Want to learn how to mix songs? You’ve come to the right place!
Know how to mix songs is a lot easier than it looks. I can remember looking up at the DJ booth in a nightclub thinking “wow that looks so cool” and “I wonder if I can learn how to mix songs together?”. 9 years later and I’ve now DJ’d all around the world professionally and played with all of my favorite DJs. It all started from where you are now.
How To Mix Songs
The fact is that DJing and mixing songs together is not as complicated as it looks. All DJs really do when they mix songs together is blend one song after the other. So the goal of mixing is to play one song and then to have the next song fade in and play together at the same time as the first song, creating a unique mix of songs that has never been created before.
To do this the Dj must do a few simple things.
How To Mix Songs Together
First he has one song playing out loud. To mix songs he has to get the next song he wants to drop playing at the same speed. So he listens in his headphones to the song he will soon plan and he adjusts the speed of that song to be the same as the song that is playing live. This is known in the DJ world as beatmatching.
Once the DJ compares the song playing live over the speakers and the song in his headphones and judges that the song speeds are matched, he will then start the new song at the right time and turn its volume up. This causes the two songs to be playing together live.
Now sometimes when learning how to mix songs, when you have 2 songs live some of their sounds will clash. Two melodies or two vocals can sound terrible together for example. Some baselines may not work together. So to help DJs mix songs together DJ mixers have knobs to control the different layers in the song. These are called EQs.
Standard DJ Mixers will have a high eq knob which can turn up or turn down the treble – the high end of the song. Think hi hats, claps and symbol crashes. All DJ mixers also have a mid-eq knob as well. This is to turn up or down the mid range sounds, like a vocal or a melody. And all DJ mixers have a bass eq as well, for turning up or down the bass.
So if you have two songs that you want to mix together you can, for example, turn down the new songs mid-eq which will make the vocal and melody – the mid range – really quiet. Then when the vocal or melody ends in the first song you can switch the mid eqs of the two songs over, turning up the melody / vocal of the second song and turning down the first song.
Eventually your first song will end and your second song will be left playing. This is how you mix songs like a DJ!
During when you’re mixing songs together part of the fun is creating a new song from two different songs. You can play with the eqs more and add in effects to make it your own new sound. This is where mixing songs gets fun!
How To Mix Songs Online For Free
So if you want to know how to mix songs, one of the best ways to get started is to mix songs with a friend thats a DJ. Get him to show you how to mix songs together. If you don’t have a DJ friend (I didn’t. I was a nerd!) then one of the easiest ways to get started is to learn how to mix songs with free DJ software online.
There are a number of great pieces of software and aps that you can use to mix songs together for free to se if you like it. The top ones include:
and…
So there it is. You now know how to mix songs and you have two pieces of amazing, free software to help you learn how to mix songs together for free. Now just download the dj software and get started learning how to mix songs. The best way to get started is to just jump into the deep end.
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how do you know wat songs to put together.. i have been looking all over the place to find answers for this but cant find anything. i have the software but not equiptment. thnx
Hey Tom,
You develop this skill as you learn to DJ. The next track will just come to mind because it sounds similar to the track you already have playing.
Then once you start playing DJ gigs you’ll be able to watch the crowd and you’ll be able to FEEL what they want to hear next based on how they’ve reacted to songs you played earlier on.
hi umm i have a question im on a dance team and i need to mix songs for free do you have any recommendations for a wesite that will make me mix songs for free?
Love da DJ Tips! Great DJing tips and tricks! Thanks.
Hey Sean I’ve been receiving your emails for ages, I’ve read your website and watched your video’s and there is one thing you never ever mention about mixing. So I figure you don’t know about it or how it works! I wonder why none of the BIG names in DJ’ing have ever told you?
Beat mixing is but 1 part, email me and we’ll do a deal. You’re video (it will be for my 14yr old son) he wants to get into DJ’ing too when he’s old enough but as you know most kids dont wanna listen to their parents, they know it all. and in return I’ll send the secret of how to get those mixes sounding “perfect mix in tune” i’ll even include a chart of what mixes with what, this is the real secret and why not many know about it.
This method is used by DJ’s the world over including Nick Skitz who’s Sold more records than tiesto check it out!
kind regards
DJ BigKev™
Hey Sean, i subscribed to you recently and still haven’t gotten any emails yet. I thought id inform you because I’m really eager to start reading them.
Thanks, Tyler.
Hey Sean. I subscribed to you and have been waiting for your emails because im anxious to start.
- DJ Evolution
Hey, I have i question, if i use Virtual DJ, it’s is same beatmatch with real DJ deck? I play Hardstyle.
Find my mix at youtube, BLACKCRASHXX
Thanks for all tips.
when you mixing two songs whats are the things i listen for on the head phone when mixing for eg is it the beat ,the vocal or wati can mix but i can mix with my head phones on