Mark Critchley
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Mark CritchleyParticipant
So many different ways of doing this!
You don’t say what audio interface you are using, but I guess that its a 2 channel output (e.g. Traktor Audio 2) to your 2 channel mixer; and you don’t mention any DJ controller so I assume you are using the laptop keyboard/mouse. I’m also assuming that you are mixing externally through that 2 channel mixer, rather than mixing internally on the laptop. (If you are mixing internally with a DJ Controller not an external mixer then options 1 probably won’t apply, but there is still something in option 2 that may help.
Any midi controller will help make this easier but you can do this without any upgrades if you experiment a bit. The real clunky part is being constrained by the number of channels on the mixer and audio interface.
Option 1: This is limited and clumsy, but works. You can use the extra decks 3 & 4 and route through the same channels as 1 & 2 ( so that Decks 1 & 3 , and 2 & 4 each go through the same EQ) – clearly you have to manage volume (or at least manage the relative gain) on decks 3 & 4 on the laptop. If you can workout which mixer channel is going to trim the low frequencies together then simply either queue the loop on the deck that shares the mixer channel, or if the additional deck is set to be a remix deck then drag the loop to the appropriate matching deck. Doing this live could be tricky as you can’t listen or play the Deck 3 when the matching Deck 1 is playing out live.
Option 2: Similar to option 1, but more flexible is to use a filter effect to kill the bass (or whatever frequency). I think Filter:92 is best for this. Without going into details (see youtube) you can setup your 2 effect decks to be a high and a low filter. You can choose which decks you want to apply each effect to, then when ready hit the Effect enable button – this can hit whichever decks you want on any mixer channel, and more than one at a time.
However both of the options above suffer by being clunky to run decks 1 & 3, and 2 & 4 out of the same physical channel on your mixer. But it’s OK for the occasional mix, if you can practice or set it up beforehand. I went through this process recently.
Option 3: Change to mixing internally (in the laptop), and use a midi controller as you suggest. If you on a budget (say £150) then think about something like the Novation you suggested (good if you intend to use ableton alot at home) or an Allen & Heath Xone K1 MIDI USB DJ Controller (better for live work I think) using Traktor. If you already have a controller such as the Kontrol Z1 with your mixer controls then a Kontrol F1 would also be a valid flexible option for live work as it can be mapped to give you all the control over the additional decks.
Option 4: Change both the mixer and audio interface, for a combo. Not cheap I know but you’ll get good value. This is where I ended up – I bought the NI Kontrol Z2 to solve essentially the same desire to run primarily 2 channel with the other decks for loops, samples and the occassional third track. The S4 would also have done well, but I preferred the real mixer behaviour and separate mic channel. The balanced outputs and higher quality built-in audio interface has been a big step up from the Traktor Audio 2 for me. I’m getting significantly louder output with lower distortion from the same amp/speakers. But I had an easier cost decision as my Audio 2 had failed (1 min from the end of an Xmas Eve gig – got lucky there!) so moving to a 4 channel setup also needed to include an audio interface combined or separate, so I was getting over the £300 barrier.
I made some assumptions in replying to this query – so I may have missed the mark a bit.
Regards, MC.
Mark CritchleyParticipantI can relate to this story, but can give a fairly positive spin on it: I have been DJ’ing since the mid-80’s. Mobiles mostly until early 90’s, then mostly fun pubs and clubs, all with dance floors playing a mix of dance music, charts and party tunes. At that time it was my main income or a big supplement to a day job. I gave up due to becoming disillusioned with it all, and to be quiet frank I was sick of Glasgow’s obsession with what we now call Old School techno – it was making me a poorer, lazier DJ who got grumpier with customers primarily as I was losing my interest. Its a crap job if you lose the buzz. I did a month of Christmas parties to end on a high.
I took the break from DJ’ing at the end of 90’s and then took it back up after 10 years via my daughters’ school friends and birthdays and then back into a Pub with good sized dance floor doing a 11pm-2am shift on a Saturday (via covering for an old DJ friend initially, but now the main DJ).
I have the buzz back; I started afresh with a laptop and DJ controller and Traktor 5 years ago. As a hobby it pays for itself and then some. I was getting a little bored recently, thinking about chucking it again, but instead I updated to a Z2 with two D2’s and I’m getting that buzz again. Its a short Saturday shift I’m doing with a mostly commercial crowd that is tolerant of a little experimentation if mixed well. I’m just starting to do mixing now beyond what I’ve ever done before – there is something in there for me too, not just the crowd.
My advice is to take the break, but try and cover for other DJ’s (either via them or the Pub/Club) – it will challenge you. Provided you are being challenged you will want to try harder, you will be more tolerant of the abuse, because they are more likely to be right 🙂 but most tend to be more helpful than abusive when you are new to a venue.
Note 1: I think the age of the mobile DJ is effectively dead now. There’s no respect for the mobile DJ craft, and more venues are closing. Also – rather annoyingly – “Auntie Jane” with her iPad can typically get a more supportive response from the crowd than a good DJ; at least until she gets so drunk that she starts cutting good tracks off. DUMP THE MOBILES FIRST – they’re not your night so they make it harder to stay motivated.
Note 2: There is actually a shortage of experienced gigging DJ’s out there. There might be less venues and nights, but there’s also gap in the skill set out there due to a missing generation of real gigging DJ’s. Throughout the Digital DJ era we’ve got a swath of good DJ Producer like performers who can play a set well, but struggle to build up the skills to repeatedly cover nights just because they have an even tougher time building credibility.
Note: Pair up with another friendly DJ from time to time – do it for free or a couple of beers. It does generate a spark again, and it can help later to get nights covering for them.
Good luck – but I can assure you that you can get the buzz back, but don’t just return to exactly the same approach as before; I think you need to mix it up a bit (no pun intended!).
Regards, Yo.
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