Moving to cdj from vinyl
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  1. #1

    Default Moving to cdj from vinyl

    In about a week I will be playing at a block party that supplies cdjs. I have played on a kontrol s4 and currently spin on vinyl with ssl but have never used cdjs. How much different will the experience be? Should I rent cdjs before the event just to check out how they work?
    Thanks.

  2. #2
    Tech Guru Kwal's Avatar
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    It'll be different no doubt, just know that you can't adjust the CDJ like you can the vinyl.. The top of the CDJ platter is touch sensitive so if you lay a finger on it the track will stop.

    You have to use the jog on the outside of the platter to speed/slow it down.. And in small adjustments, don't spin the thing all crazy.

    If you can get that aspect down the rest of the CDJ shouldn't be very hard to understand if you already spin vinyl.

  3. #3
    DJTT Moderator bloke Karlos Santos's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kwal View Post
    It'll be different no doubt, just know that you can't adjust the CDJ like you can the vinyl.. .
    As a vinyl DJ I never have CDJ's in vinyl mode. It feels awful.
    Put them in CDJ mode and then use the platter as you would do with vinyl.

    It's much easier if you are just beatmatching 4/4 music. If you are scratching then you can swapw between the the modes.

    And, yes CDJ's are completely different to vinyl. Totally different. I don't have any CDJ's anymore just technics and controllers and if I have a big gig coming up i borrow my mates just to get back in the feel of them. Ive done plenty of gigs on CDJ's where i just rock up and do it but its good to have the odd practice.

  4. #4
    Tech Guru Kwal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Karlos Santos View Post
    As a vinyl DJ I never have CDJ's in vinyl mode. It feels awful.
    Put them in CDJ mode and then use the platter as you would do with vinyl.

    It's much easier if you are just beatmatching 4/4 music. If you are scratching then you can swapw between the the modes.

    And, yes CDJ's are completely different to vinyl. Totally different. I don't have any CDJ's anymore just technics and controllers and if I have a big gig coming up i borrow my mates just to get back in the feel of them. Ive done plenty of gigs on CDJ's where i just rock up and do it but its good to have the odd practice.
    Right on I should have included something about using them in CDJ mode... But yeah once you get the touch with the CDJs spinning on them isn't a big deal anymore if you just plan on using them to play from track to track.

  5. #5
    Tech Guru guiltyblade's Avatar
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    Thats interesting. I always put my cdjs in vinyl mode. Just so used to using them like that that CDJ mode just feels weird.

  6. #6
    Schalenberg
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    Never tried CDJ mode, tbh. What's the difference?

  7. #7

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    So would the jog wheels on a kontrol s4 be a good comparison to the way a cdj feels?

  8. #8
    Tech Wizard
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    They work the same way (center is touch sensitive and sides are pitch bending). However, they feel completely different. High-end CDJ's (2000's) are a lot more precise than any controller I've tried. But yes, the fundamentals are the same.

  9. #9
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    To me, the weirdest part was not having the moving platter and not being able to see the grooves. The first time I ever touched a cdj was during a gig where there were problems with the TT's. The guy I was tagging with just handed me his cd sleeve and we went from there. It's different, but mixing is mixing.

  10. #10

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    but a day or so with cdjs should be enough to feel comfortable with them?

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