The Feel Sessions: Episode 065: Progressive / Tech House

Sons Of Maria - Luna Park
Arturo Escudero, Flexible Fire, Ger Reccitelli - All My Plans (Kastis Torrau & Arnas D Remix)
Philipp Straub, Collective Machine - Stalactite
John Moss f. Rozie Gyems & Tyrell - Mystic
Oliver Huntemann, Dubfire - Terra (Joseph Capriati Remix)
Kidnap Kid, Lane 8 - Aba (Yotto Remix)
Rafael Cerato - Vibrance (Quivver Remix)
Trent Cantrelle f. Cari Golden - Blade
Stas Drive & Tash - Eve (Peter Dundov Remix)
Alex Vanni & Tony Barbato - The Strain
Roger Martinez - Dream State (Madloch & Hot TuneiK Remix)
Noir - Obscurite (Gorge Remix)
Olivier Giacomotto & Noir - Reste (Raxon Remix)
Monkey Safari - Oxy
Dropbox, Shigaki, Eudi - Hideaway
Dr. Kucho! - Hale Bopp
Feu d'Or - Singapore (Martin Roth Remix)
Age Of Love - The Age Of Love (Solomun Renaissance Remix)
Saints & Sinners - Pushin Too Hard (Guy Mantzur Remnix)
Dar & Dor - Zed (Dmitry Molosh Remix)
L.S.G. - Netherworld (Rise & Fall Remix)
Quivver - Twist & Shout (Marc Mitchell Remix 2015 Remaster)

One of my subscribers recently asked me about my process of mixing, producing and engineering this show, including DJ equipment, software, blending techniques, and plugins. Well, all I can say is, thank you. It takes a lot of time and effort, and I'm so glad that it's appreciated. Anyway, if you're not into the technical mumbo jumbo, you might wanna skip ahead a few minutes.

First, it all starts with the programming… selecting tracks and sequencing them in an order that feels right to me, always with the intention of a building journey in mind. Usually, I'll start with a dry run, selecting a track or two that I'd like to open with, and then doing the rest on feel… hence, The Feel Sessions. I might back up and exchange tracks as I go, but part of this process is getting familiar with the tracks themselves and learning the story of the songs, adjusting grids and markers, and making tagging notes.

I've been using Native Instruments Traktor with an S4 controller for about 3 years now, and I love it. The only thing I don't love is the power of the headphone output, it's severely lacking, but I get around this (somewhat) by using an external headphone amp. That's one of the reasons that I'm eyeing the S5 controller, plus the fact that the S5 has a separate booth output as well. Special thanks to my BFF Chad Stolarick for pushing me to make that change. Previously, I had been using Serato for many years, and it was a game changer, as it was for pretty much all DJs. But after a horrendous experience with the early versions of Traktor that was bundled with Stanton's "Final Scratch," in the early 2000's, I was a bit reluctant, but now, I'm all in. In defense of Native Instruments however, it really came down to Stanton's shoddy hardware, not the Traktor Software.

In terms of blending, I generally apply subtractive EQ techniques paying close attention to summing. If you're not familiar with these, it's too much to cover here, so I recommend you look them up, as they're vital to the mix process, not only in the DJ world, but in the production realm too. Last year I replaced my aging Event DJ monitors with a pair of JBL LSR 308's, and I highly recommend them.

Once I'm happy with the mix, I'll bring it into Pro Tools with a Universal Audio Apollo Quad interface. Now, I'm not totally sold on the fidelity of the S4's sound card. It's not terrible by any means, it's actually fine, but it lacks a touch of warmth and sheen compared to using an analog mixer. I'm not sure if it's the D to A converter, other circuitry, or a combination of these. So, the first plug-in in my chain is the Neve 1073 EQ, where I'll add just a nudge of high shelf to give me the sparkle and a bit of bite that I want. Next, is the Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machine set to High Bias, 30 fps, and the half inch 2 track setting, warming up the digital recording, especially in the low end. Then comes the Waves RComp, which I simply use to side chain t(continued)