BAD BOY BILL

Oct 1, 2003 12:00 PM, By Tamara Palmer

While a glut of contemporary hard-house DJs were looking forward to high school, Bad Boy Bill had already conquered both the airwaves of Chicago and the voracious appetite of the mix-tape consumer. Multiple volumes of his Bang the Box mix-tape series, released on Mix Connection, blasted his talented, fast-paced mixing style (inspired by hip-hop's masters and perfected on considerably more uptempo dancefloors) out to a global audience. It's only fitting that this mixing veteran should be among the early DJ crew experimenting with both Dolby 5.1 surround sound and the amenities provided by accompanying DVD content, as Bill does with Behind the Decks (System, 2003).

The setup that Bill used to create this mix was relatively focused. His chief components were a Mac running Digidesign Pro Tools|HD3 (and various plug-ins, including Serato Pitch 'n Time), a pair of Numark TTX1 turntables, a Pioneer DJM-600 mixer and a CDJ-1000 CD turntable. When the time came to create the 5.1 mix that appears on the DVD, Bill used another Pro Tools setup that he connected to five speakers. Thinking spatially as well as visually (for the customized visuals and live event footage on the DVD) opened up new ways of thinking for Bill in creating his mixes. But, he says, forget those luxuries until you concentrate on the basics first.

“I think the crucial stage is when you're getting the music into the computer,” he says. “Make sure that [you have the best converters that] you can afford. Digidesign makes some great ones. The Mbox has really good converters on that, and I think it's only about $500. You can sit there and program it great and have great edits, but if it doesn't sound full … some converters can make songs sound thin.”

Part of elevating that mix comes in tweaking elements; this may be obvious when it comes to one's own original productions, but it's easy to forget that you need not be limited to what's pressed on wax when dealing with records. “I think the key for me, which I don't think a lot of DJs do, is the overlays, as far as the a cappellas and scratching and going back in and adding a lot of different tricks and effects to the record,” Bill says. “Those are the things that keep me interested as a listener, finding different segments that really take the whole mix to another level.”

Sometimes, the tweaking gets more microscopic. “All records are mastered differently, so we might have to take one specific song and boost the bass or boost the highs on it,” Bill says. “And then even on top of that, with certain songs, maybe the bass line isn't coming through, so we've actually added another of the same bass line on top of it to pump it up. There may be something lacking in a record, but I really like it, so I might add a drumbeat or a harder kick or whatever I think it might be lacking.”

Bad Boy Bill's chief tip, though, is to always be a perfectionist. “Don't be locked in just because you want to be done,” he says. “Go back in and switch and move around all of the little parts that bug you. Do whatever you have to do so that when you listen to it, you think, ‘Wow, that's pretty solid.’”

Acceptable Use Policy blog comments powered by Disqus

Want to use this article? Click here for options!