How to Make a Mashup: 5 Steps to Make Mashup Songs

A mashup is a music track created by blending elements of two different songs to create a new song. For example, a producer or DJ creates a mashup by taking the instrumental track from one song and the vocal track from another to create a new track, reworking the song in different keys and tempos as needed. Copyright law considers the mashup an original song because of the fair-use doctrine, which allows artists to use copyrighted material in specific ways without infringing on the copyright holder.

Music mashups are popular in hip-hop mixtapes and dance-floor hits. Mashup artists create these tracks with digital audio workstations (DAW) containing editing software, production software, and extensive plug-ins.

A remix is an alternate version or reinterpretation of an established or trending song, often with different vocal or instrumental arrangements, whereas a mashup creates a new song with elements from two or more tracks.

If you want to create your own mashups for DJ sets or gigs, here is a step-by-step tutorial to help you make your first mashup:

1. 1. Pick your songs. All song mashups feature two main audio files: an instrumental version of a track without vocals and an a capella vocal track, which features the singer’s voice without instrumentation. Instead of using an instrumental version of a song, you can sample an element from the original track—like the intro or a drum beat—and loop them together in your DJ software to create a new instrumental track.
2. 2. Match the beats. Once you select your two main tracks, ensure their beats per minute (BPM) match up to keep them in time (a technique called beatmatching). Use your digital audio workstation (DAW) or DJ software to determine the BPM of each track, then utilize the warping or time-stretching functions to slow down or speed up each track so that the beats match.
3. 3. Match the keys. In addition to beatmatching, the musical keys of each song should match in a mashup. Use the key-analyzing elements in your DAW or DJ software to help you match keys.
4. 4. Line up the tracks. To mix the two tracks, play the instrumental version and line up the vocal track so both play in sync. Additional editing of the Waveform Audio File Format (WAV) files is sometimes necessary to assure seamless transitions between vocal and instrumental tracks.
5. 5. Add your final touches. Equalize (EQ) vocals to ensure they are the correct volume and balance with other frequencies in the track. Add effects—filters, additional samples, or reverb—to increase and broaden the mashup’s sound palette.

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