Technology has made music a whole new world. Here's the place to make music and audio with your technologies, on your terms! Start now! 
Description
In this challenge you'll learn how to create a DJ Mix CD using free software tools and Creative Commons Music.
You'll Learn:
- How to match up beats within different songs in order to create seamless transitions
- How to make professional-sounding fades in your mix
- How to create a DJ Mix CD that will help you get DJ gigs and show your stuff in the real world
Basic Steps
Step 1: Find several pieces of music on a Creative Commons site that you want to turn into a DJ Mix, and download all of them to your computer. Try Jamendo or CCMixter. Alternatively, you can use music that you've made yourself.
Step 2: Import all of your music into your audio editing tool. We recommend Audacity.
Step 3: Make the beats of the songs line up. Crop the songs so that they all start at the right point. Use your editing tool to do this. Use the Fade In and Fade Out effect in Audacity to create seamless transitions.
Step 4: Experiment with using the Change Speed, Change Tempo, and Change Pitch effects in Audacity to manipulate the audio in the songs to make your transitions even more seamless. Be sure to keep your earlier versions in case your experimentations don't work out.
Step 5: Now experiment with the other effects in Audacity. You can also download additional plug-ins for Audacity that will give you more options. Check them out here:
Step 6: (Optional) You might be happy with your mix at this point, but if you're not, and you're a Windows User, take it up a notch and experiment with TapTempo for beat matching. Download TapTempo here: and then follow the tutorial here.
Step 7: Export your finished mix in a common audio format and upload it to FreshBrain!
Rules
Here is a summary.
- Must be US resident age 13-18 to participate
- Must have completed the "Mix It, Mash It, Make Your Own Music" learning path
- Music must be of your own creation (do not use copyrighted material)
- No longer than 3 minutes
- Standard audio formats only (mp3, wav, aiff, wma)
- Submit between 6/15/09 and midnight pacific 8/19/09
- Enter as many times as you would like!
Prizes
There are three great prizes for the contest.
- First prize - $250 plus Skullcandy Wireless Headphones
- Second prize - Skullcandy Noise Reduction Headphones or DJ Headphones
- Third prize - Skullcandy Earphones or Sport Headphones
For more on prizes, please see the official rules.
