[whenyournex2me]

more to come

YouTube - beatmatching 101

[elvisthe2nd1]

thanks dathan, that was very helpful. I havent found a vid on youtube that actually spends more time talking about beatmatching more in depth. Most of them just beatmatch two tracks quickly, and thats it. I cant wait for more vids, bud.

[Siler]

Hey man, Great TUT...


I explained to you MY Dj'ing situation while you were here (started learning on a friends cdj's, whom is now on a label and I guess 'too good' for anyone who isn't directly associated with that label) but the only thing I was told is I am real good at beat matching...

And on his is was holding a button on the left, and tapping the button on the right on every bass beat...



Kinda nice to actually KNOW what all that shit is...


My friend kinda would just like

' This button *Presses button* does that'
And never actually explained any of the information behind it...


Thanks!!!



btw... You sound sad man....


Come to dallas!

[whenyournex2me]

to continue my tutorials, i wanted to start off with a simple apollogy for hte lack in my videos. im working on getting a new camera. in the meatime i think its best to talk about technicalities with equipment, and setup parameters.

for instance,

Ablist has discussed the importance of the tone arm balancing.

this is very important!!!!
there is a balance you have to find suitable for your mixing style.

for example i use 3-4 mm in height. 3-4 grams of weight. and 3-4 on the antiskating.

VVVVV this is the counter weight or weight adjustment. as Ablist described how to balance the tone arm, this is what you are adjusting. and make sure you balance with the complete headshell and stylus in the tone arm. i have my weight on 4 grams.



VVVVVV this is the antiskating. and this is what can help stablize the tonearm when scratching. by pushing the needle slightly to the outside of the reccord. this will help keep the needle in the groove! i keep mine from 3-4 at all times.



VVVVVV this is the height adjustment. in the back on the right, there is a lil lever. with that in the UNLOCK position you will be able to carefully spin the black ring on the outside of the tone arm. this is what the arrow on the lower right on the pic is pointing at. this spins, nad hte tone arm will raise or lower. this changes the angle of the tonearm. after the adjustment make sure you place the lever in the lock postition.

where the circle is on the lower left of the pic, is where the apx location will be for a lil arrow, on the silver tonearm support. this is the point of which you align the number in mm of height to. so if you want 3 mm height, align the number 3 to the lil arrow there.

i use around 3-4 mm of heighth.



VVVVVV thsi is the tone arm seat or saddle, and lock. when you are not playing, it wil help making sure the lil lever is over the tone arm, preventing the tone arm from swinging out and ruining the sylus or record. plus its a kind habbit to get into, after your set, lock the tone arm for the next dj. its just nice.



VVVVVV the last pic i have here is of the lil lever you can use to raise and lower the tone arm. however i have not seen anyone but my mom or dad use this on their home phonograph. i dont think dj actually use this. but its there. just so you know what it is.

[XxStarDreamsxX]

THANK YOU =) keep em up =).. I cant wait to get mine =P WOOHOO!

[whenyournex2me]

so now that you know how to adjust your tone arm, you should prolly get the right cartridge and stylus for your mixing stlye.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_cartridge

this will help you understand what a stylus is, and how it works.
id rather not copy and paste, i understand the process but im not going to fad i know it all, cause i still scratch my head to it.... lol

but anywho, so what are we talking about?

stylus:


<<<< the above pics white part, is the stylus.



<<<< the above pics yellow part, is the stylus.

these are what you attatch to your tone arm. and at the very tip of theses is where it meets the vinyl record.


headshells:
<<< by vestex.

they hold the cartidge and stylus to the tone arm. there are many didferent companies that make stylus and cartridges for these style headshells. i see most djs that scratch and work turntablism using these styles.

here are a few that will go onto this style headshell.



so those are some simple cartridges for that stlye headshell.



VVVV theres also this style.



theres nothing to adjust, and you can simply install in the tone arm.

the stylus slips off the tip of the headshell.



for both styles, the price will vary depending on quality of the stylus/needle and headshell.

i prefer the ortofon's, although the only other setup i have is a headshell and stanton 505 cartridges. i dont like them, nad they are bulky. i prefer the sleek style like the three above. but everyone is different and the style you mix with may determin a different style that the other dj's.


how to install into the tone arm:

in this pic you see a headshell, and the tonearm. where this guys thimb is, there is a nut. its attatched to the tone arm.the nut willl turn on the tone arm allowing the headshell to get tighteneded into the tone arm socket.

this is the back end of the cartridge. this is an ortofon cartridge. these brass dots are the connections for left and right channels, and positive and negative for both. hence four connections. inside the tonearm, there is also four connections. when you tighten the nut, it draws the headshell towards the opposing connection in the tone arm.



the little pin on top, is an alignment pin, or known as a tit. it will make sure the headshell is perfectly straight up and down, or level and plum.

it will go in the tone arm upside down, also, as a disco era trick used to play a vinyl backwards, if the turntable didnt have a reverse. if requested i can aslo demonstarte this.







thats pretty much that. hope this helps.

[whenyournex2me]

lets talk about dj setups.

now you know there are several formats to mixing. so im a go over a few with you. this should help you descide what you want to do. or maybe how you can layout your dj setup.!

this first pick is a simple setup with cdjs, and a two channel mixer



it doesnt apear hat hes sitting on a table, but boxes, maybe on a table. this is the first thing i though of when i saw this pic. stability....

if you have vinyls, for sure you will want a stable platform to work off. i prefer using a hardwood table that is scrap, a closet door not being used, or something hard and solid purchased like a solid door. its inexpensive and will last forever. also, adding cinderclocks.... to the base of the platform will help make it so steady, you will be able to jump around and not jump the needle. under your blocks, you may want to cut some scrap carpet the size of the blocks so it wont scratch the hardwood floor.

or you can go buy a 40$ table from wally world like the one i got now. it does wobble some. i happen to always spread the legs out as far as they will go,,,, lol haha not funny.... and push the table against a way so it wont sway side to side. after time your table may sway from the heavy turntables and years of bouncing around them...

so make a steady platform, and evenly place the equipmetn on the table or the LEVEL surface. and place the cords of the equipment facing hte back of the table. keep the table about 2-4 inches from the back of the wall, i use the sid maybe to keep it from swaying. but you will need some space for cords, and possibly speakers of you are placing them on the table.

VVVV this pic below shows the vinyl turntables in a battle style layout. also the laptop, and the monitors.


again, vvvv these tabels are in a battle style, also layed out this way for scratching....



VVVV this pic below show my decks not in a battle stlyle. on a somewhat sturdy platform, with the mixer in the middle.


i happen to pu the cases upside down now under the mixer, and tt's. im tall, and being 6'2 with mixing all day can give you a sore back.... so i like the decks a lil higher so i dont have to bed over to be where i want to be.

thats another thing to consider. the height of your platform! you will have to find a balance where you can mix, and see and use all the functions of your setup, but allowing you to be comfy when standing all day in front of the setup.

so eitherway you go, you will have lots of rca's, power cords, and whatnot to connect. lets talk about some of them first.

these are rca's they give a red and white connector with a cord to another connector at the other end. this is to attatch audio from on devise to another. the left and right side both have a positive an a negative wire inside. the pin in the middle is the center conductor, and the ring on the outside is the sheild. you are looking at hte male end of an rca connector.
and below is the female end of an rca cord. you can get male to male, or female to female, or male to femal cords. they come in all kinds of quality as well. for audio, you will only need the red and white connectors.


VVVV a xlr or balanced cable looks like this, commonly used for speakers, or microphones. balanced means that there is no stereo seperation in the cable itself. one cable would go to one speaker. that would be the right channel to say, and another cord to the other speaker, that would be the left.




VVVV below is the power cords ive seen most frequently used with dj equipment and computers.



pretty self explainetory, only one end will fit in the equipment, and the other is for the wall. do not, i mean DO NOT cut off the ground pin!!!! thats the lil round one at the top of the male end! this can result in a fire or damage to equipment. if you are that desperate, go to walmart and buy the adapter.

its also a good idea to use a power strip with a gfci! like this one. if your socket you are plugging in all your equipment into in doesnt have the reset and test buttons.

[whenyournex2me]

connecting your tunrtables (cdjs) to a mixer:

well its about time to get this bumping i say, so lets get a hold of one truntable's rca's and ground.



lets look at the back of the mixer. and see where we can plug these in o we can hear the vinyl or cd.



if you have a ground wire for a piece of equipment, the ground must be hooked up to a ground point on the back of the mixer!!!

ok so to simpilfy what im a talk about, i will change the color to the box im refering to.

the green box is your power switch. this could on the front, top or back depending on the mixer.

this box is where you will hook up your power cord.

this box shows you the master output of the mixer. you have two sets of outputs. number one, with a left and a right, nad number two with a left and a right. also, at the top of the red box is a switch for mono or stereo, this will give you stereo seperation in the sound, or be the same to both channels. you will most likely use stereo.

this box shows the channel 2 inputs. you have a total of 3 inputes per channel, at the same time.... at the top left if a mic 2/ aux input. this is called a female 1/4inch audio socket. there is a selector from mic to aux. below that is a phono/line input. and the selector. make sure if you are using vinyl turntabels you select phono and use the phono input. for cdj's id recomond you use hte cd input to the right of the phono/line input. the control socket at hte bottom right is a 1/8inch audio socket.

the same goes for channel one! but, to the right in the box there is a gnd signal nut. this is where you need to connect your grounds. its ok to connect two or more grounds to one nut.




ok, so take the ground wire in your hand and connect it to the ground point. and then connect the left turnable to the phono one on the back of the mixer, if you are using cdjs then install the rca's to the cd input of channel one. and repeat the same for channel two.

now out of the master, with the selector on stereo, connect a red and white rca. at the other end of the rca, you should be going to a speaker input, ( a powerd speaker ) or an external amplifier. in this process to connect the master out of hte mixer to a sound source, you may have to use a few connectors or adapters.

say for instance the speaker you are using is an m audio 5 inch powered studio monitor. you dont have rca inputs, only xlr or 1/4 inch. you will have to search into the individual equipment to make sure you dont make three trips to the store.

i know most dj monitors use xlr inputs. so you may need a male rcs, to female or male xlr. understand.? it will vary apon different equipment. and this can be looked over when you are looking for the right equipment. when you purchase, make sure you get everything you need.


if you have a mic, and want to use it, see if the mic has a male 1/4 inch plug, and use either 1 or 2 mic input.




keep in mind that each of the pieces of equipment should have a volume, and dont have anything turned on when installing or connecting other equipment. also, before you turn anything on, make sure the volume on all adjustable volumes are turned low.... thats also called the trim, or level or volume or output.

[whenyournex2me]

if you already have monitors or speakers you can use great! if you dont, then you have to make a descision. you obviously need speakers. and im sure you want some quality loudspeakers or monitors. but what to get?



well
there is a monitor

there is a loudspeaker. whats the difference?

well i can tell you that loudspeakers and monitors will both play audio out of them. but there will in fact be a huge difference in sound.

there are monitors made for dj's and producers. so there are two simple types of momitors. here are two different companies for each kind of monitor.

studio monitor





now these above are made for reference. and the word reference indicates a zero point. a balance. and thats exactly what they do for producers. the speaker will be designed to produce relatively flat (linear) phase and frequency responce.

to explain further here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_monitor



for dj monitors or aka stage monitors, here are two different company monitors.



now these monitors will be a bit larger, heavier, and more expensive. usually placed on a pole to get about ear range height for the dj, the will give a similar puprose as to the studio monitors. the exception is these are not designed to be flat. they handle more power, and come in passive and active states.


depending on the space or sq. ft. you have in your room or area you have your setup in, will tell you what you need for size and power in monitors.

im in a room, and even in a house i can hear the lil 8 inch monitors from m audio. they are loud! but in front of people and outside you may want to step up to the stage monitors. they can be used for reinforcment, use hte studio monitors for the booth monitors.

price ranges from 300 bucks a set, for the little 5 inch powered studio monitores up to 1000 each cabinet for hte 500/600 watt stage monitors. you get what you buy. if you are gonna play for a year in your room, you may save money and hearing buying the lil guys first. if you have a whole bassment open and have room, get what you can afford.

dont chinse out on studio monitors if you are going to produce.


loudspeakers are considered to be as reinforcment.... meaning they reinforce the floor area! not hte booth, not moms bedroom, lol or the neighbors hearing space.... hahaha heehe ohhhohohhhoo lol


anyway. you are getting soem serious stuff when getting drivers made for reinforcment. im talking about 1000- on up to 20000 watts, 15'' to 18'' drivers and loud ribbon and horn drivers for the mids and highs.

when i was 15 and around then i used to get a magazine from partsexpress.com they got some stuff you can create a floor speaker setup to include crossovers, amplifiers, equilizers, subs, horns, lenses, feet for cabinets, handles, and wire. they got it all about.... so check that out too.

www.partsexpress.com



and some subs....^^^^



so you get the idea here im sure... the stuff you see in the clubs nad on the floor or in the air suspended above the floor.



now to me, i think there are a few good barain studio monitors out there that will get you great sound, be loud enough for a housr party, and will keep some money in your wallet.

krk, and m audio are good to start with.

this is 250 bucks.... so youd need 500 for a apair
but they are a 8 inch woofer, they are powered, and they are a great sounding system



if you need to be more budget for now, then you can find the 5 inch woofers for around 300 a pair. same for m audio.



these are the 8 inch for 450-500 a pair.

ive had both in the five inch models. the krk are great, but i got a woosh sound due to the front loaded slot port. the m audio are a bit crispy, and i cant even turn them up, they are loud!!!! so 300-500 bucks for a set of powered monitors. or you can use the home stereo as well, i did that for two years, till i got krk's last christmas. do whatever it takes.


im pretty smart with the audio stuff, so let me know if i can help with anything in particular.

[whenyournex2me]

Beatmatching is the act of synchronizing two musical beats so that they are in phase as well as in time. When mixing music from one track to another, the transition between tracks can appear seamless if the beats are lined up to be in the same time. This section shall explain the basics behind beatmatching.

Nearly all modern dance music will consist of a series of loops, each containing n beats, where n is a power of 2 and n > 0 (n = 2,4,8,16,32,...). Typically a modern dance track will contain a series of 16 beat loops which is broken down into 4 groups of 4 beats and looks like this:


There will be a extra sound or accent (such as a high hat or crash symbol) that occurs on beat 1. This signifies the beginning of a loop and lets the DJ and listener know what position of the loop they are listening to. We will label this first beat as the downbeat as it will become important when mixing. It is critical for a DJ to know when their music is playing a downbeat and when it is not. The speed of each track is given in BPMs (beats per minute). This refers to how many of these beats (bars in the above diagram) occur in 1 minute of play. If the above diagram represented 1 minute of music, there would be 17 beats played (the 16 beat loop plus the downbeat of the next loop) and this track would be a 17 BPM track. That is an extemely slow example as most modern dance music can range from as low as 80 BPM to 180 BPM with a few exceptions.
Usually two tracks are involved in a mix. The track that the audience is listening to is called the outgoing track as it will be stopped once a new track is played. The track that is about to be played is called the incoming track. While the outgoing track is playing, the DJ will cue up the incoming track and prepare it for play. When ready, the DJ can mix the two tracks together in a seamless manner so that the audience seems to hear only one constant song. During the mix, the DJ can move the musical output completely to the incoming track and remove the outgoing track from the play device. Then the process starts again and the track that was previously the incoming track is now labelled the outgoing track. A new incoming track is used and the music continues without pause.
To mix two tracks together, two things must happen. The two tracks must have the same BPMs and have their downbeats in phase or lined up in time. When both of these conditions are met, the records are synchronized. Below is an example of two beats that have the same BPM but are not in phase:

When two beats have the same BPM but are not in phase, they will not sound coherent when played with each other as their downbeats will not correspond with respect to time. There are 15 different ways to have two 16 beat loops out of phase as the downbeat of an incoming track can commence on each of the non downbeats of the outgoing track. Thus, we can say that for a loop with n beats, there are n-1 ways to mix it out of phase. When two beats do not have the exact same BPM, they will eventually go out of phase as the duration between beats of each track will drift further and further apart. Thus, a DJ can get the phases of two tracks synchronized but they will soon unsynchronize themselves as the beat of the incoming record drifts. The following is an example of an incoming beat that has a slower BPM and thus, falls out of phase with the outgoing beat. The slower beat is on the bottom.

When two beats are in phase and have the same BPM, they should be aligned like this:

Let n be a power of 2 and n > 0 (eg. n = 2,4,8,16,32,...).
Let m be a power of 2 and m > 0 (eg. m = 2,4,8,16,32,...).
It is possible to mix any loop with n beats with any other type of loop that has m beats. To do this, one only has to line up the downbeats to occur at the same time. A 4 beat loop will have 4 downbeats in the same time that a 16 beat loop has one downbeat. Thus we can say that any loop consisting of n beats will be mixable with any other loop consisting of m beats as well. Analysis

In order to beatmatch, the DJ must use two ears, one listening to the track that the audience is hearing and one listening to the upcoming track. This will require spliting one's attention to accomodate two audio inputs and organizing how things should sound. Most DJs focus on the outgoing track and force the incoming track to follow the beat pattern of the outgoing track. It is common to see a DJ tapping his or her foot to the outgoing track. They are essentially concentrating on the beat of the outgoing track when they do this. Then they cue the incoming track, initializing it to start on a downbeat. When the next downbeat of the outgoing track occurs, they start the incoming track so that the downbeats match. Next they quickly adjust the BPMs of the incoming track so that the beats remain in a constant state of synchronization. This action requires manipulating the speed of the incoming track which requires a device that supports altering the tempo of the track.
Beatmatching involves two procedures. The DJ must start the incoming track at the correct point (a downbeat) and adjust the BPMs accordingly (either faster or slower). Altering the BPMs of a track is a one dimensional continuous task with two directions: faster or slower. It requires great precision as two beats must have the same precise BPMs in order to remain synchronized. A slight variation in BPMs will eventually result in unsynchronized tracks. Once an incoming track is cued to begin on a downbeat, starting the track is optimally a one dimensional binary task (whose modes are playing or stopped). However, most physical devices do not support an instant start and instead take a small amount of time to bring the track to its designated BPMs. Thus the DJ must provide a "push" to the track in order to make sure that its downbeat matches that of the outgoing track. Thus starting a track and putting it in play mode is a one dimensional continuous task that depends on the speed at which the DJ pushes the track.



this is a copy and paste, but it will help you understand what beatmatching really is.

i have some advise that i mentioned in the video above, the first post.

but maybe i didnt explain it well. f

this should help you with the technical understanding it. after you understand it, you will have to practive is all.

again, i usually will start playing records easy to hear the bass kicks or drumb kicks. and i will start one record, nad play it maybe 4 bars, or 4 measures and through the secodn record in. i will attempt to beatmatch the two the whole length of the songs. till i get it near perfect. it will take a few times. but you can do it!!!! jsut dedicate yourself to it.

you should know that i have found the cue points before i throw hte recod in. i dont just through it in at any random point. i use the first kick drum on the cue track, and when the playing track reaches the 4th beat in the 4th measure i will throw the cue track in on beat of the 1st beat of hte first measure.

it can take you along time to beatmatch if you dont know how to count the beats.

1/1 2/1 3/1 4/1
1/2 2/2 3/2 4/2
1/3 2/3 3/3 4/3
4/1 4/2 4/3 4/4 << right here is where im all ears. ready to throw in the record on the new 1/1.

i hope this helps more to understanding what i do to beat match.

keep practicing.