so iv'e been around the dance and rave scenes cince i was 12 so i decided i would buy a set of turntables and start djing. im getting a set of stanton dj lab 2 turntables on halloween to start with and if i get serious im going to get some better ones. problem is i dont know what i should start mixing with in the way of lps. like the bpm or anything. any help or tips would be nice.
most producers and dj's are going digital now, with programs on thier computers that can do all kinds of good stuff....like Ableton Live for example...only problem is, it would take you forever to learn how to use everything properly, so you woul have to take classes on how to use Ableton....but this way you can atleast produce your own music at some point... but if you just want to spin, and mix other people's records i guess its just kind of an experimentation process until you find out what works and what doesnt for the most part.....but yeah, bpm (beats per minute) would have to be synched for sure...
Beatmatching- I'll try and keep this real short without leaving anything out. Ok, so hopefully you understand the concept of a mixer. You have a seperate cue output that plays the second channel (or whatever isn't coming through the moniters) through your headphones, allowing you to preview the next track. You will hear interference between the kick drums of the two tracks, because they are not synced up yet. You know that cue slider on your decks. You can use that to make little adjustments that will slow down or speed up the track you are previewing. Once you have it synced up, bring the new track in, and fade out the old one whenever the time is right. You need really good ears to be a DJ, and beat matching is very unimportant and simplistic in comparison to the more esoteric elements of the craft, so don't stress too much over it, it will come with time. If you have vinyls, figure out the bpm and write it on a piece of tape with a sharpie, very good for organizing, and building a good set. To be honest, I'd start on the computer, their are cheaper and easier programs to use than Ableton, and with a proper set-up you can do everything, and a whole lot more, that you can with vinyl. Shop around if you are interested, I use both vinyl and laptop, and there a place for both of them, but laptop is definitely a smoother learning curve. Certain people sometimes hate on DJ's who don't spin vinyl, ignore them, you are the reason there is music at the party, and if you play good tracks, with no technical problems, there should be no complaining. People like that just want to look cool around everybody else, I guess the term is elitist, though I understand that whole argument from that side as well, but this is getting long and nobody really even cares on this forum I would imagine. Check out some DJ forums, and good luck. If you have the love for music, than you are following the right path man! Oh I just reread your original post, you are in the scene for 5 years, you may know all this stuff, and maybe a lot more, so no disrespect and just forget all this bullshit I said!
Computers are the way to go. Sure you can get some hardware, but if you want to keep up with the curve you better learn some comp. skills
I like digital decks cause I'm a psy trance fiend. But I love love love when people still use Vinyl and do real scratching.
