x

John Newton

Forum Replies Created

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • November 11, 2015 at 8:37 am in reply to: How often does this happen to you? #2291721
    John Newton
    Participant

    So it’s not just me, then? 🙂

    Forgetting to reset filter or other effects is the top one for me, but I think I’ve fallen foul of almost all the others listed here.

    July 27, 2015 at 6:05 pm in reply to: Headphones – mono or stereo? #2229951
    John Newton
    Participant

    A much appreciated two cents. 🙂

    I hadn’t considered the different ways that signals are summed, which would negate my whole argument.

    And I see your points about EQing. The biggest problem I had with mixing the oldies was keeping inconsistent beats (recorded without a click track) lined up – followed closely by matching levels between under-compressed and over-compressed tracks. EQing on top of all that was a hassle, and I thought switching to mono might be a quick fix. But I guess I was just over-thinking the problem.

    Maybe I need to do more practice sessions drunk with pretty ladies in the room. 😉

    July 27, 2015 at 11:52 am in reply to: Headphones – mono or stereo? #2229761
    John Newton
    Participant

    Cheers guys.

    Although I don’t mix in headphones, I do use them for tweaking the level and EQ of the incoming track before mixing.

    The question arose when (in a practice session) I was experimenting mixing some old (’50s and ’60s) tunes that sounded a bit lifeless compared to other tracks. After wasting time twiddling effects knobs, I realised that they were recorded with very narrow pan. Switching the ‘phones and monitors to mono brought all the tunes to the same state, which made EQ’ing and levelling much easier. When the output was recorded (and played back) in stereo, it still sounded a bit off. But in mono (which is what a live audience would hear) the mix sounded more consistent than before.

    Now, the overwhelming majority of my collection is in perfect stereo, but it got me thinking. Although the mathematics of phasing and frequency interference is beyond me, it seems like common sense that the DJ should try to hear the music in the same way that the audience does. Or to put it another way, if the main output is in mono, what (if anything) is the advantage of having your headphones – and monitors – set to stereo? I guess there isn’t one.

    July 8, 2015 at 10:04 am in reply to: Information Overload! #2221631
    John Newton
    Participant

    Traktor has a ridiculous number of options and features, most of which you won’t need for now – so just ignore them or turn them off. For instance, if you’re only using 2 decks then pick the display option that hides the other 2.

    Read through the Traktor manual and have a go at all of the tutorials in there. This will give you a good grounding in technique.

    Learn how to use the recording feature, and get into the habit of recording your practice sessions. Listening to your sessions is the single best way to accelerate your learning. You can also record your mixes to share with your mates or upload to a site such as Mixcloud.

    DDJT’s free lessons are here – http://www.digitaldjtips.com/free-dj-training-courses/
    Although most are aimed at DJs looking to go pro, you might find something of interest.

    I’ll add another vote in favour of “How To Digital DJ – Fast”, which you can find with other courses at http://www.digitaldjtips.com/how-to-dj-training-courses/

    Good luck, and remember to have fun amongst all the learning.
    🙂

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)