A Beginner’s Guide to Beat Matching and Mixing: Beat It!
Now that I’ve introduced you to your newfound friends, it’s time to mix and match some music. Plug in your headphones! Here’s a step-by-step process:
This is your point-of-view.
1. First, turn down the volume of channel 2. What you will hear blaring from the speakers is the channel 1 track, and what you will hear in your plugged headset is the channel 2 track. You will be beat matching the track of channel 2 to channel 1.
2. Press play in the channel 1 side. Listen intently to the music and mentally take note of how fast the tempo/beat is. Also, count how many 8’s the intro has.
3. This is the part where it gets tricky: You have to cue and play the channel 2 track at the right moment. When counting, it helps if you press cue at the count of 8, then press play at the count of 1.
4. You pressed cue and play at the right counts but the beats don’t seem to match? Press cue again in channel 2 to reset the track and then, as seen in the photo below, adjust the tempo. Adjust it higher to go faster, or lower to go slower.
Once you’re confident with the tempo level, try your luck at beat matching by repeating the first few steps again.
5. Another option to adjust the tempo is using the jogwheel.
Adjust it clockwise make the tempo faster and counter-clockwise, slower.
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6. Try to perform and practice these steps as you go along the track list. It’s a whirlwind of pressing the right buttons at the exact right time, developing ninja-like listening skills and having a sense of rhythm.
“Kkkkhhhuhhkk… Luke, I am your father.”
Friendly Message From One Beginner to Another
The process doesn’t and won’t be as simple as it looks. Some difficulties you may encounter in the beginning are how to cue and play the song to be matched with the currently playing one at the right moment, matching their beats and eventually mixing them to sync the music into a perfectly balanced melody.
Fret not (and don’t constantly bang your head onto the CDJ turntable like I did) if you can’t get it right the first few times. Does anyone ever? Don’t “beat” yourself up about it. Hehehe. Train your ears on the music and be patient, young grasshopper.
In time, you will beat match and mix like a master. And then will you be able to produce your own great tracks.
When in Manila, sign up for DJ lessons at Beat Project Manila! The classes are guaranteed to be fun, constructive and productive. Whether you want to DJ as a hobby or for a profession, BPM is the place to be.
And remember: the journey of producing a thousand tracks begins with a single beat.
Beat Project Manila
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBeatProjectManila
Tel: 09328055905 / (02)5530992
Address: 4th Flr pointe Bldg 2, Fort Square Plaza, 28th Street Bonifacio Global City
E-mail: BeatProjectMNL@gmail.com
A Beginner’s Guide to Beat Matching and Mixing with DJ Aryan Magat of Beat Project Manila
