Completed: 16. Make My Own Mixes and Music (Carried Over from 2013)
To quote Eminem in ‘Cleaning out My Closet,’ “WHERE’S MY SNARE?!?”
There’s nothing better than listening to a great mix by an unbelievable DJ. For years, I’ve wanted to learn how to DJ and seamlessly mix tracks. It was on my 2013 bucket list, but I couldn’t pull it off last year, so I carried it over to this year. I’ve downloaded a good number of DJ software, but it’s incredibly confusing. Thankfully, I discovered Bach to Rock, a Herndon-based music school that offers this specific training.
It was amazing. I’ve never been into a professional studio, so I felt like a legitimate artist about to lay down a track when I entered their “beat refinery,” where I spent two hours. My instructor gave me free rein on my turntable and told me to “go after it,” so that’s exactly what I did. I familiarized myself with the intricate system, Serato Live, and played with all of the different buttons to find out their purpose.
The best part was the library of music. It seemed endless. I chose two songs to start and my instructor let me go. He taught me scratching tricks and techniques to mix together different songs. This is when I truly fell in love. I started with ODB and Outkast and switched it to Miles Davis and Biggie. I then mixed Busta Rhymes “Everybody Rise” and Dr Dre’s “Let Me Ride.” To say it sounded rough is being nice, but I’m still learning!
A few of the other things I realized:
- I need to be ambidextrous
- This is going to really hard, but once I get it down it’ll be one of the best things ever.
I have dreamed of completing this goal for the longest time. Bach to Rock seriously made my dream come true. I still have two more lessons with them and I’ll be signing up for a lot more. Maybe one day I’ll be the best DJ that ever was… OR… I’ll just be a normal guy who makes mixes. Who knows? 🙂
– Kris