François Kevorkian: 'After playing with Traktor for almost nine years it felt really strange not having access to all of the features I take for granted...'
Often, new DJs get in touch with us with a story that goes something like this: “Yes, I’ve downloaded Virtual DJ Home, and I’m doing some great mixes on my laptop. I want to get a cheap controller next, then when I’ve got the money trade up to CDJs and a mixer, then finally I want to move to real record decks. Then I’ll be a ‘proper’ DJ!”
While we are the first to underline the importance of being able to DJ on CDJs and ideally, over time, on all types of gear, we also believe that digital is the most exciting format out there. Trading “up” to CDJs or record decks just doesn’t make any sense at all to us.
Turns out we’re not alone in that sentiment. We thought today we’d reprint in its entirety the following self-confessed Facebook Page “rant” by New York veteran DJ and Paradise Garage / Studio 54 legend, François Kevorkian aka François K. In it, he rallies against digital DJ haters, and speaks of how boring he found it when he decided to use CDJs a recent Deep Space event in NYC. Here’s what he said:
Not having that S4 was as if a whole bunch of colours were removed from my palette…
“One thing I noticed the other day. Because we had two guests the same night at Deep Space, the first using Serato, the other Ableton Live, I did not see it as possible to additionally ALSO have my Traktor set-up in there. So I played from CDs that night.
“Which was OK, but in my case a bit of a let-down. I will be the first to admit that after playing with Traktor for almost nine years it felt really strange not having access to all of the features I take for granted when using my S4 controller, as it has so profoundly changed me and the way I think of doing things which previously couldn’t easily be done with either vinyl or CD.
The Traktor Kontrol S4: Is this kind of DJing the pinnacle of the art nowadays?
“Creatively speaking, not having that S4 was as if a whole bunch of colours were removed from my palette, and prevented me from doing the usual ‘spur-of-the-moment’ improvisational thing where I can search for – and find! – any song I want, and have it cued up ready to play in less than three seconds.
“So when people slag ‘Digital DJs’, i.e. those who uses computers to play, I can only wonder why they are getting so upset about it. If you don’t like something, just ignore it, treat it like it doesn’t exist. As Malcom McLaren so astutely pointed out about hateful Sex Pistols reviews, any press is not only pretty good, but a fairly obvious acknowledgement that people do care very much, even if it’s hating it. Indifference is arguably a lot scarier.
“Obviously were are still coming to grips with a very disruptive technology here, and just as when live drummers started getting replaced by drum machines, it gives people with much less training, experience and expertise the ability to do basic things pretty well. Well enough to, in fact, sometimes replace DJs who had years of experience and a bit of an exclusive on it.
“Dunno, that’s the price we pay for technology I guess. Dumbed-down mass market version of something that previously was only available to the few skilled professionals. Something does give in the process if you haven’t learned the ropes and somehow paid your dues, I won’t disagree with that.
Those who support this message, support it loud: But how many of them put their money where their mouths are, wonders François Kevorkian?
“But for that matter, let’s stop being disingenuous here: if you look under the hood, Pioneer’s new CDJ-2000 decks are really a full computer inside a black box instead of inside a laptop (albeit with a much smaller screen and no keyboard, but other sophisticated controller input devices), but otherwise for all intents and purposes a CPU that boots up, has USB and ethernet ports, and the ability to network just as any other computer does. So what is it that those ‘digital DJ’ haters fixate on? The appearance, the shape of the box? WTF?
“Now on the topic of analogue, it also cracks me up a bit when I see all of these people up in arms about supporting vinyl, yet when anyone looks at average sales figures for most recent vinyl releases, they are usually around 500 units per pressing worldwide (dubstep a little more).
If you look under the hood, Pioneer’s new CDJ-2000 decks are really a full computer inside a black box instead of inside a laptop…
“How can thousands of people loudly complain about something that only sells five hundred copies? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being upset about certain DJs not playing vinyl, I am totally OK with that sentiment, yet I find it peculiar that those who do the complaining sure aren’t doing an equivalent effort to support those vinyl releases themselves, or going to buy them at the store, or ordering them online. Do you really think that record labels wouldn’t like to press up more units if there was a demand?
“So I am sorry to express it like this, but it feels somewhat disingenuous for all of those complainers to not even support the format they are championing so hard.”
Are you a brand new DJ wondering whether you should go down the CDJ or digital route? Are you scared there’s something you’ll somehow fail to learn if you go straight to digital? We’d love to know your feelings in the comments.
Now go to:
Digital Vs Vinyl, Part 346: DJ Iceman’s Viral Video
How Digital DJing Is Saving DJ Culture
Using CDJs For The First Time: 5 Tips for Controller DJs
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Tags: cdjs vs digital, digital vs analog, digital vs analogue, vinyl vs digital
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I’m mainly Traktor Pro 2 with two Kontrol X1s now, now I get it in the neck mainly because people can’t figure out how I’m working. It’s human nature for one to attack what one doesn’t understand!
[ link ]It’s only going to get worse as I’m currently working on MIDI mappings to get my Maschine involved too!
[ link ]i started djing 22yrs ago with 2 very different vari speed turntables over the yrs they served me faithfully and upgraded over time to 1210 copies before thinkin im to old and havin kids on the way i sold them. Then once settled with kids found still had a couple of hrs of me time so had a look at djing on pc and started using virtual dj.while i found this a joy to use on laptop felt the need for a controller as just using the mouse just couldnt cut it so started with a bcd 2000 but it hates windows 7 and i know have a torq xponent which is great fun its called progression and i get annoyed by the “your not a real dj If you use as pc!” what tota bollox yes i feel mixing is a lot easier but i thought Thats the meaning life to be able to spend more time making it sound good so how its mixed shouldnt matter how! To me going back to turntables and spendin a mint on tunes is no longer an option my controller and laptop take up only about 10% of the space of turntables and vinyl and the sound is just better so If you waft turntables have them but dont slag off other means cause everybody got there own tastes
[ link ]We actually just bought some 1210s because we want to be able to teach it all, so I agree that it really doesn’t matter. We find digital the most exciting though for so many reasons.
[ link ]Evolution is inevitable in all spheres of creativity. Even Pioneer knows that, look at how fast they entered the controller market.
[ link ]I agree with FKP I’m never gonna upgrade to CDJs, they are quite restrictive once you are used to Traktor and its plethora of performance tools.
[ link ]It’s not a upgrade it’s a sidestep, i keep saying it repetedly it’s about the music you play not on what you play it
[ link ]i have entered a kind of self-defense mechanism and stopped caring about what people say about digital djing. most of them don’t know a thing about it, or they never tried it.
[ link ]to get back in topic: i own an s4 and i’m going to do what’s possible to learn how to play on cdjs, just to have the necessary skills if needed, and that’s it. there’s no way i’d want to “upgrade” my usual setup to cdjs and mixer, that’s not an upgrade, it’s restrictive in many ways.
I am thinking of moving from CDs to digital or CDJs the only barrier is the cost a CDJ2000 is really expensive and the bars & clubs I work in dont have the new Pioneer CDJs therefore I think digital may be the cheaper alternative?
I need some advice from someone who has made this change, the approx cost, learning curve & and be reading to make the transition to DJ at my regular gig next week!
[ link ]i made that transition…..2 years ago I purchased the vci-300. That was a very wise decision in my opinion. the biggest fear is of what to use for backup in case something crashes. the vci 300 could range from 350-600 dollars but it made me feel extremely comfortable and I actually used it within a week of buying it.
[ link ]I love my VCI-300. It’s the purest digital DJing there is. So much like two decks and a mixer!
[ link ]+1 to what Phil said.
[ link ]The skill in DJing is in the music selection and how you put various tracks together. Whatever tool you use to do that is irrelevant to those dancing.
[ link ]“So I am sorry to express it like this, but it feels somewhat disingenuous for all of those complainers to not even support the format they are championing so hard.” – Francois K.
I’m going to remember this one for every vinyl purist I encounter who shows off his wall of old school, but pulls out CDs at a gig when he wants to play new music.
[ link ]This is such a daft argument which undermines FK’s otherwise good point about purists. Just because you may like vinyl does not mean you have to buy every song that gets released on vinyl.
[ link ]And likewise D-Jam, just because someone like vinyl does not mean the songs they do like are available on vinyl for them to be able to play out when DJing.
I think the fact its not available on vinyl is the point.
[ link ]My point is that it’s hypocritical when I see people bash on digital and anything that’s not vinyl, but they still not only use CD and MP3 , but they even illegally download all their music. I’ve seen this many times.
Today I’m stuck at my fiance’s school for the day because I’m her hygiene patient. She only needs me for an hour and a half, but I have to hang out here for 8-9 hours total. I love that I can bring my laptop, turn on Torq, and work on mixes without the need of a full DJ setup. That’s what makes all this amazing.
I’ve said it on my own blog, I have respect for whateverone chooses to use, but I think everyone should respect the choices one makes. Most of the people I see complaining are complaining NOT that someone is using a laptop and MIDI, but that he’s getting gigs while the vinyl purist is not. I see plenty of older guys complaining how fees have become less and they can’t make a living anymore.
Sorry to be mean, but that’s life. In my normalmlife of a web designer I deal now with Nigerians who undercut everything and deliver a poor end result, but people buy it to be cheap. Only way I pulled ahead was to grow. To build back ends, do social media, and especially branding. Not just slap together a site with WordPress.
This is what the troubled DJ needs to do. Learn not just how to play solid sets, but become a moneymaking machine. Show you can spin well, promote, brand, produce, and carry the masses. Like I said in the guides, if you have the popularity, then you get booked and paid. It won’t matter what you play on.
[ link ]@lordamercy +1
[ link ]@djam, What did you just say about Nigerians? You think we ain’t here too?
[ link ]@djam, What did you just say about Nigerians? You think we ain’t here too?
[ link ]Demand and Supply, there will always be people to undercut you in very field of life, even Escorts are undercut by cheaper options.
D-Jam – So how you do you expect people who like vinyl to play vinyl if the songs they like to use for Djing are not even released in that format?
[ link ]Timecode
In all honesty (and bear in mind this is my PERSONAL OPINION), it’s unrealistic now to think you can go 100% laptop-free and 100% CD-free and hope to make it. That’s just life.
I’ve always been happy at the innovation of the DVS because it allowed someone to take advantage of digital while making use of those expensive 1200s they bought years ago. It was the main impetus that made me jump to digital.
What always bothers me are the very few who simply want to keep bragging how they won’t ever touch a laptop…but then also endlessly complain how the industry sucks and they wish for the pipe dream when clubbers demand analog vinyl DJs and refuse to patronize events until one is booked. IMHO…that’s little to do with the technology and more a crybaby moaning and complaining that his outdated thinking has failed him.
I also get bothered when the timecode vinyl users dare to claim they’re giving a more “quality” product because they manually beatmatch. I could show up to their event and spend the evening jumping up and down by the booth…watching their needles skip. That’s quality?
I’ve listened to DJs play full sets since 1987…and the only thing I ever found of value was what I heard. That’s the point I will continually fight to make on anyone who gets into this debate.
Hater: “THAT PUNK IS USING A LAPTOP WITH SYNC!”
D-Jam: “Ok…close your eyes for a few minutes…how does he sound.”
Hater: “He sounds tight. Great track selection, tight sound blending…but he’s still not manually beatmatching.”
D-Jam: “So if you had no clue how he made his mixes, but heard an MP3 of him online…would you like his DJing?”
Always ask yourself that. Then if you are anti-sync and even anti-midi…look for a way you can pull ahead and thus get the bookings. If you’re being booked over the midi guys because you offer real talent and a crowd, not just vinyl play, then you won the battle.
Until then, the winners are the ones who push innovation and grow to be the guys in demand.
[ link ]D-Jam,
[ link ]I am actually Nigerian, thank goodness i am not into web designs. I just hope my mixes are better than your competitors jobs.
No matter what one does in life to stand out you gotta be unique. As long as you are unique in your own way, you will stand out in the crowd be it within turntablists or Cdjaists. Digitalist Djs will be here for a loong time
I’ve talked to Marv in private, but I’ll publicly address this here and on the forum.
I have nothing personally against Nigerians or anyone. My point is that in the past an American web designer could get let’s say $1000 for a simple site, but now with websites giving people the ability to shop around all over the world for labor, other countries can compete. I know in Nigeria there are freelancers who can charge much less simply because of the cost of living and value differences between our currencies.
With that in mind, I simply wanted to tell these guys that if they’re going to complain about some laptop DJ coming in and charging less, then they need to go out and find a way to stand ahead of the competition…meaning they offer services the other guy can’t, or show they are worth paying more for.
I’ve seen web developers complain about how they’re being undercut by cheaper foreign labor, but it’s as you say “supply and demand”. If someone can offer cheaper supply, the demand goes there, so you find how you can justify your cost over someone else. Perhaps the laptop DJ can walk in and just play, but you end up bringing a full setup, lights, etc.
[ link ]It’s a tricky one.. Digital Dj’s will never know the unadulterated satisfaction of working hard to master skills to the point they can pull off a blinding mix on a turntable or a CDJ with no clue as to BPM etc etc. But.. purists are closed off to the amazing creative power a controller / pc offers them. Surely there’s a middle ground somewhere in all of this?
[ link ]It’s all bound together by the fact that the single most important thing is the records in your “box” and how well you can pull the right one out at the right time.
[ link ]Quite right Phil. Music first.
[ link ]A good DJ should never be out of their depth regardless of the kit that is at their disposal. Digital heads.. Put some work in and learn the basics too. It’ll save your bacon someday I guarantee you.
Purists.. Lighten up a bit! Offer to share your skills with the next new sync button DJ you meet instead of cussing them off
Quote: “.. Digital Dj’s will never know the unadulterated satisfaction of working hard to master skills to the point they can pull off a blinding mix on a turntable or a CDJ with no clue as to BPM etc etc.”
I need to ask you: Have you ever used a Controller or just a DJing Program?
I regularly “mix 2 hour live sets” (mixing in 30 or so tracks with transitions of 1 minute) on Internet Radio Shows, and believe me if you think that every track will Beatmatch with the next track by simply pressing the Synch Button and not “Physically Beatmatching using Headphones” on a Controller (or a DJing Program which I started off with), obviously you haven’t mixed in 30 odd tracks together?
[ link ]The reason I DJ is purely for the love of music I have no intention to take it up as a profession. Digital DJing allows me to be the DJ I always wanted to be. I can now afford to buy and listen to all the songs I want, rather than give the vinyl a listen and put it back because it is too expensive. I cant afford to buy CDJs I can afford a small midi controller.
Me and my mates put on a small night in Manchester – I DJ’ed there on my Mixtrack Pro of all things, some of the other lads DJing may care but the crowd didn’t and now I have bought a Vestax off a mate I am in my element learning how to use Traktor.
Strangely my beatmatching seems to be improving too on my friends CDJs, even though I usually use sync when Djing on Traktor.
Digital has finally unlocked the world of DJing for me it is no longer a closed shop, long may this continue!:)
[ link ]I love to hear stories like this. So pleased for you.
[ link ]I agree with this, and I’m in that boat.
I used to DJ in the San Fran Bay Area about 8 years ago when I was younger and didn’t have any kids. I used vinyl mostly, some CDs, but most of it was donein the supposed old-fashioned way. I had a ton of fun doing it.
These days I have a 3-yr old, and another child on the way. I don’t live in a town with much of a club scene, and I wouldn’t be there even if I did. But…I have a Traktor Kontrol S4, and I can do things that I could never do with vinyl and CDs. I have a Maschine too, so I can create my own loops to complement songs, drop those loops into the sample decks, and go crazy. I have a ton of fun doing it.
BTW, my 3 yr old loves the S4, mostly just hitting buttons and moving faders and stuff, but she will come up with some cool stuff every once in a while. Just think of what she’ll be able to do in 10 years.
[ link ]Started on 2 belt drive Stanton’s, Upgraded to 2 x 1210′s with a DJM 300 added a CDJ 1000 and then sold the lot as I was moving away from the country.
Now I use Traktor Pro 2 with a Kontrol X1 and looking to get myself a nice DJM800 sometime in the future as it is not totally needed for my home set up and most places I play out at have one anyway.
All is progression and I am happy.
[ link ]Kind of the same here I started on the 1200′s, moved on to the numark cdn88 in the early 2000′s when downloading came out, then back to vinyl with a dvs. Now I pretty much controller exclusive, hell I’ll bang a set out on my iPhone sometimes. So if I can upgrade anybody can. And why are all of the companies making controllers if that’s not the future?
[ link ]thanks for sharing this. some interesting “food for thought” in that rant.
[ link ]First up, Francoise you are my new personal hero. I’ve been debating this issue with vinyl purists since the early days of visiosonic dj1000 before it became pcdj red.
A quick glance back into history will throw up countless examples of analogous events. A good example is serfs who had always worked the land, some of whom struggled to make the move to manufacturing in the industrial revolution. Those who couldn’t adapt to the new paradigm had a very hard time of it. Its a natural evolutionary function of all complex adaptive learning systems. In basic terms, evolve or die.
There’ll always be vinyl purists. Same as in photography there’ll always be those who’ll only shoot on film. This is a good thing. Progress is amazing but when we lose touch with the old ways in the process then we lose a part of ourselves as well.
Purists are always loudly outspoken about this issue, often almost as loud as the voices shouting in unison and speaking in silky marketing terms that tell us all we’ll feel better if we use ‘new and improved’ Not bad considering how few of them there are.
Its all good. Everything is as it should be.
[ link ]The thing that often gets overlooked however is that a new paradigm or gadget is not always better than it’s predecessor. Sometime like with CDs and digital music, they were markedly inferior to start with both from an audio quality and DJing standpoint, but thankfully they became a lot better and then superior in many ways.
Flat screen TVs are another example of this, it’s very hard to find one with as natural a rendition of skin tones as your average CRT TV. Which is why they are nearly always demoed with animation as it hide this problem.
[ link ]To me going from computer to CDJ’s or Vinyl is not an upgrade but rather a downgrade. I would be going from new tec to old tec. It’s to me kind of like going from Windows to DOS you can still do things but there are lots of futures you will be missing and things you simply can’t do.
[ link ]Although I plan on getting myself a set of cheep CDJ just so I can practice on them if I get in a situation were I’m forced to gig on CDJ’s. I have used CDJ before but only or rare occasions.
I have around 3000 vinyls stored away that haven’t been used since sometime in the late 80. I can now show up at a club will all those 3000 on a thump drive (Although I have them on my laptop) and can do 1000 time more then I could do on just vinyl.
I used to DJ in a few bars and clubs around my local town. I spent an absolute fortune on records every month. I had to travel up and down the country to find a record that I wanted and that my local shop might not have which I guess was fun looking back, but certainly a lot of effort.
Now I have no interest in playing out and just want to put together a few mixes to share with my buddies. I love how accessible the music is now and the fact that there are tools like MIK, ableton and traktor so I can make mixes exactly how I want them to sound.
As to learning to beatmatch manually, you’re not missing out on too much. Sure, its fun to learn and a great feeling when it clicks into place and becomes second nature but its not the lost art that some people make it out to be.
At the end of the day, its all about entertaining people, not the format. I often hear people say that they find it boring to go and watch a DJ playing on a laptop which I never understand. I usually go to the club to dance not to watch what the man playing the music is doing.
[ link ]“As to learning to beatmatch manually, you’re not missing out on too much. Sure, its fun to learn and a great feeling when it clicks into place and becomes second nature but its not the lost art that some people make it out to be.
At the end of the day, its all about entertaining people, not the format. I often hear people say that they find it boring to go and watch a DJ playing on a laptop which I never understand. I usually go to the club to dance not to watch what the man playing the music is doing.”
Exactly my point.
[ link ]I started DJing 19 years ago. Starting with some second hand soundlab belt-drives and later Technics 1210s and a Pioneer DJM600 (which I’m still using to this day). I think it makes me a better DJ that I learnt in the old school way (other may disagree), but there’s younger kids who wouldn’t know the first thing about manually beatmatching that do things that amaze me. I’ve now got 2 x Numark V7s either side of my old DJM600 which is for me , the best of both worlds. But my point is, do what you’re most comfortable with. For me, the physicality of two turntables combined with the versatility of a digital workflow is my ideal. For those who didn’t learn with vinyl, why start now if you can’t get the tunes you want? If you’ve never learnt to use CDJs, you’re not missing anything when compared with a controller with decent jogwheels. It’s basically the same thing.
[ link ]You’re not really a writer if you don’t use a pen. We must preserve handwriting.
[ link ]Pens? Its all about carving the letters in granite.
I can’t stand new school people like you.:)
[ link ]Pens? Its all about carving the letters in granite.
I can’t stand new school people like you.:)
[ link ]It seems pretty obvious to me (based on the regular FB debates I read on this topic anyway) that most “old school” DJs (be they vinyl or CDJ based) take issue with the SYNC feature more than controllers per se. If SYNC didn’t exist in controller-land I think there would be far less flak thrown at digital DJing in general.
SYNC gets bad press as it allows inexperienced DJs to achieve something that people have invested large amounts of time and energy into learning and perfecting, hence the resentment that follows.
I’ve got a foot in both camps on this issue.
I love that technological advances have allowed me to enter a world I could never really afford to be part of when I younger (due to the prohibitive cost of good DJ gear). Its awesome that I’m now able to do something I enjoyed (on an infrequent basis) as a younger guy whenever I want to.
However, on the flip side. I spent many many hours on friends decks trying to teach myself how to mix with vinyl and I fully understand the hard work, stress and eventual sense of achievement that comes when you finally ‘crack it’ and can beatmatch (and more) with vinyl. Therefore I can see why those who’ve been through that experience feel resentful towards those who can simply bypass it and still perform to a pretty good standard.
Personally I’ve made it my mission to (re)learn the basic skills of DJing (irrespective of the medium used to achieve it) since I joined the digital DJ world a while back. And I would never rely on SYNC even though I doubt I’ll ever play on anything other than my own gear (or a mates controller) in the future,but its there in an emergency I guess. For me, its an integral part of being a technically proficient DJ that I can beatmatch without an over reliance on something like SYNC, or, at a push, even a BPM reading.
I suspect many who take issue with digital DJing would not bear the same grudge towards the digital DJs who have honed their skills the ‘hard way’ first but have now adopted technology to bring even more flavour to their sets, and more portability too! I know of at least one DJ (Wick-it the Instigator, great producer too) who is an amazing old school turntablist but chooses to perform his shows with an Ns6 cos its much easier to transport to gigs and offers exceptional performance capabilities too. If it’s good enough for him…
[ link ]I think the issue with computers and so on making life easy for the newbies is that a large part of being good at anything usually takes a lot of practice and dedication.
The barriers of something taking a bit of effort to master tends to filter out those who wouldn’t bother putting the time in to really master something.
So the end result of lowering the barriers is that you get a lot more talentless people drowning out those with real skill and talent. And what is worse, those who are good at this are then not appreciated.
A good example of this would be Instagram or Hipster which allow you to do funky thing to your photos on your phone and with no need to spend years learning Photoshop. The problem is that crap snapshots with a 70′s look are nearly always still crap photos. The odd good one is usually simply due to chance.
[ link ]Even with sync you still have to drop the tune appropriately…well @ least with Serato. So there is still some work to be done.
[ link ]not only that, but what about the time we spent beatgriding the songs.
[ link ]“I suspect many who take issue with digital DJing would not bear the same grudge towards the digital DJs who have honed their skills the ‘hard way’ first but have now adopted technology to bring even more flavour to their sets, and more portability too!”
The problem is they judge everybody the same without knowing what that person have done before.
[ link ]Why would you feel resentful to someone who doesn’t have to go through what you went through? That doesn’t make any sense unless you’re just being spiteful out of pride.
You should’ve learned to beatmatch because you wanted to, not so you could look down on others who couldn’t or never needed to.
I spent years learning to play guitar well, and now people can create music using Garage Band that makes them sound like they know how to play guitar, they can choose a software instrument and pick a chord and make it sound like a person who knows how to play guitar.
But I don’t care, because I didn’t learned to brag about it, I learned because I wanted to.
[ link ]Jeremy; i don’t know if you reply to my comment(is hard for me to follow the 2 shades of grey) but your reply is one of my points.
[ link ]My comment:
“The problem is they judge everybody the same without knowing what that person have done before.”
is speaking from the digital dj side as I have been in arguments here with “real dj’s” wihtout them knowing my background.
Talking about Synch Buttons, well there are 2 on the Numark Mixtrack Pro I use, but there is no Synch-Lock, but that is not a worry, within a typical set of 30 odd tracks which I mix together, quite a few tracks will wonder out of Synch and then Beatmatching is a must.
If you have not mastered beatmatching using Headphone-Monitoring forget it, unless you are a “Selector” who just slams in the next track as soon as the last track in?
Ah well, there are a lot of DJ’s who are just Selectors.
[ link ]I have a hiphop and pop DJ friend who hates controllerism even though he uses a hybrid controller in the form of Serato with Technic 1200′s. He says that “using 1200′s is keeping it real.” Others say that using anything other than analog vinyl is not keeping it real. Do I want analog vinyl to go away? Hell no! I enjoy the use of Technics, but I also own a DN SC2000 and a Traktor X1. I’ve heard statements from those who were involved in the Brooklyn Storm Rave’s of the 90′s who stick to straight vinyl even though half of them are recycling tracks dating back to the early 00′s. Most of us aspiring to get out there more understand that new vinyl recordings are not readily available as it used to be when looking for techno and house music. Sonic Groove is gone. Satellite Records is gone. 611 Records is gone. Controllers offer portability and functionality. It is also ergonomic in that you can fit more than one controller in a decent sized booth. You don’t have to lug around records. You don’t have to worry about storage space for records. Now I’m an advocate for creating a variety controller set up. A Traktor Scratch certified mixer will give you the capability of using real vinyl, vinyl control, and the use of a stand along jog wheel controller of your choice, or you can choose to use controllers such as the X1 and/ or a Xone 1d along with it. I like having options. You may want to transport your Tech’s often, but what if you are in a basement lounge and you are paid to provide your own gear? Do you really want to lug those turntables up and down the stairs along with the speakers and mounts etc? No way!
[ link ]We as digital djs are coming off as a little insecure by continuing to have this debate. On this blog site in general, I’m not sure how this subject has to be such a weekly focal point. Please more insightful articles on tech and spec and less on this, you’ve covered it already …….a lot.
[ link ]Its a battle and stigma that follows digital dis around so its something that has to be discussed on ze regular. We haven’t chosen this argument its found us and getting fresh views from people in the scene is always relevant.
[ link ]I’ve got a ton of vinyl in my old man’s disused garage it’s not gonna get played out anymore as venues where I’m at don’t have 1210s anymore. If they do they’re in such bad shape I wouldn’t put my vinyl in it. It’s a format I’m glad I learned on but it can’t be used in the way I used it in the 90s. Funny how the dubstep scene got mentioned the only scene where the pitch fader is redundant.
As for CDJz I originally didn’t wanna jump over as I found them lifeless and boring for me to play on as well and I’d say out the three formats its the easiest to beat match on. Yeah I did just type dat use em and u know it urself. They served their purpose though I could turn up with a varied set in a CD book rather than one genre in two cases and a record bag using vinyl.
Now I’m digital and people think the laptop does it all it doesn’t even when I use the dreaded sync button if I feel like. People. wouldn’t know the beatgridding time and patience it takes to use dat button but they wouldn’t c it as I do that at home in ze lab as it were. Laptop Djin is the upgrade remixing on the fly,FX,mash ups etcetera. The ability to play any tune from any genre in my collection as I see fit. Being able to type a vague name in spotlight and finding the track u want rather than looking through an expanse of faceless CDz. I could go on but the point is for me digital is the upgrade vinyl I still use when I feel like risking my collection. CDz are an excellent backup but neither are an upgrade for my personal musical journey.
[ link ]woah there….a ton of vinyl, in a garage? My friend kept his old 12″s (1000′s of them) in his mum’s garage – only to find that it had flooded during the winter and the whole lot was wrecked – labels, covers caked into the grooves of every record.
As the majority of DJs have moved onto some form of digital media and away from vinyl, the value of the old vinyl seems to be coming down quite a lot – great if you still play out on turntables, not so great if you thought your old stash of white labels was worth much…even worse if the records have been water damaged!
[ link ]not good now I’m paranoid lol. Looks like a trip to ze old man’s is in order
[ link ]CDJs copied the turntable and controllers copy the CDJs. This isn’t a argument anymore when they killed 1200′s. CdJs will be dead in 2-5 years, my guess will be 2 years. Why would a manufacture keep making something that has moving parts, that can break? CDJs are very expensive with little return for the manufacture. Why would a club owner by this equipment anymore? When all they just have to provide a sound system that you can plug into. you can do more with controllers, modify an adapt them to your style. If you want to still DJ with CDJs or even the turntables, go ahead, no one is going to stop you. I think spinning with turntables and Vinyl is whole lot cooler anyway in nostalgic way. It’s not Practical it’s not affordable and the kids today look at cds like the 80′s babies looked at turntables. Stop the hating and don’t be surprise when they kill the CDJ.
[ link ]CDJs copied the turntable and controllers copy the CDJs. This isn’t a argument anymore when they killed 1200′s. CdJs will be dead in 2-5 years, my guess will be 2 years. Why would a manufacture keep making something that has moving parts, that can break? CDJs are very expensive with little return for the manufacture. Why would a club owner buy this equipment anymore? When all they just have to provide a sound system that you can plug into. you can do more with controllers, modify an adapt them to your style. If you want to still DJ with CDJs or even the turntables, go ahead, no one is going to stop you. I think spinning with turntables and Vinyl is whole lot cooler anyway in nostalgic way. It’s not Practical it’s not affordable and the kids today look at cds like the 80′s babies looked at turntables. Stop the hating and don’t be surprise when they kill the CDJ.
[ link ]You need to check your information.
They didn’t kill the 1200′s
They killed the 1200MKII and M5G. 1200MK5 is still in production, and I do believe the MK6 will be soon.
[ link ]Technics SL-1200 Production Ceased
On 1 November 2010, Panasonic made the following statement on the DMC World DJ Championships home page.[1]
[ link ]Panasonic reactive statement – Production of analogue turntables has ceased
Panasonic has confirmed that it ceased the production of its Technics-branded analogue turntables this autumn.
After more than 35 years as a leading manufacturer of analogue turntables, Panasonic has regretfully taken the decision to leave this market. However, Panasonic will continue to sell headphones under the Technics brand.
We are sure that retailers and consumers will understand that our product range has to reflect the accelerating transformation of the entire audio market from analogue to digital.
In addition, the number of component suppliers serving the analogue market has dwindled in recent years and we brought forward the decision to leave the market rather than risk being unable to fulfil future orders because of a lack of parts.
Panasonic employees who have been working on the analogue turntable range have been redeployed elsewhere within Panasonic – many of them continuing to work in Panasonic´s Audio Video Business Unit.
Now don’t get me wrong. I think spinning on my turntables is much cooler Visually and a lot of fun( I have been doing it for 18 years). There will be people still willing to using them, the ones who will be willing to haul them around. The future is here and it’s digital. if you can afford to buy CDJs or turntables and want to use them go for it. You should learn on them. If you have a friend who will lend them to you or sell them for cheap. But if your on budget or just getting started, invest your money in good digital system and controller. my first Digital system was Serato with turntables and korg padcontrol. That lead me to Traktor and I have no regrets moving forward.
[ link ]At the end of the day if you’re good enough and have passion in what you’re doing, you will shine through irrespective of medium.
When industry standard, bastion of CDJism, Pioneer brought out there latest club spec mixer with the words “Traktor Enabled” clearly emboldened on the front…well need anyone say more about where this argument is going ?
I’m not a hater of vinyl or CDJ, actually the opposite, and yes to understand where you’re going you need to know where you’ve come from. I appreciate all that but the argument has gotten to the point now where it is absurd….it is nostalgia for nostalgias sake.
[ link ]A ‘maybe’ true story:
[ link ]The old man sighs:
I remember back in the old days, we carried our instruments to the club and played music, ‘real’ music.
And the people were dancing and going wild.
It took us years to master our instruments. Myself, I played the piano and practiced hours every days.
Then came people and played just records of our music on turntables.
They played ‘plastic discs’ and called it music. Playing other peoples music and called it an art.
They dont even know how it feels to hold a ‘real’ instrument, how it feels to play ‘real’ music.
Where will this end?
Here, hopefully: “I remember when we had to touch things, before all this thought control!”
[ link ]Even with sync you still have to drop the tune appropriately…well @ least with Serato. So there is still some work to be done.
[ link ]Anyways enough of the Stick Shift vs Automatic argument.
Hey if you connect 2 CDJS and a mixer to your laptop and run them through Traktor aren’t u doing the same as a “Digital” Dj
[ link ]You’re using a controller in a halloween costumes
[ link ]Hey if you connect 2 CDJS and a mixer to your laptop and run them through Traktor aren’t u doing the same as a “Digital” Dj
[ link ]Just my perspective, but I started out on a pair of Numark Pro TT1s, they were the first turntable I ever saw with a digital readout (it showed the pitch difference relative to zero.) This was in the late 90′s and man did that readout help when I made my first mixtape. I had the whole set written down with relative pitches etc… My first mixtape was smooth and didn’t have “many” double beats/wrecks and it really was what propelled me and gave me the confidence to really dig in and learn. But some would say that was cheating…
I still had to learn to beatmatch by ear though, so I did. Then I had to use other peoples Technics everywhere I went so I had to adjust to the different “feel” and torque, those TT1s were not the shadow of the TTXs of today, so I learned/adapted and moved on. It was even a little embarrassing when people would come over and “try” to spin on my decks. I quit spinning right about when CDJs were becoming standard…
Fast forward to about a year ago. I got asked to DJ a party for some kids that were almost half my age and were all in the big pants and hipster clothes and here I am, bald and with a bag full of records (thank God the DJ before me was using DVS)… I think I was intimidated. By the end of my set I had been asked every comment imaginable from “Whats your DJ name?” to “I don’t know anyone who still buys vinyl.”. I was so high on the attention I knew I had to “come back”. I then went to a party where a guy was digital DJing and using sync and he had no clue he was wrecking left and right and was out of “phase” I guess you would say, the whole time. He had no idea he sounded “awful” and neither did anyone listening, to my surprise. All he had to do was nudge or pull the track, but he had no idea.
So I recently bought a Numark NS6… Why? Because I realized I have access to more music now, I can do more with the gear than I ever could before (ie looping, effects, 4 decks, samples, etc…) I can still scratch (and well) and I still don’t see the downside. I’m the same DJ I was before, but now with MORE POWER!!!! I even added in an APC40 and Ableton to my rig… man the sky is the limit. I even use sync for expediency, what do I have to prove? I can still beatmatch in less than 20 seconds if need be (Does that make me a real DJ?) and sometimes I have to, because digital doesn’t do all the work “perfectly” for me, I still have to use my ears to hear when the “records” drift. Maybe I don’t take enough time to beatgrid properly, but who cares as long as it works for me and I get the job done right?
My whole point is that in the end, you can’t worry about what kit you are using, definitely not what other DJs think, or be insecure about your style, because in the end, no matter what you are using to DJ you better have style, skills, and heart. If you’ve “paid your dues” and you have heart, it’ll show. The posers/has-beens/dinosaurs that have to hold onto vinyl, cdjs, or whatever format to legitimize and validate themselves will be stuck eating your dust as you innovate and play it forward to your hearts contentment. You are not your gear. If anything, digital has made us all unique little snowflakes again. Nuff said, and really sorry about the long book, but I think we all feel a little passionate about this eh? If the power ever goes out for good, we’ll play rhythms with our hands on whatever we can find.
[ link ]Better than François. Power to you!
[ link ]“So I recently bought a Numark NS6… Why? Because I realized I have access to more music now, I can do more with the gear than I ever could before (ie looping, effects, 4 decks, samples, etc…) I can still scratch (and well) and I still don’t see the downside. I’m the same DJ I was before, but now with MORE POWER!!!! I even added in an APC40 and Ableton to my rig… man the sky is the limit. I even use sync for expediency, what do I have to prove? I can still beatmatch in less than 20 seconds if need be (Does that make me a real DJ?) and sometimes I have to, because digital doesn’t do all the work “perfectly” for me, I still have to use my ears to hear when the “records” drift. Maybe I don’t take enough time to beatgrid properly, but who cares as long as it works for me and I get the job done right?”
I don’t remember I wrote this, but yeah : that’s me !!! ^^
[ link ]I can beatmatch with anything, even 4tracks reel, tapes, MD or deck with no pitch, but with my NS6 I press SYNC and I don’t care what people think, I have paid my due, mixing since 1988 on any platforms.
I have a friend who isn´t particulary interrested in djing. While hanging out with him, i used to occasionaly show him some turntabelism videos I liked, and often he was impressed by the technical skill. So one day I showed him an ean golden routine I liked and I was surprised by his reaction. He wasn´t impressed at all. Probably it´s visualy more interesting to watch some scratching on a turntable then some button mashing on some mystirious controller, at least for the average guy.
And actually I feel (based on this blog), that there is a lot more bitching about how useless turntables and vinyl and old school djs are, then old school djs hating on digital. I personnaly like my dvs, and loops and stuff, but I still can´t part from my turntables, it just feels so great to touch my vinyl (even if it´s a controll record). This sensation, to have my music on my finger tips is something I would really miss going strictly digital. So yes, I want quality jogweels with a motorized platter.
[ link ]And when all the harddisks in this world will have broken down, I´ll still be listening to my record collection. And , for those who don´t believe it, vinyl sounds better. Since I listen mostly to mp3s now, I get reminded of this every time I put a nicely pressed 7″ on the platter.
And having vinyl will make you appear as a cool, underground, hipster, a trak-like guy, and you will get more chicks.
I learned using only vinyl and have since upgraded to technics + traktor. However the soul purpose of traktor for me is a platform for me to use my mp3 selection and I simply couldn’t afford to keep buying the vinyl i wanted at the rate i wanted to…
However, my concern is that I grafted to learn to mix. I learned to understand how to mix through making mistakes and a heck of a lot of hours behind the turntables, yet I still don’t feel I get the attention I deserve.
On the other hand, I have friends who learned to mix on midi/interface systems and got sets in 6months. This to me liquidifies the actual DJ talent out there today. Whilst the sounds at the end may come out all the same/similar I feel that it is unjust to celebrate sets from those who use digital DJing tools as they often [not in all cases] don’t have the same level and general understanding as others.
This is purely based on personal experience.
[ link ]A number of comments which may or may not be related to this story.
1. Is it a coincidence or not that decks.co.uk announced today they only have one technics deck left (http://www.facebook.com/deckscouk)
[ link ]2. DJing has changed it seems, it’s no longer one track after the other, are we all expected to make use of the sample decks and effects, filters etc offered by the likes of the S4?
3. My hard drive which I keep all my music for DJing on might have just failed. It seems it’s impossible to keep music forever, vinyl and CDs get scratched, and hard drives it seems, are not invincible, even the Lacie rugged one that I have. Fortunately it’s backed up just in case the worst has happened, but that’s still one hell of an inconvenience…
What I think is important is that the advance of technology provides new ways of doing things and also makes it easier to do what was done before … I use traktor and ableton with controllers, but I like more the turntables with dvs or vynil … but the important thing for me trying to use traktor and controllers (I’m still adjusting to the digital with controllers and learning from Digitaldjtips) is to take advantage of the new way of making-playing music that provides the new technology … this way is what makes sense to me, usually with all Advances of-technology, because to play with any software and controllers and just do as we did with vinyls (before), I would stay with the turntables (DVS), CDJ with Spinning platter
or vynil if we could get them…..
Another thing for me important about this debate Digital Vs Vynil, As I heard before from Mr. Phil and in the comments that is all about the music…but not only to put the right one in the right moment…. also, to learn about music and get inside it to improve in the art of djing.
excuse my english
[ link ]I have been DJ’ing for a few years now even though I am a dinosaur my love is EDM…. I finally got a S$ which is amazing. Nonetheless I am skilling myself up in manual beatmatching just in case.
I do have to agree with a comment before… we “digitals” come across a little insecure because every time someone mentions we are not “real” DJ’s this whole discussion starts up again.
We know what we can do and how we can do things that are not possible in a “purists” way – we know we can do mashups live, we can drop samples and one shots even create whole new tracks live during a gig… try that on old skool equipment…
I think the way we need to look at this whole debate is… yeah vinyl is cool but old… cdj’s learn em cuz you may need em… never forget the roots and keep on moving toward the future… OUR future!
[ link ]We know what we can do and how we can do things that are not possible in a “purists” way – we know we can do mashups live, we can drop samples and one shots even create whole new tracks live during a gig… try that on old skool equipment… I think this is part of the problem, all this was possible on “old skool equipment” is was just very very hard work which took years to master.The excitment for the dj, was “can i do this live?” and the rush came when you pulled it off. i can understand why anyone who spent years learning these skills is gonna be a little miffed when someone comes along with a controller and can do it in a day!!!
[ link ]I started out back in the day (15 years ago) on two belt driven Gemeni BD10s. Learning to beat match on them was cool and fun and etc. I still had one of them until I purchased a S4 controller a couple months ago. Now its in the closet. I probably couldn’t sell it for 25 bucks if I wanted to and it has a decent needle on it. The only time I touched some glorious 1200s was at Dubspot in manhattan where it was interfaced with Serato I believe. All my skills were still there its like riding a bike IMO. Since getting the S4, I have access to maybe 15k tracks on my HD via Traktor. I can use 4 decks, I can do a whole lot of stuff I couldn’t do before. Whats wrong with that? All these folks talking about keeping it real I can understand to a degree but they aren’t complaining about driving in cars, or flying in planes, or the internet either? So lets put things in perspective… most of these people have bought into digital technology or some other innovation in many areas in their life. The music is more accessible via digital and the capabilities are greater. Keep your records and lug em to the venue with you if you desire. Play em at home, gaze at the album cover and what not… Its your perogative. But if you come to the club and criticize someone for the method they are using to rock the party which is probably really rocking… then you didn’t really come to party.
[ link ]Just accept it, the vinyl is for tecnical hostile people, the CD is dead,, just not been buried yet…
Digital dj’ing is the only way this days. Dj’ing with cd today is like practicing slalom with a pair of Fisher skies from ’87 or driving a Volvo 242 or Ford Granada.
I tried digital dj’ing on a Behringer BCD 3000 (!) 4-5 years ago, and I never used a cd since.
Got some friends that still plays cd’s, and they all got one thing incomment, they all suck one way ore another.
[ link ]They just after the money, they dont want to learn a new tecnique because they not really interested.
I couldnt care less what equipment you use! problem is too many bad djs playing out in public getting professional djs a bad name and bringing down the standard of expectation to the point where poor standard is the norm.
[ link ]Yes, absolutely brilliant point and one which is very evident around me today.
[ link ]Dj means disk jockey not digital jockey
[ link ]this may be the reason for all the hatred against digital
I’ve gone from using digital back to CDJ’s. More convenient for me to bring a few cd’s and headphones to a gig rather than a whole digital set up which consisted of an s4 and flightcase, laptop, hard drive etc. Pretty bulky set up and also trying to find room in DJ booths was very tricky.
Therefore i’m sometimes on the fence regarding this argument. I believe you should always learn on CD’s, you have a much greater appreciation of how to mix/beatmatch manually. “Sync” buttons take all that away. Suddenly lots of lad’s buy a midi controller and cheap DJ software and can call themselves a “DJ” when they have no clue of music or mixing. “Sync” takes the skill out of it.
People argue, mainly here above me, that digital allows you to do more and be more “creative”. Thats a load of crap in most cases as the software and/or controller aren’t used to their full potential.
In my own honest opinion, I would prefer and appreciate a whole lot more to see a DJ do a full performance with CDJ’s, DJM and EFX rather than staring into a laptop screen for a few hours. Yes ye may argue that it is about the music thats played, but DJing is a skill & a talent, and should be showcased in your performance on a night. Sync buttons and MIDI controllers take away from a performance IMHO.
[ link ]I understand where you are coming from.
As an old skool DJ who started spinning back in the early 90s but still hasn’t mastered the mix; I realise the skill and technique involved in playing by ear.
I realise that if you can drop tunes in perfection without visual aids you are truly talented and that a DJ who doesn’t rock the boat by interrupting the sound because they need to plug in seemingly superfluous equipment is on paper the better DJ but……
I know our remit is playing other peoples music so if a digital DJ with no “traditional” DJ skills can bring something fresh and new that the other DJs are not supplying then he or she is the better DJ in effect mode.
Synch or no synch it’s about the music
[ link ]“In my own honest opinion, I would prefer and appreciate a whole lot more to see a DJ do a full performance with CDJ’s, DJM and EFX rather than staring into a laptop screen for a few hours. Yes ye may argue that it is about the music thats played, but DJing is a skill & a talent, and should be showcased in your performance on a night. Sync buttons and MIDI controllers take away from a performance IMHO.”
Controller have the same things as cdj,djm efx. If you stare at a laptop for a few hours the you don’t know how to use a controller.
[ link ]If you call “Full Performance” to moving a fader back and forth the you must be a really BORING Dj.
There are many different types of DJ.
Sure if your at a DMC championship you are there to check out some mean turntablist skills so they guy bugging out into a laptop screen shouldn’t even be on the stage.
One of the best DJs I have ever heard was a funk DJ who just played vinyl 45′s back to back. No mixing just pure track selection and perfect timing. He spent half of the time head down in his record crates digging for that choice cut.
Believe me he was a master of the craft who has been spinning since the mid 80s and many of the professional DJs I know (some of them big names) look at DJ/selectors like him in awe.
Please tell me what is the difference between spending half the night crouching down with your head in a record box or peeping at your laptop screen?
Personally I think the big name sub genre EDM DJs who mix so perfectly that their whole set sounds like one long three hour tune instead of a selection of music are the most boring DJs.
I’m old skool and would rather go to see a reggae, funk, soul, disco or classic house DJ play blinding tunes than go to see a superstar DJ mix minimal EDM perfectly and put on a show like Tiesto or Deadmau5 do.
Damn the other day I saw a youtube video of David Guetta putting on an amazing show. Hands in the air as he played a mix CD and mimed mixing. He was probably earning more than any of us will ever earn in our lives just to do that one show but I would still rather go to see a digital DJ with amazing tunes than go to see a superstar DJ ham it up.
Also lets not pretend that DJing has ever been a spectator sport.
Apart from the turntablists most club DJs are not a focal point for the crowd.
Club DJs are usually poked out of the way in a DJ booth somewhere creating the magic for your ears.
Most DJs are not eye candy and the most animated they get is puffing their chest out as they use the FX or bopping their head as they bring in a tune. Not exactly Pete Townshend or Jimi Hendrix setting fire to guitars and smashing up amplifiers.
Great DJs play fantastic records and anything else is a bonus, I include mixing in that.
For most of recorded history the best DJs have been the trainspotters who hunt down rare tunes in charity shops and anonymously play them out on the weekends.
Damn throughout the 90′s most big name DJs could quite easily stroll down the street unmolested because nobody knew who they were.
You might have known their DJ name, been to raves at which they had played and held them in awe but not many people actually took the effort to look at the DJ because they were too busy getting lost in the amazing music.
It took the birth of the superstar DJ for the DJ to become the visual focal point but putting on a visual show is not what DJing is about.
I respect those DJs who play great music and through force of personality and showmanship manage to put on a visually compelling show but when all is said and done it is the music they play which makes them a good DJ not the hat they wear, the way they deftly cue up a track and the way they imitate Messiah.
PS: When using mixing software one doesn’t have to only stare at the screen. I certainly spend much of the time reading the crowd.
[ link ]This is from an article in the Guardian by Ben Child. I think he sums up nicely the issue of whether DJing is just about good music or putting on a show with skills, fashion and shape throwing.
“Dance music is supposed to be the epitome of DIY culture. In the late 1980s, when wide-eyed evangelists began to spread the word about a new vibe emerging from underground raves and warehouse parties, the most enticing thing was that the crowd was the star; the action took place in the audience, not in the DJ booth. Flash forward a couple of decades and it’s clear that things have changed. Now, it’s all about big-name DJs – the Tiestos, the David Guettas or the DeadMau5s. The celebrity culture that has infiltrated British society is alive and well in clubland”
[ link ]CDs killed vinyls, now is the digital killer’s time.
[ link ]What else to expect from the future? We all must get used to new things.
Bought my numark mixtrack pro and very curious to play on, still having no time unfortunately
you’ve made me paranoid lol. looks like a trip to ze old mans is in order
[ link ]what more important below
1. booth or the crowd
[ link ]2. equipment or dancing
3. mixing or a full dance floor
Quote A Message On Twitter
Stop with the dj Rockstar B******, Its about u the people, good vibes & the party! Good music is a given! Bedroom DJs make some noise!!!
[ link ]Another funny point worth noting is that I know some old school techno/ house DJ/ producers that front for vinyl, but also to digital releases. So they’re saying it’s okay to do a digital release, but not okay to use it for DJing.
It was brought up at some point on this website that digital DJing has broadend the consumer base of hobby DJ’s. They can DJ on smart phones, ipads, tablets, computer/ laptops. They’re going to consume mp3′s. It gives them the capability of exporing genre’s that would have been previously too costly for a vinyl DJ. It’s good for business.
[ link ]Mr Francois Kevorkian was there at the birth of house music and still holds the edge. Him coming out as a digital DJ will put the cat amongst the pigeons. No one can call Francois K a part time sucker unless you think cutting your teeth in the Paradise Garage is mickey mouse
[ link ]Having started djing with viynl close to 12 years ago then moving to Traktor and an S4. Holly Molly! It opened a a whole new door of oportunities for me. I know some people get flack for pulling the “creative card” because it is not a “valid argument” becuase “digital makes everything sooo easy” well….. true but i see it since it makes things easier, it just opens the door to go one further and step it up a bit to do new and probably very hard combos, etc etc utilizing all aspects of your digital software. So what ditigial is a helpful tool, sync included, that can be a crutch. Many of the ditigal djs/digital preformers i have seen have some really narly sets that took many months of structuring, planing, mapping, trial and error, editing, trying new things, what have it. Yeah digi helps to do some cool things on the fly but for some epic performances, the creativity takes time. Im sure Ean Golden and Madeus sets/performances took time to dial in before they made it look so easy. Sometimes i find myself stuck and frustrated trying to pull of some ideas for new and hopefuly crowd moving things on my S4. Coming up with new creative ideas on digital is just as hard as on vynil. Bottom line we should all just respect eachother for the amazing things we have the ability to accomplish on both vehicles of making people have fun and dance. I love mixing on vynil still (DVS included) and my S4!
[ link ]I don’t care what you use. If the booties aren’t shaking, you suck no matter what.
[ link ]Exactly! where’s the like button?
[ link ]digital v vinyl its like two bald men having a fight over a comb
[ link ]top work fella. I nearly snipped a pip laughing at that
[ link ]Bottom line, Real Dj’s beatmatch on any equipment.
Sync DJ’s are like a jukebox, they just play music.
[ link ]luckly that’s your bottom line
[ link ]If you move the crowd (spiritually or physically), then you are a “real” DJ. If you get an opportunity to DJ a great event but cannot do it because you do not have vinyl/traktor/serato then you cannot move the crowd. And that means you are not a real DJ.
[ link ]I started DJing with about 10 years ago, before controllers were good (or really even available), vinyl was king, and digital was for kids who couldn’t afford a ‘real’ DJ setup. Eventually I could afford CDJs and TTs and stepped up (it was a step up – I found the controllers available in those days to be rubbish).
But times change, and digital as as legitamate a form of DJing as vinyl or CD. It’s absolutely the real deal. No longer is Virtual DJ just an easy way for beginners to get a taste before upgrading to the ‘real thing’, and I have as much respect for controllerists as I do any other DJ…
…Unless they use the sync button. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re using the sync button because you spend the next 3-and-a-half minutes being creative with the music, awesome, you’re walking that line between DJ and live producer, and thats great. But if you’re using that sync button to load and cue a song in 3 seconds then spend the next 3-1/2 minutes chatting, waving your arms about, and waiting to cue up the next track, thats not DJing. Sure, song selection is a big part of DJing, its all about the music after all, but there’s more to it than that, and if your entire skill set consists of just pushing the play button on a song that keeps people dancing, you don’t deserve the respect of DJs who’ve spent the time to establish and hone either their technical or creative abilities.
There’s many different ways to make a picture. You could take a photo, draw with charcoal, or paint with watercolors. Each is as legitimate as the next. But anybody monkey can throw a bucket of paint at a canvas, and there’ll be a bunch of people who’ll call it “art”. Doesn’t mean you’ve earned or deserve the same respect as Da Vinci.
[ link ]Question… (it may seem stupid but here goes): Isn’t using Serato Scratch Live digital dj’ing? For all I am seeing in the arguements here are Serato DJ Intro, Traktor and VDJ vs. CDJs and TTs -&- Controllerism vs. CDJs and Turntablism
[ link ]NB: I didn’t read all comments.
Please note:
At the end of the day, for events in which a crowd comes to enjoy music, it does not matter what you as the DJs are using. As long as you are creative and sound great and as long as you do something special that essentially (for lack of a better phrase in the english langauge) “blows the minds of patrons\promoters\other DJs” you are a Disc Jockey (Digital, Analouge or Combination of Both)
Of course it is! (IMO…)
[ link ]From a punters point of view (one who is just about to take the plunge into digital) i just want to dance. I want to hear banging tunes and a creative set. Do you think that the people dancing really give a hoot about HOW those tunes are delivered?
Anyways it was only a matter of time, the tracks are made with computers now they are mixed with computers.
[ link ]“Anyways it was only a matter of time, the tracks are made with computers now they are mixed with computers.”. Well said.
[ link ]It all boils down to special tracks ,be it vinyl or digital,digital does allow greater manipulation of the music,which in some ways can offer endless creativity and a unique sound with which entertain people…
[ link ]Music snobs are unfortunately a rather boorish byproduct of the scene…
Personally I could care less on what a DJ play’s on. As long as the crowd is jumping and the hype is in the air then there’s no reason to be whining about CDJ vs Digital infact it virtually is POINTLESS.
At the end of the day, it’s all about the crowd and what they want. How you deliver is up to you.
-My 2 cents
[ link ]100% agree who cares what you use ,get the crowd in the dance floor ,you want to carry 10 crates of vinyl compares to one terabytes small hd ,if you like that is fine with me ,i use both vinyl and tractor s4 plus a numark v7 setup for back up and i like any of them but the people dancing don’t care they just want to dance
[ link ]Computers are a fine tool, I can even respect time code users but in the end what these midi controller djs want is a dj program with 2 big sync buttons.
[ link ]How about I just bring a premade mix and play it on CD player or iPod run it through a Korg Kaoss and wave my hand in the air while i touch the X/Y pad and call myself a DJ. That’s really what you’re doing with Ableton and time warped tracks or using beat sync with all your Traktor tracks. Learn how to beat match, learn how to read the crowd, and don’t rely on your pre-made sets/routines and watch your gigs increase.
[ link ]Rather cynical, as any tool in the right hands can add something to a performance. You could hardly accuse the DJs on the promo video of falling into that category.
[ link ]i can tell you never use the digital things such as traktor or serato, because if you did you would know the beat sync on them suck. They will match on tempo or actual beats, which if your like me and spin DnB can and will cause trainwrecks all the time. There is a ton more to digital than vinyl, dont hate because you do not have enough musical talent to grasp how to record and play loops in with your mix, or add LAYERED effects to a single track, something that would be basically impossible on vinyl and a pioneer EFX board. Also most of my sets are not premade routines, they are on the fly depending on how much the crowd is getting into it. And as for watch the gigs increase by switching to vinyl, GOOD LUCK, most clubs/bars are now shrinking the dj booth to fit materialistic set-ups. I played in a club last week and had to put my Kontrol S2 on my laptop keyboard to play, because they had so little room, and there were no vinyl tables either. Just a large setup for lighting. Which is what i think will be coming next, better light shows. Good clubs have to have the light rig setup away from the DJ booth because it takes up quite a bit of space even with the minimal items. By shrinking the amount of space the DJ needs you can work in your visuals into the booth, where your DJ can tell him when to get ready for long low periods, or a fast drop thus giving him time to setup something wicked for the visuals.
[ link ]100% right ,most of the dj clubs use cdj2000 or old versions of cdjs ,wich is a computer ,anything that has a screen and inside controllers is a computer, like your car is controlled by small computer inside the hood , but some people like to drive their antique car (no computer just carb and fuel)
[ link ]I use tractor s4 and i never use sync , you can’t relied your mix with sync only alot of tracks don’t match well even using beatgrids manually so a good dj listen always headphones first before you play ,i dont care what you using turntables or controlles or cdjs pioneer
[ link ]I love Traktor for the freedom it has given DJ’s. The ability to search your tracks in 2 seconds and then bringing it in to a platform where you have amazing control and flexibility at your fingertips cannot be ignored. However saying that Traktor and CDJ2000′s are essentially both computers does not take into account some essential facts. 1. Dedicated hardware (CDJ-2000′s) are just that. They are dedicated to the task at hand and made specifically for the purpose. They are robust and their CPU is dedicated to what it does as well is being designed specifically for DJ’s. As much as laptops run software well, they are not dedicated hardware. Laptops were not made for DJ’s, its the software that was made for DJ’s. Everything on CDJ2000 from the controls to the gold plated RCA outputs, rock solid operating system and robust build makes the machine a far more professional option. However it would be nice to see more Traktor style options implemented in to the CDJ-2000. Technically besides the FX and the options for using 4 decks, Traktor comes out on top just for the extra options you have. The downside is a laptop is not dedicated hardware for the task, most soundcards that DJ’s use are not the best quality and do not have the same depth and resolution as the outputs of the CDJ-2000′s have. Also it does get quite annoying when you have multiple DJ’s all playing on the same night and everyone has to spend 20 minutes setting up their laptop just to DJ. In Francois case he even gave up on setting it up and went with CD’s! LOL I’ve used both CDJ-2000′s and Traktor when I DJ and both have their ups and downs. You can loop on the CDJ-2000′s but only a seasoned professional will know how to keep it in sync without a sync button. I’ve seen guys play on Traktor and play the most boring sets with no creativity while at the same time I’ve seen DJ’s play on CDJ-2000′s and extremely creative. Its all down to the artist. Having tons of FX and Traktor, or using CDJ-2000′s does not make a DJ any better or worse. Its all down to what is done with it. James Zabiela didn’t look like he was running out of options with the CDJ-1000 back when he started touring and got popular for his mastery of these tools that many people could only dream to compare. My point is, too many DJ’s focus on what format they are playing on and forget that it doesn’t matter! You have to be able to work a crowd in to a frenzy and they don’t care if you’re using a laptop or a CDJ, they just wanna dance. So if a DJ is not focusing on that, then he’s not really focusing on whats important. CDJ’s, Traktor, serato, whatever you use, do a good job!
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