Dragono
Just bought Version 6.2 and have been beat matching with the Sync button. Yes, I'm practicing doing it manually, but I'm not that good yet. Anyway, some tunes don't beat match after I match the bpm and line up the beat grid. Some start okay, but after 10 or 20 seconds, it gets out of beat. Am I forgetting something? Works fine with most of my tunes, buy why not others?
Posted Tue 13 Oct 09 @ 1:59 pm
djnrgbear
For practice, try ignoring the CBG's and watch the waveform at the top. Use the pitch bend to bring the beats back together. As you get more practice you should find you don't need the waveform and you'll know by ear whether a song is behind or ahead. Hope that helps some. It's normal for the beats to drift apart after an extended period.
Posted Tue 13 Oct 09 @ 2:26 pm
DJ A Sharp - The One Man Band
Practice!!!! The more you practice listening (which is something we all take for granted), the more trained your ear will become. You will be able to hear a train wreck approach before it actually happens. Visual representations don't always give you an automatic beatmatch.
Posted Tue 13 Oct 09 @ 3:16 pm
djcity
Practice, practice, practice. As stated before, don'r rely solely on the beatgrid or the waveform. Use them as a reference but try to use your ears more than your eyes.
As time goes on and you listen to your music, you will be able to tell the difference between the beats and be able to tell which track is going slower or faster and be able to correct and adjust accordingly.
Good luck and welcome to the VDJ Party.
As time goes on and you listen to your music, you will be able to tell the difference between the beats and be able to tell which track is going slower or faster and be able to correct and adjust accordingly.
Good luck and welcome to the VDJ Party.
Posted Tue 13 Oct 09 @ 3:37 pm
Tear Em 'Up
When I started mixing, in 1983, my mentor told me the first golden rule of beat matching. "Never give up on the blend. Always keep one hand on the pitch, and until you have the cross fader all the way to the other side, never take your head out of the headphones."
Posted Tue 13 Oct 09 @ 3:50 pm
bbman
not all song are created on a PC/Mac....there are tunes out there that are recorded with live elements and tend to drift...this you have to keep in mind....one track off hand is "Could You Be Loved - Bob Marley"
but don't really on the sync button......very lazy way of learning
but don't really on the sync button......very lazy way of learning
Posted Tue 13 Oct 09 @ 7:53 pm
dj-e-lectric
1) Not all the bpms are scanned exactly correctly.
2) I have found depending on what else is using cpu time songs do not stay at a constant tempo
3) cbg'a are VERY frequently off
4) wav forms are sometimes off as the volume peaks are not always created by the main beats, sometimes they are created by rhythmic elements
5) Depending on the speed of your processor/video card/motherboard and whatever else affects the audio and the visualization sync means the waveform and the actual music are not always in sync.
6) The "Sync" button will usually get you in the ballpark (like reading the strobe dots on the side of a turntable platter) but it is up to the Dj to dial the mix in perfectly and keep it there.
The only time I ever rely on cbg's or waveform are if I forgot my headphones (or in one case my partner broke them in the middle of a show), otherwise I prefer old school "ear mouse" coordination.......can't ever loose the fundamentals...Matt Holiday!
2) I have found depending on what else is using cpu time songs do not stay at a constant tempo
3) cbg'a are VERY frequently off
4) wav forms are sometimes off as the volume peaks are not always created by the main beats, sometimes they are created by rhythmic elements
5) Depending on the speed of your processor/video card/motherboard and whatever else affects the audio and the visualization sync means the waveform and the actual music are not always in sync.
6) The "Sync" button will usually get you in the ballpark (like reading the strobe dots on the side of a turntable platter) but it is up to the Dj to dial the mix in perfectly and keep it there.
The only time I ever rely on cbg's or waveform are if I forgot my headphones (or in one case my partner broke them in the middle of a show), otherwise I prefer old school "ear mouse" coordination.......can't ever loose the fundamentals...Matt Holiday!
Posted Tue 13 Oct 09 @ 9:18 pm
DJ A Sharp - The One Man Band
Very good point about live music. Live music doesn't adhere to a strict metronome count. Keep your hand on the pitch.
Posted Wed 14 Oct 09 @ 6:31 am
Dragono
Thanks for the advice. Guess I'll just have to keep practicing and hope that I get the "ear" for beat matching. Right now it's difficult for me to tell which tune is off beat. But I guess that's comes with practice also. If all of you ignore the sync button and the wave form, why then all the hype about Virtual DJ's auto-beat matching and BPM analysis software? I have to admit that that was a sell point for me and that I was looking for an easy way to beat match. But like they say, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".
Posted Wed 14 Oct 09 @ 10:17 am
DJ A Sharp - The One Man Band
Not really. I actually use it, but I don't rely on it. As for knowing what song is off, that comes with knowing your music. As I type this, I am doing a remix. I am so sick of ALL the elements of this remix because I have heard them SOOOO many times over the last hour. But that helps, and mistakes are what help you get better. Just don't get frustrated and give up.
Posted Wed 14 Oct 09 @ 10:39 am
groovindj
There is software around which can modify an old song that has drifting tempo, and lock it so that it's solid.
Ableton Live for example has the 'warp' feature which is very effective.
Recent versions of Cubase can also do something similar.
There are even companies on the web which offer to warp songs for you.
I'm not sure if any current DJ software can do this live, but it would be a good feature to have.
Ableton Live for example has the 'warp' feature which is very effective.
Recent versions of Cubase can also do something similar.
There are even companies on the web which offer to warp songs for you.
I'm not sure if any current DJ software can do this live, but it would be a good feature to have.
Posted Sat 09 Jan 10 @ 8:01 am
dj-e-lectric
groovindj wrote :
There is software around which can modify an old song that has drifting tempo, and lock it so that it's solid.
Ableton Live for example has the 'warp' feature which is very effective.
Recent versions of Cubase can also do something similar.
There are even companies on the web which offer to warp songs for you.
I'm not sure if any current DJ software can do this live, but it would be a good feature to have.
Ableton Live for example has the 'warp' feature which is very effective.
Recent versions of Cubase can also do something similar.
There are even companies on the web which offer to warp songs for you.
I'm not sure if any current DJ software can do this live, but it would be a good feature to have.
Interesting feature, how does that "warp" work exactly?
Posted Sat 09 Jan 10 @ 12:45 pm
Blulite
hi dragano, if you check the progress bar at the top you should always match the beats by making sure the large squares match up. each bar starts with a large square and is followed by 3 small squares. make sure the large ones are matched up and chances are your beats will be in sync. if you match a big square with a little one then the beat will be out by 1. sometimes though beats wont match "period" .. just all part of the learning curve im afraid.
Posted Sat 09 Jan 10 @ 1:28 pm
Blulite
Thanks for the advice. Guess I'll just have to keep practicing and hope that I get the "ear" for beat matching. Right now it's difficult for me to tell which tune is off beat. But I guess that's comes with practice also. If all of you ignore the sync button and the wave form, why then all the hype about Virtual DJ's auto-beat matching and BPM analysis software? I have to admit that that was a sell point for me and that I was looking for an easy way to beat match. But like they say, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is".
the track that is usually off beat is the one your bringing in. changing an already playing track is extremely noticeable to some people and causes more problems. best bet is to alter the cued track to suit the already playing one. this is what headphone monitoring and cueing is for.
not everyone ignores the waveform and sync button, but a lot of oldschool pros will mix purely by ear just because they can.. back in the day there was no such thing as wave forms and sync buttons so guys had to learn to mix by ear.
it is though an advantage if you are only just starting, to mix maybe 4-6 tracks constantly over and over with the vdj features, and then try mixing the same tracks by using ear.
also to mix by ear you need to beat count to be able to beat match. beat counting is super easy as you only need to be able to count to 32, 8 or even 4.
there are 4 beats in a bar and 4 bars in a verse so you get a total of 32 beats per verse. the first and last beats of a verse should be mixed to give you a basic understanding of beat matching.
as a rule of thumb you should only play a track for around 2 minuits. though you could go to 4 mins to start with so you get a longer time to respond. once you play your first track you need to start monitoring your next. monitor and match it well before you need it and try to find a decent cue point to bring in the new track. a lot of people find either a bass line to match if there are already vocals playing or a vocal if there is a bass line playing. by no means do you want 2 vocals playing at the same time. playing 2 bass lines is fine as long as they are in perfect sync or you get the noticeable and highly unrecomended double bass.
its hard at first but you will get used to it.
hope this helps.
the track that is usually off beat is the one your bringing in. changing an already playing track is extremely noticeable to some people and causes more problems. best bet is to alter the cued track to suit the already playing one. this is what headphone monitoring and cueing is for.
not everyone ignores the waveform and sync button, but a lot of oldschool pros will mix purely by ear just because they can.. back in the day there was no such thing as wave forms and sync buttons so guys had to learn to mix by ear.
it is though an advantage if you are only just starting, to mix maybe 4-6 tracks constantly over and over with the vdj features, and then try mixing the same tracks by using ear.
also to mix by ear you need to beat count to be able to beat match. beat counting is super easy as you only need to be able to count to 32, 8 or even 4.
there are 4 beats in a bar and 4 bars in a verse so you get a total of 32 beats per verse. the first and last beats of a verse should be mixed to give you a basic understanding of beat matching.
as a rule of thumb you should only play a track for around 2 minuits. though you could go to 4 mins to start with so you get a longer time to respond. once you play your first track you need to start monitoring your next. monitor and match it well before you need it and try to find a decent cue point to bring in the new track. a lot of people find either a bass line to match if there are already vocals playing or a vocal if there is a bass line playing. by no means do you want 2 vocals playing at the same time. playing 2 bass lines is fine as long as they are in perfect sync or you get the noticeable and highly unrecomended double bass.
its hard at first but you will get used to it.
hope this helps.
Posted Sat 09 Jan 10 @ 1:42 pm