First off and foremost, i am a controllerist.
Secondly, yes, i can spin DVS and CDJS. I am not just a bedroom dj overusing my sync button or only relying on my track bpm moving relative to my pitch fader as it does in itch(to 2 decimal points even) to beatmatch.
One of the things i love most about being a controlerist is showing up to a new club i havent played at yet and when doing line checks with the other djs for the night and seeing the looks on their faces as you pull a controller out of your bag and not a serato/traktor box. Almost immediately the other djs will start judging you, in their heads thinking youre not a real dj. In fact in Vancouver there are some clubs that wont even LET you use a controller through their sound systems because the sound guys freak out about signals being too hot. (this happened to a good friend of mine who opened for designer drugs at Celebrities, one of the bigger clubs in Vancouver if anyone is framiliar).
Nothing is sweeter then going on after the resident dj who has been playing the same crate for months on the club gear to a moderate crowd response and plugging in your controller and doing things with it that they have never even seen before and having what they believe to be THEIR crowd going absolutely bonkers for you. i had my ns7 (RIP NS7 2010-2011) i was using itch 1.0 which was extremely limited and had brutal fx (i ditched my fx bar almost immediately after buying it, beat fx didnt stay on beat and phaser/flange was not good sounding IMO). I would use my cue points as instruments though. remixing songs by either having melodies/basslines on my cues, or a drum single hits on my cues. and using these in combination with being able to mix flawlesslyish (depending on alcohol consumption) i would always surprise the djs who when i first walked in were looking down their nose at me.
now dont get me wrong, the reason why us controlerists get hated on in this instance is because every gigging dj has played a shitty club show or dance or whatever on the same bill as some kid who rolls in with a controller and a small group of friends and then proceeds to butcher his way through a set while even his unskilled friends notice his mistakes. but honestly, ive played shows with resident djs who are spinning cdjs or digital vinyl who DONT EVEN TOUCH THEIR DAMN PITCH FADERS.
now i dont really know what im trying to accomplish with this thread. one part of me wants to hear glory storys from other controlerists who have outperformed their dvs/cdj counterparts and another part of me wants to start a heated internet controlerist vs "traditional" dj battle.
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