How to beatmatch drum and bass: a first lesson

Beatmatching means adjusting the tempo of the record you are about to play so that its beats land exactly with the one already playing. Wikipedia describes it as a core technique for DJing electronic dance music, and it is standard practice in clubs to keep a constant beat through the night. Drum and bass DJs do it at a faster speed than most, which is why it rewards good habits early.

What you need

Two decks or two CDJs, a mixer with a channel fader and headphones. Vinyl, CDJs and many controllers all work. Pick two records at similar tempos, ideally from the same era, so you are not fighting a big gap. Most drum and bass sits around 170 to 175 beats per minute, so almost any two tunes from the same style will be close.

The routine

First, play the first record through the main speakers. Cue the second record in your headphones only, and set its level on the mixer so that it sounds as loud as the first. Then start it on a beat, in time with the one in the speakers. Listen to see whether it drifts ahead or falls behind. If the beats of the new record hit before the playing record, it is too fast. If they come after, it is too slow.

Adjust the pitch control a small amount, restart the new record and listen again. This is the slip and cue routine that Wikipedia describes for vinyl: restart, line up, check, adjust. The aim is to reach a point where the kicks and snares of both records lock together for thirty seconds or more without you touching anything.

Listen for the snare

In drum and bass the snare is the clearest clue. It falls on the second and fourth beats of each bar, and it cracks. If you can hear two snares a fraction apart, you have a flam, which means the records are slightly out of time. Nudge the new record forward or back with the jog wheel or the edge of the platter until the two snares become one.

Bring it in slowly

When the beats are locked, raise the new record's channel fader or low frequency control gradually. Many DJs swap the bass first, so that the two sub lines do not fight, then bring in the rest. In drum and bass the bass energy is huge, so layering two basses at full volume will muddy the mix and risk clipping the system. Cut the bass of the outgoing record as the new one comes in.

Practise with a plan

Ten minutes at a time works better than an hour of frustration. Choose a pair of tunes, mix them in and out, then choose another. Record your practice and listen back the next day; mistakes are easier to hear when you are not concentrating on them.

Software with a sync button can match tempo for you, and that is fine for learning the shape of a set. But learning to do it by ear gives you control that no button can. It also means that when the sync fails, as it will one day in front of a crowd, you will not panic.