Input from Pro Audio specialists to the DJ community....?
I just read the 'digital vs analogue mixing' post which was sited as one of the most popular posts in DjTechtools.
I felt compelled to reply and made quite an extensive response which some may and some may not agree with.
However it made me consider another global aspect that I think Ean and others at DJTechtools might consider.
As I said in the post - I am a music producer and have been concentrating on building my studio and focussing on researching pro audio technology as it exists in the modern recording studio. Reading up a lot on digital audio, sample rates, analogue equiptment and the analogue vs digital debate in recording studios. I started out DJing about 10 years ago using 1200s. I have taken a break whilst focussing on production and come back to it in the digital format.
After being embroiled in the pro audio sphere for a while and returning to the DJ market - I cant help but feel there is a lot that could be gained from having access of some audio professionals in a reviewer or consultant basis.
DJ Techtools is a great spot - great bunch of guys - great info and community on DJ matters. However - as much as you guys know about DJ products and techniques - there are a whole set of higher levels of audio understanding and knowledge in the Pro Audio field. This is because it is huge business for pro recording studios - it is essential for them to have the best quality sound possible. I think its somewhat of a shame that so much money gets spent in this area - only to have many DJs not being exposed to correct info and therefore degrading this money and effort - often through no fault of their own...or purchasing equipment that if they had the right knowledge they would not buy...
I have noticed that DJ goods manufacturers in their marketing do appear to spread or subtly manipulate concepts that are taken on board by the DJ community. I felt this apparent in the 'analogue vs digital mixing' thread.
However - this isnt completely sinister. Most DJ gear is very much fit for purpose usable and I dont want to make DJs feel bad about using $200 interfaces and mp3s.
However for those DJs who take things really seriously and have some extra budget - there are definitely things to be learned from the Pro Audio community. The Pro Audio community have serious big budgets for research into digital and analogue audio - as they are the guys where it starts from. The best quality audio is their business.
I think it would empower DJs around here to have a really clear understanding about the basics of digital audio and how it differs from analogue, plus a lot of other info that could de-bunk some of the marketing guff that I read from manufacturers. I also think this is important because some may argue that the quality of music (in terms of sound quality) is reducing because of cheap tools available and lack of education about how to use them. For example - digital audio should NEVER be clipped and limiters should generally be avoided if you want to preserve the quality of your music.
The latter part of the Analogue vs Digital mixing thread indicated some important ideas that dont often get talked about in the DJ community - the comments from Paul Hughes and George Peterson.
I wonder - would it be possible to have some contributors from the Pro Audio engineer field make comments and advise the DJ arena? I think people would learn a lot...and some people who wanted to could seriously improve the quality of their work...
