Beatmatching Drum & Bass

Junglist_007

learning difficulties
VIP Junglist
Joined
Jan 2, 2008
Location
Kent, UK
Ezy people, Just wondering can you lot give me some advice. I'm newbie to DJin. How do you beatmatch to Drum & Bass? What methods do you lot use? Sounds shit when i do it, beats all over place. Do you count how many beats you hear in so many seconds, then x?. Cheers if you can give me any help or info. Take it easy.
Matt
 
Its just a case of practice and learning how to separate 2 tracks in your head it seems impossible at first but once you get to grips with it you realise how easy it is. I suggest buying a book called "How to DJ (Properly)" it will give you information on beatmatching a introduction in to turntablism and various other bits of info.

http://www.htfr.com/more-info/MR85250
 
Do i count first beat i hear for so long?, or do i count bass beat for so long?. How do ya tell differnt sounds apart?, so much going on in DnB track gets bit confusioin. What do i listen for? Cheers guys for the help.
 
Do i count first beat i hear for so long?, or do i count bass beat for so long?. How do ya tell differnt sounds apart?, so much going on in DnB track gets bit confusioin. What do i listen for? Cheers guys for the help.

Just match the snares like safty said. You just need to be patient you'll get it.
 
the snare is the crisp sound that you dance to. often refered to as the beat, the one you nod your head to.
 
Its just a case of practice and learning how to separate 2 tracks in your head it seems impossible at first but once you get to grips with it you realise how easy it is. I suggest buying a book called "How to DJ (Properly)" it will give you information on beatmatching a introduction in to turntablism and various other bits of info.

http://www.htfr.com/more-info/MR85250

:word:
 
You should buy some vinyls just made up of just beats at similar speeds it will be easier to learn if theres not loads of other sounds going on in the track. Ask your local record shop they should be able to help you out.
 
It's true, the easiest to start off with is two tracks with similar drum beats - if the drums are all over the place, it is more difficult to match them for newbies as a general rule.

You should know the basic of music - roughly, DnB is in 4/4 time, meaning you can count 4 beats to a measure.

Every 64 beats, you usually get a 'small drop', but not always; and then there are big drops, clearly audible as they come after a 'build-up' period.

If you look at your DnB vinyl, you should see a dark part and a slightly clearer part. The point where the two meet usually indicate a drop; this is to make it easier to find this drop.

When mixing two tunes as a newbie DJ, your first task is to be able to beatmatch. Learning to do this takes a different amount of time for everyone - some get it immediately, others never. However, it doesn't come in stages - it's just like rolling a cigarrette, one day you can just do it.

Once you've done that, then you can build on it. Learn about drops, understand them, know your tunes, your ear needs to learn what sounds good.


:carlton:
 
It's true, the easiest to start off with is two tracks with similar drum beats - if the drums are all over the place, it is more difficult to match them for newbies as a general rule.

You should know the basic of music - roughly, DnB is in 4/4 time, meaning you can count 4 beats to a measure.

Every 64 beats, you usually get a 'small drop', but not always; and then there are big drops, clearly audible as they come after a 'build-up' period.

If you look at your DnB vinyl, you should see a dark part and a slightly clearer part. The point where the two meet usually indicate a drop; this is to make it easier to find this drop.

When mixing two tunes as a newbie DJ, your first task is to be able to beatmatch. Learning to do this takes a different amount of time for everyone - some get it immediately, others never. However, it doesn't come in stages - it's just like rolling a cigarrette, one day you can just do it.

Once you've done that, then you can build on it. Learn about drops, understand them, know your tunes, your ear needs to learn what sounds good.


:carlton:

good advice
 
listen for the snares and line thm up. i can recomend a book called "how to dj propaly" soz bout the spellin. but it should tell ya all you need to know.

remember practise make perfect
 
the majority of tracks ive heard have a snare on the 2nd and 4th beat, yet sometimes the 1st snare is moved to have a bit of a different drum pattern, which is coolio but being brand spankin new to dj'in myself it sometimes throws me off but more often than not the 2nd snare matches up even if the 1st doesnt.
 
It's true, the easiest to start off with is two tracks with similar drum beats - if the drums are all over the place, it is more difficult to match them for newbies as a general rule.

You should know the basic of music - roughly, DnB is in 4/4 time, meaning you can count 4 beats to a measure.

Every 64 beats, you usually get a 'small drop', but not always; and then there are big drops, clearly audible as they come after a 'build-up' period.

If you look at your DnB vinyl, you should see a dark part and a slightly clearer part. The point where the two meet usually indicate a drop; this is to make it easier to find this drop.

When mixing two tunes as a newbie DJ, your first task is to be able to beatmatch. Learning to do this takes a different amount of time for everyone - some get it immediately, others never. However, it doesn't come in stages - it's just like rolling a cigarrette, one day you can just do it.

Once you've done that, then you can build on it. Learn about drops, understand them, know your tunes, your ear needs to learn what sounds good.


:carlton:

:word:

So true about the "one day you can just do it". I remember when I was learning how to beatmatch and I asked a friend of mine how to do it and thats what he told me, a couple weeks later it just clicked.
 
The drums are essentially the timing, or the grid of the track. Thinking about mixin DnB only with the grid can be difficult at first. You also need to hear the melodies and the groove of the tune. Does this groove fight or compliament the other tune?


a grid might look like this.

b-k--bb-k b-k-bb-k

a melody may look like this.

____/---> -->\__/}
 
beatmatching syncopated/franetic beats can be a pain in the ass, but i've learned a couple things as i've picked it up recently myself.

1) the right tunes. matching tunes at completely different tempos and completely different beats will make you want to rip your hair out. don't work the pitch slider too hard, find stuff that is similar enough to not drive you crazy. then get on to more complicated stuff.

2) having similar tunes, you should end up with the snares in similar places, wether or not the kicks are. so even if they're super dynamic tracks, find the sections where you can make your transitions and work around those similarities. the other thing i've been doing to make catching those snares a bit easier (so as to be able to keep that tempo without chasing down the mix as i cross over) is sweep out the low frequency using the mixer. when you can keep your match (i'm still botching this regularly, but i'm getting it) it can make long transitions easier and sound a lot cooler.

3) don't be afraid to screw it up, because you will. stop, start, retry, everything, a million times. it's all about practice. i have to remember this daily.

get comfortable, get creative. have fun- that's what it's all about.

anyway, my two (also a beginner's) cents.

x
 
Back
Top Bottom