Learning to be a DJ is a great skill to have however learning to beatmatch sets you apart from the good and makes you outstanding. More often than not, a DJ does not know how to beatmatch so if you do, you will likely be more successful. Beatmatching is not easy to do and can take a great deal of practice to be good at it.
We have outlined several tips that will help you on your endeavor to learn to beatmatch before your next gig.
1. Learn how to use a DJ Controller : Learning to beatmatch is a great skill for any DJ to have. Learning how to use a DJ controller is imperative to being able to master the skill of beatmatching because it will help you cue your tracks. The reason for this is because there are often quiet pauses in between songs and you will want to be able to transition seamlessly. More tips on DJ controllers are compared for you here.
2.Sync your hands with your ears : The best way to accomplish this is to practice playing one song through your speakers and then another song on a different deck. It is likely that these songs will have a similar tempo and be in the same genre of music but this is not always the case. You will want to try to match the beats until you are able to get the sync down. You will want to repeat this over and over and with a variety of songs so that you can get used to this technique. It is completely normal if the sound is off and does not sound right at first.
3.Grasp pitch control :It is common for DJ’s who are learning how to beatmatch to create sounds referred to as “trainwrecks†and lack a matching tempo to play over one another. Use two of the songs that you mastered in step 2 and this time use the pitch and keep time. You will want to move the pitch in order for the sounds on the tracks to coincide with one another.
4.Split hearing : This is likely the hardest part to learning how to beatmatch. After you have grasped pitch control and how to get the tracks back in sync after they slip out of time, you will want to learn to split hearing. The best tip we can give you on this aspect of beatmatching is that practice makes perfect. When you are able to decipher between the track that is coming in and the track that is already playing, you have mastered this technique.
5.Avoid using a BPM counter : Some will turn to the BPM counter to help them but this is considered “cheating†in the DJ world. It is critical that you are able to line up the tracks just by using your ears. Proper DJ etiquette would say that using a BPM counter when you are in public and feeling ill is acceptable while not ideal. Any DJ seen using a BPM counter to beat match is considered a sham.