beat of record two forward on beat 1 of each bar and backwards on beat two of each bar. release record two on the first beat after you've counted to 8-2-3-4 [ie on 9 of [9]-2-3-4] you should be able to tell after only a little practise whether the tune you've just released is going faster or slower.
if you are unsure set the speed of tune two to +8 and follow the above steps. you will be able to hear that rekkid two [in your h/phones] is way to fast. rewind the rekkid back to beat one and now set the pitch to -8 and follow the same steps again. you will be able to hear that the tune in your headphones is way too slow. the correct speed must be somewhere in between these two speeds. now it's just a question of splitting the difference between the speeds and narrowing down the gap between too fast and too slow, using the pitch shifter until you've got a beat match. just keep taking the record back to the first beat when things get a bit blurry and start afresh. the closer you get to the correct speed the longer you should stand back and let the records play. there is always a temptation to adjust as soon as it sounds a bit out but just be patient and stand back and don't touch anything. if you leave it a bit longer it will be more obvious whether it's too fast or too slow.
this doesn't just happen overnight so it means practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise practise phew!
© DJ Ajax
the dj a j a x guide to that perfect beatmatch <advanced>
first of all water is relaxing. before you do that demon mixtape to top every mix you've ever done before. jump in the shower or bath and just chill. put on some crisp clothes and get feeling kinda fresh'n'funky. you are now ready to begin so slap a record on deck one. set the pitch control outside of the zero groove. hit record on the tape deck and kick off your first tune. always have a tape recording from day one of getting your decks even if you're just messing about. this will give you more confidence when doing the real thing. put your next record onto deck two and have only this tune you are about to mix in playing in the headphones. always mix off the monitors never mixing two records in your headphones. get the beats as near as possible with a combination of stroking the edge of the platter {to slow it down] or gripping the spindle and twisting it [to speed up] whilst adjusting the pitch shift with your spare hand. always avoid actually touching the record. once you've got them as close as you can stand back and just let them play whilst gradually turning down the volume of the headphones. the quieter the sound in the headphones the nearer the beatmatch. after leaving the records alone for about 30 seconds or so you will easily be able to tell if you have the correct speed. the better you get the shorter the time you will need to leave the records alone. the more your ears get trained the closer you will get to that demon 45 second mix. once you get really good you can be flash and mix without headphones, beatmatching on the fly!
woo hoo you are now ready to release the tune into the monitors. either bring it in from the beatmatch you've just done or take the record, you are about to mix in, back to the head and kick it off again. keep the volume in the headset as low as possible and get the records lined with a combination of stroking the platter or twisting the spindle but don't touch the pitch control you've set. when they're perfectly locked start to shake yo booty and feel tha groove ... :) ... mix in your tune to taste... stirred... shaken whatever suits you! when your mixing in a record keep a headphone on one ear really quiet. this way you will be able to tell which tune is drifting a lot easier than if the beats are on top of each other on a monitor. always have one level slightly higher that the other on the mixer. use your crossfader for quick cuts'n'shifts and use your up'n'down faders for a gradual silky smooth mix. [the longer the length of the fader the smoother the mix]. if the tune starts to drift do not touch the record or the platter if you are in the middle of a mix - cos it can sound very weird and awful. use the pitch shift to nudge a record up or down. this takes a bit of practise at first but you can get away with a lot more than actually handling the record. when you are ready to mix the first tune out switch the headphone monitoring to deck one. leave deck two alone now as this has become your anchor beat. once your ears get really attuned you will notice that the quieter a tune gets it 'appears' to get faster [trainspotter physics of sound left out here] so as you fade out you will need to adjust the pitch shift accordingly until the tune is completely out .... ahhh! next tune on the platter gwarn! a couple of good things for practise are to set a tape off and go frantic trying to cram as many records onto one side of the tape as possible. mixing records in and out as fast as you can physically throw them on and off the decks. on the other side try and do as long and gradual and smooth a mix as you can. the first will train you to get a beatmatch quickly the second will train you to control it.
the most important things are: listen to the music, shake yo booty like real hard and just HAVE IT!!! hold tight! bang! .... bang!
© DJ Ajax
