Lost in Beatmatching? Try One of These “Magical” Pitch Positions

You know that I’m all for learning to beatmatch by ear, and in fact I have a whole beatmatching tutorial over on DJing Tips. However, if beatmatching has been driving you nuts lately, here’s a quick tip that can make your life a bit easier.

Here goes. After you’ve beatmatched a tune to another one, you’ll find that more often than not, its pitch ended up in one of these “magical” positions: 0%, +/-0.8%, +/-1.6%, +/-2.4%, +/-3.2% and so on in increments of 0.8%. This is because for tracks in the 125-132 BPM range (which is a very big chunk of dance music out there), a difference of 1 BPM roughly corresponds to a 0.8% difference in tempo.

So next time you’re lost trying to beatmatch a tune, try one of these “magical” pitch positions. One of them might just click!

Any other beatmatching shortcuts you know? Share the tricks in the comments below.