Black Friday Sale now live: www.clubreadydjschool.com/club-ready-dj-course/ I added so much new content and bonus material - I have been devoting so much love and energy to it these past few months, hopefully you like :)
I started mixing in 96 on 3 Technics. While cue points with the digital systems do have value, there is nothing better than knowing your tracks in and out. If you know your tracks well, you know where the phrases are and you know how to find the first beat of the first bar of any phrase. And once you've been spinning a few years, you instinctually know where you are landing when you skip through the track - regardless if you're spinning vinyl, CDs, or media players.
I just started djing 6 months ago, while playing with tracks I instinctively noticed this that some parts of the song are the same in length so I tried mixing like that and boy was the transition satisfying.
Did my first club gig on Friday night and the transition from the ddj1000 to cdj2000nxs2 was seamless, had no issues there. But they weren't updated so I couldn't use my cue points on all my songs. Understanding the phrases and bars is an essential skill that saved me, my set had a little less energy than I normally go for, but I still put on a show.
No que cue point mixing with unknown songs has been the main way ive been practicing and it really shows me where my mistakes are while staying creative.
I've DJ'd in clubs for the past few years (whenever Covid hasn't closed them) and I've never used cue points really. I mix house, so nice long smooth transitions from intro to outro is better
I have been spinning electronic music for 3 years(still learning). I have never learned how to use cue points. I find it fun to feel the set and beat jump around for where I want to transition. I'm sure using hot cues would be much easier to be ready though lol
@@ea11111 a tip on mixing without cue points is looking at the wave forms, drops, verses, dead beats. Get use to looking at those wave forms and you'll figure out most tracks without cueing and go on the fly.
For electronic music once you understand the concept that club mixes work in 16 or 32 bar chunks it’s not as big of a deal having cue points, especially if you’re just mixing tracks back and forth and beat matching every 5-6 minutes. However, if you’re getting more creative like James Hype or Roger Sanchez on 3 or 4 CDJ decks or going for DJ performances then I’d definitely use cue points.
that 'feeling' is true, but it also depends on what you're trying to achieve. Ive been DJing since about 89 and in the early days it was always about creating a vibe and maintaining it as my sets were always for other people, but over the years I spend a lot more time just planning and thinking ahead about what I want to achieve musically, yes...its the old 'journey' cliche, and constructing or composing something that is musically complete. Cue points are a god send for achieving this and getting your structure right and your drops absolutely nailed at the right time. Great thing is, the world is a better place with both existing, no wrong or right. . .in the words of Inner City..do you love what you feel?
I play most of the time without cue points…. But… I spend time knowing my music… it’s fun to grab some new stuff and just mix. I’m a soulful house and old skool disco funk dj so with all the new disco edits that are being made it’s super easy to already know the song or tune. Love layering and spending time looping a chorus or vocal that folks know. You gotta know your songs to be honest. Great video as always 💝
Great video and as an ex vinly DJ from the 90’s, I will generally follow this format, although I may put a cue point at the start and one more, normally around 32 bars. Almost like my marker as if I was looking for the change in grooves on a vinyl record. I still straight mix as though I had vinyl, but there is no denying that cue points give a lot more options to experiment and be creative.
Not long with a DDJ 400 and starting to DJ (so to speak) and so impatient I haven't really used cues so it can be hit and miss sometimes. Handy note about the minute dots and how to relate to bars and phrases. It doesn't help me that I have no rhythm and no set Genre I'm playing (although I have started to follow House). I'm learning a lot (the hard way) by not using cue points but I realise it's something I need to get into the habit of doing. Great video as always 👍🤙
Very cool. I haven't set aside the time to hunt cues yet. At my level of experience i'm not sure it's necessary really. But I do see the value in this exercise. I know you're a quick mixer, but can you do a video, or mix, using longer transitions between songs? Quick transitions don't sound right to me sometimes. Thank you.
I’ve been Djaying since 84’,,started with house parties and all the way up to owning my own club and djaying in Europe,,all with Vinyl,, boy that shit was heavy to cart around..so obviously no Cue points or any other digital aids. These days I don’t really djay professionally anymore besides the occasional party and bar gigs, and although I still have my 1200’s and all my vinyl, I transitioned to Digital 5 years back and currently have a Rane One controller using the Djay app with my iPad,,pretty powerful and sleek and compact setup.. Over the years I have set up cue points to all my tracks and it just makes life so much easier,, and even though I have had decades of experience with manually beat matching, I don’t see the point of not using Sync,, I mean it’s just another aid as are cue points and all the various effects we use..
Awesome video. You kill it. You make it look simple bro.. im new, I just cheat and use my beat sink button...lol.. But, I'm learning to do a lot. Thanks for all the info.
I do live streams and never plan what to play, often I mix in tracks I’ve maybe only listened to a few seconds of when previewing it before downloading. I love doing it this way as it’s an element of the unknown. Never do it that way if I’m playing an actual event though, preparation is key
I'm a newbie in dj but I think the easiest method is set an outro cue point 8 bars before the end of the chorus in EVERY song. So you have to listen only the intro of the new song and if it is 16 bar start to blend the song 8 bars before the cue point mapped in the song, whta do you think?
I've just picked up my first set of decks and am so glad I found your channel mate. Learning so much from you, this content is amazing I'm surprised its free :D !
This is a Random Question about Hot cue Marker. Do i need to put another marker after first 8 Bar? Like this : Track : A [A]. . [B]. [C]. 0:00. 0:27 Can i skip The first [B] Cue? Or do i need to Mark it too? Or should i just Ignore [B] Cue point and just Put it on [C] for my 2nd Cue Point? Which is the Build up Like do i need to Mark the end of the first intro?
Love this channel! I always learn something from your videos! I recently purchased a DDJ-400 and while matching bpms, I run into to the same problem a lot. One track would be on 140bpm for example, but if I try to match the bpm of the next song it would go to 139.8 or 140.1. But then the first track will only got to 140.3 for example, so I mostly opt for a quick sync hit if that happens. Any tips on how to not use sync for that?
I also have ddj 400 and this problem, but I just keep that tiny bpm difference and match them with jogwheel in between mixing every 30-60 secs or so, like when I start to hear them drifting away. Trains your ears very well
@@thisisjb... I don't have that active no. The second track that I'm mixing in is analyzed at 138 for example. But then when sliding the bpm up, I end up at 140.3
Hey mate, great video. I haven't DJ'd for a few months and this made me want to get back into it. What decks are you using? Also, what speaker can I see at the edge of the screen there?
The speakers crap haha, but yesd the DDJ400 and I'd get either Pioneer DM40's - good starter kit. Also check out my course: www.clubreadydjschool.com/controller-to-club/ (sale ends tomorrow)
Great vid. Thanks! Quick question though please, Andrew: The two tunes you had playing around 09:00 why were they not drifting from each other as Deck 1 was 123BPMs and Deck 2 was 126 BPMs?
That part of the computer screen (shown on my video) is showing the original BPM of the tracks, the changed BPM is on the jogwheel part of the screen which I have cut off so you can see what I am doing on the gear. If you have a controller, hook it up and check it out and you'll know what I am saying :)
@@ClubReadyDJSchool Ah, gotcha. I did think that might be the case. My controller is at home but when I finish work I shall. I'll also try and start one of your many tutorials but I've been so busy with work and courses. 😬 Cheers!
Hey Andrew As you know I'm a beginner and cant wait for my mixer to turn up in a couple of weeks . When you started playing for people how did you get used to the sound from the DJ both as I was play at my friends place and I was behind the sound not Infront of it like your videos ! It's a big difference a d very different .. do you have a video on this mate
Question: do club gear have the beat jump function? Right now w my controller I come to heavily rely on this function, which so far serves me ok in the home set up. Edit: to clarify I started djing ‘95 and used to play out. I have not played out literally since 2004. A year ago I decided to get a controller and LOVE the new possibilities and flexibility of digital setup. With vinyl if I come in the wrong phrase I would have very limited options to adjust, but now I can skip around w beat jump. I saw your video on looping in, which is fascinating but haven’t started practicing that yet.
Agreed mate . I dont get the chance to get the decks out alot so yeah my mixing it's totally off the cuff . It's all about having fun and goin where the music takes you 🎚️🎛️🎚️😜
Cue Points were not even around when I started djing clubs, all done by ear and knowing the music, just a stop/start button and pitch control. Nix over chorus? Very rarely. More like break downs.... let the song play
I hear you, even though loads of people love mixing without cues, and admit it can be a fun way of exploring new music, I like set crafting and playing the best parts of each track and also feel this is a more exciting way to mix :)
Black Friday Sale now live: www.clubreadydjschool.com/club-ready-dj-course/
I added so much new content and bonus material - I have been devoting so much love and energy to it these past few months, hopefully you like :)
I started mixing in 96 on 3 Technics. While cue points with the digital systems do have value, there is nothing better than knowing your tracks in and out. If you know your tracks well, you know where the phrases are and you know how to find the first beat of the first bar of any phrase. And once you've been spinning a few years, you instinctually know where you are landing when you skip through the track - regardless if you're spinning vinyl, CDs, or media players.
Well said
The sincere honesty and authenticity of the content creator gets me
Thank you Enrika
I just started djing 6 months ago, while playing with tracks I instinctively noticed this that some parts of the song are the same in length so I tried mixing like that and boy was the transition satisfying.
Did my first club gig on Friday night and the transition from the ddj1000 to cdj2000nxs2 was seamless, had no issues there. But they weren't updated so I couldn't use my cue points on all my songs. Understanding the phrases and bars is an essential skill that saved me, my set had a little less energy than I normally go for, but I still put on a show.
do cue points save on the track you downloaded, i also have a ddj1000 but worried that if I set cue points on it that it won't save when I use a CDJ.
No que cue point mixing with unknown songs has been the main way ive been practicing and it really shows me where my mistakes are while staying creative.
I've DJ'd in clubs for the past few years (whenever Covid hasn't closed them) and I've never used cue points really. I mix house, so nice long smooth transitions from intro to outro is better
I have been spinning electronic music for 3 years(still learning). I have never learned how to use cue points. I find it fun to feel the set and beat jump around for where I want to transition. I'm sure using hot cues would be much easier to be ready though lol
@@ea11111 what do you spin?
Honestly its allot more fun with out cues but it's allot cleaner and friendly reminders when in need.
@@ea11111 a tip on mixing without cue points is looking at the wave forms, drops, verses, dead beats. Get use to looking at those wave forms and you'll figure out most tracks without cueing and go on the fly.
For electronic music once you understand the concept that club mixes work in 16 or 32 bar chunks it’s not as big of a deal having cue points, especially if you’re just mixing tracks back and forth and beat matching every 5-6 minutes. However, if you’re getting more creative like James Hype or Roger Sanchez on 3 or 4 CDJ decks or going for DJ performances then I’d definitely use cue points.
that 'feeling' is true, but it also depends on what you're trying to achieve. Ive been DJing since about 89 and in the early days it was always about creating a vibe and maintaining it as my sets were always for other people, but over the years I spend a lot more time just planning and thinking ahead about what I want to achieve musically, yes...its the old 'journey' cliche, and constructing or composing something that is musically complete. Cue points are a god send for achieving this and getting your structure right and your drops absolutely nailed at the right time.
Great thing is, the world is a better place with both existing, no wrong or right. . .in the words of Inner City..do you love what you feel?
This guy is so genius and expertise his videos is not edited like others
Being old school and coming from a turntable background, I never use cuepoints. I get them but I just can't get used to them.
I only set one at the very start of the track, much like mixing with records it's a way to get back to the beginning given I beat match by ear
Agreed I use them always for the beginning cue point and the first verse or first hook
I play most of the time without cue points…. But… I spend time knowing my music… it’s fun to grab some new stuff and just mix. I’m a soulful house and old skool disco funk dj so with all the new disco edits that are being made it’s super easy to already know the song or tune. Love layering and spending time looping a chorus or vocal that folks know. You gotta know your songs to be honest. Great video as always 💝
Well said!
I swear every time I watch one of your videos I learn something new. Thank you!
You are so welcome!
Just throwing tracks into a set list and start mixing? Always my most creative and best sessions 🤘😎🤘
Great video and as an ex vinly DJ from the 90’s, I will generally follow this format, although I may put a cue point at the start and one more, normally around 32 bars. Almost like my marker as if I was looking for the change in grooves on a vinyl record. I still straight mix as though I had vinyl, but there is no denying that cue points give a lot more options to experiment and be creative.
Not long with a DDJ 400 and starting to DJ (so to speak) and so impatient I haven't really used cues so it can be hit and miss sometimes. Handy note about the minute dots and how to relate to bars and phrases. It doesn't help me that I have no rhythm and no set Genre I'm playing (although I have started to follow House). I'm learning a lot (the hard way) by not using cue points but I realise it's something I need to get into the habit of doing.
Great video as always 👍🤙
Very cool. I haven't set aside the time to hunt cues yet. At my level of experience i'm not sure it's necessary really. But I do see the value in this exercise. I know you're a quick mixer, but can you do a video, or mix, using longer transitions between songs? Quick transitions don't sound right to me sometimes. Thank you.
Good point and idea!
I’ve been Djaying since 84’,,started with house parties and all the way up to owning my own club and djaying in Europe,,all with Vinyl,, boy that shit was heavy to cart around..so obviously no Cue points or any other digital aids.
These days I don’t really djay professionally anymore besides the occasional party and bar gigs, and although I still have my 1200’s and all my vinyl, I transitioned to Digital 5 years back and currently have a Rane One controller using the Djay app with my iPad,,pretty powerful and sleek and compact setup..
Over the years I have set up cue points to all my tracks and it just makes life so much easier,, and even though I have had decades of experience with manually beat matching, I don’t see the point of not using Sync,, I mean it’s just another aid as are cue points and all the various effects we use..
daeng my dude i literally just had a sick as session jamming no cue points was so much fun.
i will try and come to the school
Love your tutorials Andy, always great advice and love your style great vibe keep doing what your doing man 👌🏻
I appreciate that!
Awesome video. You kill it. You make it look simple bro.. im new, I just cheat and use my beat sink button...lol.. But, I'm learning to do a lot. Thanks for all the info.
Please do a video on how to properly mix Electro Bass, Electro, Electro Breaks music. I would greatly appreciate that.
Good idea!
“Coool, see I could just keep goin foreva! 🤣 I love how easy it is for him
Thank you :)
LOL, i never saw these little, tiny dots. (Minute-Dots)
Only for this, a big THX to you :-)
Now, let´s continue watching. ^^
I do live streams and never plan what to play, often I mix in tracks I’ve maybe only listened to a few seconds of when previewing it before downloading. I love doing it this way as it’s an element of the unknown. Never do it that way if I’m playing an actual event though, preparation is key
I'm the same!
the best moments are when you don't understand what you just did because it sounded so smooth but that no longer happens much
very good
Can you do a video at the club when playing? That'll be awesome!
Do you want to make another techno video, i liked that so much!!!
love your accent bro
I'm a newbie in dj but I think the easiest method is set an outro cue point 8 bars before the end of the chorus in EVERY song. So you have to listen only the intro of the new song and if it is 16 bar start to blend the song 8 bars before the cue point mapped in the song, whta do you think?
I've just picked up my first set of decks and am so glad I found your channel mate. Learning so much from you, this content is amazing I'm surprised its free :D !
This is a Random Question about Hot cue Marker.
Do i need to put another marker after first 8 Bar?
Like this :
Track : A
[A]. . [B]. [C].
0:00. 0:27
Can i skip The first [B] Cue? Or do i need to Mark it too? Or should i just Ignore [B] Cue point and just Put it on [C] for my 2nd Cue Point? Which is the Build up
Like do i need to Mark the end of the first intro?
Instead im creative with beat jump function jump 1/2 beat and pitch up in build ups to move quickly between phrases
Great video bro thanks for the info
🙂Approved by Change Agent😉
Love this channel! I always learn something from your videos! I recently purchased a DDJ-400 and while matching bpms, I run into to the same problem a lot. One track would be on 140bpm for example, but if I try to match the bpm of the next song it would go to 139.8 or 140.1. But then the first track will only got to 140.3 for example, so I mostly opt for a quick sync hit if that happens. Any tips on how to not use sync for that?
Check if you have dynamic bpm active in recordbox settings
@@thisisjb... yh I second that
I also have ddj 400 and this problem, but I just keep that tiny bpm difference and match them with jogwheel in between mixing every 30-60 secs or so, like when I start to hear them drifting away. Trains your ears very well
@@thisisjb... I don't have that active no. The second track that I'm mixing in is analyzed at 138 for example. But then when sliding the bpm up, I end up at 140.3
@@marselyte thanks, I'll try that!
I find hot cues and loops to be most useful for hip hop since lotsa rap songs allow for just a couple bars before the vocals come in
Agreed!
loved it
You just need to filter in and out with the midi etc as it helps with looser transitions I find
I usually dj without cue points as i use vinyl, but have recently purchased a controller to do just this. Rekordbox and DVS just don't get on lol
Solid video
Hey mate if I want to upgrade from 400 go to flx 6 or ddj 1000
I'd go for the 1000 if you can afford it!
can you use cue points on club gear ..? i really enjoy using them .. cant wait to jump on a cdj
100%
Meaning he is an expert in Djing
Hey mate, great video. I haven't DJ'd for a few months and this made me want to get back into it. What decks are you using? Also, what speaker can I see at the edge of the screen there?
Ddj400
The speakers crap haha, but yesd the DDJ400 and I'd get either Pioneer DM40's - good starter kit. Also check out my course: www.clubreadydjschool.com/controller-to-club/ (sale ends tomorrow)
Great vid. Thanks! Quick question though please, Andrew: The two tunes you had playing around 09:00 why were they not drifting from each other as Deck 1 was 123BPMs and Deck 2 was 126 BPMs?
That part of the computer screen (shown on my video) is showing the original BPM of the tracks, the changed BPM is on the jogwheel part of the screen which I have cut off so you can see what I am doing on the gear. If you have a controller, hook it up and check it out and you'll know what I am saying :)
@@ClubReadyDJSchool Ah, gotcha. I did think that might be the case. My controller is at home but when I finish work I shall.
I'll also try and start one of your many tutorials but I've been so busy with work and courses. 😬
Cheers!
I mostly use 1 cue point only just to indicate where the lyrics start to just avoid lyrics on lyrics…
Hey Andrew
As you know I'm a beginner and cant wait for my mixer to turn up in a couple of weeks .
When you started playing for people how did you get used to the sound from the DJ both as I was play at my friends place and I was behind the sound not Infront of it like your videos ! It's a big difference a d very different .. do you have a video on this mate
I have always had monitor speakers to the left and right of me,, that has worked for me
@@rdenir definitely will try as I've been about the feel of the music in Front me not behind it as the sound and feel is something different ☺️
Question: do club gear have the beat jump function? Right now w my controller I come to heavily rely on this function, which so far serves me ok in the home set up.
Edit: to clarify I started djing ‘95 and used to play out. I have not played out literally since 2004. A year ago I decided to get a controller and LOVE the new possibilities and flexibility of digital setup. With vinyl if I come in the wrong phrase I would have very limited options to adjust, but now I can skip around w beat jump. I saw your video on looping in, which is fascinating but haven’t started practicing that yet.
Only the latest club gear - the CDJ3000's have beat jump but I doubt they're in clubs yet
I don't cue either but I'm average lol
I'm too lazy to set up cue points. Most electronic music has similar structure anyways.
Do Vynil, or how to really mix tracks without a screen 😂
lot of work setting cue points on thousands of songs
Thats da way i mixin without que points
Took me ~40 hours to prepare 400 song set with all cue points filling tags fixing grids and checking how I`m planning to go about it :)
Agreed mate . I dont get the chance to get the decks out alot so yeah my mixing it's totally off the cuff . It's all about having fun and goin where the music takes you 🎚️🎛️🎚️😜
@@aurimas5696 lol i got a macro that does everything for me when i’ve fixed the grid. Can’t imagine spending 40 hours on that
Cue Points were not even around when I started djing clubs, all done by ear and knowing the music, just a stop/start button and pitch control.
Nix over chorus? Very rarely. More like break downs.... let the song play
I always feel dull and slow when I play tracks with no cue points its feelings like auto play mix
I hear you, even though loads of people love mixing without cues, and admit it can be a fun way of exploring new music, I like set crafting and playing the best parts of each track and also feel this is a more exciting way to mix :)
♥♥
My opinion its easier to mix without cue points cuz it saves a lotta time
I think a lot of people share these thoughts :)