This document discusses the evolution of DJing and music production over the last decade. It covers how DJing used to solely focus on turntablism, but now many producers start as music producers and later become DJs. It emphasizes the importance of beatmatching to mix songs together at the same tempo and in sync. Beatmatching can be done manually by ear by adjusting the pitch fader, or automatically through sync functions on modern equipment. The document also touches on the controversy around sync functions and whether they take away the art of DJing.

1. ‘

2. Introduction
Themusicindustryhasevolvedincountlesswaysoverthecourseofthelastdecade.
Evenafewyearsago,manypeopleweresolelyfocusedonbecomingthebestDJ’sand
didn’tevenworryabouthavingtheirownproduction.
Infact,hundredstothousandsofpeoplearoundtheworldsawadecentamountof
success—andsomeofthemevenwentontoaninternationallevel—justbybeing
amazingDJ’s.
DJAMisaprimeexampleofthis,ashewasoneofthefirst,highestpaidDJ’stoeverbe
bookedinLasVegas.ThisalsohelpedpropelelectronicmusicintheUnitedStatestothe
spotlightjustbeforeit’shugemainstreamboombackin2010‑2011.
Thisnotonlychangedthefutureoftheindustryforthenextcoupleofyears,butthanks
toadvancementsintechnology,italsochangedhowtheyoungergenerationsbecame
inspired.
Backthen,almosteverysuccessfulDJboughtturntablesatsomepointandstarting
practicingonthem.Now,it’sreallycommonfortheyoungergenerationstobecome
musicproducersfirstandDJ’ssecond.
And,it’sverylikelythatyouareinthissituationrightnow.Youmayhaveacouplesongs
underyourbelt,andyoufinallydecidedit’stimetotakealeapandstartshowcasing
themtotheworld.
DJingisoneofthebestandmostcommonwaysproducersperformtheirsongs.
Ultimately,tobecomeanamazingDJ,youneedtogetoutthere.Youwillonlygetsofar
bypracticinginyourbedroom,becauseyouneedtolearnhowtoreadacrowd.
Butlet’snottrytorunbeforewecanwalk.
ThereareafewconceptsthatstandtrueregardlessofthegenreandBPMyou’retrying
tomix,andthey’recriticaltoyoursuccessasaDJ.

3. Introduction
Theseconceptsare:
1.Beatmatching
2.TrackSelection
3.CountingBars/Phrases
4.EQ’ing
ThesearesimpletechniquesthatanyseriousDJunderstandsverywell.However,it’s
alsoreallyimportanttomentionthattherearemultipleDJingstyles.
WhatwemeanbythisissimplythataTech‑HouseDJwillhaveacompletelydifferent
mindsetwhilemixingandpickingtrackscomparedtoaDubstepDJ.
Trytogetabetterunderstandingofyourstyleandthemusicyouwanttomix.Ifyou’re
completelyclueless,don’tpanic.Youjustneedtofindoutwhichonewillbettersuityou.
Todothis,startbylisteningtoDJsetsbyestablishedartistswithinyourgenreorfromthe
styleofmusicyou’retryingtomix.Thiswillpointyouintherightdirection,andallyou
needtodoisaskyourselfsomebasicquestions.
WheredidtheDJdothemix?Wasitataclub,apodcast,afestival,poolparty?
ContextisEXTREMELYimportant.
Arethetrackstransitioningabruptlyorsmoothly?
Doesitsoundlikemultipletracksarebeingplayedatthesametime?
Doesthemixstartlowinenergyandkeepsbuildingup?
So,eventhoughthereisalwayssomethingtolearnfromeveryone,youneedtobe
carefulaboutwhatadviceyou’retakingonbasedonwhatyou’retryingtoachieve
stylistically.
ProTip:Crowdswillhavecertainexpectations.Knowwhereyou’replaying.Don’texpectpeopleto
headbangtodubstepifyousomehowmanagedtogetbookedatabarorclubwhere95%ofthe
bookingsarehousemusicDJ’s.Peoplegothereforareason.

4. SignalFlow
Beforewejumpstraightintothesubjectofbeatmatching,it’sworthgoingonareally
brieftangentandlearninghowthebasicsignalflowoftheequipmentlookslike.
Beingawareofthissincethebeginningwillaidyouinunderstandingsomethingsthat
wewillbetalkingaboutlaterinthisbook.
Asyoucanseeintheimageabove,InputOneorTrackAandInputTwoorTrackBare
wherethesongscomefrom.Theseplayerscanbeeitherturntables,CDJ’s,oreven
digitalchannelsfromacomputer.
Then,thesignalsfromTrackAandTrackBgetsentstraightintothemixer.

5. SignalFlow
Finally,theoutputsignalorthemasteroutputfrom
themixergetssenttothespeakers.Thatiswhatthe
audiencegetstolisten.
ThisisaDJM‑400twochannelmixerbyPioneer,
andyougettocontrolwiththefaders—andinevery
othermixer—whatgoestothemasteroutputfrom
eachchannelwiththem.
So,ifbothfadersarecompletelyupandhavesongs
playingatthesame,youwillhearallofthatinthe
masteroutput.
Now,youmaybewonderingwheretheheadphones
comeintoplayinallofthis.Youcanplugtheminto
themixerandhitthecuebuttonineveryindividual
channeltosendthatsignalstraightintoyour
headphones.
Thisisa4channelmixerandit’srespectivecue
buttons.Ifallofthemareturnedon,youwillhearall
ofthechannelsinyourheadphonesatthesame
time.
Note:FadersDONOThaveanydirecteffectonthecuebuttons.Ifyouactivateany
cuebutton,youwillreceivesignalinyourheadphones,regardlessifthefaderisupor
down.Eachmixerhasitsownuniqueknobtocontrolthevolumeofthecueonyour
headphones.
Someadvancedmixersoutthere,suchastheDJM‑900NXS2shownabove,also
haveacuebuttonforthemasteroutput.Thiswayyoucanmonitoreverythingthe
audienceislisteningtoinyourheadphones.
Thisisusefulbecausetherearesomeclubsandvenuesthatdonothavemonitors
pointingtowardstheDJbooth,andit’shardtoassesshoweverythingissoundinglike
onthedancefloor.
(MASTERCUE)
(TRACKCUE)

6. SignalFlow
Tostartwrappingupthissection,let’sdoitbysayingthatthebasicprincipleofDJingis
gettingtwotrackstoplayatthesamespeed,whileinphase,atthesametime.
Thiscouldbeeithertohavethemplaysimultaneouslyandandcreateaunique“mash
up”,ortofadetheminandoutrespectivelyandstartweavingaDJmix.
Asyoumusthaveinferredbynow,itisextremelyimportantthatbothsongsplayatthe
samespeedsotheydon’tgooutofphase.Whenanygivenamountofsongsareoutof
phase,thebeatswon’tlineupanditwillgetmessyreallyquick.
Twotracksplayingatthesamespeedinphase
Twotracksplayingatthesamespeedbutoutofphase.

7. SignalFlow
Beatmatching
Buthowdoyouadjustthephaseofthe
trackimmixing?Well,that’swherethejog
wheelscomeintoplay.
Youcanmovethejogwheelsineither
directiontonudgeyoursongforwardorgive
italittlepushbackwardsuntilyoumake
thembothlineup.
Nowthatweknowaboutthebiggerpicture
ofDJing,let’sgoalittlebitmorein‑depth
intoeveryindividualconceptthatyouneed
toknowabouttogetstartedasaDJ.
BeatmatchingisthefundamentalprincipleofDJingregardlessofthegenre.
Tobeabletobeatmatch,weneedtounderstandtheconceptoftempo.Historically,
temposhavebeennamedaftercertainItalianwordsthatcomposerswoulduseto
express“howfast”oratwhatspeedtheirmusicshouldbeperformedat.
Forexample,Andantemeans“atawalkingpace”andit’ssomewherebetween76to110
BPM.
JOGWHEELS

8. Beatmatching
Tostartwrappingupthissection,let’sdoitbysayingthatthebasicprincipleofDJingis
gettingtwotrackstoplayatthesamespeed,whileinphase,atthesametime.
Thiscouldbeeithertohavethemplaysimultaneouslyandandcreateaunique“mash
up”,ortofadetheminandoutrespectivelyandstartweavingaDJmix.
Luckilyforus,wedon’tneedtouseItalianwordsanymoresincemodernproducersand
DJ’suseBPMorbeats‑per‑minutetomeasuretempo.120BPMisstraightforwardandit
simplymeans120beatsinoneminute.
ContemporarypopanddancemusictracksalsohavesteadyBPM’sincomparisonto
classicalandjazzpieceswhichmightevenhavebothtimesignatureandtempo
changes.ThisactuallymakesaDJ’sjobslightlyeasier.
Thisalsomeansthatyoudon’thavetoworrytoomuchabouttimesignatures,as98%of
themusicyouwillbemixingwillbeoncommontimeor4/4.
EvenmorecomplexsongslikeMattLange’s“CountIt”forexample,whichhasa
compoundtimesignature,wasproducedinawaysothatitstillhasafour‑to‑the‑floor
kickdrumforeaseofmixing.
Thefirststeptomixtwosongstogetheristomakesurethey’replayingatthe
samespeedandthatthebeatslineupwitheachother.
ButhowdoyoumaketwosongsplayatthesamespeediftheyhavedifferentBPM’s?

9. TochangetheBPMofasongyouneedto
usethepitchfader.
Youdon’thavetoworrywhetheraplayer
orcontrollerhasapitchfaderornot,
because98%ofthemhaveone.Even
vinylplayerslikethelegendaryTechnics
1200haveit.
Note:NativeInstruments’S8controller
doesn’thaveapitchfaderforexample,it
hasatouchstripinsteadwhichservesa
fairlysimilarfunction.
Thisishowit’sdoneintheold
fashionedway.
Solet’ssayyouhavetrackAplayingat145BPMandyouwanttomixinanothertrack
whichisat150BPM.
PITCHFADER
A
B
Beatmatching

10. Beatmatching
Therearemultipleapproachestodoso,
andnoneofthemarewrong.However,
sincewe’retalkingabouttheverybasics
overhere,themostsensiblethingtodo
wouldbetomovethepitchfaderoftrackB
upwardstodecreasetheBPM.
Thegoalhereshouldbetomoveitjust
enoughsothattrackBplaysexactlyat
145BPM.Thisway,assumingbothtracks
areinphase,thedrumbeatsfromboth
songswon’tcreatechaoswhileplayingat
thesametime.
Now,weneedtogiveyouafairwarning.
We’regoingtotalkaboutavery
controversialsubjectinthefollowingpart,
andwedon’twanttocreateastancehere.
Ourgoalistoinformyouandteachyouhowthingswork,andhopefullyyou’llcomeup
withyourownconclusion.
MovingthepitchfaderupwardsordownwardstomatchtheBPMsoundseasyinwords,
butitactuallygetsquitetricky.
VinylturntablessuchastheTechnics1200donothaveadigitalscreenlikeCDJ’s,most
controllers,andweren’tconnectedtoalaptopeither.
Allyouhadwasamixer,2vinylplayers,andyourrecords.
Tobeatmatchyouhadtodoitallbyear,anditwasn’taskillthatwaseasytolearn.You
hadtoputindaysofhardworkandfrustrationtostartgettingit.
Ofcourse,thisisallassumingyouhad2recordsatdifferentBPM’s.Ifeverythingyou
ownedbackthenwasatthesameBPM,thingsweremuchmoresimpler.Allyouhadto
worryaboutwasmakingsurethatthebeatslinedupwitheachother.
145BPM150BPM

11. Beatmatching
Butnowweshouldtalkaboutitsmoderncounterparts,CDJ’sandcontrollers.Thistypeof
equipmentmostofthetimewillaskofyoutoanalyzeyoursongsfirstbeforeyou’reeven
abletoplaythemback.
Becauseofthis,thesoftwarewillshowtoyoutheBPMinwhichyoursongiscurrentlyat.
Whetherit’satadigitalscreentheequipmenthas,orinyourlaptop.
ThisactuallydealswithalotoftheheavyworkoldDJ’shadtoworryabout,andthisis
wherethecontroversylies.
OldschoolDJ’sargumentthattheartofDJinghasgottenlostbecauseoftechnology
aidingthenewgeneration.Itwasdefinitelyanartthatonlyfewmanagedtomaster;
Mixinghundredsoftracksoneintoanotheralmostseamlesslywhilemakingitlook
simple.
Buttechnologydidn’tonlybringthattothetable,italsobroughttonsofeffectsand
functionalitiesintotheplayersandcontrollersthatpeoplecouldn’thaveevenimagined
before.
Alotofthenewestequipmenthasintegratedthedreadedsyncfunction.Thisisa
simplebuttonthatwillmakethecomputeroryourequipmentsyncyoursongs
instantaneously.
Thisiswherethefamoussaying“DJ’sonlyhittheplaybutton”comesfrom.Andit’strue,
wecan’ttrytomakeuporalterreality.AlotofDJ’sarejustselectingtracks,syncingthem
automaticallywithsoftware,andhittingplayattherighttime.
Sotorecapquicklythisentiresection,youcanbeatmatchasonginthefollowingways:
1.Byear.
2.WatchingtheBPMinanyscreenavailableandadjustingthepitchfadermanually.
3.Usingthesyncfunction.
It’snotthegear,it’sthepersonbehindit.

12. Beatmatching
Ifyou’reinterestedinlearninghowtobeatmatchbyear,becomeawareofsomeimportant
issuesregardingthistopic,andgetsometipsandtricks,feelfreetokeepreadingthis
section.
Otherwise,jumpstraightto“Arrangements,CountingBars&PhraseMixing”
ThemostcommonperformancesetupfordancemusicDJ’srightnowisto2‑4CDJ’s.
However,noteveryoneisatthatlevelyet,andthemajorityofbeginnerproducers/DJ’s
can’taffordthattypeofequipmenteither.Abigpercentageofthatgroupalsoisn’tlucky
enoughtoknowsomeonewhoiswillingtoletthempracticewiththeirequipment.
Bottomlineis,knowinghowtobeatmatchbyearisstillaveryvaluableskill.
Youneverknowinwhatkindofoldorcheapequipmentyoumightendupperformingat
whileyou’reabeginnerduringyourjourney.
YoumightalsoencounterCDJ’sthathavearidiculousmileage.Sometimesthepitch
fadersarewornout,thescreensfreeze,andmultipleunexpectedglitcheshappen.
Knowinghowtobeatmatchbyearnotonlycansaveyourlife,itcanalsohelpyouleavea
goodimpressionontheclubownersormanagers.
Youneedtobeawarethatmostpeoplerunningvenues,wereorhadexperienceDJing.
Theirviewsonthissubjectmightdiffertoyoursjustbecausethey’reolder,andyouneed
tounderstandthatthey’renotwrongeither.
Thetruthofthematteris,nooneisgoingtoputapieceoftapeonthescreeneitherand
forceyoutobeatmatchbyear.Thetechnologyisthere,andyouhavefreewilltouseit.
NowweneedtotalkaboutsomethingthatalotofoldschoolDJ’sdon’tliketomention,
almostintentionally.
Backthen,noteveryonehadaccessorenoughmoneytobuythenecessaryequipment,
andkeepbuyingvinyl’sataconstantbasis.
CLICKTOJUMP

13. MostoldschoolDJ’sstartedwithabunchofrecordsandkeptexpandingitthroughout
theyears.
Oldpitchfadersweredesignedtohavearangeof+/‑8%,someofthemalsohada
settingof+/‑16%.
Butwhatdoesthismean?
Well,welearnedintheprevioussectionthatweusepitchfaderstoaltertheplayback
speedofasong.
Ifourpitchfaderstayedrightatthemiddle,at0%,thissimplymeansthatthesongwould
playbackatitsoriginalBPM.
Withasettingof+/‑8%,thismeansthatwhateversongyouplayed,itcouldonlygo8%
fasteror8%slower.
So,ifweloadedasongthathasanoriginalBPMof119,withthepitchfadersettingat8%,
thismeansthatitcanonlybespeduporsloweddownby9.52BPM.
Thismakesbeatmatchingbyearawholelotsimpler.
Goingbacktoourpreviousexample,let’ssayyouwanttobringinatrackthatisoriginally
at122BPM,andthesongyou’recurrentlyplayingisat119BPM.
Youdon’thavetodothematheverysingletime,butbyknowingthisyoucantellthatif
youmovethepitchfaderallthewayupyoursongwillbesloweddownbyroughly10
BPM(9.76exactly).
YouonlyneedtobringdowntheBPMby3togodownto119.Thepitchfaderisalso
linear,soitwouldbeasafebettoassumethatifyoumoveithalfwayuptheBPMwould
godownby~5BPM.
Halfofthatwouldbe~2.5BPM,sothiswouldgiveyouaprettysolidvisualballpark
imageofwherethepitchfadershouldbeat.
Beatmatching

14. Therestcomesdowntoalittlebitofpracticeandfinetuningyourears.
Nowthatyouareawareofthis,wecangobacktoouroriginalpoint.AsoldschoolDJ’s
amassedvinyls(andwe’retalkinghundredsofthem),itwouldbehardtokeeptrackofall
ofthedifferentBPM’softheirrecords.
OldDJ’swouldcreatelittlecheatsheetsormakenotesonthevinyl’stoaidthemselves
whenevertheyplayedthem.
Thosewhoreallymasteredtheircraftandhadacertaindegreeofmusicianshipcould
alsofigureoutthekeyofthesongbyear,makeanoteonit,andtakeitonestepfurtherby
doingharmonicmixing.
Ifyoudon’tknowwhatthatis,don’tpanic.We’lltalkalittlebitaboutharmonicmixinglater
inthisbook.
Allofthisisn’tnew.Italreadyexistedbutitwaslimitedtothepeoplewhoreallytookthe
timetomasterandtaketheircrafttothenextlevel.
Tofinalizethissection,let’sdofinalnotesaboutpitchfadersandbeatmatching.
Asageneralruleofthumb,it’susuallybestpracticetoNOTaltertheBPMofasong
bymorethan+/‑8%,speciallyintheupperBPMranges.
Forastandardsongat128BPMthisis+/‑10.24BPM.
Thisissomethingthatyouneedtolistenbyyourselftoreallyunderstandwhy.Soloadup
somesongsandmesswiththeirBPM’sextremelyinbothdirections.Forexample,picture
anyprogressivehousesongyoumightlikefrom2012playingat138.24BPM.
Ifyoudoexperimentwiththis,itispreferredthatyoutrythisatleastinacontrollerorin
CDJ’s.Butifyoudon’townorhaveaccesstoeither,messingwiththeBPMinsideyour
DAWshouldsuffice.
Movingforward,oneofthefirstthingsyoushouldcheck,especiallywhenyou’reusing
equipmentthatisnotyours,istoseewhat’sthecurrentrangeofthepitchfaders.
Beatmatching

15. Beatmatching
However,ifyou’remixing
strictlyhousemusicfor
example—orjuststaying
withinsimilargenres
overall,doesn’thavetobe
strictlyhousemusic—itis
recommendedthatyou
keepthepitchfader
settingsineither6%or
10%,asthiswillmakeyour
lifeeasierandgiveyou
waymorecontroloverthefinetuning.
SoftwarelikeTraktorallowsyoutochangethepitchfadersettingsinquiteadrasticway,
whichopensupsomecreativeopportunitiesforcrazytricksandmixingtechniques.
Unfortunately,thesetechniquesareoutsidethescopeofthisbook.
StandardCDJ’sNexus2000have4settingsavailable:6%,10%,16%and“wide.”
BroaderBPMpitchfadersettingsaredesignedforopenformatDJ’swheretheyjump
betweenmultiplegenres,forexamplehiphopandallthewaytodrumn’bass.

16. Arrangements,CountingBars&PhraseMixing
Nowthatyouhaveadeeperunderstandingofthefundamentalprinciplesofmixingtwo
trackstogether,wecantalkabouthowtostartcreatingseamlessmixes.
IfyouareayoungproducerthatislearninghowtoDJ,thenyouaremostlikelyfamiliar
withtheconceptofmusicalarrangements.
Ifyouaren’t,worrynot,aswewilldoaveryquickbreakdown.
Everysonghasanarrangement.Themostsimpleandcommonarrangementforpop
songsishavinganintro,verse,chorus,verse2,chorus2,bridge,finalchorus,andoutro.
Now,inthefollowingimageyoucanseeadeephouse/techhousesongwhichisat123
BPM.
Itisincrediblyeasytotell(visually),thatthissonghasanintro,thenitgoesstraightintoits
mainbeatsection,thenitslowsdownintoamelodicbeatsection—thelighterpinkand
bluesection—goesstraightintoabreak,andbuildsupintothemainpartonceagainplus
anoutro.
Learninghowtoreadwaveformscomeswithpractice,butyoushouldn’trelyentirelyon
this.Youshouldbeveryfamiliarwiththetracksyou’replayingandknowhowtheir
arrangementsarelaidout.
Almosteverymusicalphraseincontemporaryarrangementscomesinamultipleof4.One
sectioncaneitherbe4bars,8bars,16bars,oreven32bars.Italldependsonthegenre.
Someproducersevendo12,20,or24barssections,andthisisn’tthatraretobehonest,
ascertaingenresofdancemusicallowforalotofcreativitywithinarrangements.
ZHU‑DesertWoman(OriginalMix)

17. Arrangements,CountingBars&PhraseMixing
Ifyoudon’tknowwhatabarisinmusic,itissimplyawaytoorganizewrittenmusicin
smallsections.Everysonghasa“regularbeat”orpulsethatyoushouldbeabletofeel;A
smalltricktofinditistotapyourfootonthefloorwhileasongisplaying.
Ifyoudoitwithmostpopanddancemusic,youshouldbetappingyourfootwhile
countingupto4.
1,2,3,4…1,2,3,4…thefirstbeatiscalledthedownbeatandit’sthestrongestoneout
ofall.So,4/4orcommontime,meansthatfourbeats(numerator)madeoutoffour
quarternotes(denominator)buildasinglebar.
Itiscompletelyacceptabletohavesmallernotevaluesaslongastheyadduptofour
quarternotes.Thiswouldstillbeconsideredasabar,forexample:
So,multiplebars,usuallyingroupingsofmultiplesof4,buildmusicalsections.
Inthefollowingimageyoucanseeaprogressivearrangement,wheretheintroisalittlebit
longercomparedtomostpopsongs(32bars).Butoncethebeatdrops,thereareonly
twosmall4barbreaksandthetrackkeepsbuildingandgoingonuntilithitstheoutro(32
bars).
Pryda‑ProjectL.O.V.E(OriginalMix)

18. Arrangements,CountingBars&PhraseMixing
Youshouldbestartingtorealizebynowwherethisisgoingto.Tocreateseamless
transitionsandborderlineflawlessmixesyouneedtomakesurethatcertainsectionsof
bothtracksalign.
ThemostbasiconewouldbealigningtheoutroofTrackAwiththeintroofTrackB.If
bothsongsarefromsimilarartistsorwithinthesamegenre,itishighlylikelythattheoutro
willbeexactlythesamelengthastheintro.
Note:Forreallyprogressivefourtothefloorgenres,introsandoutrosareusually32
bars.Genreswheretheaveragetracklengthisaround3‑4minutesusuallyhave8bar
intros,whilethelargermainsectionsmaybe16bars.
Thisway,whenTrackAfinishes,TrackBwillgorightintoitsverse,chorus,drop,ormain
beatsection.Onceagain,thisisgenredependant.
Onceyougetthehangofthisbasictechnique,ifknowyoursongswellyoucanstart
creatingmorecomplexmixesand“arrangements”withinyourentireDJmix.
Forexample,youcouldhavetheintroofyourincomingtrack(TrackB)toplayrightatthe
breakofTrackA.Then,youcouldstartfadingawayTrackAbyloweringitsvolume
gradually,orusingsomeeffects.
Ideally,andalsodependingonthetracksyouselected,thedrumbeatshouldneverstop.
Thisisagreatwaytomaintainenergyonthedancefloor.
Justremember,thecrowdcan’tbegoingwild100%ofthetime,useyourbreakswisely.

19. Equalizing
Learninghowtousethemixer’sEQisthenextsteptoachievecleanandflawless
transitions.
Ifyoucomefromamusicproductionbackground,youarewellawareofhowtrickyitcan
gettomakeyourkickandbasssittogethernicely.Especiallywhenbotharehugeand
sharethespotlightthroughoutyoursong.
However,ifyouhavenomusicproductionbackground,don’tstress.Allyouneedtoknow
isthatlowfrequenciescarryalotofpower.
Thathugeredbumpyoucanseeintheimageaboveisthelowendonatechhousesong.
Andthisisprettymuchhowmostmoderndancemusiclookslikethroughafrequency
analyzer.
IfyouplaythissongatfullvolumeinanytypeofDJequipment,yourmetersshouldbe
prettyhotandneartheredzone.
StayawayfromtheredzoneinanytypeofDJequipment.

20. Equalizing
GoingintotheredzoneinanyPAsystemingeneralisacompletelydifferentballgame
thanredliningyoursmallstudiospeakers.
Thistypeofsoundsystemsdealswithamorepowerandcanoverheataboutthreetimes
asfastasyoursmallmonitors.
Ifyoustayintheredzoneforaprolongedamountoftimethere’saprettybigriskof
completelyblowingoutthespeakers.Youcouldalsoseverelydamagethemifahuge
burstofenergyhappensthatgoes“beyond”themeters.
SomevenueshavecompressorsorlimitersintheirPAsystem’soutputtoprevent
performersfromblowingtheirspeakersinadvertently.Butthismeansthatthey’re
squashingyoursignalprettyhardwheneveryougointotheredzone…andthatsounds
terrible.
Inotherwordsandcontrarytopopularbelief,youdon’thavetoredlinetoheadline.
Wheneveryou’remixingmixingtwotrackstogether,youfirstneedtoadjustyourgain
accordinglywiththetrimknobandproceedtocutthelowendofeithersong.
Remember,lowfrequenciescarrythepowerandgiveasenseofweight.
Note:Everysingleindividualchannelhasatrimknobatthetopwhichallowsyouto
adjusttheinputvolumeoneachchannel.Asaruleofthumb,setthegainsinthe
channeltopeakjustbeforehittingtheredzonewhilehavingyourchannelfaderallthe
wayup.Thiswillbethehighestgainyouwanttohaveeachchannel.
(TRIMKNOB)

21. Equalizing
ThisalsoappliesformoreadvancedDJ’swheretheymightbeusing4channelsatthe
sametimetocreatecomplextension/releaseloopsforthedancefloor.
It’salwaysasinglechannelcarryingthelowendenergy.
TherestiscompletelyEQ’dinthelowendortheyhavenolowendfrequenciespresentat
all.Hence,noneedtoEQthemouttobeginwith.
Inotherwords,youonlyhave1smallroomavailable(yourmetersupto0dBFSinthe
digitaldomain),andit’sliketryingtostickbothanelephantandahippoinatthesame
time,it’sjustnotphysicallypossible.
IfwegobacktoourpreviousexamplewherewemixtheintroofTrackBwiththeoutroof
TrackA,youhavetwochoices:
1.EQthelowendfromTrackAfromtheveryfirstmomentyoubringinTrackB.
2.EQthelowendfromTrackBandwaituntiltrackAfinishestobringitbackin.
There’snorightorwrongansweroverhere,doingeitherwillyieldcompletelydifferent
resultstotheenergyonthedancefloor,andthisissomethingyouneedtoexperiment
withalittlebit.Theeffectisalsodifferentdependingonhowthetracksarecomposed/
arranged.
ThesecondreasonwhyweneedtoEQthelowendoutisbecauselowfrequenciesare
omnidirectionalandourbrainjuststrugglesrecognizingtwosoundsinthesame
frequencyrange.
Usuallyourbrainwilljustpickuptheonesoundwhichisthestrongestoutofboth,orin
otherwordstheloudestone.Soinanutshell,everythinggetsreallymuddyandthisis
somethingyouwanttoavoidalmostatallcosts.
Andfinally,tobringeverythingtogether,eventhoughthelowendmayhavedifferent
fundamentalfrequenciesacrossthetwotracks,theamplitudeswillstilladdupand
increasethevolume.Thiswilldefinitelymakeyougointotheredzoneofyourmixer,even
ifthey’reclashingharmonically.

22. Equalizing
However,theyarethereforareasonandthey’renotuseless.Youcanusetheminmultiple
ways.Forexample,soundsthatarefurtherawayhavewaylesshighfrequencycontent.
Ifyouintendtoloopsomethingandleaveitasthebackgroundforawhile,youcouldalso
carvesomehighfrequenciesoutwiththetopbandEQtohelpaccentuatethis
psychoacousticeffect.
Wewilltalkaboutharmonicmixinginthefollowingsection,butalternatively,youcould
usethemidbandEQtocarvesomespaceinasynthloopsoitdoesn’tclashwiththe
vocalthatmayliveinanotherchannel.
BeingelegantandsubtlewiththeEQ’sinamixercomeswithpractice.Somegreatadvice
thatwillhelpyouunderstandhowtousethembetteristosearchforYouTubevideos
whereanyofyourfavoriteartistsmightbemixingwhilethere’sacamerapointingstraight
attheentiresetup.
Thiswillworkevenbetterifyou’reasomewhatfamiliarwithsomeofthesongsheplays
orjustthegenreoverall,asyouwillbeabletotellmoreaccuratelywhat’sgoingonduring
themix.

23. TrackSelection
Nowthatyou’refamiliarwiththemostimportantconceptsofmixingtrackstogether,we
cantakeitonestepfurtherandtalkabouttrackselection.
TrackselectionisoneofthemostelusiveconceptsforaspiringDJ’s.Inanindustrywhere
thereisanimplicitcompetitionbetweenartistsandlimitedopportunities,whenevera
beginnerDJgetsashotit’sprettycommontoseethemgoingashardastheycan.
Thereisatimeandplaceforeverything.It’scrucialtounderstandthiswhenyou’rein
youramateurphase.
Ifyouhavetheopportunitytoopenforsomeonebig,understandthatyouarethewarmup
set.Pickyourtracksaccordingly.
Eventhoughyoumightgetsomefriendsandotherpeopletogoandsupportyou,the
majorityoftheaudienceistheretoseetheheadliner.
Youmightseethisasanopportunitytoimpresspeopleandmakeanameforyourself,but
trustus…thepromoters,theownersofthevenue,andthebookingagentsdon’tshare
yourperspective.Youwillmostlikelyleaveabadimpressiononthem.
Yourjobhereistogatherpeopleintothedancefloorandmakethemhypedfortherestof
thenight.
Greatwarmupsetsareanalmostforgottenart.
Ontheotherhand,wheneveryoulandyourfirstheadliningshow…
Makethebestoutofyourshotandbringdowntheentireplace!
Thisbringsustothematteroflearninghowtoreadcrowdsandpre‑planningsets.They
keyistokeepafinebalancebetweensatisfyingthecrowdsexpectationsandgivingthem
trackstheydidn’tknowtheywantedtohear.

24. TrackSelection
Youneedtobringthemintoyourownsonicworld,yourtasteinmusic.It’sallaboutthe
journey.
Pre‑planningsetsisnotabadthingtodo,everyonedoesit.Thinkaboutsomeofthebest
oldschoolDJ’sthatarestilltouringuptothisday.Theydonotbring1,000vinylswith
them.Theypacksomeoftherecordstheypersonallywanttoplay,andsomeothersto
pleasethecrowdwhereverthey’replayingat.
ThisisarguablyoneofthebestmindsetsforaDJ.Ifyou’replayinga1hourset,bring
someextratracks.Doyourhomework,askthepromoterorownerofthevenuewhattype
ofmusictheiraudienceusuallyenjoysthemost.
Preparesomemusicinthatstyleandgetpeopleupandgroovingonthedancefloor.Once
you’vecaughttheirattention,startplayingsomeofyourowntracksandshowthemyour
ownstyle.
Neverstoplookingeverynowandthenatthecrowd.
Thisisalsoanotherreasonwhyyoushouldbringsomeextratracks,sincenoteverysong
willworkineveryscenario.Ifyourealizethatasongisjuststartingtokillthevibeofthe
crowd,youcanjustmixitoutonthebreakdownjustlikewementionedbrieflyonthemore
advancedphrasemixingtechniques.
Butit’salsoworthrememberingthatjustbecausepeoplearen’tgoingmental,itdoesn’t
meanthatthey’renotenjoyingyourset.Especiallywithcertaingenresofmusic.
Youcan’texpectpeopletoreacttoreallyabruptordrasticchangesingenreseither.If
you’readubstepDJ,don’ttrytogetbookedforahousemusicevent,itjustwon’twork.
Thiswholeconceptismoreaboutplaying,forexample,sometechhouseinavenuewhere
they’reusedtodeephouse.Youcouldalsotryplayingsomedrumandbassinavenue
wheredubstepistheusual.Fansaremorelikelytoacceptthatandgowithit.
Keepitcoherent.Ifyou’retryingsomethingnew,makesureit’ssomethingwithinthesame
realm.Don’tgetbookedforrandomshowsforthesakeofplaying,becauseiftheygo
wrongitcanbereallydemoralizing.

25. HarmonicMixing
Harmonicmixingisaconceptthatisalittlebitmoreadvanced,sowewillonlytalkaboutit
briefly.
Beforeyoueventrytopracticethis,makesurethatyoucanbeatmatchandgetyour
songstolineupcorrectlywitheachothereverytime(phase).
Whenyou’redoingharmonicmixing,yourfocusshouldbeonthekeyofthetracksandnot
onbeatmatchingandphrasemixing.Thoseshouldbesecondnaturebythispoint.
Harmonicmixingconsistsinmixingtracksthatarethesamekey,songsthatareafifthup
orafourthdown(keywise),ortracksthatareintherelativemajor/minorkeysofeach
other.
1.Mixingtracksinthesamekey
TrackA(Cmajor)→TrackB(Cmajor)
2.Songsthatareafifthup/fourthdownfromtheoriginalkey.
TrackA(Cmajor)→TrackB(GmajororFmajor)
Wecan’tdoanin‑depthexplanationonhowthisworksbecauseit’soutsideofthescope
ofhisbook.However,ifyouwanttounderstandthistoamoreprofoundlevel,wesuggest
youtostudysomebasicmusictheory.
Basically,goingfromCmajortoeitherGmajororFmajorworksbecausetheyonlyhavea
1notedifferencebetweeneachother.
Alternatively,youcouldalsogotoDmajororBbmajor.Sincethere’sonlya2note
differenceit’llstillbesomewhatsmooth.However,thisisprettymuchtheupperlimit,as
changingtoakeywitha3notedifferenceisalreadytoomuch.
3.Relativeminorkeys
TrackA(Cmajor)→TrackB(Aminor)
Youcouldalsogototherelativeminorkeyfromtheoriginaltrack,asbothscalessharethe
exactsamenotes.

26. HarmonicMixing
Thereareafewmoreintricaciestoharmonicmixing,butthisisthefundamentalconcept
thatyoushouldbeawareof.
Sometimessongsonlyhaveabeatintheirintroandthisdoesnothaveanegativeimpact
ifyouphrasemixitcorrectlywithsomeothersongthatit’sinacompletelyirrelevantkey.
Thisisanotherreasonwhyit’sreallyimportanttoknowyourownlibraryandsongs.
Mostofthetimeyouonlyneedtoworryaboutharmonicmixingifyou’reputtingtogether
twotracksthathaveharmonicandmelodicinstruments/elementsgoingonatthesame
time.

27. MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
YounowhaveaprettysolidpictureofwhatentailsbeingaDJinourdayandage.Wehave
talkedaboutsomeofthefundamentalconcepts,minussomesmalldetailsthatyoucan
onlylearnbyyourselfbydivingin,findingyourownstyle,andgettingreallifeexperience.
It’sworthfinalizingthisbookbygivingyousomeinsightintosomeofthemostcommon
equipmentthatyouwillfindoutthere.
Theindustrystandard.Youwillseethissetupinatleast80%oftheworld’sclubs,venues,
andfestivals.MostDJMmixershave4channels,soit’sprettycommontosee4CDJ’s
hookedupinsteadof2.
Ifyou’reintomoreundergroundgenresofdancemusic,it’salsoverycommontosee
mixersthataren’tmanufacturedbyPioneer.SomeDJ’sliketomakeuseofsomeofthe
functionalitiesdifferentbrandshavetooffer.
CDJSetup

28. MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
TheAllen&HeathXONE92mixersarethesecondmostcommonmixersyouwillseethat
CDJ’sarebeinghookedupto,andthisisasixchannelmixer.
ManufacturerDenonhasalsomadeaprettyaggressiveentryintotheindustryrecentlyby
makingpartnershipswithcertainDJ’stoperformonandpromotetheirproducts.
Onceyougettoacertainlevel,clubsandvenueswon’tletyouhookupyourown
equipment.Youwilldefinitelyneedtobefamiliarwiththistypeofsetups,somakesome
newfriendshipsandstrivetogettoknowsomeonethatwillmentoryouandletyou
practiceinthisgear.
Oneoftheonlywaysthatacluborvenuewillletyouhookupyourcustomsetupisifthey
arebookingyoutoheadlineforthenight.Soreallytakethisintoconsideration.
Anotherincrediblebenefitoflearninghowtoperforminthistypeofsetupsisthatyouonly
needtocarryyourUSBdriveswithyou.Allofwhichyoucanfitinsideyourpocket.
Thisiswithoutevenmentioningafterparties.Anotherreasonwhyplayersandmixerswill
nevergooutoffashion.Evenifyoudevelopauniqueliveshow,youwillmostlikelyendup
spinningintheafterhourswithaverysimilarsetup.
Allen&HeathXONE92

29. MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
DJControllers
DJControllersarewaymoreaffordableforbedroomproducersandamateurDJ’s.There’s
aplethoraofcontrollersouttherethatalsocomewithamyriadoffunctionalities,sowe
can’treallylistallofthem.
ThedownsideofDJcontrollersisthatsomevenuesorclubswon’tletyoubringyourown
controlleraswejustmentioned,plusthey’renotthatsmallorportable.
Theycanbecomequiteannoyingtobecarryingaround,andthisiswithouteven
mentioningthatmostofthemaren’tsturdyatall.Theyarequitefragile,andifyoudon’t
carrytheminsomesortofflightcase,there’sadecentriskthattheymaygetdamaged
somehow.
Ifyou’reinterestedinmixingtracksinatraditionalway,havingmultiplecreative“live”remix
functionalities,orevenusingStems,bothofNativeInstruments’TraktorS2orS4are
incrediblechoices.
TheTraktorS2hasasimpletwochannelsetupthatisincredibleasanentrylevelDJ
controller.
TraktorS2

30. MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
Ontheotherhand,it’sbigbrother,theTraktorS4comesequippedwith4channelsand
hasmultipleaddedfunctionalitiesthatyoucancheckouthere.Multiplehighprofileartists
suchasMr.Carmack,PorterRobinson,andBranchezusedtoperforminthisexactsame
DJcontroller.
It’sarguablyonthelowtieroftheacceptableprofessionalDJperformanceequipment.If
you’reinterestedinusingTraktor—becauseyouneedaniOSdeviceoralaptoptooperate
bothofthesecontrollers—thisisthewaytogo.Weguaranteethatyouwon’tbe
disappointed.
TraktorS4

31. MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
VinylSetups
Ifyouwanttojumpstraightintoitandstartgettingpracticeinacontrollerthatresembles
CDJ’sthemost,thenyoushouldopttogetaPioneerXDJ‑RX2.
It’sa2‑deck,2‑channelall‑in‑onesystemthatoperatesonitsownwithouttheneedofa
laptop.
ThisisascloseasitgetstoexperiencingCDJs2000withoutactuallyowningthem,but
eventhiscontrollerfallsslightlyshort.Youjustcan’tmatchtherealsetupwithany
controller.
Vinylsetupsdidn’tgetleftbehindorforgottenalltheseyears.Inearly2018,vinylsales
finallystartedsurpassingdigitalsales.Surprising,huh?
Unfortunately,somelegendaryequipmentforthisrealmstoppedbeingmanufactured
unfortunately,liketheTechnics1200forexample.Althoughit’sfairlyeasytogetyour
handsinsomesecondhandturntables,therearenownewerandcheaperalternativesout
therethatyoushouldn’tdisregardatall.
PioneerXDJ‑RX2

32. MostCommonDJEquipmentin2018
ForscratchDJ’s,themixersarealsoslightlydifferent.Someofthemostcommonones
thatyouwillseearoundnowadaysaretheNativeInstruments’Z2,Rane’sseventy‑two,
andMixar’sDUOMKII.
Vinylsetupsusuallyconsistof2channelsonly,unlessthey’rebeingusedinconjunction
withtwootherCDJplayers.ThisisverycommonwithinhouseandtechnoDJ’s,where
theyonlyplayreallyoldrecordsanddon’thavetoworryaboutscratchingorcuttingmixing
techniques.
2channelsimplevinylsetup.
2vinyl‑2digitalplayerssetup.

33. FinalThoughts
Thisisit!
Wecoveredavastamountofinformation,sodon’tfeelstressedifyoufeellikeyoudidn’t
graspsomeoftheconceptswepresentedinthisbook.Takeasmallbreakandgobackif
necessary.
Andonceyougetasolidgraspoftheconceptswepresentedinthisbook,youshouldbe
abletostartcreatingsimple,yetsolidandcoherentDJsets.
Thetruthis,manyDJ’souttherethatarealreadymakingsomemoneyoutofthis
professionkeepitsimpleanddon’tgofarbeyondsomeoftheseconcepts.Butyoushould
alwaysstrivetobeabettermusician,producer,andDJ.
Justlikeinmusicproduction,alotoftrialanderrorgoesintothis.Studythesongsyou
wanttoplay,startmessingwiththeeffectsonyourmixer,tryputtingmultiplesongs
together,andtrytothinkaboutcreativetransitiontechniques…yourimaginationisthe
limit!
Ifyouspendsometimepracticingandgettingoutthere,justlikeyoudevelopyourown
soundwhileproducing,you’llstarttorealizehowyoulikemixingsongstogether,
transitioning,andthereforeyou’lldevelopasignatureDJingstyle/sound.
BestofluckandhappyDJing!