Practice makes perfect.

You just have to know your songs inside out and practice playing those songs, and it will come naturally. If you can't remember, put that in the comments for your songs and look at that in Serato, but personally, I could never do that. Just learn your songs inside out.

Yeah, just learn your songs inside out. Almost all songs have either a 8 bar or 4 bar intro. If they don't, or they have talking you need to avoid, you'll remember how to mix it because it's different than the typical 4 or 8 bar intro.

For new songs or songs you don't know yet, I guess you could put it in the comments.

You don't have to learn your songs inside out. It certainly makes it easier, but you don't have to. Even on songs that I've never heard before, I can tell when the hook is coming.... hence, getting ready to mix the new song in.

Just know the music you have inside and out, Sixxx is right, after doing it for so long, you can just tell when it's time to change up. The same way Musios can tell a chord change is due when writing, I dunno how to fast forward the process, But I know it comes, It just comes from knowing music.

If it helps, pretty much all modern music is written in 4/4 time, 4 beats to a bar, 4 quarter notes (Crochets) to a beat. So 4/4 means 4 quarter note beats to a measure. As long as you can count to 4 your all good.

like SloDeck said, most songs are 4/4 so if you can count to 16, your good most of the time (except for kanye's verse on that new estelle track which is like 23 bars long or something weird). my secret are adding markers to the tracks (sshhhhh, don't tell anyone).

5 that get set on most tracks:
green - first beat
light blue - intro or first 'spoken work'
dark blue - first verse
yellow - outro
red - last scratchable/loopable beat of song

2 that occasionally get used instead of one of the 5 above:
orange - scratch sound/phrase, generally at beginning of track
purple - scratchable/loopable part of most tracks (snoop: "i cut so much, she thought i was a dj/thought i was a dj/thought i was/thought i was/thought i was a dj")

i wish ssl had more markers that you couldn't jump to, just use for visual references.

thanks guys! I figured it would just come in time, but i also didn't see the harm in asking. Maybe theres some ancient chinese technic that I didn't know about. Because the ancient chinese had djs...and record players...and records. :)

I sometimes set a cue(lol, I originally typed "que")point to the spot where I'm gonna mix the next song, but I gotta be real unfamiliar with the song to do that.

That is some sneaky slick right there.

define sneaky slick

just yous the farce luuke. F it's feelings write on making cents guud do it

Sneaky slick = slicky sneak

U don't speak girl?

Make up your own system and exploit the cues like DJ3PM said. I use a different system, but a lot of it is just feel.

When you practice mixing two songs try mixing in different ways and at different parts. Fade the bass out on track one while mixing in track two, then reverse. Try 1 to 2 and then mix 2 into 1.

Every combination is different and will sound different.

You might beat match 2 songs and have a serious melody clash, but if you crossfade during a drumroll from 13-16 it may sound perfect.

Some songs are nice enough to have a 32 beat intro, but often they may start on an off beat or using an odd number, count and figure these things out.

Instead of always lining something up mathematically you may want to bring in a song and drop it on 5. Like some songs end with a sound effect, by dropping on 5 you can cue the new track up to start as the other song tweaks and fades out.

easy


rap/mainstream

verse 1
1 = bar
1
1
1

1
1
1
1

1
1
1
1

1
1
1
1

chorus

1
1
1
1

*x2 sometimes

verse 2

1 = bar
1
1
1

1
1
1
1

1
1
1
1

1
1
1
1

chorus

1
1
1
1

*x2 sometimes

refrain

1
1
1
1

*x2 sometimes

verse 3

1 = bar
1
1
1

1
1
1
1

1
1
1
1

1
1
1
1

chorus

1
1
1
1

*x2 or more to fade

lol

lmao. thats kinda sad.

+1

good lookin out though
lol

I use cue points and wave forms too...I put 1 at the start, then one on the 17th bar.
This gives me a 16bar segment(approx 5mm, 1/4"in) on the wave forms to judge the length of a chorus/break,also the color of the waveforms change depending on chorus, break, vocals etc...similar to the density of grooves on a record during an instrumental break vs chorus.

lol @my post

I'm late to the party but I break down each song in a sort of short hand in the comments.
Example:
Kanye West - Amazing
I=2,3(V=8,C=4),b=4,s=2,V=12,C=8,O=8+1b

Translation:
I=2 : Intro is 2 bars
3(V=8,C=4) : Verse is 8 bars, Chorus is 4 bars, repeats 3 times
b=4 : Break/Bridge is 4 bars (lowercase "b" indicate no to little music)
s=2 : Silence for 2 bars
V=12 : Verse 12 bars
C=8 : Chorus 8 bars
O=8+1b : Outro is 8 bars plus one beat.

There you have it, whole song mapped out.

Thanks all you guyz ur really helpin some of us starting DJs, Kwestyon and ral, nyc layout!!

I wish I can say I learn all my songs like I did with vinyl but theres too much content these days (AKA LAZY).

Whenever I get a new track I use cue points to tag it up on where the bars are for clean mixing. Most songs follow music theory and are easy to go in a out of cleanly but some dont.