DJs can transition between channels using individual channel faders or the crossfader

On a DJ mixer, there are two parallel methods for moving audio from one channel to the next. (1) Individual channel volume faders: the DJ manually fades down one channel while fading up the other — two independent movements. (2) Crossfader: a single horizontal fader that simultaneously fades one channel out and the other in with one hand movement. Crossfaders are common in hip-hop/scratch DJing for fast cuts; channel faders are common in club/techno DJing for slow blends. Both produce the same routing outcome; the choice is a matter of technique preference and genre convention. Some DJs use neither and simply cut at the right moment.

Examples

Club tech-house DJ: sets channel faders, blends bass frequencies with EQ while slowly moving channel faders over 32 bars. Scratch DJ: moves crossfader rapidly for fast cuts and backspin effects.

Assessment

You want to fade from Track A (channel 1) to Track B (channel 2) over 16 bars. Describe how you would do this using (a) channel faders and (b) the crossfader. What is the advantage of each approach?