Turntable Techniques
How to Play Melodies With Serato’s Pitch ‘n Time
Serato’s Pitch ’n Time plugin can be used to play virtually any melody using a single cue point. By following a few easy steps, you can use the performance pads on a mixer to shift a cue point’s key, enabling you to perform creative tone play routines.
Watch Beat Refinery’s DJ Little Rock demonstrate the technique on this episode of Turntable Techniques.
Using the Echo Effect to Transition Between Songs With Different Tempos
Not every turntable has a wide pitch range, which makes it difficult to transition between songs of different tempos. However, if you have a mixer that has an internal echo effect, you can transition with ease.
On this episode of Turntable Techniques, Beat Refinery‘s DJ Little Rock demonstrates how to use the technique with two examples.
Watch the tutorial above.
Related: How to Redrum With Roland’s DJ-808
How to Redrum With Roland’s DJ-808
On this episode of DJcityTV and Beat Refinery’s Turntable Techniques, Trayze explains how to do live redrums with Roland’s DJ-808 controller using its TR-S drum machine and sounds. The technique can be used to beef up sections of tracks that don’t have drums (e.g.: the breakdown).
Related: Review: Roland DJ-808 Controller
How to Use Pitch ‘n Time’s Key Sync Feature
Serato DJ’s Pitch ‘n Time plugin enables DJs to shift and sync the key of a track. It improves your ability to mix harmonically, helping to make your blends and transitions sound cleaner.
On this episode of Turntable Techniques, Beat Refinery instructor and 2016 Red Bull 3style U.S. Champion Trayze breaks down how to use Pitch ‘n Time’s key sync feature.
Watch the tutorial above.
Turntable Techniques: Asymmetrical Looping
Many DJs use symmetrical loops to loop melodies or drum patterns in continuous cycles. Asymmetrical loops, however, have distinct beginnings and endings. They can be used to change rhythms and create patterns on the fly.
Watch the Beat Refinery‘s Obeyah explain how to use them on this episode of Turntable Techniques.
Using Loop Techniques to Mimic the Echo Effect
Popular mixers such as the Rane Sixty-Two and Pioneer DJM-S9 have a built-in echo effect, but a lot of mixers don’t. On this episode of Turntable Techniques, the Beat Refinery‘s As-One demonstrates a couple of ways to mimic the feature with your DJ software.
“It’s great to have these new fancy mixers with tons of onboard effects. But at the end of the day, the best trick in your bag is to master your software, so you’re not relying on any particular piece of DJ gear.”
Watch the tutorial above.
Popular
-
October 9, 2025
R.O.A.D. Podcast – SIDEPIECE: 6 Years Strong & Sober
This week on @RoadPodcast, the crew chops it up with Grammy-nominated duo Sidepiece (@partyfavor + @nitti). At 01:51, they share how they came together, th...
-
October 6, 2025
Halloween Playlist 2025: Exclusive Edits & Remixes for Your Set 🎃
👻 Halloween season is here, and we've got a fresh batch of exclusive edits, remixes, and bootlegs to help you set the perfect vibe for your October gigs. T...
-
October 8, 2025
Native Instruments Traktor MX2: The Best DJ Controller For Beginners?
Traktor, from Native Instruments, still has a loyal fanbase of users, especially in the electronic music scene. But in discussions around entry level begin...
-
October 10, 2025
🆕 Music From JHAYCO, David Guetta, PLUTO, Teddy Swims, Lincoln Baio, CID, + MORE
Notable tracks that were added to DJcity this week. View them all here. Download the tracks below. (* indicates DJcity Exclusive) JHAYCO – SCORPIO David G...
-
May 23, 2023
The Best Remixes for Wedding DJs 2023
*** UPDATE: check out our updated 2024 and 2025 playlists! Wedding season has arrived! DJcity’s Remix Director Sir Marcus has put together a list of...
-
October 3, 2025
What’s Your Bag? Reviewing Magma’s Fall Lineup
Companies who make bags and cases for DJs have to constantly refresh their lineups in order to accommodate new gear releases, and industry trends. On the n...
-
December 4, 2014
Deorro Releases New Track, ‘Stopping Us’
It's been a couple months since Deorro's last release, but Tuesday the star DJ/producer dropped a new track titled, "Stopping Us." The progressive h...
-
August 4, 2025
📣 The Biggest Serato Update EVER! | Serato DJ Pro 4.0.0 Public Beta
The performance features in Serato’s DJ software have been constantly updated and improved in the two decades, but their music library has remained largely...
-
August 13, 2014
Hookie: Amputee DJ Overcomes the Odds
We recently came across an inspiring video about a DJ named Hookie from Sydney, Australia. At age 19, Tom Nash aka Hookie suffered from meningococcal disea...
-
September 30, 2025
🏆 September Spotlight – Tracks DJs Couldn’t Stop Playing
These are DJcity’s most downloaded tracks of September 2025. Our monthly charts feature top downloads from around the world, plus regional charts for Lati...