How to do a gate chop
Chop A into 16ths with the gate while B takes the floor.
- Crowd-pleaser
- medium
- About 8 bars
- Uses gate FX
When to use it
- Use it when both songs sit at a similar energy and when the next song brings more energy.
- A natural fit for house/techno.
- DJs rarely use it in hip-hop/R&B and pop/open-format.
- Works when the tempos are up to about 8% apart, because the overlap is short.
Step by step
- 1Start B under A, B's bass down.
- 2Turn on the gate (trans) effect on A so it chops in 16ths.
- 3Swap the bass while A stutters.
- 4Kill the gate and close A.
See it on a controller, and hear it with your own songs
Cueball picks the right technique for every pair of songs in your set and animates the knobs and faders in time with the music.
Build a set for freeGenres this works for
New to DJing? Start with how to DJ for beginners and the 6 basic transitions.
Similar techniques
- Long blend + bass swapRide both tracks together, then hand over the bass.
- Filter handoffWash A out with the filter while B comes in.
- Short blend on the downbeatA quick overlap so the keys never get time to clash.
- Tempo ramp, then blendGlide the tempo over, then do a short blend.
- Bassline swapRide both grooves, then trade basslines in one move.
- Percussion layeringLock B's drums under A before the full track arrives.