On a side note, here's something just for your info. Many DJs have been asking, what is difference between tempo and pitch? Way back since I've started DJing where honestly I can say, a lot of experienced DJs still have a lot of misunderstanding about the above topic.
But I can't blame it on them as I've been in their shoes before!!! Firstly, in order to understand the difference between the two, you need to know the basics of music.
But I can't blame it on them as I've been in their shoes before!!! Firstly, in order to understand the difference between the two, you need to know the basics of music.
- In music, pitch is the harmonics of a piece of music. In simple terms, it's the 'do, re, mi' in music. Each piece of music has its specific harmonics. It's a rather complex topic where I will discuss on my next future post.
- Tempo, in the other hand, dictates the speed or pace of a piece of music. That is what BPM is in musical terms where the basics of beat mixing is.
The confussion between the two terms actually came from the equipments that we DJs used. In the early days of DJing, where turntables were the only main equipment we had, the tempo slider was and is still labeled as pitch adjust. Can't really blame the manufacturers because that's what it does, change the pitch of the song.
When CDJs came into scene, the slider was labeled as tempo, as most players has a function called the 'master tempo' where it locks the pitch of the song to its original pitch no matter how much the tempo changes.
Hope this helps you understand a little bit about the differences. Don't bother too much about it as it really doesn't effect your performance.
