Try to keep the headphone cue as low as possible so you can just hear the track you are mixing in. This means that the cueing track does not cover the track already playing and also puts a little bit of pressure on your cueing ear which does seem to help speed up the training of your 'ear'/brain to differentiate between the two tracks playing at the same time.
Learn to beat mix with minimal tracks recorded at the same speed first.
Take lots of breaks between mixing practices. Relax with it. Stress of trying to mix too quickly will slow down your learning ability. Stressing yourself out in practicing will be counterproductive. As soon as you get fed up take a days break. If you are already stressed don't bother practicing. Do Tai Chi or Yoga or some other exercise before practicing. Clear your head so that you can concentrate on the practice.
Make yourself psychologically stubborn. You will learn it if you really want to. It takes years to be really good but everyone who hears you will appreciate your efforts once you are out of staircasing the mixes. If you staircase the mix
grin, DON'T let it get you down!!!!
And as everyone says, practice (practice makes perfect)
Do it for yourself. Its like learning an instrument but the capabilities of sounds that you can produce once you are mixing reasonably well are far wider in range than any normal instrument.
Try to be particular on you music purchasing. Many djs spend the most of their money buying records/cds etc while learning. Be careful with your finances. Financial stress affects your ability to learn mixing. If you like an artists album pay for it. One day you may be the artist selling your production material. Treat other musicians in the same way you would like to be treated. Each dj settles into their own way of mixing after a while. Until then learn as many different possible ways that you can from other djs. Don't fear asking. Good djs love to tell others about their obsession and will talk for hours about it.
Practice either with other djs, or someone who will encourage you whatever mistakes you make or practice alone until you make few rooster ups and are happy for people to listen in.
I think most djs find that as they learn and get better the process is almost like jumping hurdles. You will practice and practice and then suddenly your ability will take a leap and you are over a hurdle, or onto the next level. In 10 years of djing I have never stopped getting to new levels, the break just becomes longer between the better you get.
Analyse the music, break it down into its component parts, the structure. Learn to do this and you will save a lot of time. Get a friend to show you some music production software so that you can see how the music is produced. Again this helps save a lot of time learning because you have a graphical image of the sounds put together.
If you want to club dj then do web research on sound production techniques and how sound is produced. Very interesting stuff and useful to know.
Remember all music is for entertainment and you shall become an entertainer if you learn it. You will entertain yourself at least or thousands of people at most if you become well known and sort after. Always keep you feet on the ground and respect djs that want to learn from you, there can never be too many djs.
Put your heart into it and you will succeed.
Best wishes with your new hobby/obsession and here's to your success and to the enjoyment that you and all who hear you play will get out of it.
Surf the sounds
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