Electric Nirvana, mixed by Abuddha
Reply #2 - May 20, 2013, 09:10 PM
Actually, when it comes to blending, house is easier. It doesn't have the build-up that trance has (especially once you get to the uplifting stuff with higher bpm), so it's easier to come in and out of tracks whenever you'd like.
Also, trance mixes are a journey. Your set needs to have highs and lows, and you need to know when to increase the tempo, when to cool down, when to add effects to build tension, etc. And if you're really good, you can even do live mash-ups. Which, again, because trance has a lot of build-up, requires a lot of knowledge about the structure and key of your tracks.
Which brings up another point: Because trance is very melodic, you really need to mix harmonically. And as with structuring a journey, that's what makes track selection really important in trance sets. And that's also what makes mixing trance really fun. When you mix the melodic elements of two tracks together and they blend in really well, and your set "clicks", it sounds amazing.
Yeah, trance isn't hip-hop. Trance is trance. Obviously it's not as difficult to mix, but that's not the point of mixing. I mix trance because I love it.
To answer your question: I'm using Traktor and a MIDI controller.