Is it neccessary to be able to use CDJs?

[th0ughtcr1me]

can anyone tell me how club owners are when it comes to bringing your controllers? Do they have room for additional gear, tell you to move a cdj or mixer or do they say to place it on top? i myself use an s4 and apc 20, i saw the thread for placing those rubber risers on the bottom of an s4 to place on a mixer or cdj. has anyone ever experienced a gig where the owner/promoter said you could ONLY use the equipement they provided?

[mostapha]

It's always one of those "I'd love to learn, but I don't really have an outlet to learn on" things for me. None of my buddies have CDJ's. It's either TT's or controllers. CDJ's really are fuck expensive for the better ones.

Yeah…it really sucks when you've spun on the good ones. I could use CDJ-1000 mk2 or mk3s just fine, but as far as current models go, I don't think anything but the CDJ-2000 is worth paying for. And, I could re-buy my entire setup for not much more than one of them costs.

A lot of the time, I'd much rather perform with just CDJs, maybe add in Ableton, Maschine, or an Octatrack if I find out that I really like spinning with stems or a groovebox (just starting to seriously experiment with that outside of doing everything with Ableton). But the cost is just unreasonable unless you're loaded or a full-time pro or can deal with never practicing.

That being said, if I start playing out again in places that have 2000s, I sure as hell will bring a set of Rekordbox-prep'd USB sticks. Way simpler than setting up Traktor, and really not that much less capable for the way I spin. Only real difference to me is that CDJs actually have a pitch fader and X1s don't.

has anyone ever experienced a gig where the owner/promoter said you could ONLY use the equipement they provided?

A lot of people have had that experience.

Search DJTT, there are a lot of threads complaining about it or asking how to deal with it. Personally, I think the best way is a technical rider that asks for basically unreasonable stuff but gives the promoter the option to let you use your own gear. But that'd only work if you're a big enough deal that they won't just walk you for being a dick.

[bartboy]

I have learned the hard way to plan for the worst.

I have my laptop and controller as my main gear.
I keep a pair Traktor Vinyls as Backups and if I'm feeling frisky.
Pair of Traktor Timecode CDs and a small wallet of CDs with large discs with MP3s of all Genres along with Normal CDs with some recent downloads.
iPod with some pre-programmed short (20 min) mixes. This is the absolute last case scenario.

If one thing goes wrong generally it's downhill from there and I've had multiple backups fail. Thankfully I have never had to resort to just my iPod.

It's is good to learn at least the basics on CDJs even if it's not your favorite form of expression, but it is not necessary at all.

[pstokesy5]

can anyone tell me how club owners are when it comes to bringing your controllers? Do they have room for additional gear, tell you to move a cdj or mixer or do they say to place it on top? i myself use an s4 and apc 20, i saw the thread for placing those rubber risers on the bottom of an s4 to place on a mixer or cdj. has anyone ever experienced a gig where the owner/promoter said you could ONLY use the equipement they provided?

I've tried to take my s4 to a gig at a local club and they refused to let me play on it because it would require moving/unplugging and the "sound quality would be noticeably worse". So I had to pretty much cut my set in half and play a super lame gig because I only had a few cds and didn't know how to use cdj's properly.

Words of advice: Learn on some pioneer gear and buy some cdjs so u dont run into a similar situation.

Also not sure where you live, but in the states... Pioneer is a club standard so you may want to upgrade soon to some cdj's and a djm if you're planning on playing in some unfamiliar clubs

[No Left Turn]

I would say its nice to be able to know how to use them "just in case" Keep a small wallet of CDs. You don't have to have your whole collection, just a wallet of choice tracks to be able to get through incase.

This is great advice. Part of being a great DJ is being prepared for as many bad scenarios as possible and having just as many backup plans. You don't wanna be "that guy" whose laptop melted and couldn't play the rest of his set. It's not necessary to go out and buy yourself a pair of CDJ-2000's, but at least knowing how to play on CDJ's and feel comfortable doing so will only help you in the long run.

[No Left Turn]

can anyone tell me how club owners are when it comes to bringing your controllers? Do they have room for additional gear, tell you to move a cdj or mixer or do they say to place it on top? i myself use an s4 and apc 20, i saw the thread for placing those rubber risers on the bottom of an s4 to place on a mixer or cdj. has anyone ever experienced a gig where the owner/promoter said you could ONLY use the equipement they provided?

I would say that your average club won't have anything to accommodate controller gear unless they're particularly known for bringing out controllerists.

I've never seen or heard of any club that said a DJ could only use the equipment they provided. I've heard of clubs that straight up wouldn't book a controllerist, but none that have said "you can spin here, but only with the gear we have". Your best bet is to ask the promoter if they have or can make room for your gear.

[th0ughtcr1me]

how are they with a laptop with traktor cds

[guiltyblade]

if you got time-code. Most don't care. Most don't mind you using their gear, thats what its there for. If you got timecode to go into their mixer and cdjs, thats almost as easy as just cdjs/thumb drives.

This is the main problem I find bars/clubs have problems with controllerist: when there isn't any room in the booth so then the dj starts unhooking stuff. Unhooks the cdjs, or the turntables, has no idea what they are doing and breaks stuff. It only takes one dumb dj to ruin it for the rest, and one dummy to drop a cdj worth more then his laptop or a technic. The buttons, arms, internals of those things are fragile, (Well maybe technics are built like tanks) but still, I've seen DJs do this time and time again and owners freak out cause they invested in that gear. If you can fit in without taking apart there whole set up most don't care.

My gear consist of cdjs and a djm at home. I usually play with cdjs.

Depending on the gig I do an x1, midi fighter, audio 4 to play out. Like crazy rock, electro, disco, fast mixes, or top 40 nights I use this set up.

Straight house, progressive house, trance, Straight cdjs. Its just more fun for me this way.

[mostapha]

I've tried to take my s4 to a gig at a local club and they refused to let me play on it because it would require moving/unplugging and the "sound quality would be noticeably worse". So I had to pretty much cut my set in half and play a super lame gig because I only had a few cds and didn't know how to use cdj's properly.

Words of advice: Learn on some pioneer gear and buy some cdjs so u dont run into a similar situation.

Also not sure where you live, but in the states... Pioneer is a club standard so you may want to upgrade soon to some cdj's and a djm if you're planning on playing in some unfamiliar clubs

I think the way you deal with them complaining about sound quality is to know your shit, flat-out laugh at them, and explain why they're mistaken. It might not work, but if you actually know what you're talking about and can express it in terms that they understand without being condescending…it might help.

Here's the first step…Macbook Pros, NI Audio Interfaces (the ones I've researched), Pioneer CDJs, and Pioneer digital mixers all have something in common: they use Cirrus Logic DA converters. There are some version differences, but one of the most vital components of the D->A conversion is the same in all of them, baring some revision differences that mostly don't matter.

Here's the really funny part…the input on a MBP actually has a 32-bit float converter in it (only 96kHz, but whatever, that's good enough). It's not actually used in a DJ set, but the MBP's default input is in some ways better than any input on any card marketed to DJs (it's also overkill). I don't know how their gain circuitry works, so that might be moot…but it's kinda funny.

Seriously, though, unless they're running the mixer correctly and using a digital output to go into a higher end converter (that would cost more than the entire DJ rig by itself), there's no difference between a DJ setup and running an Audio 2, 4, 6, or 10 straight into the FOH mixer or amp stack. If anything, their shitty Pioneer mixer is making your sound worse just by being there and having to convert back to digital and then to analog to do what you could be using a DI box for.

As far as learning to use CDJs and DJMs anyway…that's the best argument I've seen for the DDJ-[T1|S1]…they probably feel close enough to CDJs to learn on, and they're a lot cheaper. I'd never have one as my A rig, but I'd pick one up if I ran into too many promoters like that just to practice on because it's been so long.

I'd also hate every minute of using the thing because I think Pioneer mixers suck, but that's my problem, not theirs.

This is the main problem I find bars/clubs have problems with controllerist: when there isn't any room in the booth so then the dj starts unhooking stuff. Unhooks the cdjs, or the turntables, has no idea what they are doing and breaks stuff. It only takes one dumb dj to ruin it for the rest….

Yeah. So, don't be dumb.

Frankly, enough DJs clip the shit out of mixers and make everything sound terrible that I'd be happier to see someone mixing entirely internal on Traktor. Yeah, it's limiter sounds like someone is shoving rancid horse feces in my ears, but it sounds a lot better than clipping the outputs of a DJM.

[Mylestec]

I've never used CDJs (I know the basics to get around them, but never owned or done a whole set on them), as I went straight from vinyl to laptop. Most of the places Ive played have either not had them anyway, or been very accommodating towards my lappy.

+1 I skipped the CDJ thang as well..... that said... they are really easy to use.... just download the manual and give it a quick 5 min read.... turntable mode.... cue / pause / play... loops.... simple.... a lot of clubs have the latest version of the CDJ's anyway, so you might be ok with your tunes on a memory stick as backup.

You probably wont be able to play the same set as you would on your lappy... but its better to be able to play than put on an ipod.