Virtual DJ: Mixing Tutorial

[Dark Hacker]

As regular DJ on MPC Radio, and an even more regular #mpcradio IRC visitor, i notice more and more people that skip the SAM tutorial and go straight to Virtual DJ. Mostly those people come back later and ask for some more explaination on Virtual DJ - which i will now call VDJ-. From there this tutorial.

1. I DO NOT recommend using VDJ if you're new to DJ programs. VDJ is designed for (semi-) professional DJ's and is not user friendly to the "newbs". For that i would recommend using SAM first, after that - if you are thinking of going for VDJ -, i suggest you use AtomixMP3 for a few weeks or months (dependant of you learning speed). You can find a demo of AtomixMP3 here (http://www.atomixmp3.com/).
If you are familiar with the interface of AtomixMP3, you can start trying out VDJ offline . Get VDJ's demo version here (http://www.virtualdj.com/download.html).

2. So you have mastered VDJ a bit now. You can start using it online! BUT... before you really start streaming with it, you need some more customising. First of all, VDJ really has some work in it, so there are -dare I say- practically unlimited options. USE THESE OPTIONS! They will help you a great deal when mixing.

3. Actually a part of the options, but yet so important that I made a seperate point of it. USE HOTKEYS! If you don't use seperate hardware components (which I presume you don't), it is of huge importance that you use hotkeys. You can't control everything with just your mouse!

4. VDJ is completely customisable, CUSTOMISE! The most important part of this rule is that you find yourself a skin that suits your mixing needs. Find skins here (http://www.virtualdj.com/addons/view.html?type=skin). I, for example, use Mix Station SU 04 Titanium.

5. Mixing is NOT like riding a bike. You need to keep mixing offline and trying to improve your skill. Don't be discouraged if something keeps failing, you will succeed in the end.

6. This might be a detail, but please, CHOOSE THE RIGHT MUSIC! I hear people trying to mix Nirvana with Metallica... Don't try, it's not gonna work! If you want to try it, go ahead, but NOT ON THE AIR, because it will be a DISASTER!

7. My next point is more something moral: if you like VDJ, BUY IT! The makers of this program are putting in huge amounts of time to make it as perfect as possible, let's appreciate that. If you do not feel like paying: download the demo and let it be.

8. USE YOUR HEADPHONE! This is of essencial importance. Without your headphone you can never mix perfectly. Though mixing without a headphone with VDJ is easier than with real vinyl, it remains hard. I can guarantee you that a headphone helps you a great deal.
==Thanks to Hissyfit for the hint==

9. BROADCASTING WITH VDJ is pretty easy to configure, though it does not have as many options as SAM, this just increases the simplicity. Here's a small tutorial in a tutorial.
a) You go to the "Record" tab, where this is located depends of your skin.
b) When you have found the "Record" tab, you click the "Broadcast" button.
c) You see 2 buttons: "CONFIG..." and "START RECORDING". Click on "CONFIG..."
d) A new window opens. These are the settings I use. (This means there are other configurations possible!)
Record From: Master / Auto-Start ON / Shoutcast (MP3) / The encoder should be filled in correctly standard* / Bitrate 64 Kbs / Broadcast to a radio server / server details, received from luck777jojo, have to be entered here)
*If it's not filled in, browse to your VDJ folder and select the file "lame_enc.dll".
e) Press OK in this window. You are now ready to start broadcasting. To do so: click "START RECORDING".
f) This is just an extra note rather than a step.
If you get this message:
** Broadcast Error**
Server answered: "
This means that someone else is already broadcasting: go on IRC: #mpcradio, and try to contact the current DJ if you want to go on next.
==Thanks to -=pwn-noobs=- for the hint==

This is a tutorial made DURING A MIX on MPC Radio, 20th of august 2005, completed at 23.50 at night. I hope it is usefull for at least some of you, and if there come more questions, i will add them, with their answer, here.

<<<<Technical DJing with VDJ: The PDF File is available now! I will try making it in HTML soon!>>>> --> Updated to v1.1, after a hint of Hissyfit, ty for that. ;)

==> I will be adding more, but i dont really have much time with school starting again, so it will take some more time.

-DJ Van Stino

P.S.: To view this document you need Adobe reader: download it here (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html?c=us).

[felikz]

yeah man thx really for this!
but no one will get the skill you have!

[Hissyfit]

Thankyou for the tutorial, i have figured most of this stuff out on my own already(ive been using it on and off for 3 - 4 months) but it's ood for people that want to know more one thing i'd like to add that really helps(or helped me atleast)

8.Use Headphones, some people don't realise this but there is a featur built into virtual dj 3 that allows you to run headphones for pre-matching and testing. Go into config and scroll down the system layouts or whatever they're called and find the one to setup both, switch the crossfaser to the other track so they don't hear it and turn the headphones on to get the track ready

[-=pwn-noobs=-]

hey dark hacker , i thought you where on a holiday in greece? lol

however , you forgot one important thing , setting up vdj to broadcast :-)
i have more problems setting up max then vdj , i my opinion is that vdj is the easiest program to use to mix .

how to broadcast with vdj? ----->>> here is how

in the vdj program go to the record option , if you look a bit you see it , the place where this option is located depend from the skin you use , when you found it , select broadcast (duh) , then select conig , choose shoutcast , bitrate = 64kb,
encoder = make shure you have lame_enc encoder , you can find this in winamp plugin folder , its also possible that you got to download this ,
server = shoutcast.mpcforum.com
port= 8000
password= the password you get from luckyjojo777
and the rest you fill in for yourselfe

now you are ready to broadcast

importand hint = dont forget to pres on start if you want to broadcast (duh) again

[Dark Hacker]

Ok, all these extra tips will be entered in the first post for the newbs that dont scroll down ;). Many thanks for your hints... :)

[Dark Hacker]

Btw i would like this thread to be sticky'd. VDJ is, what i am concerned, better than SAM, it also allows mic input etc. This support is very useful for the DJs. It will also improve th mixing quality on the radio. ;)

[Hissyfit]

sam supports mic input aswell but yeah i have to agree vdj is the better software in some aspects cause it allows you to do more but they are really meant for two different things, sam is more of an automated more normal radio enviroment but vdj is meant for the more involved dj's that actually mix while on the air.

[barry_white]

When you told me in IRC you had made a tuts, I had no idea it was this good:

Really great work, thx a lot.

[felikz]

When you told me in IRC you had made a tuts, I had no idea it was this good:

Really great work, thx a lot.

are u a dj too? just wanna know if an admin has the time for that!

[barry_white]

are u a dj too? just wanna know if an admin has the time for that!

From 1974 to 2001 and some contracts in 2003-04 for a buddy's clubz

I was there when disco wasnt even born ;)

[felikz]

From 1974 to 2001 and some contracts in 2003-04 for a buddy's clubz

I was there when disco wasnt even born ;)

hehe!
lol! can u answer me a question?

what is the difference between devil admin and evil admin??? there are some admins which have only admin and some which have devil admin...

and @dark hacker:
i like you music and your style very much. thx for that great tut

[luck777jojo]

some admins are just more evil than other thus you have evil and devil...... and some (like me) are just unstable thus I have neither muhahahahaha

[Dark Hacker]

Atm my technical mixing tut is getting longer and longer... Can I put another huge amount of text with the first post or should i make a link to a txt document? BTW mods plz make the tread sticky so that i don't lose the work i put in this.

[Dark Hacker]

God my Technical Mixing Tutorial is over 2 pages of a Word document, and i'm not even finished. I will just attach it to the first post as a Word doc. Theres still quite some work to do on it but im making good progress.

[luck777jojo]

save it as a .html, some people might not have word.

[Virtuosofriend]

Or if you wanna make it fancy ,make it pdf ;),pro looking :)

[Dark Hacker]

Lol ill just use html k? ;)

[-=pwn-noobs=-]

cool i want to lern mixing cause i am a noob with mixing :-) :-) :-) :P

[Dark Hacker]

Lol i've done some extra research and i think i will post it in PDF and HTML. Just to look pro but not to annoy the newbs. ;)

EDIT: i'll post it in PDF first and i will try making it in HTML, cuz if i just convert it to HTML i lose all the tabs etc. Thats pretty annoying.

EDIT2: PDF FILE POSTED!! Look at the first post!

[Chaotik]

Wow man, great tutorial. I have been using vdj for over a year and learned a lot of new stuff in your tut. Great job man!

[dependable]

I'd like to add about the part where you said where it should come in and some more to that.

Ok, i've been doing some hardcore mixing on turntables and CDs (Trust me, turntables are so much more fun than vDJ. The fact of it being fun makes you forget how hard it is to beatmatch) and down in Australia, i've had the help of a DJ called Nick Toth (www.nicktoth.com) and he's pretty much taught me and along with a few other students how to beatmix. The guy is a crazy mofo scratcher but i don't thats another story (and also, vDJ scratching sounds TERRIBLE). Anyways, i've learnt various types of beatmixing and i'll share the basics with you.

For the first part, memorise your songs. Or at least how the sequences go (ie: 16 bar verse, 32 bar chorus etc). From this, you should be able to gather the intros, verses, bridges if any and chorus. Don't worry if you lose count because usually after every 8 or sometimes 4 bars, you'll hear a transition or a cymbal telling you another set is about to come.

BPM is something else. In vDJ you get it counted for you. On turntables you don't. When i was taught, we used our ears and a clock to gather the BPM. Basically, we counted the beats over 30 seconds then doubled it. In vDJ it's best to get songs that have a very minimal difference in BPM because vDJ doesn't have a god damn decent (or if any) key correction at all. It's like +/- 0.00001% key correction. Once the bpm is too different or even just 1% difference, you can often hear a distinctive gap between keys and beats. But for the sake of it all, always use the beatmatch key.

Now this is where the mixing comes in. Most songs have a breakdown. The breakdown can be very long or very short. Find a song that has 2 breakdowns. The first is usually long and has say 16 bars. The second one is usually very short. 4 to 8 bars tops. Then it runs into an outro. Intros and outros are of the upmost importance to know. They are easily recognisable by a constant drum beat and that is all. Maybe a bass line and some small sound fx but thats it tops.

This is the breakdown mix. Find a point in the intro of the song you are mixing to where you find comfortable (most songs have a 16-32 bar intro. Depending on how long the outro after the breakdown, you may choose to cut off 16 bars of a 32 bar intro and so on) and for the sake of simplicity, lets choose the 1st bar of a 16 bar intro. This is what i do when i use vDJ. Now, on the second song (the song that is being mixed to) put your mouse on the record and hold left click. It will attempt to imitate scratching. Now line up the playline (the line in the middle of the wave display which tells you what is playing) with the first beat of the song that is being mixed to. The beats in songs are shown by a longer rectangle instead of a square. Line it with the start of the first rectangle. Once you are happy with the position, don't let go of left click but instead, click right mouse button and then letgo of both buttons. It should hold it in that position. This is as close as it will go to real vinyl imitation as in real vinyl, you would do that also. On the EQ xfader, drag the low band xfader to the side of the 1st song a tad (i learnt this from van stino and it's good).

Heres where the mixing comes in. Place the cross fader completely to the 1st song's side then when the outro begins after the 2nd breakdown, immediately click on the 2nd song's record to let it start playing again. Now, when you look at the wave display, you can choose to allign the two beats. Allign the two first beats by clicking either arrow below the playline (preferably the one closest to the second song). This will synchronise the two beats automatically. Now, if this is all done quickly, you will probably only have used up 2 bars of the 16 bar intro/outro. At this point, begin to drag the xfader to the middle slowly. It should reach the middle around the exact time the 6th bar is in. When it is the 8th bar, move the low band EQ xfader to the side of the second song. From then on start xfading into the 2nd song slowly. Preferably cut the 1st song out completely at the 12th bar or the complete 16th. It may not sound important but it makes the music feel more crisp.

And there you have it! You mixed a song!

As some side notes, sometimes the intro/outro isn't very long. Thats what the loop button is for! But thats another thing.

I could upload an example if people want but yes that's the jist of it. Sorry if it's long/confusing. I'm not a very good explainer and DJing isn't a walk in the park.

[Dark Hacker]

Well, but thats not a Virtual DJ mixing tutorial. I know it's harder with vinyl. I know how it works with vinyl. Just that on MPC Radio you can't really use real vinyl without the right equipment.

Also I think Virtual DJ is very good to mix with, if you use it correctly (and use is for 2 years, daily)... Mixing with VDJ is not easy. Following this tutorial will not make you a good DJ, it needs practice. Most people don't have time to practice as much as I did and won't become good at it.

VanStino

[Chaotik]

I agree with dark hacker. I too like vdj. Granted it doesn't offer the feel of vinyl, it does allow practically everyone a chance to "play". Everything you posted dependable, is very interesting. Thanks for taking the time to post that info!!!! It was an interesting read!

[dependable]

I've been djing on vinyl for about 6 months now and i must say, if you're really serious about DJing and wanna have a good time, get yourself some turntables. Don't get belt drive but direct drive. Direct drive uses magnets to power the turntable. Much better and powerful.

I'm mixing right now! It's so much fun i can't stop! I've used CD players (Denon 1000s) and it really just isn't for me. It's like VDJ but ... without the interface. I don't know, pushing buttons is quite boring to me but it's alot more effortless.

Virtual DJ as Chaotik said, allows everyone to get a hand at DJing.

If you really like it and think you can do it live, turntables are right up your alley. It's basically virtual DJ minus everything except for the two turntables, pitch fader and the play button =b.

[Dark Hacker]

Hehe... Well, i have got vinyls and turntables, i just use them in combination with vdj

[dependable]

Do you use timecoded vinyls?

I use a different program called Serato Scratch Live. You might have heard of it. Uses time coded vinyl to play MP3s and stuff on your turntables.

Also, when you do gigs, do you ever play downloaded music? Sometimes i jus can't find the vinyls.

[Dark Hacker]

no: no downloaded music. 5 channels: 2 for vinyl, 2 for PC, 1 for CD

[dependable]

The awesome thing about Scratch Live is that it merges all those into 2 channels.

I don't need to buy some chunky ass club mixer to use all my stuff...but i still want one =(.

[Dark Hacker]

Pioneer DJM-600... The BEST! You have only 4 channels tho, always see what ur gonna use (or switch while playing, which is pretty risky :\)

[codenamelv]

Nice tutorial man. Never knew that they used it for internet radio...
But good to see you help getting people stared with VDJ. Im using it for a few year now and i think it rulez...:rambo:

[Lisa]

Thanks for the nice tutorial and all the replies here.

[estun]

About posting at .html, i think the same, because some people dont have it.

More one thing: i am making small remixes of my music collection (just to listen and for fun).

Good Tutorial!
Thanks.

[samiboy90]

it says: broadcasting on: shoutcast.mpcforum.com , but when i got to MPC, or Shoutcast, i dun see anything..

[luck777jojo]

it says: broadcasting on: shoutcast.mpcforum.com , but when i got to MPC, or Shoutcast, i dun see anything..

try setting it to just mpcforum.com

and remember all the scripts take a while to update as in a few minutes usually, they're not instantanious

[ak40seven]

well nice one i guess

[eliteplayerX]

here's a great website with basic and friendly youtube-videos to dj tricks

http://www.djtutor.com

:cool:

[cbaker3122]

As regular DJ on MPC Radio, and an even more regular #mpcradio IRC visitor, i notice more and more people that skip the SAM tutorial and go straight to Virtual DJ. Mostly those people come back later and ask for some more explaination on Virtual DJ - which i will now call VDJ-. From there this tutorial...

6. This might be a detail, but please, CHOOSE THE RIGHT MUSIC! I hear people trying to mix Nirvana with Metallica... Don't try, it's not gonna work! If you want to try it, go ahead, but NOT ON THE AIR, because it will be a DISASTER!...



Thanks dude. You are awesome for going through the trouble of helping us newbies with some VDJ advice.

I just put down the $300 on it after getting hooked by the trial version.

I get the sense that I've just scratched the surface of its power, though I've already made and recorded about 15 hours of mixes, to pretty darn good reviews from friends, who are now asking for copies of copies for parties

Anyway, the one thing I would mention about your list is your recommendation not to try to mix unusual types of music. I can definitely understand that for live music mixing.

But if you map it out very carefully and have some patience I've put together some interesting mixes of classical and soundtrack score pieces into one continuous mix. I've already done three mixes like that.

It takes TONS more work than your standard dance mix. You have to ignore the bpm matching most of the time, and overlap notes instead of rhythms, but if you have that kind of passion, it might be worth tinkering with.

Here's an example of one I did a few weeks ago of nine short soundtrack score and classical snippets mixed together:

http://www.hotshare.net/audio/47940-6677408860.html

Took me three days, but darn it, I got it done.

Anyway, looking forward to learning from more of your posts!!

[DJTKarlsson]

still using Virtual DJ, thats great. A great software too. Damn good when you use your equipment to plugin and live!

[sanchit890]

thanks a lot

[X-RDG]

I use Virtual DJ 5.2 PROFESSIONAL Edit FULL (cracked w/ serial free by Clube do Parente) (Google it).
It can be cracked+serial but don't have ANY spyware, malware or virus and works 100%! I just love it! :D

[steohen2]

dark-hacker u should try going pro and come open live when u learn to mix on stage and stuff :P

[sexsexsexsexsex]

your tutorial didn't tell me anything. it's all about FEELING. bull. I wasted my time reading through noob concepts like bpm and syncing because I thought that there might be some actual knowledge in there. Please try and remember what goes on in your head instead of describing it like "it's just a feeling man, and i have it and i'm special." what an arrogant ass. tutorials are supposed to teach others, not rub into everyone's face how great you think you are.

[Dark Hacker]

Thank you for that enlighting rant.

Sorry for your dissapointment, but mixing can not be "learned" like you learn to read. Everybody can mix nowadays with programs but you hear when the DJ has that little extra feeling. Have I got that feeling? No idea, as far as i remember I haven't written that in my tutorial either. What I know is i play for 2000+ people monthly with some 10 000+ shows here & there. Is that alot? More then most people. Why don't they put some other guy to DJ there? Good question.