r/Beatmatch

Hello! I want to start mixing vinyl but i have a VERY limited budget.. This is the equipment that i have found on a Serbian ebay equivalent:

Ttbl1: Stranton str8-60 140€ Ttbl2: Audio Technica lp120x 190€ (without the cartridge) Mixer: Behringer VMX200 50€

Am i getting a good deal? Im curious about the AT it seems too much.. What do you guys think?

What many DJs forget, because they can actually get away with it, is listening to music. The DJ equipment nowadays is a space ship compared to what was available just twenty years ago. The audience hasn’t changed that much, apart from people attending an event to SEE a DJ, not to LISTEN to a live DJ set.

But even back then, when we were DJing on vinyl, in the early 2000s, one could argue that over half of the crowd was there to increase their chances of getting laid. To have sex. Or, ideally, to find love. Which was, and still is a perfectly legitimate reason to do almost anything, as long as you’re not bothering other people.

So, from DJs’ perspective, half of our audience isn’t listening, but also never was and likely never will.

That doesn’t make DJs special. It’s the same as about a half of attendees of ballet performances accompany their spouses, trying their best not to fall asleep, because their person, who they love, has a soft spot for this utterly weird activity. So they do it, they tag along, not because they enjoy it, but because they found love. Which is a perfectly legitimate reason to do almost anything, as long as you’re not bothering other people.

OK, back on topic.

This is what professionals in professions do. Read to write ratio is always in favor of reading.

The same way, let’s say, professors of quantum physics spend most of their time learning about quantum physics, not teaching quantum physics. They retire to their chambers to learn.

Or judges. They listen, sometimes retire to their chambers to have a deep think (where they play chess with their own thoughts), before finally delivering the verdict. They spent far more time reading and hearing all sorts of words than writing them to deliver their verdict.

Read to write ratio is always in favor of reading. Listening to music should consume the majority of DJ’s time.

What helps me personally is to glue simple mixes with tracks I'm considering to be potential candidates for me to buy for a particular gig*. I'm listening to these over and over, then decide, by gut feeling, what the final tracklist will include. I'm never 100% right, it always needs on-site last minute adjustments, but I believe the real value of taking the time to prepare is in the journey itself, not what is finally getting delivered.

* Mostly these are corpo gigs or destination weddings where nobody bothers the DJ. What makes these gigs unique is they tend to be quite monolithic in terms of music selection. Either it's up to them or up to you.

To start, I play mostly 127-145 tech and minimal house mostly, garage and really the generic popular dance music(prospa, baker, stassy, Kettama )if I’m being honest ,For context, this is a friend, I’m doing it for free, not much pressure so don’t give me the whole “don’t take a gig if it doesn’t suit you stuff”
Friends are opening a Pilates studio, 50% of the grand opening is just hangout socializing , easy. They will be doing an hour and a half sculpt and shape “class” and that’s where I’m stuck, they said they wanted “house” music but that’s such a broad term, then when I go to find videos of classes with DJs or music it’s all over the place. So I plan now to send her 2 different genre videos of Pilates DJs I found, one minimal deep , one very poplar techy prospa cloone kinda house, and I plan to ask her who she thinks is of when she says house.(I’ll play summit and dolla idc )If you just pulled up though what is your idea of what I should be spinning for Pilates? (I’m very much a runner and lifter and not a yoga Pilates type of guy)

Im fairly new to djing and looking for the best djpool service to find extended intro versions of songs and stuff like that and i see so many different options like zipdj, livedjservice, bpm supreme. Im pretty broke so i wanna know which one wld be the best one to use. I usually mix rnb and hiphop. I checked out live djservice on preview mode but it doesnt have some of the songs im looking for. Which site wld give me best bang for my buck or wtv lol and have has the biggest collection.

Hi guys, i have the possibility to buy a Roland dj 808 at 250 euros (291 dollars)which seems to be a good price. As it is a discontinued controller i wanted to know if it is Still compatible with the latest version of serato and if it is worth it.

Thanks in advance

I'm doing a terrible job at this networking thing and getting gigs. Something I obviously need to work on regardless-

But I was considering creating my own opportunities to play by throwing gigs and curating lineups that match a certain vibe. What would it take/cost typically to accomplish this? Is it possible on a budget?

Cheers!

Edit: Sorry, thought I should say- When I mentioned I was doing bad at networking I meant mainly in relation to getting gigs. I don't literally know nobody lmao.

Hey guys, my current rig has been a pioneer ddjsx2 with a laptop

Im looking to go no laptop less since my laptop is dated

Any recommendations?

I can spend up too 2.8k or 3.2 if it’s worth it

Wouldn’t say I’m a beginner but there seems to be so many directions with no laptop I don’t want to shoot 3k at the wrong one or not the best one for me.

I like making a cool funky, indie dance party
Sprinkle house Afro beats drake (haha 2017-22 era)
Some toro y moi

Let me know what routes you guys think.

Are there any legitimate methods and websites or apps that can bulk assign genres to tracks or will I have to go through them 1 x 1 and manually assign?

Thanks

Hey everyone! Now I know they're dozens of topics on this subject if not thousands, and it all comes down to preference, but I'm in my own head and need to chat with someone about this.

I'm fairly new to DJing but not the world itself. I run Salsa & Hustle events in the NYC scene, mainly Salsa. I've always been fascinated with DJing and finally, one day 3 months ago I got this dirt chear $100 Hercules controller. In less than a week of mixing and just having fun, I realized that it was super limited, so I returned it to Amazon (got my money back) and bought a Pioneer FLX4, and I've been having a blast with it.

Mixing Salsa music is pretty easy, you just wait for the song to end then play the next one, I like do to an echo effect out of the song-I feel so professional haha! Mixing House however is WAAAY different, as I'm sure you all know. With House I've been learning how to count phrases, beat matching, phrase matching, and so on.

This learning experience has been phenomenal, BUT even after 3 months...I'm looking towards the future. I'm not looking to buy now, however I like to plan. Thus, I've come to my final decisions and I can't decide, because EVERYTHING is telling me to go Rane-I want to go RANE-but the only thing that's stopping me...is beat matching on the Rane Performer.

I went to Guitar Center and played with the Rane One that has motorized turntables like the performer, and I was trying to beat match with the motorized turntables and it was something to say the least. While the turntables were spinning I tried to spin it counter clockwise to slow the track and it slowed it down heavily as if the song was stopping, maybe the sensitivity was too high? Even when i turned off the motorization, i spun it again and it was slowing it down so fast to the point again where it sounded slow motion. I know there's something called the pitch something and I tried it at Guitar Center, but it's not the same.

Now, I know I'm ignorant towards the controller and to DJing itself-I also know that Vinyl were the original DJ experience, so they must have been beath matching with those things to begin with-and I'm pretty sure Scratch DJs beat match.

With all that said, my two main questions are:

Should I get the FLX 10 if I want to be able to beat match appropriately, or the Rane Performer that has better build, Stems, sound and learn how to beat match with it?

Is beat matching with the Rane Performer bad/difficult?

Long story short I use a Traktor S4 MK2 for playing at home and wherever. I’ve never touched Pioneer equipment, let alone a CDJ, nor have I used rekordbox.

I produce and DJ for fun and was offered a gig completely out of nowhere at an afters that uses CDJs.

I told myself I’d eventually learn Pioneer/Rekordbox at my own pace, but now am pretty disappointed that I never considered someone would ask/approach me out of nowhere.

I know the XDJ-AZ is a massive jump from my MK2 S4 but money is not an issue and I figured it’d be best to get used to using USBs.

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

Wanting to start DJing, I plan on playing mainly for house parties or small groups, but open to gigs in the future. I found a used pair of SRM 450s V2 for $600 CAD, but wondering if it’s worth it to splurge on the DBR10/12s for double the price ($1200 if I go for a pair of DBR12s).

Is it worth to pay so much more for the DBRs or should the SRM450s suffice?

I’ve followed him for most of my life and am always drawn into his sets. He does some incredible mixing and transitions but sometimes his build ups are on another level, I think he loops small parts mid song and then adds fx to keep building for extended periods before dropping the bass back in. Does anyone know the specifics of how he does it? Are there any resources to learn more about how he transitions and builds up?

Have been playing on an rx3 at some local after the last few weeks. Booked for an event using cdj 3000s + a9 in a few weeks. Kinda nervous but looking for some insight from those who have made this transition

Hi all. I just wanted to share where I'm at right now, and see if there's any support, tips, etc. from this community.

In the late 90's, I bought myself a Denon DN-2500F and a Numark mixer, and started mixing house/trance etc. and it was wonderful. So, so enjoyable to put on those headphones and get lost in a set. There was far less you could do to distort and manipulate sound back then, and of course plenty would say it wasn't as pure a vinyl mixing, but I had a great time. Eventually I locked in a weekly residency at a small club and played a couple of events. Nothing major, but it was truly a blissful escape from some difficult circumstances back then.

Life moved on, and travel, grown-up stuff, and responsibilities meant those days were in the rear view. Recently, now approaching 50, I found myself feeling nostalgic for those days. Things have shifted a bit again for me in recent years and I find myself with more free time and an urge to pick up a new hobby, so I've decided to jump back in. I still have the ear for it, and the passion. What I don't have is any equipment.

So firstly, my use case. I don't have any intention or desire to perform. What I'm looking for is a permanent solution in my home studio. As well as mixing existing tracks, I'm excited to manipulate the sound as well, and add some original production. I also want to give scratching a go!

After much preliminary research, I think I've settled on a Rane Performer, which would sit alongside an Ableton Push 3 (with Live Studio). I appreciate I'd be jumping feet first into a massive learning curve, but that just excites me more!

I wonder if you guys have any advice or suggestions for me (or perhaps tutorial recommendations?) as I wind back the clock and revisit a true love again, a quarter of a century on! Thanks so much.

It it worth it to use with a ddj flx4. I just started and really only want it for practice / the occasional pregame in my apartment. Also open box vs new (save $100 on guitar center. Please lmk any thoughts.

I am trying to play it by the book and buy music legally to have the official file and support the artist, but I am at a loss in the traditional methods. I can't find Faded available anywhere by alan himself including bandcamp. I could go to amazon but it seems pricier and only has an mp3. Is there some big marketplace I am missing for this kind of thing?

I have played out like 10 times since April. I think im pretty good. I play semi regularly (every 2 months) at the club "next door" to where I'm going tonight, but I've never done this one (I'm calling it: target club).

My genres work for target club. I live in the neighbourhood. I go there semi frequently. I reached out on IG sent an email and got no response. Bummer.

Tonight, I'm trying in-person...but how???

What's the playbook here? Do i just ask for the booking agent? Or ask the DJ for their contact?

Its a big place, I don't know who is who but im willing to try anything to get a gig there.

Advice wanted and needed, please!!

Yesterday I asked about moving my decks. I asked the wrong question. I don't have the original boxes or flight cases. I'm concerned about damaging the perspex lid. The MK2 lid clipped into the back of the deck. The lid on MK7 doesn't clip on. I'm wary of using sticky tape as it may leave residue. Do you have any ideas for moving them and keeping the lid secured? I don't have flight cases

Hey, I’m about 4 weeks into DJing and I’m struggling a bit with actually practicing new techniques.

Most of my transitions right now are basically EQ swaps, with some loops here and there. I’m becoming pretty comfortable with those, but I really want to start learning more stuff like fader cuts, stems, faster cuts etc.

The problem is whenever I sit down specifically to practice a technique, I get bored pretty quickly 😂 I’ll try it for a while, it doesn’t sound good, and then I just end up thinking
“fuck it, I’d rather work on my set”.

I genuinely love building my set, finding tracks that work together and figuring out the energy/flow, so that’s way more fun to me than sitting there repeating the same technique over and over.

How do you guys actually practice new techniques?
Do you have specific songs you use for practicing things like fader cuts, cue juggling, stems ect, or do you just try to incorporate new techniques into your normal mixing and slowly get better at them?

I’m not trying to become insanely technical or anything, I just want to expand my toolbox beyond EQ swaps and loops without getting completely demotivated 😂

Would love to hear how you guys approach it.