Thread: need help with my mixing

i learnt to mix on hifi decks and a realistic £40 mixer from tandys! no pitch adjust, i had to wind it up to go faster or drag it to slow it down! thanks to learning that way though i can mix on any decks now, like puffa said technics snobs truggle with any other decks, i used my numarks ttx's for the stressfactor do a couple of yearts ago and a few dj's were moaning

keep at it, you'll soon get back into it.

or give up coz your obviously shit

My first decks were 1210's (still have them) so I have no experience on Belt Drive decks. But I'd like to throw something else in here instead of just blaming the decks you are using.

Someone said that learning to mix is like riding a bike, in that you never forget how to do it. I agree with this but at the time time I don't.....please let me explain.

When we first lean how to mix, you train your brain how to listen to 2 things at the same time and separate those sounds for beat mixing. Once you have trained your brain to do this, you never lose it (riding a bike) but like with anything, practice makes perfect.

If you have had a break from mixing for a certain amount of time (I'm talking years here, not days or weeks) you kind of lose your feeling for mixing and you need to start practising again to get up to scratch with it. You certainly don't need to train your brain again, but you need to train yourself again on feeling music.

When you learn to ride a bike, you wouldn't be ready to have an off road race down a mountain, you would need to practice such a thing. It's the same with mixing, if you haven't done it for a while you wouldn't be ready to play at a club, you would need to get back on those decks and get practising to perfect your skill once again.

Sure you decks maybe a factor in this, but I also think having a big break is a major one as well. Even after all these years I'm still perfecting my skill and learning new things when mixing, trying new things.

It would be easy to blame your decks, but I believe you are rusty as well, and need lots of practice to perfect your skill.

Originally Posted by China-Rising

My first decks were 1210's (still have them) so I have no experience on Belt Drive decks. But I'd like to throw something else in here instead of just blaming the decks you are using.

Someone said that learning to mix is like riding a bike, in that you never forget how to do it. I agree with this but at the time time I don't.....please let me explain.

When we first lean how to mix, you train your brain how to listen to 2 things at the same time and separate those sounds for beat mixing. Once you have trained your brain to do this, you never lose it (riding a bike) but like with anything, practice makes perfect.

If you have had a break from mixing for a certain amount of time (I'm talking years here, not days or weeks) you kind of lose your feeling for mixing and you need to start practising again to get up to scratch with it. You certainly don't need to train your brain again, but you need to train yourself again on feeling music.

When you learn to ride a bike, you wouldn't be ready to have an off road race down a mountain, you would need to practice such a thing. It's the same with mixing, if you haven't done it for a while you wouldn't be ready to play at a club, you would need to get back on those decks and get practising to perfect your skill once again.

Sure you decks maybe a factor in this, but I also think having a big break is a major one as well. Even after all these years I'm still perfecting my skill and learning new things when mixing, trying new things.

It would be easy to blame your decks, but I believe you are rusty as well, and need lots of practice to perfect your skill.

thanks china i think you right its be a good 15 years break away from mixing so think need to practice more

i disagree.

i hadn't had decks for over 10 years but when i played a jungle set in Newquay on the friday and in cardiff with the Goldie Lookin Chain the following night in 2007 i knew my tunes well enough to plan a set and play it -clang free- with no practice whatsoever.

as that gay chinkie fella says..it's all about the confidence.

that may come across as cocky, not intended but i have never had problems mixing after a break, it really is just like riding a bike.

Originally Posted by dj Euphoria

as that gay chinkie fella says..it's all about the confidence.

that may come across as cocky, not intended

thats the MAJOR point!!!


its all about confidence in ya self while on the dex..... not shittin it or falling into a hole if the mix goes a bit wonkey or not knowing the next tune well enough to pull off a 4 min super mix.

as euph said........ its NOT cockey or havin an ego.... its about you knowing you love the tunes and know in ya self that what your doing is gettin people on one.

the cockey twats can fuk off and die imo.. hate em myself...... if ya that fukin good... get booked for major events every week.... and look at alot of them that do get booked.... clang clang.

just enjoy ya self, fall in love with what ya playing, keep practicing out of your comfort zone.... and it will all fall into place in no time.

good luck and keep at it..... hope we get to hear some mixes from ya soon bruv



as for the old belt drives....... i ran my 1st pirate radio station in 1992 with shitty belt drives that had a wheel pitch control

ahhh memories of a delinquant childhood in the tower blocks

Good advice from everyone there

Me personally i've had at least a 8 year break from using decks, back then i had the passion & motivation to practice constantly trying different things with different genres of music & while practicing i clanged ALOT... But when i played out to a crowd i was clang free, i knew the tunes i was playing, i knew the exact points to bring them in & take them out & chop the fuck with the crossfader & scratch like a ninja

Now i'm pretty shit on the decks... I had a bash at Curly's & was getting back into it within 5-10 minutes, but i was nowhere near ready to play... & not having a crowd to play to i wouldn't have got the buzz from seeing people appreciating my music & mixing which is what makes me mix better (that & several shandies), so i would have been clanging shit loads

For me to be ready to think seriously about playing live i need shitloads of practice so i get the right mindset & passion back.

I can't even sort out mixing properly on Virtual DJ so I won't be offering any pearls of wisdom....

Originally Posted by Thrash

I can't even sort out mixing properly on Virtual DJ so I won't be offering any pearls of wisdom....

What version are you using Thrash mate?

It takes some getting used to but once you have it's a great bit of software... I've been using it for years & still fuck mixes up... But every now & again the gods smile on me & i have a good mix on it... Usually when i'm pissed & don't plan anything, just have a folder of tunes i love & mix them randomly

Keep trying

I think it depends what kind of mood you're in, I have massive respect for all the Dj's who have a booking and go and do the business, thats' what being a professional Dj is at the end of the day, I suppose the passion for it has something to do with it, But I will defiately admit not everytime I go on a pair of decks I smash it, and that's really what separates the men from the boys,

I just wanna throw my weight into the pro-belt drives corner. I mixed for best part of 10 yrs on belts and at christ knows how many parties & pubs and yes its harder work but no less enjoyable - in fact i'd go sar far to say it made me a much better mixer.

I had a bloke come up to me saying "wikkid mix", he then proceeded to take the piss out of my belt drive Kams.....i saw that as a helluva compliment.

As prim & the others have said, a lot of us started on belts & i reckon we wouldn't have half the memories we got from bitd without them. How many times did u end up at some gaff with a few peeps, some gear & a bloke on a pair of Soundlabs?

thank you again for you comment i had a hour today and hit 80 pecent mixes fine , i changed the belts and slipmatts which seem to help , but the main thing is im still loving djing and the music , so i guess that the main thing as a lot of you have pointed out , i will get there again one day , soon i hope

thank you all , love the forum the vibe and people , the way it should be

its all about oldskool, bro

im not saying everywhere i play i smash it, i only play out about once or twice a year or on curly's renegade radio show (coming once again in a couple weeks btw) but at home i clang like a good 'un a lot of the time. im not trying to impress anybody so don't put as much effort into it i think. it would be arrogant of me to say i was a flawless dj, they don't exist. except jumping jack frost, obviously.

Originally Posted by dj Euphoria

its all about oldskool, bro

im not saying everywhere i play i smash it, i only play out about once or twice a year or on curly's renegade radio show (coming once again in a couple weeks btw) but at home i clang like a good 'un a lot of the time. im not trying to impress anybody so don't put as much effort into it i think. it would be arrogant of me to say i was a flawless dj, they don't exist. except jumping jack frost, obviously.

You should probably invest in some direct drives then,

belt drives are so yesterday
this is 2011 don't you know