So you want to learn to DJ?

Part 1

Tiesto, Carl Cox, Danny Tenaglia.  All these names should be familiar with you in today’s league of leading DJs and like all of us, pulled off some incredibly bad mixes when they first became familiar with the equipment that has been a major part in their current careers and industry status.  So what makes a good DJ?  Many factors come into play, an ear for a good tune and the all important factors, timing and the ability to keep concentration when everything in the club is working against you.

Since the early days of a basic set up consisting of two Technics decks and a simple crossfading mixer, technology has advanced in leaps and bounds.  We’re now offered a wide choice between CDs, MP3s and Vinyl with the further choice of hardware or software to manipulate and effect our sets.  To make things easier for beginners, I’m going to explain how best to learn with two standard record decks and a basic mixer that has volume levels for two decks, a crossfader to cut or mix between them and some form of EQ (I’ll get to this subject later).

The major difference between decks is whether they are Direct Drive (magnetic and expensive) or Belt Drive (mechanically driven and cheaper).  Direct Drive decks have a magnetic platter (the part the slip mat and record sits upon) that fixes onto a spindle that has a cluster of magnets surrounding it.  Just like the planet Earth we live on, magnets have a force residing within them known as “polarity”, they have a “+” charge on one end and a “-“ on the other.  When you push two magnets together, they will either attract or repel each other, the latter is the driving force of a Direct Drive turntable.  Being magnetically driven, Direct Drive decks also have very low friction, which makes them far more reliable at keeping their chosen speed, due to less moving parts and a very strong driving force.

Belt driven decks rely on a set of gears and a large rubber belt to rotate the platter, which makes them far more prone to friction and thus, they tend to have more speed fluctuation than a magnetically driven deck.  The force used to move the platter is not as strong and as constant when compared a Direct Drive deck, but this is not to say that they are not good for learning to mix upon, in fact, it’s probably the better format for starting off with in my opinion, because you are forced to constantly keep making minor adjustments.  Furthermore, there’s no point in spending a fortune on DJ equipment if you then later discover that it’s not quite the hobby you wish to continue with.  I’ve known many people whos set up ends up as just another ornament.

To understand the ethos behind good mixing skills you will need to know some basics of music itself, beats, bars and musical pitch.  These are our main topics of discussion for part 1 in this series of learning to mix effectively.

If you can dance or clap in time to music, chances are you’re making use of your natural rhythm and you will be able to understand, master and comprehend fully, bars and beats.  A bar is a collection of 4 beats.  99% of producers adhere to this formula strictly unless their track following a different timing signature. As soon as you hear a part in a song where a beat starts, you need to count each beat in your head like so:

1 2 3 4 (first bar)

2 2 3 4 (where the first “2” is a mental note to yourself that this is the second bar)

3 2 3 4 (where the “3” at the start is a mental note to yourself that this is the third bar)

4 2 3 4 (where the “4” at the start is a mental note to yourself that this is the fourth bar)

and so on….keep on doing this until you reach 16 bars.

It is absolutely imperative that you understand counting bars and beats and that you listen to records from start to finish, and practice this method over and over again.  The reason for this is that most tracks change in multiples of 4 bars to introduce or strip away components of the track.  Below is an example of what a track’s progression may be:

First Bar – Beat kicks in

8^th Bar – Hi Hat joins the track

16^th Bar – Bongo line begins

32^nd Bar – Synth line joins track

64^th Bar – Beat, Hi Hat and Bongos disappear leaving the Synth line for the breakdown

With plenty of practice, you will begin to count the bars mentally and will be able to judge where to place mixes and when a track is going to change, which is another very important factor in mixing, you will need to know your records inside out and backwards if need be!

As far as musical pitch is concerned, you really need a good ear for determining whether two tracks are in tune with each other and sound angelic, or whether they sound like a dog being hit with a large telephone box.  If both tracks played together make you cringe slightly, chances are that they are not in tune, and aren’t destined to be mixed together.  This is quite important when mixing chord based tracks (unless you want to create a strange effect!), but not so much in progressive and percussive productions.  You will really need to discover this talent for yourself or get a more musically inclined friend to teach you.

Article by: DJ Alixir