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. For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... Pitch shift is a sound recording technique, in which the normal pitch or tone of a sound is altered (shifted), for effect or for other purposes. ... Timestretching, time stretching, timescaling or pitch control is the process of changing the speed or duration of an audio signal without affecting its pitch. ... The first two measures of Mozarts Sonata XI, which indicates the tempo as Andante grazioso and a modern editors metronome marking: = 120. “Andante” redirects here. ... The art of playing two records at the same time so that the beats of one occur at the same time as the other. ...

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. Electronic dance music (EDM) is a broad set of percussive music genres that largely inherit from 1970s disco music and, to some extent, the experimental pop music of Kraftwerk. ...

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. Francis Grasso was an American disc jockey from New York City, best known for inventing the technique of slip-cueing and later beatmatching which is the foundation of the modern club djs technique. ... A mechanical wind-up metronome in motion A digital metronome set to pulse at four beats per measure at a tempo of 130 BPM A metronome is a device that produces a regulated pulse, usually used to keep a beat steady in musical compositions. ... A DJ mixer is a type of audio mixer. ... A variable speed pitch control (or vari-speed) is a control on an audio device such as a turntable, reel-to-reel, tape deck or CD player that allows the operator to deviate from a standard speed (such as 33⅓ or 45 rpm in the case of a turntable). ...

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). Technics SL-1200MK2 The Technics SL-1200 is a series of turntables manufactured since October 1972 by Matsushita under the brand name of Technics. ... CD, DVD and SACD player A Compact Disc player (often written as compact disc player), or CD player, is an electronic device which plays audio Compact Discs. ... Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce sounds for some types of music. ... CDJ is a term used to describe a CD player which operates similarly to a turntable for the purposes of DJ-ing. ... Digital audio comprises audio signals stored in a digital format. ... Final Scratch is a DJ tool created by the Dutch company N2IT with input from Richie Hawtin (aka Plastikman) and John Acquaviva that allows manipulation and playback of digital audio sources using traditional vinyl and turntables. ... A DJ technology produced by Rane that allows the user to play mp3s from his or her computer using vinyl or CDs as a controller. ... Traktor DJ Studio is the most used DJ-Software in the world. ... Mixxx is an open source digital DJ’ing program designed for both professional and semi-professional users. ...

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)
  • At least two records or tracks (R1 and R2)
• One mixer or crossfader, capable of:
  • Variably blending the outputs of T1 and T2
  • 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:

bounce bounce

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. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

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 article: 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. Slip-cueing is a DJ technique originated by Francis Grasso that consists of holding a record still with his thumb and forefinger while a protective slipmat and the steel platter of the turntable revolved underneath. ...

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.

Step by step process of beatmatching

An example of one popular method of beatmatching:

1. Set DJ mixer to send only the audio from T1 to the main speakers
2. Start record playing on turntable T1
3. Set DJ mixer to send only the audio from T2 to the headphones
4. Start record playing on turntable T2
5. 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
6. 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)
7. Now you have T2 "cued up", begin counting along with the beats from T1
8. 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
9. Use the pitch control to alter the tempo of T2 so that it approximates that of T1
10. 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
11. 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. Slip-cueing is a DJ technique originated by Francis Grasso that consists of holding a record still with his thumb and forefinger while a protective slipmat and the steel platter of the turntable revolved underneath. ... putang ina. ... The platter is the part of a turntable on which a record rests when being played. ... A slipmat is a circular piece of slippery cloth or synthetic materials, designed to allow disc jockeys to turn or stop vinyl records on record players, or to scratch. ... putang ina. ... In music a phrase is a section of music that is relatively self contained and coherent over a medium time scale. ... putang ina. ... A variable speed pitch control (or vari-speed) is a control on an audio device such as a turntable, reel-to-reel, tape deck or CD player that allows the operator to deviate from a standard speed (such as 33⅓ or 45 rpm in the case of a turntable). ... In popular music a break is an instrumental or percussion section or interlude during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a break from the main parts of the song or piece. ...

See also

• Harmonic mixing
• Beatmixing
• Segue
• Cutting

Harmonic mixing is a technique in which a DJ will perform a continuous mix between two tracks that are most often either in the same key, or their keys are a perfect fourth or perfect fifth apart, or in a subdominant or dominant relationship with the original key. ... The art of playing two records at the same time so that the beats of one occur at the same time as the other. ... In music, segue is a direction to the performer. ... In hip hop music, cutting is a disc jockey technique, originated by DJ Grandmaster Flash, which is manually queueing up duplicate copies of the same record in order to play the same passage, cutting back and forth between them. ...

External links

• Advanced Vinyl Handling, a tutorial on DJing and mixing

• Beatmatching on CD decks (CDJ), video