The transition editor gives you precise control over how DJ.Studio transitions between each song. You can create unique transitions for each crossover in your mix.
This editor can work in a simple, preset-based way, or you can draw in custom transitions in as much detail as you want. You can even use stems to prefect your transitions.
There are several components involved with the transition editing process.
You will find some slight differences between the four main view modes for DJ.Studio (Carousel, Split, Playlist, Studio), although the core principles are the same.
Carousel mode is the best for creating quick mixes using transition presets, and Studio mode is better if you want to create more detailed, custom transitions and automation
Transition Editing Workflow
Before getting into the specifics, here is an explanation of the basic transition editing workflow:
Click on one of the blue transition frames to edit the chosen transition.
You may need to manually open the transition tab.
Grab the left handle on the blue frame, and drag it to where you want the transition to start. The second track will be muted until the playhead reaches this left handle (depending on the other parameters in the transition).
Now, drag the placement of the second track, so it comes in at the point you want it to.
Now, grab the right blue frame handle, and drag it to where you want the transition to end. When the playhead passes the right side of the blue frame, the first track will be muted/stopped.
You should now have something that looks like this:
Now, you can start to customize the way the effects and controls are used to make the transition.
The easiest way to do this is by opening the transition tab and selecting a bunch of the template options.
You can combine one of each type, for example, Volume, Bass, Filter, Mid, High, Effect In, and Effect Out - all in the same transition.Experiment with the options, and listen back to the transition until you are happy.
If you want to manually draw in the transitions, choose ‘Manual’ on the transition value, and then you can click and draw the value lines in the timeline.
When happy, Lock the transition with the center bar Lock button, and move on to the next transition!
This shows you the basic workflow for creating and editing transitions. Next, you’ll be shown the transition editor in more detail.
Transition Tab Interface
Use the Transition tab to combine a range of transition presets together, making smooth mixes.
Categories:
Equalizer - Shows you the options for EQ-based transition presets (Volume, Bass, Mid and High) You can combine all of these 4 types, each with their own fade presets.
Effects - Use more advanced transition effects, including Noise, Effect In and Out, Filter, and Side Chain.
Stems - Use our Stem Separation transitions for even more control over your blend. This lets you set the transition independently between the drums, bass, melody, and vocals.
My Presets - DJ.Studio Pro users can save their own transition presets.
Create a custom transition in the timeline editor.
Click ‘Save’ in the top left corner of the first Preset column, and give it a recognizable name.
Your new custom preset will now appear in the My Presets tab.
Stems presets are orange, and EQ & Effects based presets are shown in grey.
Your custom transition presets can be used as the default transition type in the Automixer.
Transition Settings
In the DJ.Studio settings menu (open with the top-right cog) you can access several settings related to how transitions work in the app.
Default Transition - Specify which type of transition you want to be used by default when new songs are added to a mix.
Transition Length In Bars - Set how long the default transition frame is for any new transition.
Synchronize Tempo - Turn on/off automatic beatmatching. We recommend you keep this on unless you want to mix tracks with different BPMs, without changing their speed.
Tempo Transition - Choose when the BPM change starts in a transition.
Full - The tempo change starts at the beginning of the transition and reaches the 2nd track's natural speed at the end of the transition frame.
Second Half - The tempo only starts to change 1/2 way through the transition frame.
In-Mix Point - Set the default point at which the in-mix point starts for transitions, and where the transition frame is placed. On 8 bars, track 2 will start 8 bars from the end of track 1.
Out-Mix Point - Set the default out-mix point. This determines where the transition frame is placed in track 2, letting it start. If set to 16, the first 16 bars of track 2 will be skipped.
Transition Preset Curves
Most of these values can be applied with the following preset automation curves:
None = The value is not used for the transition.
Crossfade = The selected value is slowly decreased for the first track, and increased for the second track in equal strengths. This creates a smooth fade from one to the other.
Fade In = The chosen parameter is slowly bought up for the second track, and is not affected for the first track.
Fade Out = The value is slowly decreased for the first track, while it isn’t changed for the second track.
Swap = The value is swapped at the crossing point. The user can drag the crossing point to the place they want the swap to happen.
Manual
This option lets you draw custom automation values using the automation line.
Preset Strengths
Note, that each type of automation preset can be applied with a percentage strength of: 25/50/75/100%
Simply click the percentage section of the interface to change the percentage.
Each of these percentages results in an automation curve of differing speed and intensity.
100%
75%
50%
25%
Transition Timeline Editor
This section explains the timeline section of the transition editor in more detail.
The main component of the transition editor is the blue transition frame. This is the centerpiece of moving, editing, and controlling transitions.
Clicking and dragging the top blue header lets you move the transition frame. It also displays a graphic showing the transition between the two keys.
The left and right handles determine when the transition starts and ends. Outside of these handles, the relevant track is muted. You can drag these to move them.
You can also drag the top yellow bar of a track, to move the placement of the song within the transition frame. This is useful, if you want to choose where the new track comes in, but are happy with the place the transition starts in regard to the first track.
The automation lines show the values for each transition parameter.
Manual Transition Editing
Manual transition editing gives you more flexibility and expression over your transitions.
You’re not limited to using the preset curves (if you use DJ.Studio Pro), and can create any kind of transition you want.
To manually edit transition automation, simply:
Open the transition tab.
Select the ‘Manual’ option for the parameter you want to automate.
You can now click the line to create new automation points and drag them left/right and up/down to adjust their timing and value.
You can create any automation pattern you want, and you can combine manual automation for all 5 of the transition parameters simultaneously.
Toggle Solo Visibility
If you have multiple parameters automated manually, it can be fiddly to click each line. So, we added an Automation Solo button, so you can make it easier to edit one parameter at a time.
Enable this mode for each parameter, clicking the ‘S’ symbol to the right of the parameter name.
Locking Transitions
When you are happy with the transition, click the ‘Lock’ Symbol in the center bar to lock it.
The transition is now locked, and won’t be changed if you use Automix again to reorganize other songs in your mix.
Automation
You can create automation throughout a whole track, not only in the transition.
For more information, see the full guide on Automation Editing.