Bass Changeover and it's roll in signalling track dominance.

[John Vella]

This is a style question with regards to changing over the bass from the track you are playing to the new one comming in.

I'm sure many DJs do a bit of both depending on the tunes and style of music, but generally speaking which of the following to you employ MOST OF THE TIME:

1) Do you like to 'declare' the new track is 'taking over' (becoming the dominant track) with a more sudden change of bass? (with the new tracks bass comming in at the appropriate beat/measure almost screaming "OK GUYS!!! BANG!!! HERE's THE NEW TRACK TAKING OVER NOW!!!!")

OR

2) Do you prefer a very slow gradual blend of both bassess? One where it happens so methodically and smoothly, that there is NOT a more aggresive "declaration" of the new tune being made... The new tune has snuck in like an expert ninja theif in the night, slowly taking away from the current tune, while gradually blending in the bass of the new one (also obviously being done at proper times--so there are no off-timed shifts in bass--albiet in this case they are VERY gradual ones and certainly not noticed by the casual raver or club-goer)

KEEP IN MIND.... When I mention method 1, the mix is still smooth and layered for a while... perhaps just as long as method 2.... I'm strictly talking bass here...

ALSO, for lovers of Method 2, How do u compensate for this lack of aural drama? Do u do something to give the mix a more exciting sense of "closure" via Special Effects or whatever? Or do u feel there's no need to compensate for anything?

VERY CURIOUS!!!! :)

IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO I CAN TRY TO RE-WORD IT....

I am really anxious to know people's views on this....

-jOHNNY

[miromiric.]

i am not so competent to talk about djing techniques, all i know i like to slowly mix one track into another most of the time, but bass changes i like to make very abruptly, lowering one bass and bringing up the new at the same time or wlowering first and bringing another after 4 or 16 bars.

[wenna]

fukkin hell!!!!!! that avatar is mental :lol:

[DJZeMig_L]

I would say 90 % of the time the 1st ... most fast changes don't really sound that good (IMHO) there's generally a total decompensation of average total volume when that happens, also a lot of the tracks r really bottom rich so u kill the bass = u kill the tune... Still some styles suit this kind of fast mixing... But i would say its very much down 2 the quality of the eq, I don't like kills on the main eq, i rather have them seperate (if possible as switches and as rotary).. 2 me normal eq is 15 db cut and gain... maybe I am a bit of a tradicionalist...

I tend 2 mix by lowering the channel while compensating with the mid eq. if this is smooth it fools yer ear 2 believe u ain't lowering the channel at all , with this u gain space for the channel that's coming in!.. this is based on 2 sort of theorys..
1 - most of us pay attention mainly 2 the mids, 'cause very soon we start loosing the listeng of highs and lows (play a sine with the same vol @ 100 HZ, 1Khz and 10KHz... u'll realise the 1 KHz sounds lot's higher!!), also most of the sounds are around the mid range (lower and higher range)...

2 - we only perceive vol changes if they r bigger than 3db so if u take out a channel by small smooth progressive steps u don't really notice much..


anyways mixing is an art .. no science so there isn't any fixed absolute rules..

My 2 cents,

Z

[MARKEG]

i'm the '****in ave this new bass' type of guy...

hehe...

[Chazbloke]

prob the first type most of the time - but i hold both basslines together at half cut on the bass for each tune, then slowly build one up, take one down or whatever...
depends, acutually i do both, prob the same amount, cos i dont like to stick to one mix type... do some "ave it" ones, do so smoooth ones... whatever is needed...
sorry, rambled

[iron maiden]

i like to mix it up and make my sets diverse, then it becomes less predictable. i prefer to drop bass bombs but smooth blends have there place. with the blending of bass you really gotta make sure the two tracks are in key. that is a big pet peeve of mine...it is like fingernails on a chalkboard...

i-ron.

[TripleX]

1st one most of the time,
i just cut the 2nd track in ( bass switched off), wait untill there´s a break on the first track and then switch basses when the 1st bass comes back.
to me that kind of mixing makes only sense if you mix on the rigght bars, if you don´t the second one is better