stylus
Hi, i usually play between 124 - 126 bpm and wondered what crossfader setting would sound best. At the moment i have it set on smooth, but would full be a better setting for a longer blend.
What is the difference between these settings?
Thanks.
What is the difference between these settings?
Thanks.
geposted Sat 07 Apr 07 @ 11:04 am
andytaylor125
The different shapes alter the output volume as you move the crossfader.
The smooth setting lowers the volume of the mix as the crossfader moves to the centre point, then increases it as the crossfade moves to either edge.
The reason this is useful is because playing two songs at the same time will create sound twice as loud as one song playing on its own, which means the end of your mix might sound rubbish because the new song is quieter than the mix was. So you'd think that smooth is the best then...?
Well, not always! For example, lots of dance songs start of without much power (no kick drum or bass line, say, just a riff or just hi-hats), so if you were mixing in a song like that in, the smooth setting would sound odd because the overall volume would go down too much when you moved the crossfader into the middle. In that case you could either put the put the crossfader into "full" mode (no volume reduction in the centre) and then end you mix when the new song's bass line came in. Or you could just not move the crossfader untill the new song has kicked in fully.
Basically, every song is different, so you have to adjust your style accordingly. If you're playing in a loud nightclub, getting the volume just right can be very important since you could break the sound system and also people's ears if it goes to loud!
But if you're playing out of your computer speakers, the change in volume might not be so apparent, so it probably won't matter so much. And there's probably more important things to worry about if you're in the learning stage.
Personally I don't use the crossfader, I just use the volume faders and the EQs.
I think whatever method you use, the trick with a long mix is to do it in stages and know your music well. Start with the track coming in so you can only just hear it, then adjust as the mix progresses. Also you probably want to avoid having the basslines of both songs playing at the same time, so you can either turn down the bass on the song that you're about to mix in, then turn it up during the mix, or turn down the bass on the old song as the new one comes in.
So many choices! Just experiment and have fun with it!
Hope that helps, let me know if there's something I havn't explained very well.
The smooth setting lowers the volume of the mix as the crossfader moves to the centre point, then increases it as the crossfade moves to either edge.
The reason this is useful is because playing two songs at the same time will create sound twice as loud as one song playing on its own, which means the end of your mix might sound rubbish because the new song is quieter than the mix was. So you'd think that smooth is the best then...?
Well, not always! For example, lots of dance songs start of without much power (no kick drum or bass line, say, just a riff or just hi-hats), so if you were mixing in a song like that in, the smooth setting would sound odd because the overall volume would go down too much when you moved the crossfader into the middle. In that case you could either put the put the crossfader into "full" mode (no volume reduction in the centre) and then end you mix when the new song's bass line came in. Or you could just not move the crossfader untill the new song has kicked in fully.
Basically, every song is different, so you have to adjust your style accordingly. If you're playing in a loud nightclub, getting the volume just right can be very important since you could break the sound system and also people's ears if it goes to loud!
But if you're playing out of your computer speakers, the change in volume might not be so apparent, so it probably won't matter so much. And there's probably more important things to worry about if you're in the learning stage.
Personally I don't use the crossfader, I just use the volume faders and the EQs.
I think whatever method you use, the trick with a long mix is to do it in stages and know your music well. Start with the track coming in so you can only just hear it, then adjust as the mix progresses. Also you probably want to avoid having the basslines of both songs playing at the same time, so you can either turn down the bass on the song that you're about to mix in, then turn it up during the mix, or turn down the bass on the old song as the new one comes in.
So many choices! Just experiment and have fun with it!
Hope that helps, let me know if there's something I havn't explained very well.
geposted Mon 09 Apr 07 @ 1:31 am
stylus
Thanks andy, i did a mix recently with the crossfader on a smooth setting. Its posted on this forum in the post your mixes II topic.
geposted Mon 09 Apr 07 @ 4:20 pm
funkturnal
i personally like using the up & downs for dance music. if u train yourself that way you will never go back. u have alot more control of whats going on.
geposted Wed 11 Apr 07 @ 3:17 am
EverClever
Is it possible to re-map the crossfader so that the song on opposite deck starts as soon as I move it?
Even better if I can keep traditional crossfader settings but re-map using "shift" key or something...
Even better if I can keep traditional crossfader settings but re-map using "shift" key or something...
geposted Fri 06 Jun 14 @ 9:14 pm
Moderation staff
This thread is 7 years old. Please don't bump old threads as they are often not relevant to the current version.
If you are using V8 search in options for crossfaderCurve.
In V7 in config under Options - the first option is Corssfader.
I'll close this one because of the age. If you still have issues then please feel free to open a new thread.
[CLOSED]
If you are using V8 search in options for crossfaderCurve.
In V7 in config under Options - the first option is Corssfader.
I'll close this one because of the age. If you still have issues then please feel free to open a new thread.
[CLOSED]
geposted Sun 08 Jun 14 @ 6:38 am