Who here uses more than 2 decks to mix?

[lloydc]

I was watching a dj set using traktor earlier where the dj (yousef) had 4 decks going in traktor.

It made me wonder, how many people actually use more than 2 to mix? I'm not really refering to a 3rd deck for accapellas or other tools/sounds, I'm more refering to having 3 or more decks playing a song at once.

I've had 3 decks beatmatched before, and I was stoked, but to be honest it really didn't add anything special to what was coming out of the speakers.

Just wondering what your thoughts and experiences are?

[DjDennis]

If you asking about 4x Turntables then

yes many years ago ....

not now thats long since changed

when I was using that many

if I had the gear back then what I have today shit it would have been even more than that

its so much easier now days than its ever been

[Buck_Choi]

Wow how can you get 4 songs/beats goin at the same time and have them all beatmatched manually. I would like to see that

I only use 2 decks although I was trying with traktor to have 2 external and 2 internal... With a external mixer tryingto control them all but I didn't know how to do it lol

[DjDennis]

lol its easy after you have used 4x for awhile

but dont do that as I use to

cd decks can help now days

but a computer (at home) wow

what I could have done in 1983 if I had one then

I dont think an atari would have made the cut like the new stuff these days

what I use to do is have one t/t that has a beat playing - just one constant beat it wasw a full record with beats and nothing else

you have one song on one t/t and another song sitting on a 3rd so if and when you got close to the end of one song you had that one ready to mix in

wasnt easy learning but after some practice you got use to moving very fast between decks and mixing in the sounds

you can even have one deck that played effects and well the way it was done even at times amazed me! - I learnt from a few other Djs (some well in retirement)

but its the key word - "PRACTICE"

its the only way you can learn anything...

[Skank]

the most ive used at once is three when i went through my claude von stroke phase of mashin the shit outa everything

[DjDennis]

Skank try 4x now thats a challenge!

[Skank]

id like to but it would take a lot of prep and now that i edit all the music i play i do in one track what i woulda done on the 3 or four, thanks to the digital revolution i guess

[lloydc]

i'm going to get hold of some more decks and try 4... still pointless IMO, but i'll see how it goes.

skank, what kind of edits do you do to your tracks?

[tubby]

I often use 3 channels, whether 2 tuntables and one midi or all inside traktor. most often it's looping a beat over a transition or the like. Also having the same track on 2 or 3 decks to mess with a familiar track

Beatmatching it isn't do hard with practice. Just pick one as themaster and match the other two to it.

Finding stuff that sounds good with 3 or 4 layers is the real art

[Skank]

i usually rearrange the track like change the intro beats add vocals and just genrally try to make the tracks a bit harder hitting like get rid of breaks n stuff

[DjDennis]

Skank thats how you learn - I have seen a Dj (old days) use 6x Turntables

so the more practice the better you get

Tubby none of the new ways I am talking old school

using old ways of learning 4x turntables

I use to hook up cassette decks as well and have that ready and when they created CD players well that was even made it better but when I recorded a 60min CDR

it took 1.5hrs to record it on a 30x4x4 CDRW

there was one Dj that he laughed when we went to do some shopping (buying vinyl then) then to come back home and the CD was just about finished

see its a lot easier to create music electronicly then it was using turntables

oh and try with BELT driven ones now that was even harder, I would only use 2x

the only time I use to use 4x was when I had the technics SL1200's

anyway there is also another way of learning is using 7" Vinyl and beatmix with that (now that was hard but can be done) if the turntables was setup correctly

actually I am going to have a look where I have some phots on 35mm film of setups with the sl1200's and the old denon belt driven tables

wont happen overnight but I know I have some there...

keep practicing all - you can do it if you really wanted to...