Mixing Records
VINYL MANIPULATION: PLAYING WITH YOUR RECORDS
Manipulating Vinyl; getting the incoming record at exactly the same speed (or pitch if you will) as the current record is not enough. You also need to to line up the incoming record so that they are in phase: Synchronised. In other words: The beats of both records need to be heard as one. Even if you have the pitch of the records exactly right, if one record is lagging behind, you still hear a dreadful double bass. This can best be described with this figure: <--- Direction of the records __|____|____|____|____|____|___ record 1 (six beats) ___|____|____|____|____|____|__ record 2 (shifted) | Needle In order to get the incoming record in phase with the current one, you have to be able to temporarily slow down or speed up the record: Giving it an extra push to catch up, or brake to slow it down. In the figure you can see record 2 lagging behind record 1. Assuming that channel 1 is open (that is: record 1 is played over the speakers) you have to manipulate record 2. In this case it has to be sped up temporarily.
You can do this in a variety of different ways:
1. gently push the outer rim of the record in a clockwise direction to speed up the record, or apply pressure and push the outer rim of the record in a counter-clockwise direction to slow it down.
2. Put your index finger on the label of the record (near the center of the record) and apply pressure in a clockwise direction to speed it up, or a counter-clockwise direction to slow it down.
3. With three fingers, apply pressure to the hub or axle (the shiny metal part right below where the record sits on the turntable), while resting your thumb on the base of the turnbable, and twist in the desired direction.
CHOOSING A METHOD OF VINYL MANIPULATION
The
first method is the most diverse. It allows you to manipulate the vinyl very
little or very much, and can be used to adjust precise timing of beats, either
backwards or forwards, and also to skip over entire phrases, or sections, of
music. One of the drawbacks of this method, however, is that this method results
in a slight blurring of sound. The sound coming from the record you are playing
will be audibly affected if you put your finger on the rim of the record to
adjust it while the music is playing over speakers. Resultantly, if you are
playing for an audience, at a party or public venue, your little adjustments
will be entirely audible to the listeners.
A good way of avoiding this "audible correction" is to just give the outer rim of the record a gentle tap. This won't have as much effect on the speed as pushing or pulling on the rim, but its a lot less obvious to listeners. You can also try flicking a finger forward along the rim can push the record forward.
Putting your finger on the record label or axle of the turntable are less effective techniques of manipulating the vinyl. They aren't as powerful as the "outer rim grab". They yield much more minor results and allow for much less precise adjustments in speed and phrasing. However, putting your finger on the record label looks impressive to the casual observer--much more impressive than grabbing the outer rim of the record. It looks very smooth and professional, although, ironically, it is less effective.
"Pitch-bending" by skipping between 33 rpm and 45 rpm is a tricky, flashy, and rarely-used technique. It is virtually impossible for beginners, and quite finicky for experienced turntablists. However, professional DJs claim that this method of vinyl manipulation enables the DJ to make "perfect transitions." The masters of wax (vinyl) often use the rim-grabbing method in combination with the 33/45 rpm-switch to get their mixes precisely-tuned to perfection, which results in flawless performances.
BEAT MATCHING
Beat
matching is the fundamental skill behind mixing records. It is essential that
you be able to beatmatch if you want to mix records. Beatmatching is like learning
to play a scale on a musical instrument. It teaches you to recognise precise
increments of time within your records, thus enabling you to adjust the speed
of the records exactly to mix them cleanly.
For beginners, the first thing you have to do is slap two records onto your decks. It is easiest to commence with two records that have approximately the same natural tempo in Beats Per Minute (BPM). Start the first record and adjust its volume to an acceptable level. Push the crossfader over to the side that record 1 is playing on. Record 1 is now playing on the stereo speakers. Likewise, "Channel 1" is the slider on the mixer that belongs to Record 1. "Record 2" is the record that needs to be "brought into phase" with Record 1.
Start record 2 at the beginning of the track (about half a centimetre from the outer rim of the vinyl, where the grooves begin on the record). Press the "cue" button on Channel 2 (the channel controlling record 2) on your mixer. This allows you to hear record 2 in your headphones, while only record 1 is playing over the speakers.
Manipulate record 2 by grabbing the rim, putting a finger on the label, or pushing on the axle, and by adjusting the pitch/speed on the turntable, attempting to synchronise the tempo and phrasing of record 2 with that of record 1. The slipmat will allow you to backspin the record without the need to stop the turntable. Think of this as the search option on a CD-player.
Place your headphones on one ear only, so you can hear record 1 playing on the stereo out of one ear, and record 2 playing in your headphones in the other ear. This allows you to compare tempos and phrasing so you can more easily synchronise the two records. While you are listening to the records this way, try to get record 2 exactly matched with record 1. A good way to do this is to isolate just the treble or the bass from record 2 and try to match the timing of that to the tempo of record 1.
NOTE: Beatmatching is the first step to mixing, and when you first begin, it can be frustratingly difficult. It takes the average person between two weeks and two months to develop the technique and the ear to beatmatch effectively. However, once you master this technique, you can start mixing, so its well worth the initial agitation.
After a considerable amount of fiddling with record 2, you will likely get the timing exactly matched with that of record 1. Once you have done this, you can begin to slowly slide the crossfader over towards record 2, thus integrating the sounds of record 1 with those of record 2.
It is necessary to constantly monitor the speed and phrasing of the two records as you slide the crossfader over towards record 2. If the beats start to slide off-kilter, the sound of the beats skipping over and within one another sounds absolutely horrid.
ONCE YOU GET THE BASIC IDEA...
If
you constantly take note of the speeds of most records to make sure that the
beats stay matched, as you slowly pull the crossfader over to record 2, keeping
the tempo synchronised, you can effectively transition between record 1 and
record 2, and once you master this technique, you can toy around with other
techniques, tricks, and strategies until your mixes are clean and cleverly blended.
You can advance to a level
where you can perform transitions so seamless that the addition of new records
is virtually imossible to detect by the unconditioned listener. You can learn
to strategically align the phrasing of the tracks in order to get the best possible
layering effects in each mix. You can start to play with energy levels, and
learn to gradually increase the energy level of the music over the course of
your set to work crowds into a frenzy. But most of all, you learn how to completely
immerse yourself in something that is beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable. When
I am mixing records, I get "caught in the groove" (Halifax DJ Jeff
Curtis) and become completely immersed in the art of mixing. I forget about
the world around me, and let the beats, interlacing rhythms, and surreal melodies
flood into my ears and I just forget. The phone may ring, people may come over;
I don't notice any of it when I'm mixing. I am tangled in my own little world--the
world of music, and nothing can tear me away from it.
