Image via Complex Original
I often take my 15 years in this industry for granted. I automatically expect the younger generation to operate at a professional level, and get a reminder every once in a while that there is a wealth of knowledge that should be shared. I've pissed off countless people, done way too many things wrong, and have become a better writer, artist, and person in the process.
It's the Internet, age though. Kids torrent every program they need and get YouTube tutorials on everything that they could possibly want. The only thing that's missing is the education on where we all came from, and guidance from the elders on the proper process to achieving success in this game. And when I got a message from an old friend with a great idea, I jumped on it.
My good buddy Dan Fisher is a legend in Philly. As Love City DJs, he's one of a small handful of musicians that's been around for years and is still around to talk about it. His drive to find and play records that nobody else has is as strong as mine... and I have a sickness. When he reached out with no other motive than to educate the next generation on proper terminology, I had to smile.
Proper tagging of files is so incredibly important to consistency in this music game. You can feel free to use wonky lettering if your music is completely original and title it what you want to, but if you're reaching out to websites with improperly tagged tunes, we're posting things incorrectly and doing a disservice to those you're remixing. Love City DJs is here to break down the specs on proper tagging.
An Edit
An edit is the most basic form of production. It usually involves simply shortening a song by removing sections or lengthening it by adding sections. Sometimes intros and outros are added, or parts are re-ordered. Sometimes these are labeled "quick-hitter," "short editm" or "extended mix." In the pre-computer days, these were made by actually cutting and splicing tape. Nowadays, anybody with a computer and basic audio editing programs can make edits in a couple of minutes or less. This is a great way to prepare your music and learn the basic in's and out's of your DAW, but don't expect to get much recognition as a producer for these. It should be considered personal preparation for mixes or DJ sets and a stepping stone into more advanced production. It should be noted that although it's helpful to have custom edits, the process of importing an MP3 (even a 320kbps) into a DAW, editing it, and re-encoding it back to an MP3 (even at the same bitrate) does degrade the audio in such a way that it is noticeable on good speakers especially in a big room nightclub environment.
Original Mix
Also known as an "original" or a "song," an original mix is a 100% original piece of music made from scratch. Samples can be used, but should be manipulated to fit within the record. This is the purest form of production, and typically considered the most challenging. It's also one of the only forms of production legitimately copyright-able (and thus sellable). Only if those samples are cleared, of course.
Remix
A remix is reinterpretation of an original mix using stems and/or an acapella in addition to original production that's created from scratch. Again, samples can be used, but unless they are from the original mix, they should be unrecognizable. Unless there is original production in your track, it's not a remix. Far too many novice producers misuse this designation and for their edits/mashups/bootlegs. This can be seen as deceptively taking credit for someone else's hard work, when what you're doing to the tune is a much simpler edit. Unless a remix is officially released by the original artist or label, you cannot copyright the record, and it cannot be legitimately sold. However, remix work has traditionally been a great tool for the up-and-coming producer to flex his or her skills on material that is already familiar to a larger audience.
Mashup
Sometimes referred to as a blend, a mashup is simply an edit that blends parts of two songs together. This is a great way to spice up your DJ sets and set yourself apart from other DJs. Again, like an edit, these are pretty easy to create. Although there are a few DJs that have based their careers on making bootlegs and mashups in the past (White Panda, Hollertronix, Girl Talk, etc.), the relative ease of making them and the advances in technology over the past 10 years have leveled the playing field to the point that almost any DJ with a computer and an ounce of creativity should be able to make decent mashups. Again, this should be considered personal preparation and a stepping stone to more advanced production techniques rather than a path to stardom. Many producers give these away for free as a form of promotion, the legality of which is a grey-area in the music business.
Bootleg
At one point in time, all remixes that were not officially released by the original artist were considered bootlegs. However, over time, this definition has come to be popularly redefined. Today, a bootleg is more commonly used to refer to a more advanced mashup, often containing parts from more than two songs. Sometimes bootlegs contain additional drums and sound effects as well as sample chops and flips, additional vocals like chants and hype.
Redrum
Another form of an edit, where drums are layered onto a tune that either didn't have prominent drums, or to beef up drums to suit a certain style of music. There was a phase where producers redrummed every single classic rock song to be played in open-format and top 40 sets along with more modern hip-hop, house and top 40 tunes with big, prominent drums. With powerful tools like "warping" in Ableton Live, a song with a live drummer can be fairly easily time-stretched and drums can be easily added. This is considered a form of an edit.
Tagging Essentials
When distributing an edit, the tag should look like this:
Original Artist - Song Title (YourName Edit)
If it's an edit of a remix, everyone should be credited like this:
Original Artist - Song Title (Remixer Remix) (YourName Edit)
A remix should be tagged simply:
Original Artist - Song Name (YourName Remix)
Mashups/Bootlegs/Redrums should be tagged as followed:
Original Artist 1 vs. Original Artist 2 - Song Title 1 vs Song Title 2 (YourName Mashup/Blend/Bootleg/Transition/Redrum)
...or if you must use TMZ-style blended name variation for your mashup, go ahead. The important thing to keep in mind is that all artists are properly attributed.
When tagging your fresh new track, the most important thing to consider is giving credit where credit is due and making it clear to the listener who did the heavy lifting. If you made the track from scratch, then you deserve the bulk of the credit. If you're remixing a track, you deserve to share the credit with the original artist. If all you did was cut and paste parts of the original and change the tempo, the listener deserves to know that your role in the process was that of an editing reinterpreter, and not that of a creator.
