This is the second part of the post""Disc Jockey"
I explain here what I am best at-BEAT MATCHING, although phrasing and slip cueing are also great techniques to preserve the energy on the dance floor.
Beat matching, basically, is a technique of time stretching a track to match its tempo to that of the currently playing track. Well on a personal front, I think beat matching is not only this, but, also matching the BPMs of the clubbers heartbeat with the pace of the song. When that happens, the rhythm supposedly starts to do things to the body. Makes mine sweat a bit, but that's just me.
But body mechanics aside, you're trying to get not only to a BPM where people are comfortable dancing and really enjoying themselves, but also there's a real energetic feeling about the night. So, if you were to dip the BPM's up and down as you mixed from tune to tune, people wouldn't be able to find their rhythm - and the night wouldn't flow as well.
Of course, this isn't to say that there aren't BPM changes throughout a night, or that you must keep a bass beat going, no matter what. For a start, the warm up tunes I play float around the 126 bpm area when I first lay vinyl to turntable - for a nice gentle start before people arrive. Pretty soon you're up at 135 - and by the end of the night 140+.
There's also fluctuations in BPM that help keep a night going. Ok, so I said that slowing down a tune can put people off, but that's if it always happens, and if it happens noticeably (which, if you reset the pitch to 0 after completing a mix, it would be). If you're banging away at 145bpm and there's still 2 hours to go - you're going to wear people out, mentally and physically by playing at that kinda pace. So, slow it down a little - this is where I chuck in a genre change, maybe a more break-beauty tune, to bring things down a bit. The variation of BPM should be used as a bridge or transition of the night, not just because the artist wrote the tune at 124bpm!!
Now coming down to what actually-technically- beat matching is. The technique was developed to keep the people from leaving the dancefloor at the end of the song.
Technique
The following equipment is necessary for beat matching:
* Two turntables (T1 and T2) with pitch controls and slipmats
* At least two records (R1 and R2)
* One mixer or crossfader, capable of:
o Variably blending the outputs of T1 and T2
o Cueing the music playing on either turntable without outputting the sound to the audience
* Headphones
* A Public Address System (PA) or other form of amplification and speakers
The following skills are necessary for beat matching:
Selecting appropriate songs
Although experienced DJs often show off by beat matching songs that do not follow these rules, while learning it is best to select songs with similar BPMs. You also generally want to choose a record on T1 with an instrumental outro or a record on T2 with an instrumental intro, to avoid a sound that is too cluttered during the time in which both records are playing. These instrumental parts do not need to be at the beginning or end of the song, and many DJs like to make smooth transitions at unexpected places.
Counting
In order to recognize the tempo of music, you must be able to count beats. Most music designed for dancing has a strong, apparent beat, and is in the 4/4 time signature, which makes beat matching easier. To properly beat match you need to be able to recognize the first beat of the measure or bar, or the 1 in a count of 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 . . . If you were to continue this count past 4, one minute later you will have arrived at the BPM. A quicker way to calculate the BPM is to use the same method as counting to one minute, but count to 15 seconds instead then multiply by 4.
When counting, it is also useful to think in broad terms about the sections of the song, which will usually have a length equal to some multiple of 4 bars. Most commonly, if you count the bars in a section of a song, they will be 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 bars in length. This information helps the DJ decide at which point during T1 he must start T2 in order for the sounds of one track to fade as the other builds, or whatever effect is desired.
While one record is played over the main speakers, you must be able to find the appropriate place to come in on the other over your headphones. This is done by physically moving the record back and forth with your hand. The beat that you select should generally be a "hit" on the bass drum near the beginning of the song. This also should be the first beat of the measure. DJs will often use a sticker in center of their record to mark where the first main beat of the record takes place, to make it easier to find. Once found, you need to physically hold the record still and prevent it from spinning, thus pausing the sound. To start it again, simply release the record. You will need to physically rewind the record and start it several times, until you are confident that you have found the first beat and can start it at the exact moment that you desire.
Matching tempos
When two records are playing simultaneously, you listen to both and note which beat is running ahead or lagging behind, and adjust the pitch control accordingly. At least initially, it is best to make all adjustments on T2, so that the tempo of the music playing to the crowd is not erratic. Another technique, if you already know the BPMs for both records (because you have measured them yourself or looked them up in a reference guide or the internet), is to "cheat" and figure out how you need to adjust the pitch control mathematically. Many DJs use a combination of both, using measured BPMs to approximately match tempos and then fine tuning their adjustment by ear.
Step by step process of beatmatching
An example of one popular method of beatmatching:
1. Start record playing on turntable T1
2. Set DJ mixer to send only the audio from T1 to the main speakers
3. Start record playing on turntable T2
4. Set DJ mixer to send only the audio from T2 to the headphones
5. Let T1 continue to play, and without stopping the turntable reposition the stylus on T2 so that the needle is at the start of the song
6. Employ the slip-cueing technique to identify the first beat on T2, and halt the movement of the record with your finger, allowing the turntable platter to spin underneath (this is aided by use of a slipmat)
7. Now you have T2 "cued up", begin counting along with the beatss from T1
8. When you reach the end of a phrase, release the record on T2 so that it starts at the same time as the next beat on T1
9. Use the pitch control to alter the tempo of T2 so that it approximates that of T1
10. If the percussive intro of T2 finishes before you have matched the tempos, restart T2, repeating steps 6 to 9 until the tempo of T2 matches T1 exactly
11. Both records are now beatmatched
Once mastered, this skill allows you to layer one record over another and create smooth transitions between different songs. After you have matched beats, you can also fade in and out smoothly between songs, and cue back either song to the beginning, thus extending both songs indefinitely. The same technique can also be used to isolate breaks, using two copies of the same record to extend a short "break-down" section as long as is desired.
Well that’s all I can help you with. Till then-keep it stylish and rock the party!
Post By: DJ Bubly
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