How to beatmatch by ear?
Nowadays, it became easy to be a DJ, and anyone can say that he or she knows how to DJ.
Some apps and gadgets do the work for you. Smooth transitions than even the best artists in the world couldn’t imagine. Plenty of effects that would make your music resonate in a dimension we couldn’t even think of. I even saw a startup that wanted to develop only a crossfader as simple hardware. (Sorry, the link is in French, but the picture speaks for itself)
Well, all of that is great. It’s good that anyone can discover the art of DJing that easily. Everyone can use a smartphone to train or to see if this hobby can be their next dream job.
But does it make you a DJ right away? The answer is, sorry to say, no. (and this applies to me also)
And to understand why we need to go through the DJ journey. The ones which consist in mastering all the techniques to mix well and to transform a practice into an art.
Beatmatching by ear is one of the most important. Because it registers you into the bottom of the passionate people, and that’s enough for earning respect.
Let’s dig in.
What is beatmatching?
Beatmatching consists in modifying the tempo of the music we are mixing to adjust it to the one we are playing. To do so, we need to prepare the new music while the other one is running. By listening to it in our headphones and adjusting the pitch, we transform the speed of the music. Then, we can phase both music and prepare our transition to make a smooth mix. It avoids interruptions, brutal transitions, and beats not being in phase. The last one is truly awful to hear.
In the beginning, beatmatching was done by ear as the technology wasn’t as advanced. It was hard to achieve, and not everyone could do it. One needed to have the appropriate practice to perform such a task. And the equipment wasn’t as accessible because it was expensive.
However, today, with the rise of DJ software, beatmatching has become effortless. Software or apps analyze your music and give you the BPM directly. It allows any DJ to know precisely the tempo of their music instead of adjusting it. It also helps people to make smoother transitions without the need of investing a consequent amount of work.
Why is that problematic?
In a way, technology made the job of DJ easier but maybe too easy.
Then, a skill that required passion and dedication became accessible to anyone. Everybody started to consider themselves as a DJ even if they didn’t have the same amount of practicing hours. Equipment that required a huge investment became available for the masses.
The sacred characteristic of DJing might have been hurt. And let’s be honest, the privileged status of DJ has been threatened by the fact that doors opened up.
At the same time, isn’t DJing an art? And what differentiates an artist from other people? It is the amount of time he spent to master his arts. Even if it means losing time in some unproductive activities.
That is why beatmatching by ear is more respected than beatmatching with software. It belongs to the art side of DJing.
Why is beatmatching by ears so important?
As said in the previous paragraph, beatmatching by ears belongs to the state of arts of DJing. It’s a skill. And as with every skill, it asks for dedication, regularity, and work. That is not something one masters in one night. It’s a competence that is acquired through time, through experience, and mostly, through pain.
Beatmatching by ear is traumatizing. Your mixes sound awful at the beginning. You question yourself if you’re a good DJ. And you can flirt with the verge that would let you stop everything.
But it also reveals passion. If you’re strong enough to not stop and to master it, it means that you like DJing for what it is. If you’re dedicated enough to overcome shame and painful mixes, then it means that you’re not DJing necessarily for the girls or the fame. Yet it can come on the way, but it’s not what you’re looking for. And this is honorable.
People will notice it and will give you more credit, more respect. Respect is something you need if you want to grow. You can be highly talented, if no one respects you, you’re nothing. While if you’re hard-working and respectable, success, as you define it, can show up one day.
What is a skill when you know you don’t need to sweat to get it? What is a pleasure when it comes too easily?
Sorry for those wise words, but I needed to show the importance of beatmatching by ear before continuing.
How to beatmatch by ear – The process
You can beatmatch by ear on any device. To do so, you’ll need your usual material for mixing. Vinyl, turntables, or controllers. I am not going to explain how to do here, but I guess you already know. And you’ll need to HIDE YOUR BPM AND STOP YOUR SYNC.
As simple as that. Because the temptation is there, you will look, and it isn’t what we want.
Then let’s see the process.
Setup your songs
To start with, take 2 tunes with distinct beats and almost similar BPM. You can also start with a similar BPM but then you’re not adjusting the tempo. And it’s the most important skill you need to develop. So don’t take 2 songs with a similar BPM (but close).
Load both songs on your equipment. Connect your headphones and orient your speakers to your face. Having a good sound will help you. If you can take away the screen of your laptop (if you use one), it’s even better. But in that case, you need to know your controller (or turntable) by heart.
Then, start the first song. While it is running, play the second one in your headphones trying to match the beats. If those two songs don’t have a similar BPM, you will notice a gap. This is our enemies, and the clock is ticking to fight it.
Adjust the tempo
To do so, you’ll have to play with the pitch(tempo), either increasing it or slowing it down. And start the second sound over, always trying to be on the beat to see if your new tempo matches the one of the music playing. You do that over and over until both tracks are in phase. You’ll need to turn the jog to do so. But that’s how you do on paper.
Another thing to take into consideration is your headphones. There are also differences between the sound from your headphones and the one coming out of your speakers. Sometimes, when you hear the second sound in your headphones, you think everything is fine. Then you do your transition and you figure out it’s not. It’s because the sound in your headphone and the one on your speakers has those milliseconds that kill everything and makes your mix awful. So be careful with how you hear everything in your system. Makes sure you’re comfortable with it.
Then do you transition
As simple as that!
How to beatmatch by ear – The state of mind
Now that we have seen the basics, let’s see the state of mind you’ll need to be to learn how to beatmatch by ear.
At first, you might fail a lot
Beatmatching by ear is exhausting, painful, and annoying at first. Except if you’re a genius at it, your mixes will sound horrible. You will spend two-third of the music trying to beatmatch just to understand that you have almost no time to mix anything then. You will prepare everything, think that music is on point and then hear this gap. As if someone would knock at your door asking for the rent. You will go through the joy of doing one good transition, being super excited, and then do shit for the next fives ones.
Let’s be honest: it is normal.
As said, it’s a skill to develop. A capacity to differentiate two music when played at the same time. It’s not instinctive and doesn’t come naturally. You’ll have to train your ears and most importantly, train yourself. There will be days with and days without. And that’s normal.
My advice here is then to train a little bit every day when you have time with. First, with tunes, you like and then by extending everything. You won’t have to do a DJ contest tomorrow, will you? So you don’t have to master everything overnight.
Make it an habit
Take your time, see that as a long-term skill to acquire. Let your brain understand everything. Maybe two sessions of 30 minutes per day with a dozen of music you like. When you’re tired, you stop and do something else and come back. Of course, you can challenge yourself sometimes and do something longer. But the thing is to not exhaust and frustrate yourself.
At one point, it will come, it will become more obvious. From the obvious, it will become easier. From easier, it will become instinctive. It’s better to learn it in 3 slow months than to give up after 2 intensive weeks.
So take your time.
How long does it take to learn to beatmatch by ear?
Everything depends on the time you spend on your activity. Some people will learn it in 1 week, for others it will take 1 year. The truth is, except that it depends, that beatmatching by ear is a muscle. The more you train it, the more it grows. But if you stop, it will automatically reduce.
I didn’t touch my gear for one year during the pandemic and I was surprised that I could still beatmatch by ear after that. It wasn’t perfect, I am honest. But it wasn’t as frustrating as in the beginning when I first started.
I started with vinyl and my turntables were quite bad. In total, I think I spend a bit more than one hour per day during one month to develop the skill. Yet it wasn’t the best, but I was still proud.
So here is the answer, to learn how to beatmatch by ears, I would answer you that you will need 40 hours. But it doesn’t mean that you will beatmatch everything after 40 hours of mixing. No. It means that you will be able to overcome the frustration and sharpen your skills after those 40 hours. If you want to make it a reflex, you’ll need more, way more.
But the good thing is that you’ll focus on something else. Once you have the basics, then you can start experimenting with something else like better transitions, better playlists, other types of effects, etc…
Do all DJS beatmatch by ear?
The answer is… No!
There is no rule. You will never get fired from a club or a bar because you don’t beatmatch by ear. Party organizers don’t judge you on that. Mostly when you need to get adapted to any place fast. They judge you on how you can get the vibes or not make people consume more drinks. The way of doing that is up to you. As long as it functions.
So no one will ever ask you to beatmatch by ear, but the difference is more subtle.
I think that 99% of people in a club don’t know what you’re doing when you’re mixing. Ok, let’s say 98%. So 2% will be able to eventually understand what you’re doing. Among that 2%, half of them will understand how you mix (so 1%). In this 1%, half of them will blame you for using the sync button, the other ones, depending on the level, won’t care. But this 0,5% are the ones you’ll be competing with. The ones who care more about the art of mixing. The social circle you have chosen. Yet, you can just adjust the pitch button, ensuring the BPM is the same on both channels without using the sync. Or you can take your time to beatmatch by ear, or you can do that in less than 15 seconds. The more impressive, the more respect, it is up to you to decide who you want to be.
How to beatmatch quickly?
To beatmatch by ear quickly, you will need to once again practice, practice and practice.
There is no miracle, you’ll need to train and you’ll need time. Overnight success comes with years of practice and this is what will happen.
But keep in mind two things:
First, beatmatching fast and by ear is on the legend level. When I say legends, I speak about the artists that your favorite artists adulate. So don’t set your expectation too high or you might get disappointed. The goal is to take pleasure mixing, not feeling that you can’t achieve something. Sometimes, it’s better to focus on something else and let the time do its work than to push too hard. So don’t put too much pressure.
Second, don’t let your frustration take over everything. Beatmatching is important, but there are so many other skills to manage that you shouldn’t focus on that. It should be part of your DJ routine, but nothing more. Again, it will come with time, through mixes, through experiences.
Conclusion
Beatmatching by ear is an important skill to master as a DJ.
First, it shows that you’re mixing for the love of the art. Purists will feel it and this is how you’ll be able to make better connections with people. You’ll have more to share, more to speak about. You don’t need to master it from the beginning of your DJ journey. If you just started it’s chill. But if you’re mixing, you like it and intend to go further, you should consider it. I saw DJs using sync during gigs, I approve but don’t take them seriously as DJs. Now you know.
Second, it will strengthen your skills as a DJ globally. It’s a rule. When you push your training harder, the rest will feel easy. When you stay in your comfort zone, you don’t evolve. So it’s up to you to make your own choices.
That said, I hope you’ll have a good time training yourself to beatmatch by ear. Don’t hesitate to comment or to contact me if you have any questions. Cheers-
The author
Benoit Dervieux is the initiator of Lesk. He started DJing around 14 years old, bought his first pair of vinyls at 22 and started organizing parties at 25. He has a master in entrepreneurship and is developing Lesk hoping the product will enter the market. You can contact him directly on instagram @lesklights.