DJ Mixing - Pro Tips
DJ Skills to Mix Any Genre
As an aspiring DJ, you need to develop key skills to set the foundation for your success. In this article, we'll explore the Top 3 essential DJ skills that will help you entertain and impress others with your music.
Timing
CUE’ing
Beatmatching
1 - Timing Is Everything
Almost every DJ skill relies on precise timing.
Smooth mixing and engaging effects require precise pressing, whether you are playing the next track or engaging effects, everything is done “in time” with the master channel that the crowd is hearing.
The foundation of a song's rhythm is the time signature. Most popular music follows a similar pattern of 4/4 time signature of 4 beats in a bar, counted as 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4 etc. Musical ideas and motifs are separated into defined phrases.
No skill is more critical than identifying a downbeat and anticipating a phase change.
The downbeat is the first beat of the phrase and helps to indicate musical changes to the song, e.g. verse, chorus, and intro.
Downbeat = First Beat of The Bar. Naturally, we can sense or anticipate the 1 when counting.
Initially, it is good to learn by counting all your favourite songs. (1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4,etc)
The key is to move your body to the rhythm. Once you are physically moving, you should instinctively feel when to start counting.
It can also help to include the “and” beats after the 4 to help keep you locked into the first beat.
Counting the half beat will help to keep you on time for the 1st beat by counting:
1 2 3 4 and 1
as most of your button pressing and knob turning will be on the one, giving your mind an additional moment to process the timing.
2 - Cue The Songs
Cueing is a cornerstone of a DJ's work in their headphones.
Cueing mistakes can be noticeable, interrupting the flow of music during a set.
The art of CUE’ing involves lining up tracks, creating set "Cue Points," and testing them. Setting Cue Points at the precise beginning of a sound helps align the incoming track, ensuring you drop the music in at the right time.
Additional Cue Points can indicate when you may need to perform mixes (e.g., Hot Cues and Memory Cues).
Understanding the different Cue terms, like Cue Points, Cue Buttons, and Headphone CUE, is vital for smooth and seamless performances.
Here are three different Cue terms that can confuse new DJs and their meanings:
Cue Point - Conceptual beginning of a sound, usually a downbeat
Cue Buttons - Located on music sources/decks next to “Play’ button, used to set Cue/starting Points
Headphone CUE - Buttons to assign music channels to your headphones.
3 - Beatmatching (Preferably By Ear)
Beatmatching combines timing and Cueing skills.
It involves playing/mixing two songs and making them sound unified for a phrase or measure.
So what is beatmatching, and is it important to define BPM?
BPM = The Beats Per Minute of a song. A measurement of the speed/tempo of the music.
A song with 90 BPM will be much slower than one with 120 BPM.
Beatmatching requires you to listen to two different songs simultaneously and determine if one is faster or slower than the other, then judge whether the two songs can be beat-matched and played together.
Ask yourself, "If I speed up or slow down this song with the tempo slider, will the music be unrecognisable?"
The DJ uses the tempo/pitch slider and nudges the platter to beat match the songs together perfectly.
Once a DJ is satisfied with the song beatmatching in their headphones, they introduce the new music live to the crowd.
Equipment Functions
If you know my other work, I like to say, "no rules, only tools".
To get the most out of your DJ equipment, take the time to learn your gear's functions and unique features.
These functions, and others, are used creatively to build skills.
Practising the three fundamental skills will be the gateway to your progress as a pro DJ.
The purpose of practice and mastery is to learn the specific DJ skills and then apply your own style and add your ideas to the art form.
The more you practice with dedication and focus, the more opportunities you'll have to shine and impress your audience.
Time Commitment + Repetition/Iteration + Quality = Opportunity
In short, opportunity comes from focus and hard work.