Denver Recording Studio

Mixing DJ Elements and turntable scratches is not a tricky task, but it is often overlooked in the creative mixing process.

Too often I hear a dry scratch solo recorded and left to sit in the mix without any more style than that already existing… This is fine for some situations, but with all the available tools nowadays, where is the experimentation with turntable-production? Here are a couple of my own techniques to spice up turntable takes:

1. If your DJ mixer has any onboard effects, experiment with the typical, and the more unconventional ways of using them. For instance, I have a Pioneer DJM-400 which has 7 effects, but no reverb… damn. Since everyone deserves reverb, I can create the sound of a reverb by using a fast echo with low wetness - changing the speed and wetness of the echo will make different kinds of reverb… This technique is GREAT for performing in live-band situations to fit the DJ signal in better with the other processed instruments - guitars in particular.

2. I really love to use drastic EQing and filtering to recreate the sound of an old recording. A nice vintage quality is sometimes really nice. SoundToys’, Filter Freak, is great for this.

3.Try using a rhythmic or ping-pong echo to emphasize a certain hit here and there, but bypass the fx for most of the remaining signal. The idea here is to have a tight solo that releases every now and again by using a spacey echo that can fade into the background while the solo continues over top. This creates an entertaining and organic dynamic from a stale and constant signal.

4. Experiment! Often times I am stuck and just start roaming through FX presets until something clicks. Of course, some direction and an idea in mind is always nice, but in a world of limitless processing power, you’d think something better sounding is just right around the corner.

An inspiring example of some of these mixing techniques can be found on my own ish (shameless plug for Broken Tongues, fresh album coming soon) but also on The Avalanches song, “Frontier Psychiatry” - the parrot scratch solo toward the end, in particular.

Hope this info gets you motivated!

— Mike with the Mic

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