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how do you guys plan your mixes?

akoako https://soundcloud.com/a-ko 3,418 Posts
edited November 2006 in Strut Central
this is pretty unlike me to ask, but ive been curious how people who do mixtapes, especially really nicely-mixed ones, plan out their shit? im about to embark on a huge mix project and i have no idea how to get this shit started and feel like im actually getting anything accomplished. ive started a lot of mixes in the past but usually i get to like the 20-minute mark and lose interest, or something doesnt feel right, even if its all sounding great...i have ideas for a lot of good transitions and stuff, but i dont know how to map this all out logically...so, im lookin for ideas or advice, what do you usually do when starting out on a mix? a lot of my beats take months to finish, i'm guessing doing a mixtape can be an equally long project...if not longer

  Comments

  • serch4beatzserch4beatz Switzerland 521 Posts
    hm.. i never did a mixtape with the intention to sell it..
    but when i do a mix i just pick some of my fav. tunes outta my lil crate and check which tracks are matchin (beat and bpm wise) and record that schitt as a multitrack in acid
  • CosmophonicCosmophonic 1,172 Posts
    I guess it sorta depends on what kind of mix you're doing.

    To me it's usually turntables to tape-deck. Practice on the transitions and just play on.

    - J
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    I find it can take the longest when you want to have a theme or strict feel - cause, then you often run out of themed records and have to find more. I've been trying to do one of these for a whole year now. Otherwise, I usually have a few tracks in mind, put them on a disc and see what suggests it's self from there. I can often get pretty far that way.

    Oh yeah, my mixes are unlistenable. Keep that in mind.
  • DUNE493DUNE493 223 Posts
    Pick the hotest records you have and do a test run to see what sounds good together.This will help you with your blends and BPM matching.Keep it smooth and tight.
  • Mr_Lee_PHDMr_Lee_PHD 2,042 Posts
    For me, its all about tension and release, high's and lo's, I like to have really rich scope of everything so at the end of it all, you feel as if you've been taken to a lot of different places and saw many different colours and scenes. Its like a soundtrack.

    Peace.
  • drewnicedrewnice 5,465 Posts
    For me, its all about tension and release, high's and lo's, I like to have really rich scope of everything so at the end of it all, you feel as if you've been taken to a lot of different places and saw many different colours and scenes. Its like a soundtrack.

    Peace.

    Great advice. Too add on, I'd say keep the mood of your selections consistent and fluid throughout the mix. Don't be afraid to take someone there, but I try not to "surprise" them. There's nothing more annoying to me than listening to a mix that has me in a certain zone, only to be yanked into some completely different style on the very next transition. Buzz kill.

    Also, I find it better to make shorter as opposed to longer mixes, so people will be more likely to get through them on a single listen.

    Lastly, if you're not excited about it, how can you expect anyone else to be?


    Coming first quarter 2007 -[/b] People Music II: Enchanted Soul
  • piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts
    Simple, but : it??s important that YOU like the stuff you put together in the mix.
    I like mixes that are consistent and eclectic at the same time - either to listen to or if I do them myself.
  • Garcia_VegaGarcia_Vega 2,428 Posts
    Think about it as putting together a film. The individual tracks are like scenes and you have to put them together to tell a story, for me good mix does the same thing. I start by picking out the records I want to use, then start recording tracks to a tape. I then listen to the tape for the next two or three days and sit with a pen and paper and write down a sequence of tracks. I usually start small like putting together a few sequences and then seeing how they connect to others, and editing as necessary. I'm really OCD. Also like there are many ways to edit a movie and tell a story, there are infinite ways to put together a mix, just know when to stop because it can begin to drive you crazy.
  • OlskiOlski 355 Posts
    Just DO it!! Put all the records you plan to use in one crate, push the record button and let loose. Don't stop when you do a mistake or don't like a mix. Just go on for at least one hour. Listen to the mix one day later, change the running orer and do it it again..
  • bboyparkzbboyparkz 549 Posts
    As already mentioned themed mixes are hardest I???m doing my second all Japanese mix at the moment and I feel so limited as to what I can use. I will enjoy the finished product but the work I???m puttin in is hard.

    I???m also doing a hip hop mix at the moment and really enjoying working on this more than the Japanese themed mix. Its great to just put a stack of LP???s on the floor and just go through them looking for tracks to use.

    Thing is with the hip hop mix I???m getting stuck in a tempo, like my first track in the mix is 105 BPM, so every track that follows in the mix is also at 105 as they are all blended, I really need to switch shit up a bit.

    One thing in common with all my mixes they are done for ???me??? to listen to and are full of stuff that I love and while I hope others like them its not a priority (I am doing a mix for a friend at the moment, but its still full of shit I love)
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    Think about it as putting together a film. The individual tracks are like scenes and you have to put them together to tell a story, for me good mix does the same thing. I start by picking out the records I want to use, then start recording tracks to a tape. I then listen to the tape for the next two or three days and sit with a pen and paper and write down a sequence of tracks. I usually start small like putting together a few sequences and then seeing how they connect to others, and editing as necessary. I'm really OCD. Also like there are many ways to edit a movie and tell a story, there are infinite ways to put together a mix, just know when to stop because it can begin to drive you crazy.

    haha! this is almost exactly what I do too.
  • CousinLarryCousinLarry 4,618 Posts

    Thing is with the hip hop mix I???m getting stuck in a tempo, like my first track in the mix is 105 BPM, so every track that follows in the mix is also at 105 as they are all blended, I really need to switch shit up a bit.

    As the mix progresses gradually move the pitch up a little. Move the pitch up +0.5 to +1 for each new song if you do it gradually its very hard to notice.


    I pull all of the records I want to use first then I play around with the blends and see what fits together the best. If I get board while making a mix it its probably not very good so I stop and work on something else for a while.
  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts
  • djJazzOnedjJazzOne 302 Posts
    Usually I will record a mix every few weeks to a month. People will gas you at gigs. Don't believe the hype, especially your own. The tape doesn't lie. I will put the mix on the ipod and listen to it at my straight job. If I hear something I don't like and cringe everytime I hear it, it helps me to never do that again.
    Just jump into it. Record a dummy run and then critique yourself. The knock it out perfect the next time.
  • bboyparkzbboyparkz 549 Posts

    Thing is with the hip hop mix I???m getting stuck in a tempo, like my first track in the mix is 105 BPM, so every track that follows in the mix is also at 105 as they are all blended, I really need to switch shit up a bit.

    As the mix progresses gradually move the pitch up a little. Move the pitch up +0.5 to +1 for each new song if you do it gradually its very hard to notice.


    Thanks man, will do that for sure.
  • Si__CheebaSi__Cheeba 21 Posts
    I don't think there's one single rule on how to put together a "mix".

    It very much depends on what music you are playing as to the technical aspect of the mix.

    Beatmatching is good way - but careful , it can be boring if it's all the same tempo and you end up playing other tracks just beacuase they mix in on-time. Obviously with "new" records (i.e sequenced stuff) the blends / beat matching can be more precise (and easier!) than trying to match funk 45 with rock break off an LP

    There's so many other ways to segue into other tracks - from small skits between the tracks (ala Yoda's new "mix") - to effects etc to blend across. the sudden stop-starts - the slowed down stops. The fade in/out on a long blend. the spoken word bits - the looped up sections

    At the end of the day have a few "routines" worked out osf say 5-6 records (or more if you are just ripping the b-breaks)and then work out how you'd go from one "mini set" to the other. Also ensure have a selection YOU like and which represents what YOU DO.

    and yeh, do it more than once - rehearsals are useful !
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