Effects & processing
Noise FX
Noise FX add broadband hiss, usually filtered and swept, on top of whatever is playing. They cover a transition rather than shaping it, filling the join with sound the ear is willing to accept.
In practice
Noise covers a join the ear would otherwise hear — it hides a bad edit, and it hides a good one just as well.
Sweep the filter up as the outgoing record ends and drop it at the downbeat, which is the move the whole effect exists for. Keep the level under the music rather than over it: noise that is louder than the record reads as a fault on the system. And keep it for the moments that need it — its power is that it is unmistakable, which is also the reason it stops working if you use it every eight bars.
Swept up
How it arrives
The downbeat
Where to drop it
Under the music
How loud
Where these come from: Conventional effect settings, not catalog figures. For what we can measure, see the produced version of the same idea.
Why it matters
Noise is the most honest effect on the unit, because everyone knows what it is for. It masks. A rising filtered noise over the last bars of a record hides an imperfect blend, a tempo that is drifting, or a phrase that did not line up — and the floor reads it as a build rather than as a repair.
The reason to use it sparingly is the same reason it works. It is instantly recognisable, so a set that reaches for it on every transition trains the room to hear the transitions rather than the records.
Frequently asked
What is white noise used for in DJing?+
To cover a transition. Swept up over the last bars of a record it masks the join and reads to a floor as a build, which is why it is the standard rescue for a mix that is not quite lining up.
Is a noise sweep the same as a riser?+
They do the same job from different places. A riser is produced into the track; a noise sweep is added by the DJ at the mixer, and can be used on any record rather than only the ones that came with one.
Why do DJs overuse noise?+
Because it works every time, on any pair of records. That is also why it stops working — a room that hears it on every transition starts listening to the transitions.
Related terms
Riser
A riser is a sound that climbs in pitch or volume through a build-up, signalling that something is about to land. White noise, a filtered sweep or a rolling snare all do the job.
Sweep
A sweep moves a filter across a sound so its brightness travels — up towards a moment or down away from one. It works as an arrangement element inside a track and as a live move on a mixer.
Colour FX
Colour FX are the per-channel effects on the knob above each channel — filter, noise, crush, echo. Centred is off; turning either way engages the effect on that deck alone.
Filter
A filter removes everything above or below a moving cutoff point. A high-pass strips the bottom away as you turn it up; a low-pass takes the top off as you turn it down.
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