When mixing tracks into a dance music dj mix, always drop in the second track on the first beat of a 32 (or 64 or 128) beat matrix from the first track. Listening for the turn-around in a song is your best cue point to drop a track - if you mix in too early or too late, the mix may not sound as proper as it should and the turn-around(s) of both tracks may clash.
Every dance music song is different, and experimenting with the various cue points is the key to a good mix. Really listen to the music you are mixing and know your tracks, backwards and forwards.
Make some love with that mix!
Dance music is created for the specific purpose of mixing and blending with other pieces of dance music. It is (for the most part) created in measures that have specific mathematic properties - these mathematically precise properties ensure that any given track will conveniently fit within the parameters of a proper/standard live mix.
Here is the breakdown of the standard dance music grid. You can easily see a pattern built upon the 4-beat-per-measure dance music concept.
(60 seconds play time @ 128bpm)
128 beat matrix
64 beats (4×4x4) + (4×4x4) 64 beats
32 beats + 32 beats + 32 beats + 32 beats
Example of a standard EDM track: 128 beats (mix-in), 128 beat matrix x 4 (body with movements), 128 beat (mix out).
Diverse forms of electronic dance music genres have varying formats of general structure. For instance: slower bpm genres of EDM may be constructed and move well within a 32-64 beat matrix (evolving as needed), while genres such as Progressive House and Drum n Bass tend to adhere well to the common 128 beat structure in long building and diminishing movements. The grid format is only a schematic in which a dance music producer uses to construct the music - and like any skeleton, bones may be broken and reassembled as deemed appropriate by the creator.
It comes as no surprise to anyone who has been listening to dance music for an extended amount of time, to hear that the evolution of dance music develops at the pace of a garden slug - at best. Every year (or sometimes every few years) there comes a track out of nowhere that is so innovative and fresh, it sets the standard for the genre - or even the entire sound from that point forward. Take Daft Punk for instance; by showcasing an ever-changing variety of melodic 8bit samples sliced and diced between a funky floor-friendly electronic backdrop, Daft Punk has been able to consistently rise to the top of the charts for well over a decade.
The reason for Daft Punk’s ongoing success is the fact that they experiment with their art/music, and create new sounds and styles of electronic dance music in the process. Instead of following the current genre trends, they are the trendsetters via experimentation. A producer can spend thousands of dollars a year keeping up with software and hardware development, but it does not mean that the music created will reflect their financial effort - at best, it only creates a dated sound. For the most part, dance music producers are follow-the-leaders, and create music that can only be sold within the current market restraints - this ensures that the overall sound and style of the music will gradually change over long periods of time - which is fine and dandy, but where is the experimentation - where is the art?
The evolution and advancement of the music itself depends solely on the breaking of rules and standards by artists and producers - Revolution by example. Be creative with your art - stir the emotions - engage the listener - it is the only thing that really matters.
Bass is a tricky and beastly character to work with, particularly within the digital realm. When constructing/manipulating bass lines, and especially sub-bass lines, it is always best to start out with uncompressed 24bit+ sound (of you have access to it). Use your equalization software to minimize and round off the ocean-like sub-rumble of the 40hz (and below) range while maintaining (or boosting) the thickness of the 120-300hz ranges - then you can safely proceed to maximize the volume of the bass itself without compression (save the compression for the pre-mix). Of course, every producer has their own trade tricks to make a track really boom, but in the end, it all comes down to an intricate balancing act between proper frequency output and compression.
Remember: compression can be your best friend, or worst enemy - depending on how you work it - no diggity.
Audacity - one of the best free audio software applications available on the net.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Audacity has been around for years and is constantly being improved and updated by a host of dedicated users - The program is as solid as anything else on the market. With its simple interface, a producer can easily manipulate16/24/32 bit WAV audio with a variety of on-board effects and applications. One massive advantage to producers using Audacity is the audio manipulation capability achieved with virtually no digital distortion (although, you can certainly find that digital glitched-out sound if the file is tweaked hard enough).
If you are interested in discovering hidden treasures that lie within your loops and samples, give them a squeeze in this program and watch as your cup runneth over.
Tip of the week: When composing new music in a software mixing environment, don’t over-compress your audio in the mix - and make sure to leave enough headroom in the mix-down for the final mastering job. Maximizing your volume on analog tape is one-thing, but over-compressing in a digital environment can lead to serious sound issues with your final mix.
So, keep your mixes solid and your bottom end off the bottom end.