SUPER NOOB would love some help learning to mix

hay guys,
im sure most of you know me by now (good bad or otherwise lol)

but i would like some help learning the basics of mixing, and i mean basics
i picked up a bdc2000 the other day to actually give me something i can actually get my hands on and use, i beleive its best for my needs at this point as i dont have any dj hardware what so ever, i have a my pc, tons of music on my pc and my audio setup.

and before it comes up, i have not payed for any of my tracks on my pc as yet. generally i download sets and leech all of my mates tracks at lans or download them as i see fit etc.
 im only interested in seeing whether or not i can actually mix at the moment, if i was to ever wanna make my mixes available to the masses i would purchase the 320s legit. but thats not what this about at this very early point in the game.

i have zero tech understanding about the fundamentals of what makes a good mix. i can count beats, bars etc no problem but i have no understanding of what bar to introduce the next track etc (if there are set rules which apply to the above mentioned) basic dos and donts. how to structure a mix and whats things work etc etc.

im an open book and would love to learn off someone who knows whats whats. cos at this point all i do is play with the scratch wheel on the bcd LOL and its getting boring.
if anyone can recommend a good you tube vid, or article... once i have a few basics then i will start to practice. but at this point what ever i do is not goin to be correct so there is no point.

any feedback would mean alot!

http://music.hyperreal.org/dj/AVH/

would be a good place to start. even tho it mentions vinyl you should be apply to apply it to what you are doing.

to get the ball rolling, most tunes are similar in structure to this

intro | break down | body | breakdown | outro

try to mix the intro of tune 2 from the end of the tune 1's breakdown across the outro to start off with

hope that makes a bit of sense. feel free to ask more specific questions if you have any.

thanks buddy that makes perfect sense,

image not archived: trackiz1.jpg

right?

not too sure i follow your diagram so i made one of my own to explain what i mentioned earlier

image not archived: mixstructure.gif

my diagram was my understanding of a track broken down to those sections?

*from a bedroom DJ, but dnb fanatic of many years *

rule 1. there are no rules 

i think generally people either get it or they dont. my mixing has never had any tuition/rules or guidance - practice practice & maybe try to emulate some mixes other Djs have done - u'll pick up your own style and structure.

But @ the end of the day some people just don't get it - my mate for instance, can't get a hold of how to pick up and identify the end of a 16 bar count (1234,1234,1234,1234 - usually sounds like a mini-breakdown or pause in the body) and cos of this, he beat matches but mixes the song in @ odd & inappropriate times, or not even on the "1" beat lol

best bet is to keep doin it, mix, mix mix, mix, mix. listen to lots of sets, go out, listen 2 ppl DJ live. A studio mix will often sound diff. to a live mix - less "calm" in a live mix - energy is usually kept @ a higher pace from a high energy live set. listen to and Andy C set, massive drops/mashes into the next track. then hear a D-bridge studio mix - awesome quality mixing, but smoother transitions to keep it rolling but not abrupt, often moves thru different styles, calmer intro builds into heavy middle & then quiet finale of tracks. Some mixes slam straight in there full bore, first song and then back off into a more rolling style for a while before buildin up to a big finish, its all personal style & what sort of journey u wanna take the listener on.

Know your tracks - unfortunately this means u'll have to find full versions and(heaven forbid) maybe pay for some of your music!! but knowing ur tunes makes a massive difference, don't EVER use clips or fake versions - at least use VBR or MP3 rips from vinyl if u must steal music.

but i think most people will agree - practice PRACTICE PRACTICE(traktor prolly best software out there imo Ver. 2.5)

Yep good points skinny...

Definitely recommend finding your own way...using a cookie cutter format to mixing means you're just gonna be relying on that standard over and over.

Listen to mixes when you're out in town and on your stereo etc. and form ideas from that, what parts of a certain track a DJ will bring into the mix to begin the transition,etc. Different tunes and how they are structured are gonna sound better being mixed in different ways...some work better dropping them smack in the middle of another with a quick fade, some are better blending in slowly til the drop. Just use your common sense and experiment what works best for the tune you want to mix.

I hate giving advice like this though...easily the best thing to do is just experiment yourself and you will eventually come up with some stuff that sounds good.

Experimentation and practice that's it really. Teach yourself. It'll take a few years but it's rewarding when the pieces fall into place bit by bit.

Another tip...think of the parts you like in the tunes you have, remember those certain samples that come in and where they might sound good when combined with a segment of another tune. This mostly comes from experimenting but you can easily come up with some interesting collaborations of the top of your head I'm sure.

PS. Most of DnB tunes are structured the same in a 4/4 format and blend seamlessly together. Try cueing up the beginning of a tunes first drum pattern and starting it in your headphones at the same time as the previous tracks' drum pattern starts so they are in time...bearing in mind the overall structure of the song as well so your tracks are overlapping on the start of that 4 bar...

Double, triple, quadruple drops n all that are a piece of cake. The most difficult form of mixing is the fine art of trainwrecking.

unless your a pro like me i mastered that shit in only a few minutes and haven't looked back since

*update*
my fuckn brain hurts

 It's not rocket science.

 If it sounds good, do it. If you can't tell the difference. Give up.

 It's easy to become competent at beat matching.  To master EQing, Levels and progress to flawless mixing takes a lot longer and a fair bit of practice tho.

I am not expert but have listened to what a lot of crew on here have said.

Practice practice practice
Master your beat matching and that means dealing with different speed vinyls.
I think with DnB 0.6% is about a beat thats generally what I work to when adjusting speeds.

Once you deal with that then start messing, get creative lap the tracks up making your own sort of remix.
Also get to know your tunes so you know when they kick = you know when to drop it or fade the previous track out.

And my best advice that I read from Noddy - Make sure you are ready, 100% confident before mixing to the public if you get that chance or even posting a mix, because your first mix will always be remembered especially if you screw the pooch.

lol true that,
im orginising my tracks properly at the moment.
cos i could not find shit last night when i wanted it lol
thanks heaps for the help so far

The best advice, imo.

you wont be hearing shit from me anytime soon then
lol

Yes, the pooch is a bad one to screw

 

Only if someone held its head for him

use the force