It’s never been easier to get into live music mixing Believe it or not, the art of ‘DJing’ has some pretty deep-rooted history in American history. As early as 1935, radio disc jockeys practiced live or “real time” mixing where they would select singles recorded on discs to play on broadcast. Remarkably, the first instance of what we recognize today as DJing occurred in 1947, when Jimmy Saville, an English radio DJ claimed he was the first person to ever live mix using twin turntables at a jazz club. A few years later, artists began to try out new formats, some introducing live drummers to play between songs to keep club dancers moving to the pace. Though it wasn’t until the late 1950s and early 60s in the Jamaican ghettos did the art of DJing really take off. Loud PA speakers meant disc jockeys or “selectors” as they were called could blast music while hyping the crowd through a rhythmic vocal style called “toasting”.
The history of DJing, or mixing music in real time evolved and changed over the course of the next 50 years. At the precipice of all that change was one constant: technology. Nowadays, it’s never been easier to get in the DJing game. Until relatively recently, if you wanted to DJ you would have to buy expensive live mixing equipment such as turntables and crossfaders. While those devices are still prevalent in some parts of the live mixing community, most of the time DJ’s don’t need much more than a laptop or even an iPad.
This is very simple, its not very advanced but at least its free. Please leave a like or comment if this helped you.
Here are five great apps that will get you started in your DJ career. They won’t cost you a penny.
Edjing Mix Simplicity is key when it comes to this free iOS app! The simple interface allows you to live mix songs from your phone’s library, drawing in music from iTunes, Deezer, SoundCloud and even Vimeo. Edjing Mix comes built in with a number of great free and in-app features including BPM detection, hot cues, loops, scratches, audio fx with free and paid samples. Not to mention the app is Apple Watch friendly. Learn more here.
Garageband Free (with iOS 9 or higher), $4.99 You’ve used it on every Mac since the early 2000s, but there’s a reason they keep bringing it back. Garageband is definitely one of the greatest apps out there when it comes to virtual music creation. With hundreds of authentic sounding instrument patches built in, there are few free apps out there that will let you fine-tune your mix as expertly as Apple’s product. Though the standout feature for us is Apple’s Live Loop feature. Great for composing your own songs as well as remixing others for your set, Garageband’s easy-to-use interface makes creating your own track pretty well as simple as clicking some buttons.
There are nine genre’s you can pick from to get started including Hip Hop, Chill, Electro, EDM, Dubstep, Funk, Rock and Beat Masher. Virtual DJ Home Virtual DJ is the premier app when it comes to live mixing and cutting. The mobile-friendly app lets you mix songs in real time as turntables would. With the click of your mouse (or fingers), you can easily speed and slow down songs, scratch records, crossfade, and so much more.
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The beat sync tool is also incredibly useful for matching song speeds for seamless transitions between songs. Mixxx Whether your spinning your best friends house party or broadcasting live on radio, Mixxx is another great option for you to consider. Available on any desktop platform (Mac / PC / Linux) this free app comes with all the hits: track looping, scratching and fx. As soon as your track is dropped into the live mixing, the app will automatically detect BMP and mark cue points as well as a broad overview of the song’s waveform.
Mixxx’s powerful master sync will keep beats locked in even as you play around with speed. For broadcasters, the app allows users to live stream their mix using either Shoutcast or Icecast serves, as well offers talkback options for radio DJ’s or emcees / rap battlers. Pacemaker Mixing apps aren’t really known for their visual design, but iOS app Pacemaker is the exception. There’s a reason this app took home a prize for Apple’s Design Awards in 2015. Its minimalist design reflects the easy to use live mixing app. Giving you access to over 30 million tracks on Spotify / iTunes, there’s little else out there that makes mixing so accessible.
But don’t confuse simplicity with power: because this program comes loaded with truly heavy software. Pacemaker’s AI program scans it’s users mixes searching for bugs and consumption behavior to self-regulate needed improvements.
Pacemaker lets you crop beginnings and end of tracks and modify levels using it’s easy-to-use built-in editors for bar and beat, phrase and more. Works on desktop, all iOS devices including Apple Watch and is completely free.
Quote: For the best quality, one would use Logic, Sonar, ProTools or Cubase/Nuendo. That'd be like killing a fly with a shotgun. Acid is all you need and its way easy. Ok, why do you need Serato? Why don't you just spin with an iPod mixing set? As they're more powerful apps, there's a much steeper learning curve with Logic, ProTools, Cubase, etc. Unless you're going to fully utilize their potential, it's not worth the time it takes to learn how to use them.
Acid is much easier to use and although it may not offer you any more features than the big boys when it comes to sample stretching, it's just easier to jump on it and go. Also, I don't know that those other apps will give you any more quality than Acid when it comes to this specific context. Quote: For the best quality, one would use Logic, Sonar, ProTools or Cubase/Nuendo.
That'd be like killing a fly with a shotgun. Acid is all you need and its way easy.
Ok, why do you need Serato? Why don't you just spin with an iPod mixing set? As they're more powerful apps, there's a much steeper learning curve with Logic, ProTools, Cubase, etc. Unless you're going to fully utilize their potential, it's not worth the time it takes to learn how to use them. Acid is much easier to use and although it may not offer you any more features than the big boys when it comes to sample stretching, it's just easier to jump on it and go. Also, I don't know that those other apps will give you any more quality than Acid when it comes to this specific context.
Quote: question about acid. I tried making some mashups but i could never get the master tempo to work when matchig up bpm's.
Any tips or links on how to make them? Do you use the Beatmapper Wizard?
That usually helps for getting the right tempo. As for importing acapellas, I usually play around with the manual tempo setting to get the best fit and then make small edits to the track as needed. Okay, if you want to baby yourself, get Acid. If you want the best quality and features, get what I suggested. What 'learning curve' (except Logic)? ProTools is too easy.
Quote: all he needs is acid. Simple as that. Even if Pro Tools or any of those other ones were as easy as Acid (and they're not because I've used every app mentioned here), I'd still reccommend Acid because it places less stress on your CPU. If all you're doing is making mash-ups, Acid (or Ableton) is all you need.
If you're doing anything more, you should absolutely check out the apps that Clark mentioned-hey, you can check them out even if you're not doing anything more-but I'll tell it to you like this: I've used them all and Acid is all you need. Quote: Im looking for something with the least conversion from mp3 hassle, suggestions? Acid lets you manipulate mp3s just as easily as wavs/aiffs. Is that what you mean? If you import an mp3, its converted into whatever format Acid uses.
Then you export from that format back to mp3, right? Thats two conversions that I dont want to do. Right now Im using MP3 Trimmer, it works in mp3 format. But all it does trim or join.
I was always under the impression that Acid just uses the mp3 as an mp3, that there was no conversion that takes place. Is there a screen that says that it's been converted into a different type of file that I've been missing all this time??? Or by 'whatever format Acid uses' do you mean.acd? Cuz that's just the project file extension. Quote: when i beatmap certain accapellas and make a mashup thru acid, i notice sometimes the original accapella sounds choppy a little bit over whatever beats i'm throwing it over EVEN if it's within 1-5 bpms of the original tempo of the accapella. Any idea why this would happen?
I'm using acid 5.0 btw. The only time I've ever had this happen is when I've stretched a file A LOT-even if in the end your acappella is only a few BPMs off your instrumental. So in other words, if your acappella is 90 BPM and your instrumental is 93 BPM but in your editing/stretching you stretch the acappella to +/- 20 or 30 BPMs and then back to 90, it'll sound choppy. Is this what's happened in your situation? I've used acid since version 1, now on 6, but have noticed no improvement in sound quality over the years.
Have also used cool edit since 1996, now adobe audition'ing, very good quality, but not as realtime as acid. Non of these appz can devote anywhere enough cpu to their time compression algorithms so they'll always sound like a pioneer with it's master tempo. So u can't win. Doom & Gloom. I don't think some of the better appz would be overkill.
Will try them. Yeah, ur not looking hard enough, you can redo beatmaps in acid. Used to play a pitched up acappella through an eventide harmonizer (80's/90's outboard rackmount 'studio' effect unit); tuned it back down to normal pitch (or whateva pitch!), and recorded output. No time compression artifacts!!
Quote: i've used acid since version 1, now on 6, but have noticed no improvement in sound quality over the years. Have also used cool edit since 1996, now adobe audition'ing, very good quality, but not as realtime as acid. Non of these appz can devote anywhere enough cpu to their time compression algorithms so they'll always sound like a pioneer with it's master tempo. So u can't win. Doom & Gloom. I don't think some of the better appz would be overkill.
Will try them. Yeah, ur not looking hard enough, you can redo beatmaps in acid. Used to play a pitched up acappella through an eventide harmonizer (80's/90's outboard rackmount 'studio' effect unit); tuned it back down to normal pitch (or whateva pitch!), and recorded output. No time compression artifacts!! Of all the times I've used Acid, I've never had time compression artifacts (unless I wanted them for effect).
Mind you, I don't fiddle with the audio until it's EXACTLY matched-I get it to the point where it's reasonably similar and I make up for any tempo discrepenies by splitting the audio file at an appropriate point and nudging the file either left or right. Or even better, now that I have SSL I just match the acappella with my turntables while the instrumental's playing, leave the pitch slider where it is and import the acappella into Acid at the correct tempo so no beatmatching is required. This of course doesn't allow for drastic changes in tempo (unless I want chipmunk vocals or whatever) but I rarely remix tracks with wildly different tempos anyhow. Quote: So is Acid pretty much the best app for mashups? I have both a Mac and PC, and really would ideally like to do this kind of stuff on the Mac. Is there a Mac equivalent to Acid? Or should I really just use a PC or install Windows on my Mac and use it when needed?
I think it's the best, but obviously there are other people who think otherwise. In terms of ease of use and features/stress on your computer, I'd say it's the way to go. As for Mac equivalents, I couldn't tell you as I haven't used a Mac in about 5 years or so. Quote: I was always under the impression that Acid just uses the mp3 as an mp3, that there was no conversion that takes place. Is there a screen that says that it's been converted into a different type of file that I've been missing all this time??? Or by 'whatever format Acid uses' do you mean.acd? Cuz that's just the project file extension.
I dont know enough about Acid to know. I see that it works with lots of files types including mp3, but that ussually means that it imports and exports those files, which means that there is a conversion. I use Digital Performer. If you have an.aif file it will directly edit that file without converting it because thats its native file format.
But it will import mp3, but what it is doing is converting it to an.aif. Im just going to keep assuming that there is no native mp3 editor. Also I do just want something light to use instead of firing up the big DP gun just for mashups. BTW, using Torq can make it easier, but it won't make it easy. Most audio software will let you create a mashup, but looping, creating samples, etc isn't easy to do well. If you can find a place that offers a class, I recommend that since nothing beats hands on training with a qualified instructor. If you can't find it or afford it the books they mentioned are a good start.
Sitting and working with the software will help more than anything else to getting over the learning curve. On a side note, software that lets you adjust the 'markers' for BPM will help a lot in making the mashups work better. Abletone live does this very well and some software designed for advanced mixing might be easier to work with like MixMiester (no relation).
If the demo's are available I recommend trying them and picking one you're most comfortable with or have someone nearby that can give you a lesson on the software. Other than that, the technical side of mashups isn't 'that' difficult - the secret to a good mashup is track selection. And that's a hell of a lot harder than trying to learn to loop and line up the tracks.