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'Beatmatching' is a disc jockey technique of pitch shifting or timestretching a track to match its tempo to that of the currently playing track. This allows beatmixing, smooth mixing between the tracks without stopping the beat or changing the tempo.
The technique was developed to keep the people from leaving the dancefloor at the end of the song. These days it is considered basic among DJs in electronic dance music genres, and it is standard practice in clubs to keep the constant beat through the night, even if DJs change in the middle.

Contents

History

Technique

Selecting appropriate songs

Counting

Slip-cueing

Matching tempos

Step by step process of beatmatching

See also

External links

History

Beatmatching was invented by Francis Grasso in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Initially he was counting the tempo with a metronome and looking for records with the same tempo. Later a mixer was built for him by Alex Rosner which let him listen to any channel in the headphones independently of what was playing on the speakers; this became the defining feature of DJ mixers. That and turntables with pitch control enabled him to mix tracks with different tempo by changing the pitch of the ''cued'' (redirected to headphones) track to match its tempo with the track being played by ear. Essentially, the technique he originated hasn't changed since.
These days beatmatching is considered central to DJing, and features making it possible are a requirement for DJ-oriented players. In 1978, the Technics SL-1200MK2 turntable was released, whose comfortable and precise sliding pitch control and high torque direct drive motor made beatmatching easier and turned it into the industry standard among DJs. With the advent of the compact disc, DJ-oriented Compact Disc players with pitch control and other features enabling beatmatching (and sometimes scratching), dubbed CDJs, were introduced by various companies. More recently, software with similar capabilities has been developed to allow manipulation of digital audio files stored on computers using turntables with special vinyl records (e.g. Final Scratch, Serato Scratch Live) or computer interface (e.g. Traktor DJ Studio, Mixxx).

Technique

The following equipment is necessary for beat matching:

★ Two audio sources (Two turntables (T1 and T2) with pitch controls and slipmats or two CD decks with pitch control)

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★ At least two records or tracks (R1 and R2)

★ One mixer or crossfader, capable of:

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★ Variably blending the outputs of T1 and T2

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★ Cueing the music playing into DJ's headphones on either audio source without outputting the sound to the audience

★ Headphones

★ A Public Address System (PA) or other form of amplification and speakers
The following skills are necessary for beat matching:

Selecting appropriate songs

Although experienced DJs often show off by beat matching songs that do not follow these rules, while learning it is best to select songs with similar BPMs (Beats Per Minute). You also generally want to choose a record on T1 with an instrumental outro or a record on T2 with an instrumental intro, to avoid a sound that is too cluttered during the time in which both records are playing. These instrumental parts do not need to be at the beginning or end of the song, and many DJs like to make smooth transitions at unexpected places.

Counting

In order to recognize the tempo of music, you must be able to count beats. Most music designed for dancing has a strong, apparent beat, and is in the 4/4 time signature, which makes beat matching easier. To properly beat match you need to be able to recognize the first beat of the measure or bar, or the 1 in a count of 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 . . . If you were to continue this count past 4, one minute later you will have arrived at the BPM. A quicker way to calculate the BPM is to use the same method as counting to one minute, but count to 15 seconds instead then multiply by 4.
When counting, it is also useful to think in broad terms about the sections of the song, which will usually have a length equal to some multiple of 4 bars. Most commonly, if you count the bars in a section of a song, they will be 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 bars in length. This information helps the DJ decide at which point during T1 he must start T2 in order for the sounds of one track to fade as the other builds, or whatever effect is desired.

Slip-cueing

Main articles: Slip-cueing

While one record is played over the main speakers, you must be able to find the appropriate place to come in on the other over your headphones. This is done by physically moving the record back and forth with your hand. The beat that you select should generally be a "hit" on the bass drum near the beginning of the song. This also should be the first beat of the measure. DJs will often use a sticker in center of their record to mark where the first main beat of the record takes place, to make it easier to find. Once found, you need to physically hold the record still and prevent it from spinning, thus pausing the sound. To start it again, simply release the record. You will need to physically rewind the record and start it several times, until you are confident that you have found the first beat and can start it at the exact moment that you desire.

Matching tempos

When two records are playing simultaneously, you listen to both and note which beat is running ahead or lagging behind, and adjust the pitch control accordingly. At least initially, it is best to make all adjustments on T2, so that the tempo of the music playing to the crowd is not erratic. Another technique, if you already know the BPMs for both records (because you have measured them yourself or looked them up in a reference guide or the internet), is to "cheat" and figure out how you need to adjust the pitch control mathematically. Many DJs use a combination of both, using measured BPMs to approximately match tempos and then fine tuning their adjustment by ear.
Although the fundamental process in beatmatching vinyl & beatmatching CD decks is the same (adjusting pitch to maintain synch), the operation of the pitch sliders is different. On CDJs, the DJ can see the amount of pitch change in a readout "-1.05%", for example. Simply moving the pitch slider a milimeter does not mean the pitch has changed. This is because it depends on how well the CDJ deck can convert a mechanical slider input to a digital pitch response. Once the CD DJ has matched the beats, he usually only has to adjust pitch + or - 0.5% to 0.1%. Thus, receiving feedback in the readout is helpful because then the DJ "knows" the pitch is changing before he ever hears it in his headphones; however, this does not reduce the difficulty of matching beats in the DJ's headphones.
The pitch slider on a turntable is a bit different - typically there is no quantitative readout of the pitch change, only the "feel" of how far the DJ has nudged the slider or seeing that the slider has moved a milimeter or so. This adds to the difficulty of beatmatching on vinyl.
It's very helpful for the DJ to "know the error." Beatmatching is generally accomplished by listening to the live track (T1 - that the audience hears) in one ear and the new track (T2) in the other ear then synching those two audio sources. The basic assumption is that the tracks are always drifting apart. When the new track is brought in INTENTIONALLY faster (higher tempo, for example) than the live track, the DJ already knows the error (or drift direction) and makes it easier to maintain/correct the drift as it happens. The DJ must trust the timing, trust himself - trust that the beats are drifting in the direction they started in the first place.

Step by step process of beatmatching

An example of one popular method of beatmatching:
# Set DJ mixer to send only the audio from T1 to the main speakers
# Start record playing on turntable T1
# Set DJ mixer to send only the audio from T2 to the headphones
# Start record playing on turntable T2
# Let T1 continue to play, and without stopping the turntable reposition the stylus on T2 so that the needle is at the start of the song
# Employ the slip-cueing technique to identify the first beat on T2, and halt the movement of the record with your finger, allowing the turntable platter to spin underneath (this is aided by use of a slipmat)
# Now you have T2 "cued up", begin counting along with the beats from T1
# When you reach the end of a phrase, release the record on T2 so that it starts at the same time as the next beat on T1
# Use the pitch control to alter the tempo of T2 so that it approximates that of T1
# If the percussive intro of T2 finishes before you have matched the tempos, restart T2, repeating steps 6 to 9 until the tempo of T2 matches T1 exactly
# Both records are now beatmatched
Once mastered, this skill allows you to layer one record over another and create smooth transitions between different songs. After you have matched beats, you can also fade in and out smoothly between songs, and cue back either song to the beginning, thus extending both songs indefinitely. The same technique can also be used to isolate breaks, using two copies of the same record to extend a short "break-down" section as long as is desired.

See also

★ Harmonic mixing

★ Beatmixing

★ Segue

★ Cutting

External links

★ Advanced Vinyl Handling, a tutorial on DJing and mixing

★ Beatmatching on CD decks (CDJ), video