Tricks To Impress

[Louis Theroux]

Bored with just mixing/blending records together now - I used to look for a reaction from people just based on the record itself as everyone knows what my mixing is like.

Can anyone suggest any tricks I can add, remembering I only really play techno & occasionally hard trance (but I dont think there is too much you can do with that)?

I am looking for something that people will really notice.

[dirty_bass]

If you are mixing to impress, then get off the decks, it`s all about the music.

[DJsmallpaul]

I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to better yourself, fair enough i understand some peeps don't like the "showing off" side of djing but hey each to their own.

Sorry i can't help with any surgestions though :doh: :lol: i think the best way forward maybe just to experiment a little ;)

[eyes without a face]

i get the idea behind the post i think it was just worded wrong, technically there are a host of tricks you can get to grips with, search the web you'l have no trouble finding some i think

but you should really be trying to get your own style going with these tricks incorporated and use them as kind of little catalysts for the records your playing, thats the most important part, the tunessss

[dan the acid man]

nice tidy cuts in the right place are always good, but dont over do it dave clarke style.
spin backs are cool, eq'ing is a great tool, cutting all the bass out and then bringing it back in always works well.

but like anything, dont over do all this, otherwise it justs gets boring and takes peoples attention away from the music too much, which tbh, is what most people go out to a party for, so yes it is all about the music

[Louis Theroux]

If you are mixing to impress, then get off the decks, it`s all about the music.

that is easy to say when you are producing good music & playing your own records.

when you are just playing other people records you have to stand out somehow.

[gary_human]

you could do a lot worse than to take a few leafs out of this guys book:

DJ Murphy

http://www.blackoutaudio.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=38569

:dance:

[oldbugger]

If you are mixing to impress, then get off the decks, it`s all about the music.

thats a stupid comment :dontevengothere:

of corse its about the music but you tell me one dj who doesnt like to try and impress? i'm pretty sure every dj has practised the odd trick or two.
someone asking for a few tips on a few tricks is hardly the end of the world. and it is a dj'ing forum afterall.

i know..lets just play tunes like the good old days like jimmy savile did :roll:

[DJTrubass]

Im all init for the love, not the fame, so book me cause, im 100% in what i do. I am music. :cool:

[DJ Corbzy]

bloody techno elitists... :lol:

[Miksta]

i found that nice clean fast mix's can get the crowd buzzing.....i did a dj comp in Lemington one time, and fited 12 tunes in to 15 mins....and the place loved it,i finished 2nd that night hehe

I try to do it alot(when i used to dj at free partys and clubs) as i have many records i love playing...and people would tell me how good the fast mixxing was. give it a try and see if it helps at all.

[RDR]

1.Rapid mixes.
2.Fast EQ tweaking
3.Slow EQ tweaking
4.FX usage
5.Scratching (crabs, babys, flares, orbits, cuts, stutters, chirps, uzis)
6.Beat stabs (make your own kick break!)
7.One scratch on the beat and in goes the tune.
8. pul back a kick drum before the break on the other channel and cut into it, you can also drop the tune in at that point
9. pull back every kick, let go, pull back next one for 16 instances
10.Taking the bass out of channel b and flicking channel A on the beat, effectively swapping the kicks.
11.Turn the technics off and instantly reverse the deck at the same speed it was going forward (tough, very tough) keep it going by gently turing the centre spindle.
12.Speeding up a tune to stupid speeds (EQ out bass) until it goes mad, then drop into a break.
13.Slowing down a tune by turning deck off
14.Do above trick, but have second deck going slow as well and get them to meet in the middle at a slow speed.
Slowing down a tune by turning deck off but slow down in three distinct stages.
15.Send deck into a long Delay Fx, turn off deck, play very slowly and perform little scratches.
16.Spinbacks can be boring. try these a. basic spinback. b. three seperate spind backs c. a very fast spinback, turn deck off and spin backwards very quickly (prone to skipping)
17.start the incoming tune on the hithats, when you drop it in you get double beating, its a short step to grab the ahead tuneand pull it back into time before the break.
18.in a kickless, percussionless break feel free to slow the tune right down.
19.remove the bass eq for a fraction of a second and pump the mids.
20.Buy a drum machine for your own rolls.

So who wants a mix tape then?

[dan the acid man]

i agree with db here though, too many tricks can detract from the music and interrupt the flow of the night, most people on the dance floor are there for the music.

like i said, anything in moderation, imo of course ;)

[RDR]

i agree with db here though, too many tricks can detract from the music and interrupt the flow of the night, most people on the dance floor are there for the music.

like i said, anything in moderation, imo of course ;)

Depends how you do the do dan. Maybe i'll show you one day. ;)

[TechMouse]

We threw nappies at a crowd last year.

That seemed to go down quite well.

[dan the acid man]

i agree with db here though, too many tricks can detract from the music and interrupt the flow of the night, most people on the dance floor are there for the music.

like i said, anything in moderation, imo of course ;)

Depends how you do the do dan. Maybe i'll show you one day. ;)

no thanks, ive heard about you showing people things to impress them, i dont want locking up too you know :lol: :lol:

[RDR]

Are you sure Dan. being locked up with me would be fun. we could play games and talk to each other about fun and games and later we could show how it feels to be inside the dark and touch the places where love doesnt go and laterimightturnonthelightandwecouldscreamtogetheri ntheplaceswherepeoplenevergoandcryandloveanddecide andbleedandsitandstayboygoodboyyougoodboydontmoveo rillhityouagainpleasedontmummymummywhyisntdaddymov inghashebeenbadboy?

[dan the acid man]

:shock: :wtf: :help: :lol:

[connor]

1.Rapid mixes.
2.Fast EQ tweaking
3.Slow EQ tweaking
4.FX usage
5.Scratching (crabs, babys, flares, orbits, cuts, stutters, chirps, uzis)
6.Beat stabs (make your own kick break!)
7.One scratch on the beat and in goes the tune.
8. pul back a kick drum before the break on the other channel and cut into it, you can also drop the tune in at that point
9. pull back every kick, let go, pull back next one for 16 instances
10.Taking the bass out of channel b and flicking channel A on the beat, effectively swapping the kicks.
11.Turn the technics off and instantly reverse the deck at the same speed it was going forward (tough, very tough) keep it going by gently turing the centre spindle.
12.Speeding up a tune to stupid speeds (EQ out bass) until it goes mad, then drop into a break.
13.Slowing down a tune by turning deck off
14.Do above trick, but have second deck going slow as well and get them to meet in the middle at a slow speed.
Slowing down a tune by turning deck off but slow down in three distinct stages.
15.Send deck into a long Delay Fx, turn off deck, play very slowly and perform little scratches.
16.Spinbacks can be boring. try these a. basic spinback. b. three seperate spind backs c. a very fast spinback, turn deck off and spin backwards very quickly (prone to skipping)
17.start the incoming tune on the hithats, when you drop it in you get double beating, its a short step to grab the ahead tuneand pull it back into time before the break.
18.in a kickless, percussionless break feel free to slow the tune right down.
19.remove the bass eq for a fraction of a second and pump the mids.
20.Buy a drum machine for your own rolls.

So who wants a mix tape then?


most of that went right over my head :oops: i only understand some of them :crackup:

[DJTrubass]

1.Rapid mixes.
2.Fast EQ tweaking
3.Slow EQ tweaking
4.FX usage
5.Scratching (crabs, babys, flares, orbits, cuts, stutters, chirps, uzis)
6.Beat stabs (make your own kick break!)
7.One scratch on the beat and in goes the tune.
8. pul back a kick drum before the break on the other channel and cut into it, you can also drop the tune in at that point
9. pull back every kick, let go, pull back next one for 16 instances
10.Taking the bass out of channel b and flicking channel A on the beat, effectively swapping the kicks.
11.Turn the technics off and instantly reverse the deck at the same speed it was going forward (tough, very tough) keep it going by gently turing the centre spindle.
12.Speeding up a tune to stupid speeds (EQ out bass) until it goes mad, then drop into a break.
13.Slowing down a tune by turning deck off
14.Do above trick, but have second deck going slow as well and get them to meet in the middle at a slow speed.
Slowing down a tune by turning deck off but slow down in three distinct stages.
15.Send deck into a long Delay Fx, turn off deck, play very slowly and perform little scratches.
16.Spinbacks can be boring. try these a. basic spinback. b. three seperate spind backs c. a very fast spinback, turn deck off and spin backwards very quickly (prone to skipping)
17.start the incoming tune on the hithats, when you drop it in you get double beating, its a short step to grab the ahead tuneand pull it back into time before the break.
18.in a kickless, percussionless break feel free to slow the tune right down.
19.remove the bass eq for a fraction of a second and pump the mids.
20.Buy a drum machine for your own rolls.

So who wants a mix tape then?


most of that went right over my head :oops: i only understand some of them :crackup:

lots of thoes tricks are proper hard to make sound any good. like

17.start the incoming tune on the hithats, when you drop it in you get double beating, its a short step to grab the ahead tuneand pull it back into time before the break.

that sound ideal, but if u pull back the beat a split second out could sound messy as ****, wouldent like to try live heh

[dirty_bass]

If you are mixing to impress, then get off the decks, it`s all about the music.

thats a stupid comment :dontevengothere:

of corse its about the music but you tell me one dj who doesnt like to try and impress? i'm pretty sure every dj has practised the odd trick or two.
someone asking for a few tips on a few tricks is hardly the end of the world. and it is a dj'ing forum afterall.

i know..lets just play tunes like the good old days like jimmy savile did :roll:

There`s tricks to enhance and there`s tricks for the sake of it.
Sure learn eq, beat juggling, all that, string out breaks, keep the bass out till people are just starting to pine, then ram it up em. All that.
But just blind trickery sucks.
No one likes a show off, when the ego supercedes the music :dontevengothere:


and NEVER pump the mids.
I run soundsystems, and DJ`s that do this really piss me off.
It`s stupid and can screw the rig.
Back off, but never push.
Subtractive is the way.

[AcidTrash]

Just love what you're doing. Thats all it takes.

[Dj_Tyronnster]

There is a guy i know who uses the Flanger (think thats the name) on his DJM600 on everymix and it spoils it,

[TechMouse]

and NEVER pump the mids.
I run soundsystems, and DJ`s that do this really piss me off.
It`s stupid and can screw the rig.
Back off, but never push.
Subtractive is the way.
Not just the mids either...

Cannot echo this advice enough.

[RDR]

If you are mixing to impress, then get off the decks, it`s all about the music.

thats a stupid comment :dontevengothere:

of corse its about the music but you tell me one dj who doesnt like to try and impress? i'm pretty sure every dj has practised the odd trick or two.
someone asking for a few tips on a few tricks is hardly the end of the world. and it is a dj'ing forum afterall.

i know..lets just play tunes like the good old days like jimmy savile did :roll:

There`s tricks to enhance and there`s tricks for the sake of it.
Sure learn eq, beat juggling, all that, string out breaks, keep the bass out till people are just starting to pine, then ram it up em. All that.
But just blind trickery sucks.
No one likes a show off, when the ego supercedes the music :dontevengothere:


and NEVER pump the mids.
I run soundsystems, and DJ`s that do this really piss me off.
It`s stupid and can screw the rig.
Back off, but never push.
Subtractive is the way.

I dont have to take that advice steve. I've done it many times, and could you perhaps explain to me how the mids are going to damage a system with their amazing low end extension? And dont you have limiters on your system? Also i forgot to mention that it and me have never ever damaged a system i've played on.

Its not stupid - it works. And if you couldnt pump the mids, how come tunes do this anyway when running through a BP filter? And how come you let live acts play on PA with their greater frequency range etc etc etc.

Subtractive might be the way in production and DJing but do you really think im gonna just do that.

As for EGO inflating past the records... dont think so. If i did that i would be playing out, but i dont cos i got other things i like doing more.

And n17 a hard trick? go and try it, its not hard at all. just takes practice like everything else...

Sorry for the militancy, but dont you think its better to learn as many tricks as possible... or do you want to be boring? (aimed at all those who wrote comments about tricks being -ve)

Cmon guys, the only people who talk about tricks being bad are those who cant actually do them. besides which it isnt as if i do them constantly - them man asked for ideas so i gave him some of mine. He didnt say lets have some ideas so the rest of you can dismiss them.

:rambo:

[dirty_bass]

Well I`m not going to go into a long tirade about how rigs work, and how close to the limit most are run etc.
However, if a rig has limiting, it generally sounds shit.
Pumping the mids, also sounds shit, good at home, shit on a rig.
Either you trip the limiter, and get a crap signal through the speakers, or you risk frying the mids or tops.
Some tunes have it. But these tunes are compressed and mastered, so it really doesn`t effect the rig as much as some clueless goit pumping the eq with a stupid "look at me" grin on his face.
Subtle tweaks beyond the half way are ok, but sudden pumps in the EQ are stupid, and the domain of amateurs.

I implore people not to do this.

[dan the acid man]

im not dismissing tricks at all, like i say, everything in moderation, im not a fan of hearing djs do tricks all the time through a set, it gets annoying, and i know im not alone in saying that, you have to know when to do tricks, and when to let the music play

[Louis Theroux]

I am not looking to base my set around the tricks - exactly the opposite but would like to learn one or two to make things that little bit different.

Picked up a few from this thread but nothing I think I will stick with yet.

Thanks so far!

[dan the acid man]

I am not looking to base my set around the tricks - exactly the opposite but would like to learn one or two to make things that little bit different.

Picked up a few from this thread but nothing I think I will stick with yet.

Thanks so far!

your going to have to invent your own then as i think most of the tricks have been covered here :lol:

[RDR]

Thanks for the clueless comment steve. Dont know where you get off calling me a goit either.

And as for rigs... never tripped one yet.

Ah well, i tried to help here. Hope you find it usefull. And believe me - i know these tricks, but it aint like i use em constantlty. You dont get to know these things and practice them without knowing when to use/when not to use them either.

At the end of the day i still know how to do them and will use em to good effect. you havent heard me play so how do you "know"....?

contribution over.

[S/E]

So who wants a mix tape then?

I'd love one. ;)

[Dj_Tyronnster]

me aswell

[oldbugger]

Well I`m not going to go into a long tirade about how rigs work, and how close to the limit most are run etc.
However, if a rig has limiting, it generally sounds shit.
Pumping the mids, also sounds shit, good at home, shit on a rig.
Either you trip the limiter, and get a crap signal through the speakers, or you risk frying the mids or tops.
Some tunes have it. But these tunes are compressed and mastered, so it really doesn`t effect the rig as much as some clueless goit pumping the eq with a stupid "look at me" grin on his face.
Subtle tweaks beyond the half way are ok, but sudden pumps in the EQ are stupid, and the domain of amateurs.

I implore people not to do this.


to be fair.. you should set your rig up with this in mind. i know i have.

you cant say it isnt the style of techno dj's to do this really and its to be expected. i do it myself on our rig. if you want to run your rig to the max all the time perhaps its time to upgrade and run it a bit less ;)

hahaha i could just see dave clarke killing a free party rig if he played on one:lol:

[RDR]

Well I`m not going to go into a long tirade about how rigs work, and how close to the limit most are run etc.
However, if a rig has limiting, it generally sounds shit.
Pumping the mids, also sounds shit, good at home, shit on a rig.
Either you trip the limiter, and get a crap signal through the speakers, or you risk frying the mids or tops.
Some tunes have it. But these tunes are compressed and mastered, so it really doesn`t effect the rig as much as some clueless goit pumping the eq with a stupid "look at me" grin on his face.
Subtle tweaks beyond the half way are ok, but sudden pumps in the EQ are stupid, and the domain of amateurs.

I implore people not to do this.


to be fair.. you should set your rig up with this in mind. i know i have.

you cant say it isnt the style of techno dj's to do this really and its to be expected. i do it myself on our rig. if you want to run your rig to the max all the time perhaps its time to upgrade and run it a bit less ;)

hahaha i could just see dave clarke killing a free party rig if he played on one:lol:

:)

Even if dave does break it, give the sound bwoy 10mins with a soldering iron, a will and fourteen rolls of duck tape and that Mofo will last through world war three.

Or just break down totally.

[RDR]

To all those who have played the no respect route.

http://www.blackoutaudio.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=38844


Read this.

[DJsmallpaul]

I think the most i do is cut various beats & tweek the high & mid ranges :eh:

[dirty_bass]

Well I`m not going to go into a long tirade about how rigs work, and how close to the limit most are run etc.
However, if a rig has limiting, it generally sounds shit.
Pumping the mids, also sounds shit, good at home, shit on a rig.
Either you trip the limiter, and get a crap signal through the speakers, or you risk frying the mids or tops.
Some tunes have it. But these tunes are compressed and mastered, so it really doesn`t effect the rig as much as some clueless goit pumping the eq with a stupid "look at me" grin on his face.
Subtle tweaks beyond the half way are ok, but sudden pumps in the EQ are stupid, and the domain of amateurs.

I implore people not to do this.


to be fair.. you should set your rig up with this in mind. i know i have.

you cant say it isnt the style of techno dj's to do this really and its to be expected. i do it myself on our rig. if you want to run your rig to the max all the time perhaps its time to upgrade and run it a bit less ;)

hahaha i could just see dave clarke killing a free party rig if he played on one:lol:

In general we run with good headroom.
We have 60k at our disposal (rarely get the chance to use it though)
very very good amplification and run omnidrive processing.
Allen n heath mixers.
However, pumping the EQ`s can cause huge movements of the cones, among many other things (let alone damaging the actual mixers themselves, as most DJ`s end up running in the red)
And no, we don`t expect techno DJ`s to do this, it`s very rare that good DJ`s do.
Most DJ`s learned in the bedroom, and moving into the pro arena, don`t actually know everything (although they like to think they do) and probably do need to learn a few lessons.

Sorry dodgy, I wasn`t calling you clueless, I was making a general comment, as in my years of running pro rigs, for the most part I would say that 60% of DJ`s are pretty clueless.

I am getting a little over the top, for most of the shit rigs you get in the average club, pissing on the mixer probably wouldn`t make much difference to the sound quality.

But for real pro sound, I guess the rules change slightly.

[dirty_bass]

Sorry dude, just read your other post.
I wasn`t calling you a clueless goit, reread the post, it was ageneral reference.
If I was to call you something, I would just do it.

You obviously know your music tech and don`t go over your top.
But the average jock (who tend to blow into the red anyway) on hearing about "hey, you can pump the eq`s) tend to do it in the same over the top way that they handle their ever increasing levels.

There`s not enough education in DJing really, so many bedroom jocks, and no one really tells em stuff.

So it`s left to the engineers to tell em what to do when they come on the big rigs, and by that point they are generally arrogant enough to ignor you, cos they know best.

hey ho.

[RDR]

Point taken steve.

As it happens Im the one teaching the DJs as i work as a DJ tech lecturer as well.

I also take your point about headroom and your points about inexperienced DJs. I NOT one of them, i've been playing for 12years now and just like you I understand about mixers, headroom and levels.

The whole thing pissed me off to the point where i felt i had to vent my spleen about it. I dont mean to tell you that you dont know what you're talking about, as you clearly do - but in the same token i fully expect a bit of respect for the skills i worked hard to develop.

If you have any info you'd like to pass along regarding DJs and their common mistakes in running a sound system, then why not take part in the thread i've just started in the DJ forum.

In retrospect, my mistake was not to mention that i drop the gains when doing the mid pump. not by much, but just enough to lessen the impact and keep the levels sweet as obviously doing this will stress the o/p on the mixer.

Peace. Chris.

[dirty_bass]

Yeah, mate, sorry, I wasn`t really accusing you of not being able to mix.
However the thought of loads of DJ`s suddenly turning up pumping the EQ`s like some rabid twitcher, cos they read you could do it on a forum, strikes fear into me.

As an aside, this whole affair made me check out your website, and listen to some of the stuff.
Erm, why haven`t you boys been released?
Stupid question?

Yeah, I think I will post some stuff in that thread you have made.

[RDR]

Thanks for the positive feedback Steve. As it happens i feel exactly the same about inexperienced DJs with EQs. disasterous.

We were due to be released through tune in on 'designer label' But of course that went down with the death of tune inn, so I think pete still holds the copyright for the next 4 yrs (i signed a license agreement for 5yrs).

I guess the other reason is promoting myself. (they are all mainly my tunes) I havent got time to do it. Maybe it will happen but it isnt my main source of income.

would be really nice to have a vinyl with my name on it tho, just for the hell of it.

You have tunes out dont you steve? I think i saw a record at my mates with DirtyBass on it.. it was blue, cant remember the label tho...

[dirty_bass]

DirtyBass Records
Humanoid Recordings
Ascend
Hardsignal
Open Source

Next DB Records out soon
New Label Singularity, being launched soon.

[RDR]

Nice one steve, look forward to that.

[dirty_bass]

I`m doing the second promo run for DB006 before it`s official release.
Email me via the londontechno.co.uk website, and I`ll send one out to you

[RDR]

I`m doing the second promo run for DB006 before it`s official release.
Email me via the londontechno.co.uk website, and I`ll send one out to you

done.