Learn to Mix Beats in 5 Steps

Throughout this article, I will explain you some facts to know about mixing tables and then the basics step you’ll need to know to start being amazing at mixing. But first let’s be clear on what mixing beats and DJing really means.

DJing is way of producing music with two tracks together with the help of a mix table. People often confuse DJing with music production. DJing is hosting pre-recorded music to an audience, while producing is the original creation of recording tracks.

During a DJ set, beat mixing, which is when you move smoothly from one tune to another while playing at the same speed, is not the only thing the DJ need to take care of. They also need to take care of the tune selection, reading the crowd to see if they need to speed up or not and finally the timing as they have a certain time before another DJ comes on the set.

In mix you mainly manage tempo (otherwise it is alsmost impossible to chain them correctly), volumes (with the bass/medium/treble knobs of the Mixing table, the faders etc.), and the musical beats (tempo). This can be made either on the most used one which is on CD decks (single or double CD player), or with the other one, which is vinyl turntables, but that is more complex, because the transition between two tracks in not calculated with the help of the computer.

DJ's have headphones to get the tempo up, however acoustics create sound reverberation which is why the headphones help set the tempo properly.

Now let’s have a look at the basic steps.

1st Step: Tunes should be suitable for beat mixing

First of all, and a very important step, is to make sure that both tunes are suitable for beat mixing. For beat mixing, you want tunes with a steady beat, and a long enough section at the start and finish, to have time to perform a beat mix, because a smooth beat mix typically has both tunes running together for at least a short while. There are different types of tunes such as House, trance, techno etc.

2nd Step: Tunes at same speed

Then you need to make sure both tunes are at the same speed. To play one tune over another, it needs to be at the same speed, otherwise the beats could never “line up”. The “sync” button alters the tempo of the tunes to play exactly at the same speed. Once this is done, make sure both tunes have their kick drums at the same time. The kick drum is the beat that dominates the music.

3rd Step: Tunes in line with kick drums

The tunes being at the same speed needs to also be in line with the kick drums or else it will sound out of time and wrong. The “sync” button is not only to get the tunes at the same speed but also to line up the nearest kick drums to each other. The tunes need to be both at a similar volume. Most DJ software does it for you, but make sure it is switched on. There is a screen on the DJ set for you to control everything. Take some time to understand how the volume controls work on a mixer. Also, very important, make sure the EQ controls (low, mid, high) are set to 12 o’clock as a rule. Only change it when necessary. Make sure you understand these steps as they are crucial for mixing.

4th Step: headphones are important

Also, use your headphones to “line up” your next tune! That’s really important. Your headphones are there to let you hear the next tune before anyone else does – use them! There is a button on each of your DJ controller’s channels that will play that channel through your headphones but not the main system. This will help you know if the next step of your track will go well with your main one.

5th Step: Practice is the key

Your ultimate aim is to drop new beat at the good moment in order to create a rhythm. You may put one track that goes slowly faster until at the last moment you drop the big beat. You need to practice developing an “ear” to make it better.

So, these are the basics steps, I hope it helped you. Go check out the video in the video section https://alexiadriol5.wixsite.com/technohouse/videos for more information!