The Stage...
First thing you need to do is get yourself something to mix on. The prime setup would be 2 Technics 1200 series turntables and a 2 channel mixer. If you want to keep future growth in mind perhaps spending a bit more time on a 3 channel mixer with seperate levels for Highs, Mids, and lows would be a good idea. Ask around about whats good and whats not for mixers. Its like anything else, always research your purchases to make sure you're getting what you want. Once you have these items connect em up to some sort of sound system and turn on the power, here we go!
The Beat match...
Now we start with the beat matching. This is the first thing you need to do in order to produce anything that doesn't sound like wild elephants stampeding through your bedroom (assuming thats where you are right now). You might want to use double copies to start with as some people say this helps, but in the very least you need to have two tracks that go together. This means don't try mixing different genres of music (Like House with Drum and Bass) because this requires a little more skill to make it sound good. Anyways, you've now got one record spinning and you're ready to drop in the next one. Cue your second record while listening in your headphones. You're looking for the first drum beat. Once you find it scratch it back and forth in time with the music you're hearing in the house. Let it go on one of those beats and you're off!
Heres something that no one ever told me. Keep that record you're mixing in on time ALWAYS! If its too slow, speed it up by nudging it forward or if its too fast, slow it down by dragging on the platter(or whatever you're comforatble with). But basically never let it go off. If you do just start over.
Well once you let it go and you notice that it is say going to fast, slow it down and also adjust your pitch (in this case you would slow the pitch down). Vice Versa if it is going to slow. Knowing how much to adjust the pitch comes with time but obviously if the record goes off very fast, then adjust the pitch a lot. If it goes off slowly then adjust the pitch a small amount.
Once you have the record spinning at around the same speed as the other one you're ready to mix it in using either your level on that channel or the crossfader. Again this is a preference to each DJ, but usually is used for different types of mixes. Genereally a slow mix faded in is down with the levels while a hard, fast fade is done with the crossfader.
After talking to many DJ's, it is usually a month or two process getting tracks to "Lock" for any length of time so don't get discouraged. Once you've learned this process you're ready for the next step.
Creating Melody...
Now the next step is trying to create some flow to your mixes. This is assuming you know how to beat match. The type of music I play (Techno) is usually laid out with 4 beats per bar, and major changes in the music occur on the begining of the 4th bar. I think this is why people refer to this as 4/4 timing even though that is not really the definition of the term. Anyways, You want to not only match the beat frequency but you also would like to line up the tracks to play on the same 16 beat break. I'll use the term "break" for lack of a better word. So now heres where you need to know a little about the tracks you are playing. When a track mood starts moving in a certain direction, it makes for a very nice mix if you can layer another track over it with a similar mood swing. For example, both tracks may be building, or both tracks may be breaking down. This is really where the good DJ's are seperated from the bad cause you really can be taught how to do this. Its a feeling you have in yourself, and knowing how other tracks can enhance this feeling is something only you can know.
Levels, Highs, Mids, and Lows
To me one of the most important parts about mixing tracks is using the levels. This can make mixing tracks easier if you know how to do it right. By messing with the levels you can add or take away certain sounds in your mix. For ease of explanation I'll talk about the lows. Say you have two tracks mixing live. Turn the level down all the way on one track, and turn it all the way up on another. Now listen for the 16 beat change, and switch them over. You probably noticed the bass line change. If you switch these back and forth a few times (Always changing on that 16 beat break) then you can get your audience used to the new bass line you're trying to mix in before you actually drop into it. (Boy I hope this is understandable) This kind of level manipulation can occur on all the levels(Highs, mids, and lows). Experiment with this and see what you find.
3 Decks
This is another entire realm to look forward to. Not many DJ's can actually use 3 decks at once because it requires a lot of speed and precision to be sucessful. Once you can lock two tracks and leave them for awhile unattended you're ready to play on 3 decks. The nice part about playing on 3 decks is you can mix two tracks normally and use a back ground sound on the third deck to link the other 2 together. You can also really mix up the sounds because you have sooo much more to choose from. If you're ready to hit this avenue, email me and we'll talk shit!!
The End
I hope some of this helps and if it turns out to be too confusing I'll update it or something. If you have any immediate concerns then just email me and I'll do what I can to help! Later, and good luck!!
Christopher Robin...