what do you guys use????

[02tranzam]

ive posted this question in the dj equipment forum, but there isnt alot of traffic over there as it is here so ill give it a shot here.
what type of equipment is used to make really elaborate mixes. mixes where it seems snipets of a song are coming right after the next like rapid fire. what is being used to accomplish this? ive been mixing for years doing the traditional turntable to turntable and cd to cd. but i want to turn it up a notch.
do i buy a multitrack recorder? if so what kind? i know these are used mostly by musicians but are these what dj's use to take there mixing to the next level?
i also want to know what kind of beat machines are out that are good.
i know djs like to talk about there equipment so please share with me what you guys use.
thanx
carmine

[BrunoRepublic]

ive posted this question in the dj equipment forum, but there isnt alot of traffic over there as it is here so ill give it a shot here.
what type of equipment is used to make really elaborate mixes. mixes where it seems snipets of a song are coming right after the next like rapid fire. what is being used to accomplish this?

If this is for mixing done in real-time, I would think this is done by sampling -- either with a dedicated hardware or DJ sampler, or a software equivalent. This would allow you to have any number of loops or snippets available at your fingertips.

ive been mixing for years doing the traditional turntable to turntable and cd to cd. but i want to turn it up a notch.
do i buy a multitrack recorder? if so what kind? i know these are used mostly by musicians but are these what dj's use to take there mixing to the next level?

I don't think a multi-track recorder would do much good, certainly not a tape-based one. This is one area where software is a lot more flexible (and cheaper).

i also want to know what kind of beat machines are out that are good.

Do you mean drum machines (totally obsolete now), MIDI drum modules (mostly obsolete) or "groove samplers" aimed at DJs?

I'm not a DJ so I can't help too much here... but I can tell you that the methods of mixing and making dance music have changed very drastically in the last 5 years, with everything going from expensive dedicated hardware to very affordable software. I would assume the same has happened with elaborate mixing techniques as well.

[QUINNY]

O2tranzam: If you're talking live mixes, then they are sampling / looping for sure.
If you're talking CD releases, they're probably using something like Protools or Sadie (or a million other types of software that are available). Using software like this, it would be a doddle to produce the most amazing mixes ever. You can line up one track beneath the other visually. Stretch beats to fit exactly. Time fades and crossovers to exact precision. Run segments underneath at an exact level. EQ, add FX etc etc. Create loops or segments which you just cut and paste. The list of things you can do is endless.

[02tranzam]

thank you graham and quinny for your input.
the mixing im talking about is not live or real time mixing.
im talking more of the professinal kind (kind of like jock jams for one). what kind of setup do i need?
in the past when i wanted to make an elaborate mix i would lay down a "base track" and mix a portion of a song on top of it. then i would stop tape and play it back again while recoprding onto another tape or minidisc adding another song, and so on and so on. creating a megamix, but there's got to be a more advanced way of doing this with the technology we have now. i would think a digital multitrack recorder would do the trick but you guys say its not so. if its software or hardware that i need then what should i get? i appreciate you guys taking the time to discuss this with me.
carmine

[02tranzam]

thank you graham and quinny for your input.
the mixing im talking about is not live or real time mixing.
im talking more of the professinal kind (kind of like jock jams for one). what kind of setup do i need?
in the past when i wanted to make an elaborate mix i would lay down a "base track" and mix a portion of a song on top of it. then i would stop tape and play it back again while recoprding onto another tape or minidisc adding another song, and so on and so on. creating a megamix, but there's got to be a more advanced way of doing this with the technology we have now. i would think a digital multitrack recorder would do the trick but you guys say its not so. if its software or hardware that i need then what should i get? i appreciate you guys taking the time to discuss this with me.
carmine

[02tranzam]

thank you graham and quinny for your input.
the mixing im talking about is not live or real time mixing.
im talking more of the professinal kind (kind of like jock jams for one). what kind of setup do i need?
in the past when i wanted to make an elaborate mix i would lay down a "base track" and mix a portion of a song on top of it. then i would stop tape and play it back again while recoprding onto another tape or minidisc adding another song, and so on and so on. creating a megamix, but there's got to be a more advanced way of doing this with the technology we have now. i would think a digital multitrack recorder would do the trick but you guys say its not so. if its software or hardware that i need then what should i get? i appreciate you guys taking the time to discuss this with me.
carmine