Having trouble mixing songs...

[Jon Tuck]

Rick it depends as I did the majority of my gigging in the States. California, Oregon, Washington and overseas. I would say I use the mic when necessary but predominately let the music mix do the talking. If everyone is having fun and I dont lose folks there isnt always a need to chatter on the mic. Im quick with comment as you may have noticed on here stuff just flows but I dont have to use it much of the time. If Im encouraging the group to let loose I have my tricks and during a particular moment will get the crowd roaring either by making fun of myself or joking with the bride or groom or client. Some ad lib for sure.
Some nights the crowd is so energized by the music that I dont have to use the mic much at all. I MC'd all my wdddings in the states and around 2-3 out of 10 up here as I offer it and have a reputation for being very thorough with the MCing chore. I recently did a MC only gig which was my first without a system which felt odd not attending to the music as well. I also interact out in the crowd as you mentioned as I might put a combo mix on now and again or a longer song. I dont just pick music and anchor myself to the console with my eyes locked on the screen. Thats why I am able to see the instant need for a song or change on the fly.

 

[Ausumm]

Amen Rick!
I've actually used the phrase,
"here's two songs you'll never hear played back to back..."
just to cover up a train wreck of a segue.

clubs pretty much stick to the same style and tempo all night.
because it's appealing to a very limited age group.

there's no need to match beats at weddings and parties
not saying it aint darn pretty when you do it....
just saying it's about the variety of age groups, songs, and BPM's that makes it interesting.

 

[jokerswild]

Who says the music has to flow and match beats perfectly.... you've spent too much time in the club.... club goers may expect this and you may be use to it too. But, in the private market where your audience may or may not come from the club scene are use to radio...... ever hear a radio DJ beatmix?

 

[bill_smith]

Chas, the main focus as others indicate is certainly to gauge the mood in the room, but also to watch to see when people get tired of dancing....the stamina is about 3-4 fast, then if you bleed it, song #5 is a bomb, even if it's a great song. The most common thing I see is exactly that, great song clears the dance floor. at a private event, have to remember that dancing is like aerobics in the wrong clothes. Heat sweat and conditioning catch up quickly. Sometimes I miss even after three, so it's difficult to gauge, even for really experienced guys.

A great opportunity after song#4 to put on a slow one, voice over and tell them to get close to someone they are close to, and turn down the lights..do a couple slow ones, then get back up into it.

I think if you can stay within 10-15 BPM in groups, you will do just fine. the Beatmixing is fine, but, you can do well with faded crossovers using similar bpm grouping.

 

[Jon Tuck]

Bill I have agreed 100% with your great advice but I have to respectfully disagree with you on the 3 and then slow thought process. If one is sweating like crazy one or other of the partners are not going to like sharing that heap of sweat. Most likely those folks will go refresh either outside or the restroom and also likely get a cold beverage to speed up the cool down. Many a wedding myself and my good friend the Maestro will provide 2-3 ballads in four hours of dancing.

Trust me we both have a very active dance floor. IF they are there to have fun they will be dancing. If the VIPs of said party are out dancing the crowd will be joining them. If they are on the patio smoking cigars the guests will be smoking cigars. I am not saying I havent done gigs where I played more slow songs but its just not necessary here in Canada as it seems the interest in celebrating exceeds obstacles presented in the States. Just my experience (37 yrs and counting).

Your comment about BPM groups works to the contrary for me and is likely why it works for me not using a scale and working allover the BPM chart one song to the next. Sure if I played 4 140 bpm songs in a row I better be ready to slow things down. Going from 88 to 130 to 155 and then 105 has worked amazingly for me

 

[Jeff Romard]

Reading the floor and the seats is always more important than the actual BPM. Like Jon said I've gone from 88 BPM to 155 BPM on different occasions and it can work well with similar style music

 

[SoftJock Rick]

clubs pretty much stick to the same style and tempo all night.
because it's appealing to a very limited age group.

Amen back at ya Mike


Unless yer out to get some nookie, or do some aerobics -- clubs are boring man!

It's like one long song -- no change ups, and everything sounds the same :sqerr:

I give the folks credit for being able to make 30 songs all sound the same -- but I can't see that in a wedding/corporate/party atmosphere. There's no ambiance or emotion involved. It's mechanical sounding.



For example -- try a mix from What I Like About You, into Summer Wind. You can change the room ambiance faster than a DMX controller can change uplighting, and if you do it right with a nice talkover -- there's a lot of smiles in front of you...

 

[Jon Tuck]

and to do it flawless and successful on the fly without any talkover even more impressive:triwink::tritongue:

 

[SoftJock Rick]

and to do it flawless and successful on the fly without any talkover even more impressive:triwink::tritongue:

Jon,

You keep thinking my entire show is pre-mixed -- it's not.


Parts are pre-mixed yes, but those parts are put together at run time



For example, I do a lot of 80's dance stuff. I already know how to put together Madonna, Prince, Billy Idol, etc. So, I do. I've already made, and perfected those mixes to my tastes -- why do it live, and possibly screw it up?

When the time is right, I hit it! It's just essentially a longer song, I can hit the head, browse with the folks, and grab a beer

 

[Guest]

Simply mixing songs together, does not make one an entertainer...

Have a nice day!

...fixed that for ya, Rick :tribiggrin:

If you don't know the music, you're dead in the water.

There's a duck joke in here, somewhere.

Who says the music has to flow and match beats perfectly.... you've spent too much time in the club.... club goers may expect this and you may be use to it too. But, in the private market where your audience may or may not come from the club scene are use to radio...... ever hear a radio DJ beatmix?

Rob, they usually bring in a 2nd party to mix, while the primary D.J. still works the mic., the boards, the phones, etc. Ever hear of a "mixshow"?

One thing you should know about beat mixing is that you do not have to have a similar or even close BPM on the next song that you mix.

For example, you can mix a 65 BPM easily into a 130 BPM simply by using the off-beat. This can be done in quarter time also. Try it!
One might not call this true Beat-Mixing...but rather beat transitioning , but in any event, it works!

For example take Glamorous by Fergie 130 BPM, and slide into Get Up by Ciara 92 BPM ( just slightly faster than a quarter beat slower)

Steve: I've done lots of double and half, but never quarter. Could you possibly record a mix you've done this way, so I can better understand it?

 

[Guest]

Or you could just pick songs that are within + or - 5 BPM of each other and beat match them, run transition beats and slowly bring it up or down to match your next song, use a crash cymbal (sample) between to off beat songs (when appropriate), mash with the back beat from one song to the next where applicable.

 

[andywilson]

This is a great thread with some excellent advice. I dont like the idea of seamless mixes for most mobile gigs. After a while the seamlessness turns into total monotony & boredom.

 

[Ausumm]

A great opportunity after song#4 to put on a slow one, voice over and tell them to get close to someone they are close to, and turn down the lights..do a couple slow ones, then get back up into it.

Bill
I use the same basic concept.
I go with one style, genre, or decade of music for a "few" songs.
then change it up when it starts to fade.
but I NEVER base the change-up on a certain number of songs.
There is no formula.
I've seen real party crowds go for a half hour or more on just 80's rock songs...and not get tired.

Chas
I think you're getting the idea by now.
Outside the clubs...
the songs you choose to play is more important than how you mix from one to another.

 

[bill_smith]

This is why it's such a great diverse and intricate art....everyone has different things that work for them. But I did say 3-4, and mostly after song #4. My perspective is primarily wedding receptions, of of course you have to gauge the energy....and sometimes I crank that 5th song...but more often than not, I find that a bpm change does two things, it gets another group of people up on the floor, and allows the group you just beat up to get some rest...and then you get the mback up with something else..

And, I don't disagree with the BPm grouping either, but I did indicate to try to stay within 10-15 per song so that if you are beating mixing it isnt too much of a stretch.

I've done some shows with total disregard for the bpm grouping(because of requests) and it worked fine.

There is no one perfect way for each show...you have to feel your way everytime.

 

[Jon Tuck]

This is why it's such a great diverse and intricate art....everyone has different things that work for them. But I did say 3-4, and mostly after song #4. My perspective is primarily wedding receptions, of of course you have to gauge the energy....and sometimes I crank that 5th song...but more often than not, I find that a bpm change does two things, it gets another group of people up on the floor, and allows the group you just beat up to get some rest...and then you get the mback up with something else..

And, I don't disagree with the BPm grouping either, but I did indicate to try to stay within 10-15 per song so that if you are beating mixing it isnt too much of a stretch.

I've done some shows with total disregard for the bpm grouping(because of requests) and it worked fine.

There is no one perfect way for each show...you have to feel your way everytime.

Bill this was basically my point when mentioning that a slow sweaty song isnt always the answer.