The DJ Podcast » Episodes

Episode 026 – Sick Leave

Peter — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:05:39 +0000

HD Download: Episode 026 | Subscribe on iTunes

Episode 026? Oh right…
Between being sick for almost a week, and having to go away this weekend for work, there wasn’t enough time to produce an episode. If you can’t wait to get your fix of The DJ Podcast, head over to our Facebook Page and suggest a topic for an upcoming video. Don’t forget that ff you have feedback on the show please leave a comment or send an email through our contact page.

Episode 025 – New Episode Format, Ableton Mix Templates, and Recording Your Mix in Audacity

Peter — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:37:33 +0000

HD Download: Episode 025 | Watch this video on Viddler or Vimeo | Subscribe on iTunes

New Episode Format
The DJ Podcast is going through some changes. The most obvious will be format of each episode. Each episode will be more than just one video tutorial each week. Expect to see segments focusing on recent industry news, product announcements, and quick tips. If you have feedback on the new show format please leave a comment or send an email through our contact page.

Mix Templates
In episode 012 I demonstrated how to automate a DJ mix in Ableton Live. One time-consuming aspect of this technique is applying effects and creating automation lanes. To save time, you can set up an empty mix template with the effects and automation already lanes in place. To create your mix template start a new project, switch to the arrangement view, and start adding your effects and automation lanes. When you’re finished, save the project and use it as a base for your mixes. If you want see how I have set my project up, you can download my Ableton Live Mix Template.

Record and Encode Your DJ Mix in Audacity
Audacity is a free audio-editing program that runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux. It’s lightweight interface and ease of use makes it a great program to record and encode your DJ mixes. Download the installer and LAME MP3 Encoder Binary for your operating system and install them. After installation, run Audacity and go into the preferences. Navigate to the “File Formats” on a Mac, or the “Libraries” on Windows, and locate the LAME library that you installed earlier. If Audacity does not automatically find the library navigate to /usr/local/lib/audacity on a mac, or the folder you installed the .dll to on Windows. When you’re ready to record your mix, hit the red recording button. Press stop when you are finished. Simply select “Export as MP3″ on a Mac, or select MP3 after clicking “Export” on Windows, name your file and insert the appropriate metadata.

Episode 024 – Adjust the BPM in Ableton Live as You Mix

Peter — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:30:09 +0000

I showed you how to automate BPM changes in Ableton Live in episode 018. Youtube user Birdhouse19 left a comment asking how to do this on the fly instead of automating it. In this video I will go over 3 ways to change the BPM in the mix.

The first way to change the BPM is similar to the quick swap method I described in Episode 018. Simply type the BPM you want to change to into the tempo box, wait until the point where you want the change to occur, and hit enter. If you want to fade from one bpm to another you can click on the tempo box and use the arrow keys to go up and down by 1 BPM each click. The best way is to do this is to use a midi controller. Map a knob to the project’s tempo and set the appropriate min/max values. Then turn the knob to adjust the BPM as you mix by turning the knob.

Download: Episode 024 | Watch this video on Vimeo or Viddler | Subscribe to the DJ Podcast on iTunes

Episode 023 – Serato Scratch Live to Native Instruments Traktor

Peter — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:30:00 +0000

When it comes to Digital Vinyl Systems, Native Intrument’s Traktor and Serato’s Scratch Live, are the two big players in the market. Each system have loyal fans and few rarely use both. Switching from using one system and another can be a time-consuming, and somewhat difficult, process. In this week’s video tutorial, I present a few vital preferences and one software applications to ease the transition from Scratch Live to Traktor.

You can download the SSL Database Importer from Native Instrument’s Forums.

Download: Episode 023 | Watch this video on Vimeo or Viddler | Subscribe to the DJ Podcast on iTunes

Episode 022 – Set Your Mixer Levels

Peter — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:00:45 +0000

The key to recording a good DJ mix is maintaining a consistent volume level without distorting. It is important for your audio to stay at an adequate level throughout your signal chain. In this video tutorial, I go over how to correctly set the levels on your mixer to ensure that you are not sending a distorted signal out of your mixer.

Download: Episode 022 | Watch this video on Vimeo or Viddler | Subscribe to the DJ Podcast on iTunes

Episode 021 – Stutter Edits in Ableton Live

Peter — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:00:25 +0000

In previous episodes I have demonstrated various techniques using Ableton Live. In this video tutorial I will demonstrate how to create a stutter edit. A stutter edit it similar to creating a loop on a CDJ and cutting the loop in half multiple times. I recently used this technique in a guestmix and thought it was worth sharing.

Download (720p HD .MOV): Episode 021 | Watch on Vimeo or Viddler

Episode 020 – M-Audio X-Session Pro Review

Peter — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 12:00:32 +0000

This week’s episode is a short review of the M-Audio X-Session Pro. The M-Audio X-Session Pro is a great controller to start DJing with. It retails for around $100 and comes with Torq LE. Watch my video review for more information and feel free to submit your own thoughts of the controller.

Download (720p HD h.264): Episode 020 | Watch this video on Viddler or Vimeo.

Episode 019 – Trevor Nygaard Interview

Peter — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:00:18 +0000

This episode features an interview with Trevor Nygaard from Denver, CO. We discuss such topics as Native Instrument’s Traktor, the importance of producing a radio show/podcast, and organizing your own night at a club. You don’t want to miss this!

Download (720p HD .mov): Episode 019 | Watch this video on Vimeo or Viddler.

Episode 018 – BPM Automation Changes in Ableton Live

Peter — Fri, 21 May 2010 12:00:12 +0000

I covered making a mix in Ableton Live using automation in Episode 012. One thing that I did not cover was how to change the BPM (tempo) in the mix. This episode features a demonstration of two ways to change the BPM in your automated DJ mix.

Download (720p HD .mov): Episode 018 | Watch this video on Vimeo or Viddler.

Episode 017 – Serato Scratch Live Playlists

Peter — Fri, 14 May 2010 17:39:19 +0000

Serato recently added a playlists feature that allows you to share your playlists with the world on your Serato.com profile. In this video I demonstrate how to use the live playlist feature in
Scratch Live 2.0 to share your tracklist in realtime.

Download (720p HD .mov): Episode 017