Mixvibes Dj Community old forum

I know what you mean about the mix sounding swamped, it can happen to us all. I have 3 tips. apologies if you've already tried these, but here goes...

ONE - I would suggest is don't use the Cross fade for a while. One of the best mixers I ever owned was a formula-sound, and there was no such thing as a crossfade on this baby. Sometimes the curve on the Cross fade can make a huge difference in the sound of a transition so try using just the channel faders, or if you have a switch to change the crossfade curve try that. I did go through a stage a few years ago where I would slowly back off the volume of the track that was playing deliberately, so when the next track kicked in everyone thought the volume was going up and up..(works best in a club!)

TWO - Any DJ is always over critical of their own mixes, (I know I am) I know every single error or bit that isn't quite right when listening back. Try giving a mix to someone who will listen objectively and ask for their opinion, it won't be as bad as you think.

THREE - dont get hung up about how good you think you are - in time you will improve. I've been spinning for over 20 years now and still have loads to learn. Just stick to what you like and do your best. Being technically perfect means Jack if you can't read a crowd.

antix wrote:I know what you mean about the mix sounding swamped, it can happen to us all. I have 3 tips. apologies if you've already tried these, but here goes...

ONE - I would suggest is don't use the Cross fade for a while. One of the best mixers I ever owned was a formula-sound, and there was no such thing as a crossfade on this baby. Sometimes the curve on the Cross fade can make a huge difference in the sound of a transition so try using just the channel faders, or if you have a switch to change the crossfade curve try that. I did go through a stage a few years ago where I would slowly back off the volume of the track that was playing deliberately, so when the next track kicked in everyone thought the volume was going up and up..(works best in a club!)

This has bothered me for a while actually. I've not been using the crossfader really since I started and instead have used the channel faders. I know no method is wrong per se, but it always troubled me that it was the wrong way to carry out a transition.

My crossfader does have a setting to change the curve but I've never been able to get it where I want it; by the time I get just past the centre there is a massive drop in the outgoing track volume that seems way too noticeable.

You only really need a Cross fade if your cutting it up. I still leave it in the middle and go up and down most of the time, and tweak the gains and EQ pots to get the mix. Just do what works for you. Incidentally try another mixer, some do have rubbish Cross faders.

Assuming this gets replies, it might help some people.

Without doubt, the best thing you can do is practice, even to a point where it gets boring. Okay, you may have heard a set over and over, but your audience won't have heard it, and if by your hard work has produced a top-quality set, believe me, they will appreciate it!

One of the guys also mention the crossfader. When I started mixing with vinyl, there was no such thing - each deck had it's own volume slider, and in my opinion, you still get better mixes that way. I have tried using a crossfader, but the mixes don't sound so good to me.

For music choices while you are practicing, I would choose a style of music and stick to that for a while. When I got back into mixing I used house music, as it has a fairly consistent bpm, usually around the 125bpm mark. I spent hours trying different combinations before I seemed to develop a sense of which track went together well.

One good thing to remember is that even though two tracks might have identical bpm's - it doesn't mean that they are going to mix well. There is also the issue of which key the song is in - the closer two songs are in key, the better the mix will sound. This is called 'Melodic Mixing' and it is worth looking into.

Just keep up the effort - even though you think you're not improving, one day you'll do a set and think 'Wow! That was really good!'

Best of luck!