Sloppy beat matching can distract your audience.
Beat matching is a fundamental DJ technique that enables you to mix two records. When mixing, you fade one record out and fade the next one in. If the two songs have a different beat, there will be an obvious clash when you fade the second one in. Naturally not all songs are at the same tempo; in fact it is rare to find two songs that are exactly the same beat and the same tempo. Beat matching is the DJ's way of making the transition between songs seamless and ensuring that the good vibes aren't interrupted by a sudden change of tempo.
Instructions
1. Set up your decks and crossfaders. You have two turntables. One that spins the song that your audience is dancing to, the other for the next song. In order to change songs without a pause, alternate between turntables. To correctly control and monitor the sounds, you need to hear what your audience hears but you also need to hear what's coming next. The two crossfade sliders dictate the volume of each turntable. Maximize the slider for the first turntable and minimize the slider for the second turntable. There is also a slider to control your headphone mix. Set this so you can hear both the headphone mix and house mix.
2. Keep your headphones close for when you need to beat-match your second song.
Play the first song. Count along in your head so you get a feel for the groove. Tap your foot or even dance to it; you're a DJ after all. Once you've got a feel for the first song, you're ready to match the second song.
3. Cue up the second song and put on your headphones. If it's easier, position the headphones so that only ear is covered. This means you can hear the house mix and the monitor mix. Play the song. You'll notice that the two songs are going at different speeds.
4. Adjust the pitch using the pitch slider. The pitch slider adjusts the speed that the vinyl is played at. The higher the pitch, the faster the song plays. Play it too fast and you'll experience the "Chipmunk effect." This is caused by speeding up the voices so they sound squeaky, like the cartoon "Chipmunks." Gently increase or decrease the pitch according to the tempo difference. If song two is slower than song one, increase the pitch. Alternatively, you can begin to slow down song one. If you want a more hands-on approach to beat matching, forego the pitch slider and slow the turntable down by resting your hand on the vinyl. You can only slow a record down using this method. Adjust the tempo of song two so that it is in sync with the first song. Count the bars in your head or dance along. Flip the headphone fader on and off to switch between the songs.
Tags: first song, pitch slider, second song, your audience, beat matching, between songs, first song Count