MIX IN KEY

This came naturally to me because I learned music before I learned to DJ. My dad used to mix songs with totally different keys in his sets and it used to bug the hell out of me once my ears were finally developed enough to hear the clashing notes. If you don't know music theory or aren't able to recognize songs with similar keys then I'd HIGHLY recommend downloading a software called Mixed In Key. It figures out all the keys of the song for you and adds them to the id3 tags that way you can tell which songs will flow into each other.

Another tip as a DJ is don't kill the dance floor. Be very aware of the drums in your mix. The drums is what makes people wanna dance. If you remove the drums at the wrong time then you can totally KILL a dance floor.

Finally, be aware of the amount of energy within your mix. If you're playing at the chorus and you're at the climax of your track then you don't want to mix it into a song that is barely getting started. This will also kill the dance floor.

its good to be both man!

producing = problem solving

i think that's actually sound/mix engineering. Producing is more about the attitude and the ability to explain to the performer a way for them to get a type of performance out a particular artist, helps if they aren't understanding a concept or getting it just right.

But a producer can be a sound/mix engineer. They do have different problems to solve how ever...

Back on topic, i find that playing live shows or performing the music you make is a great way to stay motivated. But you shouldn't rely on that to continue making the music. You have to dig deeper to want to walk down the creative path, every thing else is icing.

Tbf I think you can easily learn how to dj fair quickly . I mean simple djing including simple transitions . Maybe start with a console ? That's pretty the same as players and it's not as expensive lol .

Tbf I think you can easily learn how to dj fair quickly . I mean simple djing including simple transitions . Maybe start with a console ? That's pretty the same as players and it's not as expensive lol .

yea i want to go local imma do some more research dont want to do anything fancy just get the basics atm

I recall a porter robinson or zedd interview in which they said their first show they DJ'd with traktor and the mouse... Not really sure how that worked out.

Traktor has native keybindings on the keyboard. Learn those, DJ without decks.

Other than mix in key, experiment with different types of transitions such as eqing as a transition

I would be willing to argue that it's okay to not mix in key - if the feeling of the song is right. Laidback Luke admitted in his #RealDJing seminar last year that he does not mix in key. Are any of you gonna call him a horrible DJ?

If you are going to mix in key, however, don't forget that most DJ software is capable of pitch shifting so you don't have to limit yourself as much as you might think.

Fair enough. My dad got by without mixing in key for 25 years. I don't think the crowd cares about keys, bpms, or effects. If it sounds good it sounds good.