We dont book DJ's that use controllers!

[Afterhour Ali]

I only book controllerists!

Hammertime!

[TimmyWoo]

Well said ! and very true

Its a shame that some of this so called " New Breed" do not want to do that because they have to learn to beat match !

Learning to beatmatch isn't the driving force it used to be. Everyone takes the route of least resistance. It's real tough to listen to the music and use your brain when there's a bpm in bold in the corner of your screen. Back in the day we had no option!

I used to play open crossfader a lot. On a turntable i could drop a tune then hold it in time until i'd matched the tempo (or almost matched).
Even a tone that changed up every 8 beats (4 beats in a bar, so one count every 2 bars) easy!
They always taught us in school to "show your working" and i liked that approach.

I'm probably quite rusty these days (it's like riding a bike right?). I'll have to have a go at open-fader style on my vci100 and turn off the visual aids.

For those that can't and need to learn, it's in at the deep end, but very beneficial to your learning.

[The Progen]

Another long sufferer over here but more and more DJs are picking up digital DJ software and Traktor Scratch Pro seems to be leading although it's only used to send timecode. Onboard effects aren't used. That shows how far behind we are over in Southeast Asia.

[Liljekvist]

I must say im getting wery feed up with the atitude of people when it comes to the different forms of DJing. I did not spend cash and time to get myself CDJ equipment partly because the prices and partly because it was much more smooth to get me a controller.

I already got a new MBP for my musical productions, so i went the controller way ('cause i already had the comp etc).

I mean, its much more efficient in my opinion. Takes a lot of time off the setup, it gets more flexible for the adjustment of the "sound" and i think its more fun to play around with a controller than with a couple of CD players.

And in the wery end, when it comes down to it, isnt the most importan thing to give the dancefloor a really good time? And why should we discuss wich kind of "way" is the better? As long as the DJ feels comfortable and can handle his/her gear AND gives the crowd what they want, why should people argue about the specifications?

Nobody on the dancefloor (at least around here) gives a shit about what gear you are using, as long as you are using it WELL.

I say live and let live. But thats just what i think.

[djcelebrityt@hotmail.com]

its always been like that do u remeber when cassettes came out caused a big uproar now no one uses them give a child a P.C and they will tell they want a laptop progress all the times-------- tech 1210 where advanced when they came out

[sarasin]

The new 1200's are also advanced!

[jimbob5000]

As one of those who learned the oldschool way, I personally think learning to beatmatch is still essential. Using the sync is fine as long as you know how to live without it if something goes wrong. I use sync when I'm on controller only, but I'm not always on a gig with a controller. I just can't because clubs (DJ booths) and club owners aren't ready for that yet. I also use timecode (50 perent of the time so far), and if all goes wrong, I can use CDJs. You can't do that if you have never learned the basic concept of beatmatching, and if you can't cope with "old technology" when you have to, you just don't get all the gigs. One may dislike that, but it's a fact. It might change some time in the future.

I also think that learning how to beatmatch gives a DJ a much better feeling about beats, measures and music in general. I mean, there are tracks that have to be mixed slightly out of sync for the mix to sound good. There are tracks that just don't work together in the first place. In my experience, people who jumped into DJing with the sync button approach tend not to hear such things more often than those who took the time to learn it and trained their ears by doing so. I heard a couple that simply had no concept of such things, which lead to terrible, horrible trainwrecks, covered up with wild FXing that also made no sense. And trust me, crowds may party, but if you f*** up, they'll still think you're full of sh**, and honestly, I wouldn't want that to happen

As a side note that does not have much to do with freaky, controller denying club owners:
As controllerism becomes bigger and bigger, the art of DJing changes. We all know that. DJs are at a point where they can decide wether they want to be seen as human jukeboxes or to get closer to be seen as musicians than ever before. But making music, be it with a guitar, a drum kit or a DJ controller with cue buttons and jog wheels, takes some sense of, well, making music. You have to learn that somehow. Learning to beatmatch is a good start.

[GPS]

But that is one of the problems I hate about CDJs: you have no visual representation of the tracks. Sure knowing the tracks ou have well is a must, but I find it easier to visualize what I am playing on a screen.

I mean I would not mind learning to use Serato with TTs (i use a VCI SE and Traktor). But isnt a TT itself a "controller" for serato? And besides, you do not have to sync the tracks to beatmatch on traktor. You can use it to sync the BPMs and then "beatmatch" it with the pitch control if it is off.

Gianmarco

[DvlsAdvct]

Oh lord there are TONS of threads here about this

These people are stupid and old and scared because they are stupid and old.

That's what it comes down to in my mind.

Learning to beatmatch manually is an important thing that all DJs should learn. But if the mix is good I don't frankly care how they do it as long as they are doing it.

[jimbob5000]

But that is one of the problems I hate about CDJs: you have no visual representation of the tracks.

Yes and no. Most clubs (not all) have CDJ1000s (at least around here), and they do have a waveform display (albeit a very rough one compared to Traktor, but it does the job)

isnt a TT itself a "controller" for serato?

Sure it is. I'm not against controllers of any kind in any way. Sorry if that came out wrong previously.I love em.

And besides, you do not have to sync the tracks to beatmatch on traktor.

True, but let's face it: A lot of those that are new to DJing just don't bother. And if they say, it's technically not necessary anymore, they may even be correct. All I'm saying is that they miss out a very important and helpful learning process that would help them become better DJs and cope with unexpected situations. Like, let's say, a club owner that hates Midi controllers and only lets you play on timecode or CDJs.

and BTW, DvlsAdvct has a good point:

Learning to beatmatch manually is an important thing that all DJs should learn. But if the mix is good I don't frankly care how they do it as long as they are doing it.

All I'm saying.

Call me old, call me old fashioned. Just don't call me stupid.
And as far as club owners are concerned, they may be old, stupid and scared. But they own the clubs. So deal with them or leave it and don't get the gig.