DJing for Dummies: Beatmatching
, by Graig Upton, 3 min reading time
Beatmatching is the skill that turns two separate tracks into one continuous piece of music. It means adjusting a second track so its beats play in perfect time with the track already running, letting you blend from one to the other without the rhythm stumbling. It sounds like magic the first time you hear it done well, but it breaks down into a few clear steps.
Start with the tempo. Get the two tracks running at a similar speed first. Using the pitch fader on the incoming track, nudge its BPM up or down until it matches the track playing out to the room. The closer the two tempos, the less work everything after this takes.
Cue the incoming track on its first beat. With your headphones on, set the next track ready to go from its first beat, then release it so it drops in time with a beat of the track already playing. Getting that starting point right is what makes the two lock together rather than fight each other.
Listen to both at once. Use your headphone cue to hear the incoming track against the live one. If the beats are together, you will hear a single, tight pulse. If they are slightly apart, you will hear a flam, a little galloping double-hit, which tells you the tracks are out of alignment and need nudging.
Nudge the beats into line. If the incoming track is running slightly behind, give the platter or jog wheel a gentle forward push to catch up; if it is ahead, ease it back for a moment. These small corrections slide the beat into place without changing the overall tempo.
Trim the pitch to stop drift. If the two keep pulling apart no matter how often you nudge, the tempos are not quite equal. Make a tiny adjustment to the pitch fader, then check again. Once the beats hold together on their own, you are matched and ready to bring the track in with the volume and EQ.
What about the sync button? Sync will line the beats up automatically, and there is nothing wrong with using it. That said, learning to beatmatch by ear is worth the effort, because it works on any equipment, it saves you when an analysis is slightly off, and it gives you a far better feel for the music under your hands.
Beatmatching rewards practice more than anything else, so the sooner you start, the sooner it becomes second nature. Our turntables, DJ controllers and DJ mixers are all good places to build the skill, with more starter guides on the DJ advice blog.