Aspiring DJs can master the craft by exploring Serato DJ Pro through a comprehensive guide and animated video tutorial, covering everything from software utilization to beat matching and harmonic mixing.
Also, this guide delves into music structure, cue points, loops, and the new Serato Stems feature. Effective file organization and an understanding of bit rates are emphasized later in this post to ensure you have the smoothest DJ sets.
Although, this article has been tailored for Serato DJ Pro, these skills are transferable allowing you to understand any DJ software. This extensive content is designed to equip DJs with the necessary skills to express their musical identity, increase their inner-morale, & help provide their audience the best performance money can buy.
Introduction To Mixing Music
In the expansive world of the DJ industry, mastering mixing to become a professional DJ beckons through the exploration of sophisticated DJ software, a scientific understanding of how music is structured, a library of music, and a lot of practice.
Aspiring DJs, navigating the digital corridors of this tutorial, will discover the nuanced artistry within Serato DJ Pro, where every step, from analyzing song files, understanding song structures, adjusting beat grids, setting cue points, mixing in key, adjusting tempos, using your fader, volume, effects, filters, how to count bars, how to sync tracks, and so much more. These steps become a brushstroke on the canvas of musical expression.
At the forefront of the many sophisticated DJ software’s available today, stands Serato DJ Pro. This article will serve as a comprehensive companion to an enlightening animated YouTube video tutorial, meticulously designed to unravel the complexities of perfect beat matching techniques and harmonic mixing through the eyes of an experienced DJ using Serato DJ Pro.
Perfect Beat Matching & Harmonic Mixing DJ Animation Demonstration Tutorial
What Should You Expect To Learn Reading This Post?
Initiating the journey, my animated video tutorial spotlights the foundational steps of building a robust skillset using Serato DJ Pro. Henceforth, this post is a break down of my demonstrational YouTube video, plus a lot more detail.
Even if you’re not sure about Serato DJ Pro, this tutorial will translate over to other mixing software’s, as they are similar. In fact, later in this post I will explain.
Think of this post as a strategic curation forming the backbone of a DJ’s sonic arsenal of skills. This isn’t merely accumulation; it’s an ever-evolving repository reflecting the DJ’s musical identity and versatility.
First, before we dive deep into using the Serato DJ Pro’s mixing software, there are more important things you need to understand before you can start mixing. Don’t worry, I was a tutor all through school, so you’ll be surprised how well I can break this down for you!
Lets Learn How to mix like a professional DJ!
What Is Beatmatching?
According to Wikipedia, Beatmatching or pitch cue is a DJ technique consisting of pitch shifting or time stretching an upcoming music track to match its tempo to the beat of the currently playing track, and to adjust them such that the beats (and, usually, the bars) are synchronized.
How Do You Mix Music Like a Professional?
Many DJs think beat matching and actually mixing music is the same thing, but I would disagree. Some DJs may be okay with matching tempos and fading the pitch fader to the left and right deck and calling it a day, but that’s not mixing like a PROFESSIONAL DJ.
So, How Do You Mix Music Like a Professional?
Mixing music involves understanding and navigating a DJ mixing software, understanding the Camelot Scale & which harmonic keys mix with other keys, how to count measures/bars, how all music is structured, understanding waveforms and how to detect the components of a songs structure, how to stay on rhythm, how to use filters correctly when mixing, understanding beat grids, how to adjust them, how to set cue points, how to use the mixing fader, Pitch faders, Sync, volume faders, effect filters, having an extensive music library to practice with, and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
How Is Music Structured?
This post is going to guide you through the process of each step, but first, you need to understand the structure of all music and how many measures/bars each component consists of.
First of all, in order to mix music flawlessly, meaning, one track ends and the next track begins, almost as if the producers of the two songs came together to make a magical mix of both tracks, you need to understand music structures.
Just so you know, we will learn to count these measures/bars later in this tutorial, but for now, lets focus on music and how it’s structured!
Music Structure Components
Beyond a plethora of technical aspects, the art of DJing embraces an understanding of musical architecture. This tutorial ventures into the anatomy of music, unraveling the elements all the way to the atom!
Most of the time, no matter what genre, and in no particular order, the structure of music consists of an intro, a verse, a chorus, maybe a bridge, and an outro. Typically, there may be more than one verse and chorus in a song.
Moreover, each component has a set amount of bars in each one. In no particular order, as these components can be switched around, I’d like to show you examples and explanations of how many bars each component has. Keep in mind, these components can be doubled in some songs.
So, without further blabber, before I teach you how to count bars, let me show you examples of how many bars each component can consist of.
Music Structure Component Breakdown
INTRO
The INTRO needs to be counted for each song. Usually, the Intro to a song is either 4 bars or 8 bars. I’m sure some producers may add a 16 bar intro for a strange reason, but my point is, it needs to be counted. Many times, you may mix a song that has no intro or outro at all!
CHORUS
The CHORUS will always be 8 bars, unless the chorus is doubled. No matter what song, genre, or tempo, every song you’ve ever listened to will have 8 bars in the chorus. Sometimes, the chorus will be repeated so technically, it could be 16 bars. It’s imperative to know that some songs may have a pre-chorus, which is also referred to as the Bridge. From personal experience, not many songs that I mix have bridges, but it’s important to know about if your mixes & counts seem off.
VERSE
Ultimately, the VERSE is the longest set of bars in a song consisting of 16 bars. Very seldom, the verse could be doubled to 32 bars, especially if you’re listening to an Eminem track!
BRIDGE
The BRIDGE, or sometimes referred to as the PRE-CHORUS connects to the chorus and ramps it up. Usually, this part of the song breaks the beat into a build up. Most of the time, the bridge will consist of 8 bars, but 4 bar bridges are not un-heard of. It’s important to know NOT all songs will have a bridge. Before each chorus, the bridge is a connector that is meant to excite listeners in preparing for the chorus.
OUTRO
Likewise to the Intro, the OUTRO is 4 bars/8bars. The Outro of the song that follows after a verse or chorus is meant to bring the song to an end. In fact, many artist like to use this section of the song to sing a catchy little phrase that DJs can use to hype the audience.
NOW LETS SEE EXAMPLES
Music Structure Examples
These components structures and their number of bars are important to remember. More importantly, it’s critical to understand that the order of these components can be different depending on the structure of the song. For example, the image above shows the song structure of one song.
Song Structure Example # 2
In comparison to the image above, the image below shows the order of another song.
Song Structure Example # 3
Whereas, the image below demonstrates another chronological order these components can be in. Hopefully now, when you listen to music, you will practice pin-pointing each component by there amount of bars. I assure you, this will all make a lot more sense towards the end of this tutorial!
Song Structure Summary
Now that you have an idea of music structures and the number of bars they can consist of in each component, I think it’s only right to dive into the next sections of understanding tempo, how to actually count bars, and observing waveforms to detect a songs structure!
Understanding Tempo
Every single song that you’ve ever listened to consists of a tempo, or BPM. The tempo is a number that represents the speed at which a song is played, or the beats per minute, BPM, of a song.
In order to succeed in mixing two songs, they must have the same exact tempo (BPM). Otherwise, you won’t be mixing for very long as the Kicks and Snares of the two tracks will eventually fall off, ending in a disaster of a mix.
How Do You Change The Tempo?
No matter what DJ software you’re using, changing the tempo can be achieved by either pressing the SYNC button, adjusting the pitch faders, or manually changing the tempo in the mixing software itself by click-dragging the BPM number.
The image above shows an animation of the SYNC button on the Serato DJ Pro software. In fact, I animated these images just to make it that much more enjoyable for you!
In short, each deck has a SYNC button, that when pressed, automatically matches the tempo of the track playing on the opposite deck. It’s important to know that the SYNC button is useless without an accurate Beat Grid! We will discuss beat grids shortly.
Pitch Fader Location:
Simply put, you can change the tracks tempo on deck 1 to synchronize to the tracks tempo on deck 2, and vise versa, using the pitch fader.
In the image above, the bright red cones point to the pitch faders on both decks. These faders can be adjusted up or down on each deck to match tempos.
Also, most DJ controllers on the market today have a SYNC button installed on the controller as well, so be sure to check your future DJ controller to see if it comes with it!
How Do You SYNC?
Synced tracks sharing kicks and snares
However, if you want to use the SYNC button, you must understand beat grids, how to edit them, & how to count measures/bars so that you can make sure each song has an accurate beat grid.
Serato DJ Pro SYNC Settings
In the image above and on the bottom right, I demonstrate how to edit your SYNC settings in the Serato DJ Pro software.
If you click the settings icon at the top right of the program, you can change your Sync Mode as well as some Sync Preferences.
Personally, I prefer my Sync Mode to be on Simple Sync. Additionally, my Sync preferences has the “Snap to Beat Grid” setting checked.
Before you can learn how to SYNC like a PRO, & understand what a Beat Grid is, you must learn how to count measures/bars .
Counting Bars/Measures
Listen to a song, and I mean any song you can get your ears to listen to. Listen for the kick. The kick usually sounds deep in bass and has a thump to it. Most of the time, the kick will be the first instrument you’ll hear for in order to start your count.
The kick has a home and his home is measure 1 and measure 3!
Kick = 1st Measure
In the image above, I demonstrate to you a beat that starts with a kick. In this image, you’ll also notice the number 1 that represents the 1st measure & the first bar of this beat.
More importantly, notice the waveform that signifies the kick drum! Even more, notice the green lines that represent the beat grids measures.
Snare = 2nd Measure
Now, listen to the snare of whatever song you are listening to. The snare usually follows after the kick. The snare is a higher pitched drum than the kick drum.
In the image above, I demonstrate through animations the snare drums position, although as you can see, the snare drum wave form isn’t there! Guess what!? Still count measure 2 like it is there!
Kick = 3rd Measure
In the image to the left, this kick drum represents the 3rd measure of the 1st bar of this beat.
Snare = 4th Measure
The snare drum in the image to the right, represents the 4th Measure of the 1st bar of this beat. As you can see, the 2nd bar is next with 4 more measures!
Counting the 2nd Bar
To continue counting, there are 4 more measures in the image above that represents the 2nd bar. The kick starts out as the 1st measure, the snare falls on the 2nd measure, the kick falls on the 3rd measure, and the snare falls on the 4th measure. These measures stay in this pattern throughout the entire song!
Counting Bars 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8…
In the image above, I demonstrate through animation the pattern that forms throughout the next 8 bars. In fact, since it is 8 bars, this is most likely an 8 bar intro beat! Also, this will be the structure of the Beat Grid we will be talking about shortly.
Understanding Measures/Bars Continued
Assumingly, I’m ALMOST absolutely positive you’ve heard these instruments in a song before, but now that you’re a DJ, I want you to start thinking of these sounds as something different than just drums…
THINK OF DRUMS AS NUMBERS
In fact, you must substitute these drums with numbers. By what you’re hearing, try to visualize where your bars and measures should be positioned. Therefore, determining whether or not your beat grid is set up correctly.
Now, you’re probably ready to understand the Beat Grid, but first, I want to show you animations that compare songs with different Tempos (BPM).
Comparing Tempo, Bars, Measures Examples
In the image above, my animations demonstrate 4 different songs with 4 different tempos. Noticeably, you can tell the higher the tempo, the more compact the measures seem to be. Conversely, the lower the tempo, the more spread out the measures are.
All Songs Start The Same!
In comparison to the image above, each song starts on the kick which is the 1st measure. The distance between the 1st measure and the 2nd measure is what determines the TEMPO or BPM.
In the image below, I demonstrate the position of the 2nd measure for each tempo.
Although each one of these songs share the same 1st measure, the measures there after do not stay parallel as you move down the track.
Henceforth, each measure will be in a different position, because they’re at different speeds, or tempo.
Now, we will compare the two songs that are the most similar in tempo.
Most Similar Tempo Example
These tempos are almost the same!
In the image above, this animation represents the two songs that are the closest in tempo. 97.5 beats per minute and 95
Comparing Tempos Example
In the image above, I demonstrate how quickly songs that are close in tempo can fall off track as the songs play on.
The only way these tracks could ever sound good together is if they shared the same exact tempo, or beats per minute. The kicks and snares need to hit at the same time!
Before we learn about beat grids, I do believe there is several more pieces of information you need to know (and VISUALIZE) in order to really understand and appreciate the complexities of the mixing art form.
For example, I didn’t really start understanding how to mix until I started visualizing in my head exactly where I needed to start mixing to get the best-sounding, professional mix. Lucky for you, I know animation and I can show you my vision!
Tempo Multiplied Or Divided By 2
In the image below, I lined up two different tracks at 60 Bpm. If the tempos of the two tracks are the same, you don’t need to do anything to the tempo to keep them on track. Duh right?
However, in the image on the left, I compare 60 Bpm to 120 Bpm. By the time the 60 BPM song plays 1 bar, the 120 BPM song plays 2 bars. This is because it’s twice as fast!
At least once, I feel like mixing half-tempo or double-tempo should be performed every set!
For instance, if mixed properly, you can jump from a happy slow type of song to a happy faster type of song!
Even more, 70 Bpm will mix with 140 Bpm. Another example would be 65 Bpm mixing with 130 Bpm. Double it up!
Double Tempo & Half Tempo Example
To explain the image above, I demonstrate how this type of mixing sounds unique, because as the kicks of one song are mixing with the snares of the other song!
Although, you can do some really cool mixes jumping tempos like this, mostly, you really want to gradually mix songs that are close in BPM. This is the best way to gradually bring up or down the energy of a dance floor!
Mixing Demonstration Animation Example
The animations above explain in great detail the positions of each song structure component as well as the amount of measures & bars in each one.
As the 8 bar intro beat of the second song starts to play with the last chorus of the first song, this would be the point at which you begin to fade your fader to the second song, use volume controls, filters, & effects. Timing is key!
Now that you’ve learned some fundamental information about mixing, it’s time to learn more fun-damental information! Such as the Camelot Scale & Harmonic Keys!
Harmonic Keys & The Camelot Wheel
In the image above, I demonstrate a category named “key“, next to BPM. A key is short for Harmonic Key and you can think of the key as the pitch or tone of the song.
Harmonic Keys
I encourage everyone to mix songs with harmonic keys as there are different moods to every song you hear. Bright (Anxious), happy (Energetic), dark (Depressing), or gloomy (Sad).
In fact, mixing harmonically can help determine the mood on the dance floor!
Subsequently, bringing the audience through a wave of emotions. In the YouTube tutorial I linked up top, I demonstrate many examples of how some harmonic keys will clash and not sound good together whereas other harmonic keys will harmonize. The Camelot Wheel is a chart that shows you which harmonic keys harmonize well together.
Why Should You Learn To Harmonically Mix?
Understanding how to harmonize the musical elements of two tracks adds a layer of sophistication to the DJ’s toolkit. Harmonic mixing is the magic that happens when melodies converge, creating a harmonic resonance that transcends individual tracks, making the mix greater than the sum of its parts.
What Is The Camelot Wheel?
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Camelot Wheel, thanks to our friends over at MixedInKey.com. Each number and letter combination represents a certain musical key.
In the image above, I wanted to demonstrate the different moods each key represents.
To summarize what it’s meant for, the Camelot Wheel charts out all the Minor & Major Chords that will, in a specific way, keep your songs harmonizing throughout your set. Next, I want to point out a few things to notice.
Minor & Major Chord Locations
In the image above, I demonstrate the location of these chords. As you can see, the inner keys are all minor chords, represented by the letter A. Oppositely, the outer keys are all major chords, represented by the letter B.
How Do You Use The Camelot Wheel?
To clarify, using the Camelot Wheel is a pretty straight-forward process, although I do admit being intimidated to use it at first. The following images are going to describe in great animation detail the correct way to utilize this wheel tool.
Firstly, the image on the left shows all the red arrows that point from the Minor chords, A, to the Major Chords on the outside of the wheel, B. Mixing songs in this order will harmonize!
Secondly, the image on the left shows all the red arrows that point from the Major chords, B, to the Minor Chords on the inside of the wheel, A. Mixing songs in this order will harmonize!
Thirdly, the image on the left represents colorized harmonic keys that harmonize together.
To summarize in my own words, you can mix diagonally as well as back and forth on the Camelot Wheel. Each color group represents the keys that harmonize together.
Next, this image represents the next group of keys you can mix with. Hopefully, by seeing it visually, you can start to understand how the Camelot Wheel works!
Lastly, this image demonstrates the next set of harmonic key groups that will mix well together.
Basically, you wouldn’t want to mix from a happy mood to a depressing and sad mood right? Unless, that’s what your client wants you to do of course.
On the other hand, I’ve heard you can mix up or down 7 tones. For example, 1A will mix with 8A.
Serato DJ Pro Play Head Position
In the image above, my beautiful animation demonstrates the play head position of the Serato DJ Pro software, which is in the center of the program.
In the animation above, I highlighted in purple a vertical line that smacks right down on top of the famous white line that represents the play head position.
The play head position represents the part of the song that is currently playing and what exact bar or measure the song is currently at.
Now that I’ve showed you how to count measures/bars and I’ve demonstrated to you waveforms that represent certain drums, It’s time to learn about Analyzing files in Serato DJ Pro.
Analyze Your Music Files
In the image above, I demonstrate through animation the location of this Analyze File tab. You may be asking yourself by now, “What the heck is the analyze tab, and what does it do!”
Venturing deeper into the technical intricacies, this section of the tutorial navigates through the process of file analysis within Serato DJ Pro. This isn’t a mere formality but a fundamental step to ensure that each track is finely tuned for manipulation within the software.
I prefer to keep my music files on my computer in a folder and I don’t ever move them.
As I add new music to this folder and categorize it, once I find its home, I drag the track to my Serato DJ Pro Library to a Crate named Analyze Folder.
The foundation of any DJ’s sonic arsenal lies in a well-curated music library.
How Do You Analyze Files?
Analyzing files saves on CPU load time during sets by storing all of your tracks information from the key, tempo(BPM), to the beat grid. Without the analyze files tab, you have to set all of these components manually.
All of your music will need to be analyzed first with Serato before it will display any of this information.
Remember, if you don’t see the Analyze Files tab, you may need to disconnect your DJ controller / Hardware.
To explain how to analyze files, you physically have to drag the song into your left or right deck, or into the Analyze files tab, so it will show you details of the song such as the Key and the BPM.
Additionally, you may need to change around your DJ preferences for automatic analyzing on track load.
Unfortunately, if you don’t know the BPM or harmonic key, you can’t mix with it until you Analyze the file.
With the correct DJ preferences, You can drag the song files to the left or right deck to analyze on track load, but this can hinder your performance.
Furthermore, you can always tell if a songs BPM is not correct because no matter what you do, it’s nearly impossible to mix it into another song.
What Is a Beat Grid?
Basically, to make a complex graph sound simple, a Beat Grid is a visual representation of a beat graphed-out in a mixing software that shows the position of each measure and bar, represented using lines that mark each location on a grid.
In the image above, my animation demonstrates each measure and bar of this beats beat grid, as well as the play head position.
Adjusting The Tempo Changes The Beat Grid
Furthermore, if the tempo is changed up or down, the beat grid will adjust to represent the speed of the beat.
How Do You Fix/Adjust Beat Grids?
Occasionally, you may notice a beat grid with the positions of the measures and bars in the incorrect locations.
Earlier, I demonstrated the first measure should fall on the very beginning of the beat where the kick usually is.
If you examine the first measure of the first bar, you’ll notice it stands out as a red line instead of a white line like all the other bars. This helps you to quickly find where your beat grid should start.
How Do You Edit A Beat Grid?
In the image above, I demonstrate where the Edit Grid button is on the left deck of the Serato DJ Pro mixing software. As you would have guessed, the Edit Grid button is also on deck 2 in the same location (I wanted to keep this photo simple).
Again, the red line indicates the first measure & the first bar of the track. To explain further, the first white arrow is pointing to this red line which happens to be in the incorrect position on this track.
To fix this, the red line should be at the beginning of this track and all the measures need to fall on the correct drum patterns.
Adjusting/Slipping Beat Grids & Saving Beat Grid
In the image above, I demonstrate how I fixed this beat grid to match the track by clicking the Slip button to the right until the 1st measure was parallel to the beginning of the track. Without a correct beat grid, syncing and other features will not work properly.
Make Sure To Save Your Beat Grids!
In the image below, the white arrow points to the save button.
What Is A Cue Point?
Next up, we are going to talk about setting cue points. To describe what a cue point is, a cue point is colored marker you can set at any point in the song so you can transition to that part of the song by the push of a button.
How Do You Add Cue Points In Serato DJ Pro?
This image describes one of the ways you can add a cue point in Serato DJ Pro. For instance, the white arrow points to the plus sign + that allows you to add a cue point based on the position of the play head.
Even more, notice the blue arrow pointing to the Red Cue point. This cue point is already set displaying the time at which the cue point was created.
Color-coding your cue points can be a sophisticated way to quickly find certain sections of a song. Even better, you can name your cue points!
Finding a strategic placement of cue points will offer a roadmap to jump between sections of a track effortlessly
The mixing artistry lies not just in knowing where to place these cue points, but in understanding how these points become bridges connecting different musical melodies. It’s a meticulous process that can transform a DJ set into a captivating journey.
Color-Coding Cue Points
I like to put a little meaning behind the colors of my cue points. As an example, this is how I color-code my cue points:
- Cue Point Color Code Example:
- Red – Intro Beats
- Blue – Chorus
- Green – Scratch Point
- Purple – Outro Beat
- Yellow – 1st Verse
- Orange– 2nd Verse
Create & Save Loops Of Beats/Phrases
Creating and saving loops in Serato is super easy. As a side note, you will find that most DJ controllers and DJ Software Mixing Programs allow you to easily access your saved loops on the fly!
In the image above, the red arrows point to the Serato Loop section. Clicking this icon will open up your saved loops section.
In the image above, the long white arrows are pointing to the lock icons on each deck that allow you to save your loops after you’ve finished editing them. The other white arrows are pointing to the Loop in & out functions.
As a pro-tip, go through each popular song and save loops at the beginning and end of the songs where you can find an intro and outro beat.
Hopefully, you already have cue points at the beginning of your intro beats. Loop those beats and save them! During a set, you can now hit your cue points and turn on your loops!
You can also find phrases and loop them as well so you may access them on the fly. Looping a phrase, and mixing into a beat is awesome. Every DJ should know how to do it!
What Is Serato Stems?
In all honesty, I am new to this EXCITING feature, but the possibilities are endless! In fact, I included this Serato Stems section as a bonus! This isn’t something you need to know, but you should!
Basically, to make it simple, Serato Stems allows you to either isolate the vocals or beat from any track. In the image above, the two long arrows point to the Serato Stems section of Serato DJ Pro.
Together with both decks, you can click the mic or piano icons and begin the analyze stem process for that track. Also, you can drag songs to the Stems Section to analyze stems as well.
The mic icon creates an acapella of the track. The piano icon creates an instrumental!
How Do You Use Serato DJ Pro Stems?
However, in your DJ preferences when you click the settings icon, check the box that says “Analyze Stems“, and you can automatically analyze Stems on track load. In the image above, the white arrow points to this setting. Upon loading your tracks, Serato will process your Stem.
Organizing Music by Tempo / Bpm / Key
The journey extends to the crucial aspect of file organization within Serato DJ Pro. Beyond the initial addition of tracks, efficient organization becomes the DJ’s compass in navigating the vast landscape of their music library.
Organize your playlists by BPM or Beats Per Minute, or Key as your performing. It’s very simple to do. For example, the image above shows the white arrow pointing to the bpm category.
Clicking this will organize in chronological order from low to high. Clicking it again organizes the bpm from high to low.
For the most part, matching the Beats Per Minute or BPM is one of the first steps to mixing!
Serato DJ Pro’s Beat Match Display
As a heads up, you do need to check the box in your Serato DJ Pro’s DJ preferences to Display this graph.
In the image above, notice the white arrows? I inserted these white arrows to show you that this section of your Serato Dj Pro program is VERY IMPORTANT!
When those lines horizontally/vertically line up, this means the two songs have matched tempos.
This Beat Graph is a sure way to tell if your tracks are matching measures!
In order to get good at beatmatching, you need to get in the habit of using this feature rather than just counting measures and mixing by ear.
WHAT IS A BIT RATE?
A bit rate represents the total amount of information, or kilobytes per second, the formatted file can process at a time.
What Is A Good bit rate?
In comparison to the 128 kbps song below, a song bought from a music provider such as Apple Music, will have a solid 320 kbps bit rate (Very Good).
Usually, The more a song is compressed, the less kilobytes are processed per second. In return, the quality of the song can be compromised.
To compare, it’s just like video. The more compressed a video, the less frames per second (less quality).
In fact, 320kbps is one of the highest rates you can get! For example, in the image above, I demonstrate the properties of an MP3 file, with the blue arrow pointing to the 320kbps bit rate.
What Is A Bad Bit Rate?
Usually, the bit rate of a downloaded MP3 audio file pirated through the internet is around 128 kbps. Unless, you’re a computer genius and know how to get a copy of the original audio file.
As a result of not paying for the song, this does have an impact on the sound quality. Not to mention, it’s illegal.
So, you might want watch out where you get your music!
On a side note you may find interesting, if you ever listen to older music, you may have noticed the quality isn’t very good compared to newer, modern, sounding music.
On top of many other factors, songs had low bit rates back in the day. As a result, songs sounded muffled and less dynamic.
What Is The Best DJ Software?
Each DJ software program is unique in its own way! In the paragraphs below, I’m going to explain some of the most popular mixing software’s with a brief description of each one.
Always remember, when purchasing a DJ controller, most of them will come with a free digital version of a mixing software. Be weary when purchasing your hardware as it may not be compatible with the DJ software program you’re intending to use it with
Also, most DJ software can be downloaded and installed on your computer without having any extra equipment, but in order to use these programs to there full potential, you will need DJ equipment.
Popular DJ Software
Serato DJ Pro:
Serato DJ Pro is one of the most popular DJ mixing programs on the market today. Most of all, this software has state of the art features that work perfectly with a tremendous amount of compatible mixers, MIDI controllers, & Serato accessories.
Serato DJ Pro is the full version of the mixing software allowing you full access to all of the Serato DJ Pro features. Where as, the Serato DJ Lite software limits the amount of features you can perform with, but it’s FREE!
Rekordbox:
Rekordbox is now a cloud-connected DJ platform which allows you pull music from any cloud-connected device and use it with Rekordbox software to mix, edit, and perform.
This DJ software program is on it’s way to some pretty remarkable things as far as innovation. Additionally, Rekordbox has monthly payment plans for their software which allow to connect to stored music on the cloud.
Futuristically, you can export a song playlist to a USB and use it with some Pioneer CDJs. Trust me, they’re a lot more features I haven’t mentioned, so go check out the Rekordbox website to see more!
Traktor Pro 3:
Traktor Pro is another well known DJ software program a lot of DJs use for mixing. As of now, the current release is Traktor Pro 3.
Excitingly, there are a few different features this DJ software program has that stand out. Also, many well known DJ controllers are only compatible with Traktor Pro software.
Just like Serato‘s newest feature, Traktor Pro 3 has stems view, which splits tracks into different channels and allows you to focus on track elements independently such as bass, vocals, drums, and the melody of any track.
Virtual DJ:
Virtual DJ is extremely popular allowing you to mix without decks or turntables in a special way by mixing, or more like blending, songs for you. In fact, I’ve personally seen DJs rock a party using Virtual DJ!
Basically, this software allows you to set up an entire set before hand and it can automatically blend each song. As a plus, it is compatible with most popular DJ controllers on the market, or you don’t even need hardware, and it also has Stems!
Check out the Virtual DJ website for more information.
Of course, there are plenty more DJ software programs on the market today that are making it big such as djay Pro and Mixxx. Even better, Serato has a new phone app called Pyro that allows you to DJ straight from your phone!
In a later post, I will go over more software!
How To Beat Match / Mix Music Tutorial Outro
In summation, this article is a meticulous exploration of the mixing artform. Including the video tutorial and this article, they both offer an extensive breakdown of each section. Keep in mind, there is so much more I didn’t cover, but I wanted you to know enough to get your started!
By immersing oneself in the nuances of Serato DJ Pro and the art of perfect beat matching and harmonic mixing, aspiring DJs can transcend the technicalities and embark on a journey of artistic expression within the dynamic realm of DJing.
The journey doesn’t end here; it’s a continuous evolution, a constant refinement of skill and artistry that defines the path of a true DJ.
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