In the mix, how much of a song is enough or too much?

This topic has 19 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 13 years, 2 months ago by Sunjalo.

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January 4, 2013 at 9:20 pm #34487

TeflonDon
Member

It all comes down to the phrasing of a track. I will rarely cut tracks and just drop another it completely spoils the vibe even when you are playing commerical pop.

When the first beat comes in after the last break down on a record I drop the first beat on my new track. I’ve found it works out to about 1.30min mixing in/out and about 3.30mins of a track playing on its own. I say on its own but I’ll also run acapellas/samples etc.

January 4, 2013 at 9:25 pm #34489

Hee Won Jung
Participant

It totally depends on the genre and how my set is built. Sometimes i will just use a 1 min of a track othertimes i will let it play out there is just no set rhyme or way that i mix it all is about the flow of the music. IMO if there is a good flow to the music and the dance floor is bumpin thats all that matters.

January 4, 2013 at 9:43 pm #34490

DJ Menno
Participant

my golden rule is : verse-chorus-verse-chorus minimum, and more if they’re really into it.

On an instrumental (electro, minimal) I’ll just wait for any bridge around the end of the song

January 4, 2013 at 11:36 pm #34493

squarecell
Participant

After the second breakdown is my general rule, though many times I’ll simply wait for the outro.

January 5, 2013 at 1:05 am #34495

adit
Participant

All above are good inputs but I’d like to add, watch the crowd too. If they’re really groovin to a track then there’s no reason to cut it short.

January 5, 2013 at 4:29 pm #34510

aaron altar
Participant

Cajmere is an old school dj (awesome one by the way) and he mixes in an old school way. That’s how I like to play but some people have adhd when it comes to mixing and can’t be that patient. Top 40 djs are the biggest offender’s of this as are the younger generation of the more popular dance styles. Those of us that grew up on 12s are more likely to enjoy and mix the way Cajmere does I think.

January 6, 2013 at 3:18 am #34513

D Homei
Participant

I noticed this trend of cutting things off in the middle of the song when I lived in LA a few years ago. It drove me crazy, but my friends (animation people, not clubbers) didn’t seem to mind it. Their eyes lit up when they recognized each new song. To me it was sloppy, unmusical mixing.

These were pretty big lounges in neighborhoods near the beach, not some funky dive bar in a bohemian neighborhood. rjwhite41 may be on to something about generational shifts here, seems to be a web-surfing / adhd approach to dancing.

January 7, 2013 at 7:46 am #34562

Terry_42
Keymaster

Sometimes I am daring and let nearly the whole song play 😛

January 7, 2013 at 7:54 am #34565

backtothefront
Participant

Terry_42, post: 34718, member: 1843 wrote: Sometimes I am daring and let nearly the whole song play :p

You rebel you, Terry 😉 heh heh 😉

January 7, 2013 at 9:00 am #34576

NietzSKY
Participant

yeah, I don’t feel there is any blanket rule or right/wrong answer to this question. I’ll switch from build-up to drop of another song, blend an intro to a song with another song, let songs play out, etc. Generally, I tend to avoid only low end or only high end frequency parts. For some reason, I can’t have only 1 deep house track playing at a time, or only a dutch house break for more than 8 bars. It just bores my ears.

January 7, 2013 at 4:47 pm #34605

gbadegesin
Participant

I have a personal limit of not letting a song go over 3-31/2 mins. You will know when your song is getting too long cos you will get stares from the dancefloor. I try not to switch songs too fast as i want the crowd to feel the groove especially if it’s a banger and they are all singing along to it. I have never understood the 30sec swap thing……. but again, that’s just my opinion

January 7, 2013 at 5:23 pm #34607

Hee Won Jung
Participant

There are no rules to mixing…only what rocks a dancefloor and what doesnt. Play 30 seconds of a song or play 3 mins of a song there is no set rule…if the crowd is eating it up and your mixes are clean, then your job is done.

January 7, 2013 at 7:08 pm #34620

Charles Sue-Wah-Sing
Participant

Terry_42, post: 34718, member: 1843 wrote: Sometimes I am daring and let nearly the whole song play :p

Now that’s crazy talk. 😉

January 7, 2013 at 7:09 pm #34621

Juan Harry
Participant

Hee Won Jung, post: 34763, member: 948 wrote: There are no rules to mixing…only what rocks a dancefloor and what doesnt. Play 30 seconds of a song or play 3 mins of a song there is no set rule…if the crowd is eating it up and your mixes are clean, then your job is done.

+2 in a 90 theme party play “born slippy” and be sure to play the extended version

is just personal taste… but i like

DJ Menno:
“my golden rule is : verse-chorus-verse-chorus minimum”

January 7, 2013 at 10:13 pm #34628

DjDemonick
Member

I generally (For electro tracks at least) play the intro of song #2 at the exact moment song #1 goes into the first drop.
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