Did you know that beats per minute are vital to creating an atmosphere and a song? How do DJs use beats per second to switch between songs and create an atmosphere simultaneously? Read on below to find out more about the techniques DJs use and how beats per minute factor into their overall set.
What is BPM?
BPM stands for beats per minute. This is used to measure the speed of a song. The sweet spot for slow ballroom dance is around 88 beats per minute. The acceptable range is 80 – 100 BPM. If you want a fast tempo for a dance floor around 138 – 160 beats per minute should do the trick.
How Music Creates Emotion <
Music creates a mood, atmosphere, and a whole host of emotions. That’s why depending on a scene in a film, they alter the music used to generate a mood or promote an emotion within their audience. For example, if it is an intense scene where the audience is supposed to be scared, the music will be intense and loud with a high beats per minute count. If a sad scene is shown, the beats per minute will slow down and the music will be soft and quiet. Using this knowledge DJs can use music to create an emotion. Usually, DJs create an exciting, happy atmosphere that audiences can dance to. To create this mood, DJs need to use faster beats per minute.
How DJs Use Beats Per Minute
Professional DJs use beats per minute all the time to simultaneously switch through songs/ keep the energy up in the room. As we learned before, beats per minute are vital to creating a happy, energetic atmosphere for people to dance to. DJs can edit a song to create a fast or slower tempo/ beats per minute to align the speed of the songs, this allows for the music to flow.
To switch between songs simultaneously, cut the song on the break. Cue up the other track at the start of the first song’s break. Another way to switch between songs is to bring the song in over an ambient intro. If the new track has some ambient sound in the intro with no beat, cut, or crossfade from the first song to the new song. One trick you could add is an echo freeze. An echo freeze can sound fantastic depending on the song. If you are looking for a slow transition so that you can play a slower song. Use the built-in tempo changes within the song. For example, if the song goes from 128 BPM down to 90 BPM, use that 90 BPM part of the song to switch to the slower song.
If you are looking for a DJ Mixer the Pioneer XDJ-RR All in one is a great option for your needs.
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Contact Us today for more information on the high-quality DJ Equipment that we provide to meet your music production needs. Alternatively, phone our Birmingham City Centre store on 0121 693 1941.