Month: August 2018

… so, yeah.  Skills development will begin over the long, Labor Day weekend.  My new controller came earlier than expected.  So, I spent some time today playing with it.  In the span of a day, I managed to set it up and figure out enough to get a mix going.

The title of the mix is Reinitiation.  The meaning behind it is that 1) I’m kinda starting over with new equipment, 2) if the next phase is separation, I’m reinitiating by going back to my old form, and 3) in going back, all of the tracks are remakes of tracks from the 1990’s.

The new equipment is a little intimidating.  It’s definitely bigger with a lot more going on.  It took me 15 minutes just to figure out how to get sound to go out of the headphones.  But with so much more functionality on this controller, I can see how there will be opportunities for me to do more.  The sound coloring seems to be a little more accessible than on the Traktor S2.  So, for the first time ever in this mix, I played with hi/low pass filters.  This mix was intended to be pretty simple and just an opportunity to play with my new toy, but it was pretty cool to manage to add something new to the mix.

Enjoy!

In 10th grade English, I learned that there are 3 stages to a hero’s quest – Initiation, Separation, and Return.  If I am to make an analogy of my quest to learn to DJ and that of a hero, I think after this mix, I’ll officially begin the separation.

I really enjoyed this mix and even got to mix in a track that I have wanted for a while, Like I Do.  But I realize that I am in my comfort zone.  I am not mixing live, I have a cheat sheet.  I’m not using effects or samples.  I fade in and out using volume and EQs.  I am not venturing into new music.  Just EDM at 120 BPM.

I hope it doesn’t sound like I am bashing my own work, I think it is a great mix.  But to continue to make mixes at this cadence that sound good, I spend most of my time on the mechanics of the mix (track selection, using existing techniques effectively, and mastering/publishing).  I’ve recently thought a lot about the concept of deliberate practice and how I can use it to perform better at things that matter (job, DJing).  It is at odds with what I am doing.

So, I am about 1 year into being a DJ.  I bought my controller over Labor Day weekend last year.  The initiation of my quest was to have fun, learn about the culture, and make some cool mixes.  But I think I’m ready for the separation.

Separation to me means become good at DJing.  So, I am making some changes.  First, I am not saying that I will not publish mixes anymore, but I don’t know when the next one will be completed.  In general I will focus my DJing time on skills development in things like beat counting, beat matching, mixing live.  Second, I am switching my equipment set up to Rekordbox DJ.  I wanted to go to a 4 channel mixer so it felt like a good time to reevaluate which software I was using.  At this point, I think they all (Rekordbox DJ, Serator, Traktor, and Virtual DJ) will sufficiently meet my needs.  But I wanted to go with a Pioneer controller as they among the best/most generic.  that pushed me to either RekordBox DJ or Serator.  The controller I went with, the DDJ-1000, is designed for Rekordbox DJ, so that made the decision easy.

So, if you are reading this, thank you!  In some form or fashion, I’ll keep you posted as I progress.  But for now, Enjoy!

The title of this mix is an homage the track and hook Limitations from Souls of Mischief (The album art borrows from the album that is was on as well). After every handful of mixes, I get an urge to do one with some hip hop tracks in it.  And I don’t think any of them have turned out as well as their more EDM-centric counterparts.  As I am learning more about DJing, I realize that mixing hip hop and radio edits (e.g. track without long sections with the beat and no vocals) generally works better with a different type of mixing.  I a lot scratching and drop cuts.  Most of my transitions use fades between the tracks and/or EQs.

In this mix, I tried to push past my limits.  I played around with scratching a ran though a number of tracks to get a solid drop.  Unfortunately, most of it didn’t make it into the mix.  For the first time ever, I incorporate a baby scratch at the beginning to allow me to drop into Lil’ Uzi Vert’s Sauce It Up, but my technique could stand some improvement.  The blend between that and God’s Plan sounds good.  God’s Plan and Win is just aight.  But hey, this collection is called Rough Drafts of My Perfect Mix for a reason.  I’m happy with the results, but they are definitely a step on my journey to becoming a quality DJ.

Enjoy!