How to Mix Music on Turntables

Not only is the creation of music itself a highly artistic process, but the mixing and combination of finished pieces of music is as well. When the first turntables were played side by side, a whole new area of possibilities was opened up for music. Hip-hop and rap were essentially born out of this collision and have grown and advanced quickly. Here is how basic mixing on a turntable is done.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Two turntables
• Mixer

1. Choose which kind of turntables you are comfortable with. The older variety is going to be cheaper, but you can only scratch records. New digital turntables are available that allow you to mix CDs or mp3s. These newer ones will be more common in today’s clubs.
2. Connect the turntables to your DJ mixer. The mixer should be in between the two turntables. It has a fader left and right, which regulates which turntable will be playing, and two faders up and down on each side to control the volume of those turntables.
3. Find good music to mix together. You can buy loops specially made for this sort of mixing, or you can peruse your own music collection. If you choose the latter, make sure the songs are in the same key and generally work together with each other.
4. Slide the fader over side-to-side and check the volume of each turntable. You can do this individually or at once by leaving the fader dead center. Adjust volume by sliding the vertical faders upward for more volume and downward for less.
5. Start one track, get the rhythm down and then push "Play" on the other track on beat. If you’ve chosen your tracks right, they should sink up and create a new complex sound. You can the drop elements in and out, scratch and tamper with the EQ of each turntable as you see fit. Practice over and over and try your luck at house parties or nightclubs. It can be a fun and rewarding past time.