{"id":2128,"date":"2022-07-31T14:41:13","date_gmt":"2022-07-31T14:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spinbad.com\/?p=2128"},"modified":"2022-07-31T16:32:09","modified_gmt":"2022-07-31T16:32:09","slug":"why-djs-turn-knobs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spinbad.com\/why-djs-turn-knobs\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do DJs Turn Knobs? (Showmanship, Or Functionality?)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You may have seen DJs on stage turning knobs on a mixer and wondered what they’re doing. DJs do this to adjust the volume of incoming tracks and blend high, mid and bass frequencies so that the two tracks are balanced. They’re also adding effects and triggering hot cues.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When watching a DJ, you’ll see them changing things on the mixer as they play. When you’re learning your way around a DJ mixer, you might wonder what those different knobs do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had to ask a friend to explain what the EQ knobs on my mixer did because my mixes sounded fine (to me) without needing to touch anything apart from the turntables. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re a bedroom DJ mixing at home on low-output speakers, you’ll probably think the same about your own mixes. Why the need for gain control and all that other stuff?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s everything you need to know about knobs!<\/strong> (And yes, I wrote that sentence because I could.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are DJs Doing When Twisting Knobs?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Why<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mixing track A <\/strong>into track B<\/strong> not only means getting the beats to match, but you also need to balance the sounds, so they’re not overloading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re a sync button DJ or your DJ software has been doing the work for you, you might be thinking, “Well, duh, mixing ain’t hard<\/em>,” but mixing electronic music needs a little more skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you’ve got the outro of track A<\/strong> in beat with the intro of track B<\/strong>, you’ve got two basslines<\/strong>, two mid-ranges<\/strong>, and two higher frequencies<\/strong> playing simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing both tracks as they are without equalizing results in things being overloaded. Two low-end basslines playing at full blast will blow your home speakers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re playing in a club, it’s one way to clear the dance floor. Clubbers like loud music but don’t appreciate their eardrums being damaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be a good DJ, you must learn the art of equalizing… or knob twisting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Do The Knobs On A Mixer Do?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"4<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The mixer or your DJ software will have knobs for trim, high<\/strong>, mid\/treble<\/strong>, and bass<\/strong>. These three are different ranges of sound frequencies where particular sounds sit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the bass and low-end<\/strong> sounds range from 60<\/strong> to 250<\/strong> Hertz<\/strong>. Mids<\/strong> are 500Hz <\/strong>to 2 KiloHertz<\/strong>, and the highs<\/strong> range from 2 <\/strong>to 4 kHz<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a track comes in, the bass must be cut on one of the tracks to avoid too much low-end sound occupying that frequency range and overloading the sound system. You’ll often hear the term “muddy<\/strong>” when too many low-frequency sounds compete for the same space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mids<\/strong> are where vocals<\/strong>, guitar<\/strong>, piano<\/strong>, and percussion<\/strong> sit. These usually make up the melody of a song. Hi-hats<\/strong> and other ‘tinny<\/em><\/strong>‘ sounds sit in the high <\/strong>range.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The knobs on a mixer are for adjusting the sounds coming through the output so that they’re not competing with each other.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They’re also used to create great transitions between one song and another. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are FX Knobs And Buttons?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know what each EQ knob does, let’s move on to the effects. These complement the EQ controls and bring color into the DJ mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On DJ mixers, the effect is selected with a button or a selector knob. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intensity of the effect can be adjusted by a knob usually found on the channel. You’ll often see DJs dramatically twist their arms or even their whole body when using the FX knob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"DJ<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The most commonly used FX is the:<\/p>\n\n\n\n