Beatmatching

Beatmatching is a mixing technique employed by DJs. While originally it involved counting the tempo with a metronome and finding a record with the same tempo, today it involves changing the speed at which a recording is played back so that its tempo matches that of the song currently playing. In this way, the DJ can either simultaneously play two songs of different original tempos without their beats clashing or "galloping" or can more smoothly transition between two songs. The tempo of the recording can be changed through the use of specialized playback mechanisms. In the case of vinyl records, for example, the turntable would have a separate control for determining the relative speed (typically listed in percent increments) faster or slower the record can be played back. Similar specialized playback devices exist for most recorded media. Changing the speed the record is playing is called pitching.