TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 0:15 Episode overview 1:21 What's the best way to mix in headphones? 5:29 How can I start adding lights to my DJ set-up? 12:37 Any advice on having more time for DJing? 21:49 As a trance DJ, should I mix quickly or play the full track?
Time management... I think that everything you're passionate about don't need scheduling, because that's what will absorb every minute of your life unless you're scheduling the other stuff you're not really willing to spend your time on. Being a DJ is one of the ''passionate necessary'' occupations. It will include long hours of listening to really bad music, because it's how you find the good stuff... long hours of managing your finds into a useful music library. When that's done, you need to think of how the new gems will fit in with your existing music, and doing a practice set will make this easier and it will also prepare you for upcoming gigs, and it will also kick your creativity in gear. And, never do a practice set without pushing the record button. It WILL set your mode on focus, and sometimes it will also give you something to present to the world, because now gain staging, eq:ing and all other parts of mixing becomes important. If you take this serious, you yourself will always be your toughest judge, and you don't want to disappoint yourself will you? Next year I'm celebrating 40 active years as a DJ, and that's all about passion for the best job in the world, despite all the long hours of lonely work to get to the few hours of live performance. ...and this never changes.
@1:26 best to create your OWN split cue using a micro mixer. Split cue on DJ mixers is too rigid, no individual control over volume levels. Send headphone channel to stereo in and booth/master out to another stereo in. Pan the headphone channels fully left and booth/master pan mostly right. Run your mix and what I like to do is once it is established kill the Cue channel and go to the main mix and pan back to center to ride it out. Your mixes will be MUCH smoother.
@@digitaldjtips Its no trouble at all. I have a DJM 900 NXS2 with split cue. It can't compare to the flexibility of controlling your own mix because cannot with traditional split cue. Additionally you get individual EQ control.
@21:50 it does depend, however I would argue people who like Trance and Techno are going to like most of the track, that is why most Trance and Techno tracks are in the 7+ minute range. In a club it's much different it depends on the crowd reaction. If it's not working you need to pivot. I would hope in a Recorded set you are taking a lot of factors into place when organizing the set primarily energy level and how it flows throughout the set. I couldn't contain myself to a one hour set, I have to be in the 2.5 hour range. I like peaks and valleys and pivots. I wouldn't say my mixes tells a story, however they are meant to draw emotions out of you. One hour is just not enough time to do that.
I've set a new mid-term goal: there are two DJ contests at the mid of November and first week of December. To achieve those goals, I'll keep learning with my recently purchased James Hype's Mixing Skills course. I plan to use some of these techniques in these sets. I need some monitor speakers and learning to set my controller and computer to do live streaming. Regarding trance, I always use the extended mixes. When I want to shorten the tracks because they're too long, I do the following technique: some tracks have 32 intros and outros (or even 48 bars long!) divided by 16 bar phrases. I set hot cues each 16 bars. If there aren't any melodies clashing in those phrases or too strong bass, I might just skip a whole phrase and start mixing in the next 'intro' phrase which is closer to the breakdown and main melody. I don't quick mix with trance. I do those long blends that last 16 bars, but I'm using less phrases of tracks. I'm not sure if I explained it clear enough. I hope that I can help anyone who has the same question as Mike. Thanks for this new podcast Phil 😊
Don’t agree with the mixing in headphones when not using the split cue. If you are a perfectionist, it is almost impossible to know which track is drifting when listening to the master and one of the cues or just the master in headphones. It’s the same if you use monitors and headphones the proper way (listening to track in one ear and other ear the monitor) then just drop your headphones and figure out what’s drifting. There is a reason the standard of mixing has gone to the dogs since the vinyl days. This is one of the main reasons. When people cue the track they’re bringing in then switch off the cue and just listen to the master, they are going to find it very difficult to “monitor” what is actually happening. The split cue is the only way to mix in headphones effectively.
Having seen it with my own eyes, I disagree. Personally I much prefer split cue, but my tutor partner Steve, who is a tighter beatmixer than I am, is perfectly happy with the other way.
@@digitaldjtipsI can’t comment on your tutor. Every Dj I’ve heard using that method hasn’t been great and that’s people that tutor and make money online teaching people. When listening to the master and the incoming track in both ears you can’t possibly hear what’s going on as well as the old fashioned way. You have a clear monitoring of what’s happening and can differentiate which one is going out much faster whereas the other way is just like dropping your headphones and listening to the master. You can do that easily if both tracks don’t drift at all of course but that’s not always the case, unless you plan a set that way.
Hi Phil, what about proposing courses, articles amd videos about old times Disco, Funky, Dancefloor mixing? Not to mention everyhing concerned with methods and tools adopted back in the day, such as vinyl playing, cue tagging, handling three turntables, and the like? As a sample, I may mention the latest RU-vid videos posted by DJ Destruction, who manages to combine conventional mixing and turntablelism techniques in a unique and pleasant way. I guess a lot of people from that age would appreciate courses and hints on their experiences in the old times. 🎉
