An acapella track is a vocal sample without any background music. They can be famous hooks from well known hit songs or small sound bites from relatively unknown vocalists. Learning how to mix acapellas in Traktor is something every Traktor DJ should master. Vocals always help carry a mix forward, and the crowd usually loves hearing familiar vocals. Whether it is a popular vocal sample the dance floor can sing and clap along to, or an obscure soul hook from the ‘60s, adding accapella vocals to your mix is a sure fire way to pump up the crowd.
There are many places to download acapellas online, either for free or at a small cost. If you are going to source free acapellas, make sure you are not infringing on any existing copyright laws. Also, for your listeners sake, choose a high quality audio format. Nothing lower than an MP3 or M4AS.
The BPM and the key of the vocal sample are typically found in the acapella’s metadata. If the tempo is not labeled, Traktor is able to analyze the audio file’s BPM. The warp feature can also distort the sample to the appropriate tempo.
Mixing an acapella is the same as mixing any type of track. Cue the acapella track on the second deck and an instrumental on the first deck. The only thing that matters is that the two are in harmonically compatible keys and similar tempos. Mix the acapella into the instrumental as you would with any other song. Loop the mix and use FX to further customize the mash up.
The loop function can also be used to create more tension and energy in the mix. Try bringing the loop down to two bars, one bar or even less. This will make the track feel like it’s building towards a climax.
There is no limit to what can be done with vocal samples in a mix. If executed properly, multiple acapellas can even be layered on top of each other. The key is to experiment and be creative.
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