MIXVIBES Dj Community old forum

I'm an older guy - not used to all this digital stuff! I started with vinyl, moved onto cds, now I'm a computer DJ and would like a little advice:

Which is best to use when mixing - pitch, tempo, or the hybrid mode?

If you scratch: speed mode (key-lock off)

If you mix: tempo (key-lock on)

if you do both: hybrid mode (key-lock on, but with a "smart-off" when going over 25% pitch)

time for two dumb questions key lock smart off

key-lock/pitch-lock: i think it´s called master tempo on cdjs, keeps the pitch when changing the speed of the record.

smart-off: well, it turns itself off, but in a "smart" way.
example: key-lock is on until +-25% tempo is reached, but it doesnt instantly turn itself off, but until +-35% is reached. So basically the +-35% difference is compressed into a 10% window, making a smoother sound/feeling.

are thease features hardware or software related /activated

its software related, see the buttons over the main-waveform, right and left of the mixer section in the display?!

you can click through the different pitch-lock modes (Speed-Tempo-Hybrid)
When using Vinyl make shure to select "Activate scratch in Tempo and Hybrid Mode" from the preferences.

thank you told you some dumb

no problemo mr. clark

It all depends on what sort of music you play IMO

I mix House (Vocal and Funky) which normally has a BPM of around about 128. So my pitch changes are relativaly small. I would say about 1-2 bpm (+ or - ). So I use Pitch.

If I was to make a drastic change in BPM and then I would use Tempo. Increasing the BPM by quite a lot in Vocal tracks can have a huge affect. Making the vocals sound like chipmonks, which doesn't sound good at all.

If using Tempo on a older system or a system that just meets the recommended requirements it can have a big affect on your CPU usage. Something to watch out for when using the feature.

Thanks so much guys - this has been a big help.

I too mix mainly house music, but sometimes I have to do one or two 80's pop mixes - that is way more difficult!

I think I'll stick with pitch for the more modern dance/house stuff, and have a go at tempo with my 80's/pop stuff.

I'll have to experiment a bit more, obviously, but thanks again everyone for your great advice.