[Music] Beginning to DJ/Mix beats

[Snolove]

Not quite sure if i should of posted this in this section or another. Anyway i am in love with EDM/Trance music and have decided that i would love to learn how it as a side hobby for fun. I don't necessarily want to be a "DJ", i was just wondering if anyone knows of good computer programs to mix songs/tracks/beats together and form your own creation?
Thanks

[Andorfine]

I use Fl Studio, its pretty awesome for Trance music but i must say that it took quite a few times to understand the basics. After some years, i must say that it does the work for me.

[Jackmoves]

Traktor is solid.

As for creating your own music, a really pro but still basic setup would be to get a midi synth and Reason. That will cost you a bit of money though.

For basic edits of tracks(cut and paste jobs pretty much) I've always used cubase, by basic edits I mean for example if you want to edit out a cheesy vocal to make a otherwise nice track more club friendly or take a great track and extend it or rearrange it a bit to make it more personal or simply making it more DJ mix friendly.

Editing tracks makes your DJ sets a bit more exclusive to, which will make you more edgy as far as track selection goes.

[Rampant Rabbit]

Your best option would be Traktor. You can do it simple and mix with 2 decks, or you could extend your setup to 4 decks.

Playing with 2 decks is the standard setup. You import two tracks, play the first one, mix the second one whenever you seem it to be most fitting to mix in and transition to the 2nd track.

Playing with 4 decks allows you to add extra dimensions to the tracks you are currently playing, and mixing in. You can make some awesome DJ-edits of your favorite tracks if you work the loop function properly, and mix everything in in the way these tracks progress. Try checking out DJ Tools at beatport if you want to add an extra dimension to your mix.

As a house / techno DJ, I can't really tell you much about the mixing process as every genre has its own mixing style in DJing. Not to mention that every DJ has his own preferred mixing style. This cannot be dictated.


If you want to create your own productions, you can try out several DAW's.

Here's a little list of programs you could try:
- Ableton
- FL Studio
- Logic Pro (Mac only)
- Cubase
- REAPER (Free)
- Reason (NOT your typical DAW)
- Pro Tools (Although in my own opinion this is not preferable for EDM)

Just get a cracked version, and look up some tutorials. After that, listen to your favorite EDM tracks, and decide which one you would like to use as an influence/reference (ie. Similar style, but not a complete rip-off) for your own production.