How do you mix D&B???

a s u r a

New member
I'm new to this board so I want to give a big WHATS UP to everyone.

Anyways, I had a question abt. D&B- namely, how to go about mixing it. I've always loved it and I've recently become interested in learning mixing tips/techniques. I spin house so I am familiar w/ beatmatching already. Is there a structure that I have to adhere to when mixing?

I have heard that D&B is structured on a 3/3 beat as opposed to a 4/4 beat. What are the implications of this when beat-matching?

Finally, I was wondering if any of you had any recommendations as to which D&B records to buy for learning purposes (i.e. 2-step tracks, specific labels, etc.).

Thanks for your time!
 
Well, you know in house how you line the bass drums so they're ontop of one another? Well in DnB you get the snare drums ontop of one another. So, it's a bit like
Dum-Tis--DumTis/Dum-Tis--DumTis/Dum-tis--Dumtis/Dum-tis-Break/... etc. and you get the tis (being your snare) to be on top of one another. The break is what you usualy go by since it's the end of the bar.
It's the mixing that's majorly different than house since it's a much rougher mix (if you get what I mean). Unlike house you can slam in the break of another song then continue with the tune you started off with, then slowly introduce more of the new tune. Rarely will you hear DnB mixed in mellowly.
Most DnB tunes will have an intro bit then a break, then the actualy tune. So the easiest way is to play around with (introduce) the intro of 1, while 2's playing. Then slam it in and loose 2 when the break of 1 is over and it drops into the actual tune (the bit with the rough basslines and funky beats).
I'd say, for starting off, find tunes with basic beats where the makeup of the song is very obvious, like Urban Takeover. After a while your ear will get used to it and you'll know what's coming up automatically. If you start off with complex beats (e.g. most goldie tunes) you'll have a hard time since they're VERY irregular.
I'm sure there's people on here who'll be able to help you out better, but that's how I started off :) hope it helps
 
i gave an answer to this question on this forum a while ago so ill give u a brief one, look for my older reply.

listen to the tune and find the snare that repeats itself, it now has become your key. mix snares from two tunes together the same way you do it with house bass drum.
dont fall down to iregullar beats, alway use the snare that is the most basic.
as for the music, try to find some tracks that has the most simple 2 step build
 
D&B

Who the hell told d&b was 3/3 beat !!! ???
It's 4/4 ALL DANCE MUSIC is 4/4
D&B is constructed in a breakbeat manner so it sounds strange to ear but it 4/4 pattern. Mixing it is hard especially for the beginer because u won't be able to judge the beats properly at first this takes loads of practise. Right if u can spin house switching to d&b won't be to hard,the tempo is about 160bpm, give it a try, labels v recordings, moving shadow, reinforced records, Pimp records, Full cycle, those are few to check out.
 
I'm also in D&B, and I find no real problems mixing it:
anyway, fast cueing may help a lot, cuz when you're going wrong, it wil sound like a complete mess.
My opinion: as long as it sounds good, it's good!
Try to listen to Belgiums Millennium Kru as well,
they're definitely the best d&b mixers alive!
Peace
 
ooh, right, labels:
V, BC, Virus, renegade hardware, prototype, jonny L's stuff is also teally good
ciao
 
i would suggest listening to some drum and bass djs like Dieselboy or ak1200 and listen to how they mix their songs. a lot of d&b songs start with just a bassline or just a melody. this makes mixing very easy. a lot of Junglists i know (including myself) like it when all the drums drop out and all that's left is a heavy bassline. it adds an element of suspense.

if you want some drum and bass records go to http://www.breakbeatscience.com that's the best place. i swear by that website.
 
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