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[MookJong]

I'm no expert but do own decks and yes there are four beats in a bar and you need to bring the other song in at the start of a bar BUT most songs are 4:4 which means they have four bars made up of four beats. So on every sixteenth beat is where you should bring in the other song (4x4). Learn to count to 16 and you'll be sorted.

This was just totally obvious to me, but hopfully that helps....

Have fun

 

[Dr.EM]

There are indeed different numbers of beats to the bar in different music. Look up Time Signatures; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_signature. Thats written with reference to traditional music more, but it always applies. Most music your likely to work with will by 4/4 yes. R&B may venture into 3/4?

To quickly guage the BPM of music, a tap-tempo is handy. You tap the button on the beat and it displays the BPM for you; many keyboards and samplers have them integrated. Otherwise, say you had music at 120BPM, there would be 20 beats in 10 seconds (120/6).

 

[krooton]

I'm no expert but do own decks and yes there are four beats in a bar and you need to bring the other song in at the start of a bar BUT most songs are 4:4 which means they have four bars made up of four beats. So on every sixteenth beat is where you should bring in the other song (4x4). Learn to count to 16 and you'll be sorted.

This was just totally obvious to me, but hopfully that helps....

Have fun

Yep, every 16 or 32 beats is almost always a decent cue point when mixing 4/4 dance music.

 

[MikeHunt79]

Pretty music everything your gonna be mixing is gonna be 4:4 unless your gonna go for something weird like Venetian snares

House, breaks, hardcore, electro, and a lot of d'n'b does bigger changes in the sound every 4 or 8 bars, which is the same as 16 or 32 beats. Try counting bars instead of beats while listening to the music and you will see what I mean. 1,2,3,4, 2,2,3,4, 3,2,3,4 4,2,3,4 then listen for crash/buildup/breakdown/etc.

There are no hard and fast rules tho... Breakcore has a very weird structure, and the rulebook might as well be thrown out the window, but even if the mix isn't smooth it doesn't matter... being in time is.

 

[Northwind]

My understanding- and I never got into the technical side- is that counting beats tells you when it's going to come in smoothest, and sound best. So, I just put the new track in where I thought it'd sound best, and I bet you 9/10 it was exactly where the counting beats method would tell you...

 

[Andelusion]

I know nothing about mixing, but I know about time signatures.

Presumably you want to bring other material in on strong beats, this will depend on what you're mixing over. If you've got a piece of music in 4:4 (4 beats to every bar) which I'm guessing you will have, then chances are the strong beats are going to be on 1 and 3 (1, 2, 3, 4), I'm presuming you'll want to bring stuff in on beat 1 most of the time since everything will line up neatly (presuming what you're bringing in begins on the first beat of the bar).

I probably haven't explained this very well Trusting your ears is usually the best measure (boom boom), don't think in seconds, concentrate on the beats.

 

[Flash Maclean]

Now I'll be honest here and say that I dont undstand anything when people talk about pitch, eg, when they say +/-9% or similar, since my decks just basically have 0% in the middle. Can anyone shed some light on this as well?

The +/-9% refers to the pitch range, it means the turntable can go 9% faster or 9% slower.

 

[4T5]

All these dudes are going on a Music trip, forget that.
Basically you are bass beat mixing. You need to identify the up beat and the down beat and mix accordingly sod the music theory base beat mixing is from the Soul and throws all books out the window.

Firstly start with two tunes that are 120 bpm (beats per minute) and of a similur style.
Kick the first tune in and listen to the beat. You will hear two main beats pulsing, one being the up beat the other being the down beat. Que up the 2nd track so that you run over the the first beat pulling it back to create sound. When the 1st beat of an 8 bar starts drag back the 2nd tunes beat and release. If done properly all the beats will match up and the chorus abd effects of both tunes will play simultaneously.
Amatuer mixers use any beat and that is why there mixes sound muddled.

Now to your O.P.
Whilst the two tunes are running perfectly matched adjust the Pitch + slightly on one deck. You will hear the beat fatten and can actually use this to shift the sound from one speaker to the next a great effect at a gig.
Anyway play about with the pitch ever so slightly and listen to the beat spread until it comes out of beat. Adjust slower when it does to return to the perfect mix.
Practise this and listening for the fattening beat as this is what you listen for to keep to tracks of different BPM together. You hear it but the audience doesn't.

Right then after you feel ready then select two tunes of similar style but of very different BPM say a 120 and a 130. Put the 120 bpm tune on and thenthe 130. Listen to both through headphones and slow the 130 with your - pitch slider and speed up the 120 with the + until both beats match.
Always start with the 1st beat in the bar and count from there.
Always throw in the second tune either at the 1st beat or 5th then the chorus and breaks from both tunes will match perfectly.
It is a good idea to label the BPM's on the sleeve of the disc. I used to count the BPM the first time i listened to the tune and label all mine and have them sorted in order of BPM. Works great for spontaneous mixes at gigs.
Bare in mind that some artists/tracks BPM change mid tune so make sure you know your tracks inside out.
Once the BPM is match you can literally cut in and out snatching what part of what track you want where and when. This is proper base beat mixing.
With say 5 tunes you know inside out you can produce a tune/mix that will blow most ravers away.

Lastly do not expect the tunes you have speed tweaked to stay in sync they don't they wander all over. This is where the fattening beat praccy comes in.
As you listen to your mix if the beat fattens you should now know whether to speed up or slow down whatever track to keep your mix beat perfect.


I know i am old to be giving out advise on base beat mixing but i had 1200's (now 1210's) in the late 80's and was heavily involved in the scene at the time. I was at the first Sunrise, Energy, Karma Sutra, Biology and was V.I.P'ed at Dance Party and Humanity to name just a few.