Is this kind of thing acceptable in DJ booths? Should it be?
Reader Eros writes: “My dilemma is this: I’m going down the pure digital path using Traktor. All clubs and bars here use CDJ 2000s and DJM 900 or 800. I was therefore trying to work out an option where the equipment I use at home is easily compatible with gear I will find at clubs.
“Initially I was excited about the DDJ-T1 and figured I could just plug it into one of the channels on the club mixer and then off I go. However a few places weren’t happy with that as they don’t consider the DDJ or most Midi controllers as being ‘club spec’.”
Eros then goes on to detail several options using combinations of the X1, Pioneer DJM-900 and so on to try and get a digital setup that complies with the percieved needs of the clubs in his area, but ends his letter confessing: “I’m more than a little confused by it all and trying to figure out which the best way to go is…”
When I replied to Eros, I said this:
“The clubs are spinning you a tale. The DDJ-T1 is ‘club spec’ – if you can fit it into a DJ booth, that is, as it’s rather large. Indeed, you can DJ fine in a club with nothing more than a laptop and, say, an Audio 2 sound card – it’s not about the gear, it’s about the sound quality. The DDJ-T1′s sound quality is fine, as is that of most mid to high end DJ controllers.
“Persuading clubs of this stuff is another tale entirely, but deciding what gear to buy on the strength of what analogue-trained club owners tell you is in my view a mistake. Go for what you want, and educate them.”
Digital’s dilemma…
However, I got to thinking that this problem is digital’s dilemma. On the one hand, there’s no logical reason why DJs can’t use 100% digital gear in clubs – done well, the audience will never hear the difference and will often be treated to more exciting, innovative DJing.
It’s like an airline telling you you can’t use your mobile “even in flight mode” – there’s no logical reason for such a silly rule, and it’s damned annoying.
There’s no logical reason for such a silly rule, and it’s damned annoying.
On the other hand, club owners want to fit gear and forget it – they don’t want rookies who can’t even use the club’s expensive CDJs turning up and pulling the mixer out to plug in their laptops running cracked versions of Virtual DJ, only to start traincrashing awful-sounding YouTube rips. This is completely understandable too.
In my experience, professional, considerate DJs can within reason use their own gear in DJ booths – but obviously this isn’t always the case.
So over to you. What’s your opinion? Have you come across resistance like Eros has? Does controllerism belong outside the DJ booth only? Can you sympathise with the club owners? Or should they accept controllers and digital as part of the mainstream now, and stop expecting everyone to use CDJs (or DVS)?
Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Now go to:
DJing in Nightclubs with Controllers and Laptops
Is Controllerism The New Underground?
Does Controllerism Mean DJing Is No Longer About The Audience?
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Tags: controllerism, dj booths, night clubs
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I’ve thankfully never run across resistance but more fascination. Even hardened vinyl DJs were fascinated when I’d put out an Xponent and a MPD24.
My suggestions…more sometimes will help with these stubborn ones. If I show up with just the Xponent or even the X-Session Pro, some look at it as “cheap”…but they see maybe an MPD24 and Midi-Fighter with it, suddenly I look like a performer, and now it’s fascination over skepticism.
Secondly, learn to use the basic analog setup. Seriously…even if you go with the DDJ-T1, there is no reason why you can’t use your experiences there to use a CDJ and mixer. Some places frown on DJs bringing in setups when it’s short sets…and I agree. If I’m playing 1 hour or less, then I’ll leave the gear at home and just bring CDs and headphones. I know most slots now are never that long, but it’s ridiculous to cause chaos for a short set. Just show up, play, and be done with it. A short set most of the time is about you bringing some friends out and hanging out to patronize the venue.
Third…learn to do more with your stuff. Let’s be honest, you can do a lot more stuff with Traktor than you could on just CDJs. Do some Ean Golden tricks, toy with it all, live remix, show how you’re ahead of the game and others are living in the past.
FINALLY…remember that a rep will always overpower skeptics. So the club calls your stuff “non spec”, but if you’re the guy who consistently packs venues, they won’t say that. If you’re guaranteeing them 1000 people coming out, they won’t care if you’re on a $99 program and even trainwrecking it all…it’s unfortunate, but this is a popularity contest, and most spots pay a DJ to bring them a crowd. Not every spot is like this, but it still speaks volumes to me when high-priced headliners are allowed to play like complete crap, just because they bring a crowd out.
So they can bash digital, but if you’re the guy who brings heads, it’s guaranteed they won’t say a word to you about it.
[ link ]Spoken like a true king of the dance floor. I never stop being amazed with the really helpful advice that pros give us newbies, who just want to rock the dancefloor
[ link ]Great advice for 1hr sets. But for instance, I love my setup and really can’t bother with all the crap mixers/cdplayers I find around venues.
You could practise hooking up your equipment as fast and ninja as possible. I’ve had times when I’d use Audio2DJ because I could not be bothered with setting up Presonus FireBox. Sometimes only hooking up A2DJ to only one channel and use it in internal mode. Sometimes quite the opposite because there is no room in the booth for midi controller (not even X-session), or midi controller is not responding.
Why I’m telling you this….I have no idea….al-in-all: be prepared for as much as possible to go unplanned.
[ link ]I agree with you. I think in an ideal world someone like me should be able to walk in with laptop and Xponent, hook up quick, and go to town. I’ve done that a few times.
However, in the case of this topic, it shows the manager/owner/promoter has an issue with it, so it’s still ideal to be able to come in and play a short set on their setup if need be.
As times passes though, we should see this prejudice vanish.
[ link ]Ow, right, got carried away a bit.
[ link ]Honestly, I’d tell the club to fu** off. When I show up with my 4midiloop and someone tries to pull that shit on my I’m never playing there again. There’s still those hardcore vinyl nazis that try to write everything digital off as toys. I only laugh at those guys go on with my business.
Stick to your setup, educate people about the new technology and if they still insist on you playing with CDJ’s or vinyl, tell them to get lost.
[ link ]The issue is definitely “TRUST”… specifically how much trust the club owner has in their DJ’s. I have encountered owners that no matter how well you perform on whatever gear you use, they will simply not trust anything but what they personally believe in and refuse to be told otherwise. In that case it’s simply a question of “Do I really want the gig and what am I prepared to do for it?”
On a side note, I think Pioneer is doing a great job of making their already-standard club gear digital-ready. With all the current model CDJs (350/850/900/2000) HID for both Serato/Traktor, its just like using a controller mapped for your software. Add to that the certified mixer of your choice to match your software, if that’s not a digital setup (that also happens to be time-code free as well) I dunno what is. And the skills/techniques you learn with these CDJ’s are easily transferable to one of the Pioneer DDJ controllers as well and vice versa, IMHO.
[ link ]I think if you’re an unknown or the owner/manager/promoter doesn’t know how you play (despite them getting a demo), then I can see this.
However, if you’re known to play many places, and they know this, and you bring people out, then I don’t think they have a right to make a stink…unless it’s some short set and they would rather you don’t mess with the current setup.
[ link ]I agree with that 100%
[ link ]i think what you said is very true cause anyone using digital can easily adapt to the pioneer gear cause you can hook it up to a computer as well. think of it as expensive midi controllers.
[ link ]Hi, well first of all it sucks that club people are telling him what to play on! I’ve never had a problem and I play from virtual dj with a numark DMC2 and a vestax mixer all in a flight case together. (If I’m honest, I think it’s that it’s all in a pro flightcase together makes it look more professional and less hobby-ish.)
Anyway, my advice would be if they want you to play using the cdj 2000 then that’s what you should do! They can be used to control Traktor anyway and have a built in sound card. All he would need to do is turn up with 2 usb cables to plug them into his laptop.
Here’s a video explaining it all:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHZMYUUBQBE
and here’s the link to the ASIO driver if he’s on a PC laptop.
http://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/DJ/CD-DVD-Media-Players/CDJ-2000?tab=firmware
The only other advice to give is that if he goes with this then he should call a club up to say that he’s got it all sorted to use the CDJs but he needs to come in to check that it all works correctly. If he can spend a few hours one afternoon plugging them in, installing the drivers and generally making sure it reliably works then he should be good to go!
Oh, and if he’s got the DDJT-1 already and he’s comfortable using it already, then it might be worth politely saying to the manager that he knows that this is pro grade kit and he’s happy to do a demo just to show that you can’t hear any difference, apart from your dope mixing skills, obviously!
[ link ]No, really, who has a few extra hours just to test the gear he might not soon use again.
Also, controller democracy.
[ link ]Well, maybe not “a few hours” but I don’t think asking for a quick soundcheck is beyond the realms of reasonability.
[ link ]It’s logical. CDJs have been here for quite a while now, and is a very stable way to DJ, while DDJing is relatively new in the DJ scene, making it less experienced in the field and therefore less desirable for a club manager.
To my experience they’re the stable choice. Boring, but stable. Midi controllers have way more innovative stuff, but I’m not really sure people care about that at clubs, but they would certainly react if the music stopped completely as a result of hardware failure.
[ link ]My advice? Anyone who’s behind times is someone I rather not work with. Ten years from now something might even replace the Laptop. Then, you’ll have idiots like the cub owner bragging about the gold old days of the laptop.
[ link ]LoL… Well said Sire!
[ link ]You’ve missed the (IMO major) point that a good club will have very carefully EQd its system based on the gear in place and the sound engineer wouldn’t be happy with others just plugging different gear in randomly, regardless of what it is.
[ link ]Maybe, but that’s sort of like asking a band to only use house instruments and amps. One should hope a sound engineer can be somewhat flexible on this. And it’s not random if you just communicate ahead of time.
[ link ]Except that a sensible house requires the bands to turn up well ahead of the gig and do a sound check, to enable the sound guy to sort out any issue beforehand.
Clubs should maybe do this, but the reality here is that most DJs are entirely interchangable. If I have a choice between No-Name DJ one and No-Name DJ two, I’m more likely to pick the one that involves least disruption to me.
So the guy who can play on my existing gear is more likely to get the nod.
[ link ]Great point!
But, says a lot about a house engineer if can’t adapt.
Now, this I would spend an hour (tops) to get the engineer to tune the system to my gear.
Also, the golden rule for ad-hoc setups, keep of the red LEDs and let the engineer deal with the rest.
Which reminds me why X:One series are so beautifull, I’ve seen xone92 clip its ears off on all INs and OUT but sound was still good.
Also, compressors/limiters.
[ link ]It’s true, but really, replacing a CD deck with a controller? It’s more or less the same thing.
I’ve done it before and just gradually balanced out my output and gain so it matched the sound of the playing CD deck. All done.
[ link ]I’ve never had the chance to play with CDJs, so I would definitely not be comfortable playing a gig on them. Maybe with a different controller, seeing as all the core functions are in the software, but a completely new setup is just a big no.
[ link ]I dont see any problem with taking your own equipment to a club, I regularly perform using a combination of maschine traktor and a lauchpad
BUT
YOU STILL NEED TO KNOW HOW TO USE THE CLUBS BUILT IN EQUIPMENT IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES!
Last month I was playing a gig to a crownd of around 300 people, when someone spilled a drink on my macbook, causing it to instantly crash. Luckily i was able to complete the remaining hour of my set on CDJ’s (I always bring a CD wallet just in case)
Had i been unable use CDJS and therefore complete my set, i doubt i would be getting booked there ever again (and would have had 300 very unhappy club goers on my hands)
[ link ]when i first started playing/learning, at home, i just got an x1 and a audio2 soundcard! i started with synk of course… but in 2 months i sort of graduaded so much, that i allready was using all 8 cuepoints to skip forward and backwoards in the tracks, creativly, use loops a lot and FX… i couldnt live without the traktor effects! so now i think why learn to beatmatch on my own, if it takes time (and i dont mean learning, i mean live, it takes many years to to it fast) plus i cant edit my songs live PLUS i didnt have my effects… so wtF??? everybody’s using traktor, serato or ableton anyway! i work at a bar and i see lots of djs coming in with an x1 and a soundcard, using 2 decks like me, but playing completly normal and boring in my opinion! they are the ones that the bar owners should tell not to use the computer! and they still use it! i guess the main point is if somebody would tell me i had to play with the cdj’s i simply woudln’t play! plus im getting maschine in a few weeks, wich im also sinkyng up to traktor, then i’ll be completly depended from my laptop! and all sort’s of gear you can fit in a dj booth i’ve seen somany stuff in so lil space! if you know what you are doin, unplug everything, then put it all where it belonged when you stop playing!
[ link ]Ok, still useful part of beatmatching: know how to recognise when your tunes are out of sync and get the feel on how to re-sync them by hand (even if be only in your software of choice).
[ link ]You start appreciating it when you start playing with 3+ decks (or loop samples in your case).
I have splitt feelings about this issue.
First a pair of tips. Pioneer has CDJs that:
1 Can bee used as MIDI controllers
2 Can take USB sticks/external harddrives
Their SW recordbox is free to download….
So it shuld not bee an issue to play with them!
On the other hand I think you should be alowed to play on your own gear.
Many clubs in sweden has forbidden DDJ
Because many people uses PCs that crashes all the time so clubowners has been tired of them!
I know the new DJ wannabees that has a PC full of viruses and has taken Traktor + all music from Piratebay so there is a 100% chance it will crash! If a wannabee must play on CDs they rip mixtapes from the net and play them on CD. That I have seen for myself.
I do not understand how someone can call themself a DJ if they can’t beatmatch, that is what a DJ do in my´world so I do not accept someone to be a DJ if he uses beatmatch!
Most if not all of the things you can do with a Digital setup in Traktor (MC6000) you can do with S3700 or CDJ2000 except auto beatmatch. Have you people any idea of what you are talking about?
And autobeatmatch is why DDJ’s is not accepted by CD/Vinyl “nazis” like myself.
I do own a Denon MC6000 but will never use Autobeatmatch and will use it only where my S37000/X1700 setup does not have the space for it. The S3700/X1700 ís soo much better to use than any DDJ setup that I have tried out. And I have tried most of them.
And I can use S3700/X1700 in a DDJ setup/USB/CD as I whish.
Last but not least I do think that a DJ is an entertainer, therfore he shall be seen and to be seen he should take as much space as possible.
With a 13″ laptop and a small MIDI device you take too little space I do think.
//DJ Hessler
[ link ]To each one his own. And I totally agree on showmanship and DJs needing as much space as possible.
Isn’t setting up Recordbox library an unnecessary overhead, especially if you already maintain a library in your own software of choice?
[ link ]@ToS
Thank you for posting this so that I know that I’m not the only one thinking like that:-)
If you use CDJs with any SW and computer then you are correct.
But if you use CDJ you can take your music on a USB stick or external HDD and put it right into the CDJ
No computer needed……
And in that case it is good to use Recordbox to get the tracks to load much faster.
The same works for Denon S3700 but with Denon Musicmanager. With musicmanager you can also get waveform on Denon
//Hessler
[ link ]Ow, you thought just for that purpose, I see.
[ link ]My thought was adding all the cuepoints and some metadata to recordbox library, now that is a pain in the a**.
Anyway, Denon, FTW! (IMHO)
“And autobeatmatch is why DDJ’s is not accepted by CD/Vinyl “nazis” like myself.”
Hit the nail right on the head. This is the root of the whole digital vs analogue DJ debate. Digital guys say they use digital because it allows them to be more creative, whilst CD/Vinyl guys say this is bullshit and that it’s just an excuse because you can’t DJ traditionally i.e beatmatch, hit manual loops etc.
[ link ]Thanks Phil for posting the question and to the community for the advice and tips. I guess I wanted to gauge if other DJ’s had met resistance to controllers and how/if they managed to get around it and whether there is indeed any merit to the argument that “they don’t sound as good”.
As it stands now, they’re OK with Kontrol X1′s and Audio4, however in the future I still hope to use a controller of my choice.
Personally I just find that using software opens up a whole new world of creativity and ultimately is the future, hence my desire to go down the pure digital path. The very fact that “industry standard” Pioneer have themselves brought out 3 controllers in the last year is testament to that, the rep even admitted to me that it will probably the kill off the CDJ’s as we know it as “no one is going to pay $2000 for a CDJ 2000 to use a MIDI controller”.
Thanks again everyone for the input
[ link ]Glad you’ve got it sorted! At least now you get to play on a set up you’re comfortable with…
If it turns into a regular gig then you can always try plugging the CDJs in to use as controllers or experiment with other kit- good luck with it!
[ link ]Hi everyone,
Been reading the website for a while now, but thought it’s about time to get involved with the discussion.
This is always an interesting debate and one where I can understand both sides to some extent. I have a mate that DJs a lot in London, he comes from the vinyl / cd era and gets really annoyed with changovers for digital djs. Admitted most of these guys are using a DVS setup rather than a controller, but the big issue is the amount of moving of mixers and unplugging and replugging that goes on. He plays with CDs now, and has had people pull the audio cables out on the deck he’s using mid set which then makes him look stupid through no fault of his own. And that is really the problem with any digital setup, the chance of things going wrong are higher. It has worked in his favour at times though, next DJ can’t get his digital setup working, so the man with the CDs gets to keep on playing!
I first wanted to get into DJing about 12 years ago, but the cost of two 1210s and a mixer was prohibitive for me back then. I then started playing with Traktor about 10 years ago and eventually got a VCI-100 about 3 years ago, as it was just a much cheaper way into DJing. The problem was, although I’d more or less taught myself to beatmix on the early versions of Trakor (when the beatmatching / sync features were rubbish), I wasn’t entirely comfortable playing without those features as a backup. The phase meter / sync button were a bit of a crutch.
I wanted to move out of bedroom DJing, but the thought of turning up to a set of CJs and a mixer without the beatmatching tools as a backup was quite daunting. So I signed up for a course at the local studio which gave me a lot of practice time, and learned how to mix properly on CDJs and vinyl.
The beauty of that, is being able to DJ on any format, and I learnt more about song structure and the feeling of when to cue the next track rather than seeing it. I think it makes you a better DJ. I’ve now played in a club on CDJs and felt comfortable, which I’d have struggled with before. I turned up at a house party the other day which had some ancient CD decks and a real basic mixer, so no bpm readouts etc and was fine.
Clubs can never really adopt digital djing as standard, as there are all these competing software systems, operating systems, controllers, soundcards etc, all needing there own connections and very few DJs use the exact same setup. So there is always that issue of the guy turning up and plugging various things in, trying to get it all working and possibly cocking something up. Hopefully in time things will change to make this easier, like more inputs on the front of equipment instead of the back.
Ultimately the club has to provide a standardised setup that everyone can use, and sometimes they’d prefer people not to mess with it!
[ link ]I think to be fair guys 99% of pro dj’s dont care what people are using,most are professional,polite and good guys ,we use a vci 300 ,macbook and plug into a djm 800 channel,the guest dj turned up and we had a chat,about the night ,his music,our music etc,etc,etc..
[ link ]Never heard any negative comments from pro’s….
I agree dj’s are entertainers but we should always let our music do the talking,because thats were the fun is…
Hi!!!
I would go with versatility here. Get some gear that can be modified to your needs on a “less is more” basis, this goes for the number and size of your gear. To do this let’s first see what you need:
1)Audio.
This can be done in more then 1 way so choose the option that meets your needs the best. If you want to use external mixing you’re gonna need a soundcard with enough outputs. I recommend the NI Audio 10. If you use internal mixing get a controller with a built in soundcard, I would go for the NI S2 for its compact size.
2)Control
When versatility is the factor you just can’t beat the maschine. This will, however, require some long hours MIDI-mapping. If you want a straight out of the box solution the S2 and S4 are really handy. If you want to use external mixing and controllers the NI X1 and Denon DM-SC2000 are definitely something to look at.
I highly recommend steering away from CDJs as software controllers, even as they are readily available everywhere, they will eat 1 USB-port per unit and this can cause you problems when expanding your setup. If the idea is to be “future-proof” be it all the way. But you really should keep your set backed up on CDs, if there is a catastrophe situation, but keep your CDs and your digital stuff separated from the beginning. This will give you clarity on what is on what.
3)Software
This is so down to your needs and preferences that I will not tell a straight answer. But there are some pointers I can give. If you think that you are just going to DJ and not build on that any producing or live-acts you should be OK with basically anything. But if you’re more ambitious then the industry-standards NI Traktor and Rane Serato & Itch will start to stand out from the masses.
OK, so there you go. My hints to the problem. If anything you should keep in mind the “signal path”. You will need software, control and audio in some form or the other. When considering your problems always take this into account, what part of the audio solution can help in the control department etc…
[ link ]Great reply, thanks for taking the time.
[ link ]In my personal experience as a Club Manager/Sound Engineer/DJ, I have nights where local promoters bring their own Dj’s and for the most part most dj’s that come in are using Serato. However I get some dj’s that showup with just a laptop or even a desktop. Then I have to try and tune my system to their headphone output. They setup in our guest dj spot and pull up a chair and sit down to dj. The promoter will come up and ask me why the system sounds like that, and I have to tell them it’s because of their dj’s equipment. I have had to go put in one of my mixes because their virtual dj crashed or some other issues. My main dj’s I have no problem with because they have spent the money (Rane TTM-57SL, Pioneer DJM-909), they are professional and have been doing this for many years.
And also the problem of beat-matching. I know these new digital dj’s have programs that beat-match. However its not perfect. If your playing techno or house where all the BPM’s are the same, no problem. But when you do Hip Hop, Top 40, Dance, Latin in a night that beat-matching engine or program can’t do it. That’s when you get into train-wrecking and customers walking out.
I’m just saying I know the future of djing is going digital, but if you show up to gig with just a laptop/desktop you are going to get a lot of flack. And that’s because Club owners/managers that have been in this business for yrs. know what the industry standard for a professional dj is.
[ link ]I recently played a show with just my laptop,two Kontrol X1s and ipad for effects. Nobody said anything, and thought it was quite cool too! It felt weird though, putting my lap top on one CDJ and the Ipad on the other. Move dinosaurs! Digital Djing is here. BTW, who would even think about playing live with a cracked copy of any software, let alone Virtual DJ. Buy the software, its not that much.
[ link ]I play in clubs here in Portland all the time with a full digital set-up – making live mashups using 8 tracks of Ableton. I’ve never had an issue playing anywhere. Just make sure you have the proper outputs (booth and main – xlr, 1/4″ and RCA) and you’ll be fine.
[ link ]I’ve played at clubs and venues all over the country. I’ve been purely digital for about two years now, using Serato Scratch Live and/or Itch. I have never once had an issue with a club when I ask to plug my gear (controller) in to their mixing board. In fact, I’m doing a gig next Saturday, and have told the promoter not to bother renting decks because I won’t need them. He appreciated it because it saved him some money.
[ link ]I can beatmatch just fine without using sync. The problem for me when it comes to using CDJs is that I don’t own any. I’ve never used them and frankly after spending $1000 on controllers and software I’m not going to spend more cash on a technology that, sorry to say, is already becoming outdated. Because I dont own any, I won’t be practicing on them.
I realise everyone who has CDJs has spent their fair share of cash too. I also realise that a club owner wants to make sure that he gets a significant ROI when he upgrades to the newest model of CDJs. But to outright say I can’t ‘spin’ unless I use their equipment? BS pure and simple.
An acquaintance was recently asked to judge a DJ competition. She read the rules and found that they wouldn’t allow anyone to use any sort of DDJ setup. She and I both thought that appalling. Any DJ should be aloud to use the equipment they are familiar with otherwise those that are less familiar with that particular clubs gear are at a disadvantage.
And to those that are complaining about plugging and unplugging cables, modern soundcards usually have a “thru” option. Plug their CDJs into my Audio10 and my A10 into their mixer… do this at the start of the evening and there’s no unplugging needed, AT ALL. And if someone wanted to use the CDJs with Traktor Scratch they just switch the thrus to inputs on their system.
Honestly I’ve already been to clubs that have the standard interfaces hooked up before a gig. Bring your laptop and controller of choice, plug in their USB cable and you’re off.
DDJing is the future no matter how hard you want to fight it.
[ link ]That’s my gut instinct too.
[ link ]Sorry, “inputs” from CDJs, “thru” to use CDJs which can then be switched to “Out” for computer/controller use. – It’s 2:30am
[ link ]You would hope that the better clubs and those who are a bit more forward thinking would have patch panels so you can just run a phono lead into the patch panel and flip the switch to send input to the mixer – that way no need to move anything or unplug.
I’ve just got a Numark NS6 to use with Traktor as I was a vinyl dj for 15years, learned to use cdjs as that is what the clubs i played in moved towards, and use them every week on my FM radio show, but who also can’t afford the outlay for 2 cdjs given that i will rarely use them at home.
I think being professional and also communication is the key as if you can make things easy for the club / promoter (i.e. make sure you have all the cables you need wih you – and good ones, etc) then it should be ok.
Once i’m up and running with my controller, i can’t wait to get out there and start creating new mixes and doing more than just beatmatching with a few eq effects and looping at best.
Digital is the way forward but have a back up cos computers are still tepremental!
[ link ]