The short guide
Understand the idea
A crossfader changes the balance between two sources. Moving toward B lowers A and raises B according to a gain curve. This exercise first blends two original practice parts at a steady position, then turns your endpoints into a short scheduled transition.
What you can explore
- Relate fader position to the gain of the two musical parts.
- Compare linear and equal-power gain curves without treating them as loudness guarantees.
- Choose and review a transition’s endpoints and duration.
A worked example
Take four bars to hand the music to B
Try Both at the fader’s middle, then compare the Linear and Equal-power curves. For the planned transition, choose a start of 0% toward B and an end of 100% toward B over four bars. The player adds one bar at the endpoint, so you can hear B on its own before the example restarts.
- Start
- 0% toward B: A is present and B is silent.
- Journey
- Four bars move from the chosen start to the chosen end, with gain applied to new sound events.
- Endpoint
- One additional bar holds 100% toward B before the planned example repeats.
One position controls two gains
At either end, one part is silent. Between the ends, both are present. The percentage beside the fader describes how far it has moved toward B; it is not a measurement of what comes out of your speakers. The two practice parts share a pulse but have different bass and chord ideas.
Try Only A, Both and Only B before making smaller changes. The steady-position missions use a two-bar loop. While that loop is already playing, compatible gain changes can update it; choosing while stopped never starts sound.
A gain curve changes the middle of the blend
With a linear curve, each part is at 50% of its deck gain in the middle. With the equal-power curve used here, each is about 71%. Those coefficients describe a mathematical balance. They do not promise that two different sources will have equal perceived loudness or avoid every level increase.
Compare curves at the same fader position so you know what changed. Identical or strongly related sounds can reinforce each other differently from unrelated sounds. Treat the curve as a tool for choosing a transition feel rather than a quality setting with one correct answer.
Plan a route, then hear the ending
The later missions let you choose a transition direction, then fine-tune Start position and End position under Change settings. Choose one, two or four bars for the journey. The diagram shows fader position across time, and the player adds one extra bar holding the endpoint. Equal endpoints create a steady blend instead of a handover; that remains a valid result.
The planned route changes the gain of each newly triggered sound. It does not redraw the envelope of a sound that is already ringing, and it is not a recording of a live fader gesture. Review the current plan with sound or visually, then keep a text recipe of its exact settings. No audio file or automatic app transfer is created.
Common questions
What does a DJ crossfader do?
It changes the balance between two sources, usually lowering one while raising the other. Its gain curve determines how the two levels change between the ends.
Is equal-power always louder or better?
No. It describes the mathematical gain curve, not guaranteed perceived loudness or sound quality. The source material and its relationship to the other part still matter.
Why does my transition play an extra bar?
The extra bar holds your chosen endpoint so you can hear the end of the handover. A four-bar transition therefore repeats after five bars in this teaching example.
Does the lesson record my fader performance?
No. You save endpoints, a curve and a duration. The player schedules new sound events from those settings. The downloadable recipe is text, not an audio recording.
Published by TunePal. Interactive examples for beginner music producers.