WHAT IS BPM?
In the past, when vinyl was the only option, it was up to DJs to know their collection inside and out. DJs had to spend countless hours cataloging by hand, putting BPM stickers on records, and typing out detailed lists and notes about the hundreds or thousands of records in their crates. Today, with iTunes, CDDB online track and title look ups, and search engines; it can be easy to forget how much work putting together a playlist used to be.
One thing that hasn’t changed from then to now is the importance of knowing a song’s tempo in Beats Per Minute, or BPM. By selecting songs based on their BPM, a DJ can take control of the pace of the event, choosing faster songs to heat things up, or slower songs for a more laid-back atmosphere. BPM is also an essential factor in deciding which song follows another. It is generally advisable to follow one song with another song with similar BPM especially when working a crowd that’s dancing because when you transition from one song to the next, the crowd will keep dancing!
WHAT IS BEAT MATCHING?
Beats Per Minute and beat matching go hand in hand. Beat matching is accomplished by playing two songs at the same time, and varying the playback speed and starting point of one or both of the songs so that the songs’ tempos (BPM) and beats are synchronized. This allows a seamless transition from one song to another. DJs can also use beat matching to mix in elements from one song into the other, creating a unique remix.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Tap Tempo
The Tap Tempo buttons found on the old school, standalone BPM units are now built into many DJ mixers, CD players, and software. You simply tap the button along to the beat of the song and the counter will display the BPM as an average of your taps on the button.
Numark Beatkeeper™
Some Numark gear contains Beatkeeper™ technology, which provides clear visual cues to help DJs beat match two songs quickly.
The Beatkeeper display consists of three columns of four LEDs. The left-column LEDs pulse on the beats of the song playing on the left deck. The right-column LEDs pulse on the beats of the song playing on the right deck. The center-column LEDs pulse when the beats on both decks match up. Each row corresponds to a different beat, with the "one" at the top. When the songs on both decks are beat matched, all of the LEDs blink together.
Using these visual cues, DJs can take a visual look at how synchronized two songs are without needing to spend too much time cueing in headphones, elading to much faster beat matching. Beatkeeper technology is designed right into…
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| HDMIX | DDS80 | D2 DIRECTOR | iDJ2 | CDN88 | CDN95 | 5000FX |
Interlock
In addition to Beatkeeper, CDN88 and CDN95 also feature Interlock. Interlock allows the pitch and BPM of a song playing on one deck to be automatically slaved and matched to the song on the other deck.
When Beatkeeper is tracking the songs on both decks, pressing Interlock causes the BPM display of the slave deck to automatically change to match the master deck. The pitch indication in the display will change the amount needed to match the tempos of both songs.
During Interlock, all pitch functions of the slave deck deactivate and follow everything you do with the master. All actions of the slave such as looping and Play are now also be beat matched with the master.
AUTOMATIC BPM CALCULATION
CDX, and iCDX automatically calculate and display the BPM for any song as soon as it is cued or playing. Each player also has a tap-tempo button.
SOFTWARE TOOLS
MixMeister BPM Analyzer
Today, many DJs are using MP3 and WAV files as the basis of their music collection. Some DJs have thousands or even tens of thousands of songs. Calculating and managing tempo information for large collections used to be a nightmare. Our friends at MixMeister changed all that with their free download, MixMeister BPM Analyzer. Using MixMeister BPM Analyzer, you can quickly and automatically calculate BPM for your entire collection of audio files. The BPM calculations are then automatically added to each track’s ID3 tag, which can be read by most other music management and DJ software programs like iTunes, CUE, Virtual Vinyl, MixMeister Fusion, Traktor, and Serato Scratch LIVE or ITCH. You can also save or print out the calculation results as a list. This can be helpful for creating and organizing catalogs of your collection.
Numark LIBRARIAN
Numark systems with hard drives, including HDMIX, DDS80, iDJ2, and D2 DIRECTOR, feature a free software program called Numark LIBRARIAN. This program is used to build a library of your music collection that can be read by these DJ systems. When you use Numark LIBRARIAN to catalog your tracks, you have the option to automatically calculate BPM for your songs. The BPM is then visible as you browse and search your library on the display. Additionally, each of these players has a tap-tempo button and automatic BPM calculation, which saves BPM for recall later.
Numark CUE And Virtual Vinyl
When a song or group of songs is loaded into CUE or Virtual Vinyl’s library, the software analyzes the BPM. You can also selectively analyze tracks by right-clicking a song, group of songs, or folder in the browser and selecting BPM, then Re-Analyze from the menu that appears.
Occasionally, BPM analysis will misinterpret a song’s tempo. For example, Reggae, Reggaetón, Soca, and other heavily syncopated rhythms can be difficult for BPM analysis software to understand correctly. The BPM will sometimes be calculated as half or twice the actual BPM. In this event, it’s easy to fix: simply right-click a song in the browser, choose BPM, then Manual Edit.
MixMeister Fusion, Studio, And Express
MixMeister’s innovative DJ software allows automatic beat matching of multiple files at once. Just set a tempo, and any song you add to your project will be automatically matched! The programs integrate the MixMeister BPM Analyzer technology, so if you don’t all ready know a song’s tempo, they can automatically calculate it for you.
WRAPPING IT ALL UP
Whether you DJ with vinyl, CD, hard drive, iPod, laptop, or a combination, having the right tools can really make the difference. Using BPM to organize your music can help you find the right songs quickly and create playlists that flow. With the right BPM matching tools, you can improve the way you mix songs on the fly, and create seamless remixes that will have a big impact on your audience.
