The "club standard" CDJ. Lack of respect for controllerists. Why?
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  1. #1
    Tech Wizard
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    Default The "club standard" CDJ. Lack of respect for controllerists. Why?

    I recently talked to a really skilled / established DJ and producer. I asked him what equipment he uses, and he said CDJs. When I told him I used a controller, he laughed then apologized, saying the standard was CDJs or Technics in the clubs/gigs he played at, and that barely anyone ever uses a controller, because no one takes them seriously. He agreed that controllers were good for an introduction to DJing though.

    Why do CDJs command more respect? Is it because of the lack of sync? (which isnt the case anymore because new CDJs have it, rekordbox, etc..)

    Are established DJs expected to "pay their way" by buying full CDJ/DJM setups before they're given respect / gigs, even if they can produce the same quality sound with a controller?

    Do controllers give off some sort of "toy" aura? To me, some of them do, but they are only intended for an introduction anyway. A controller like a Kontrol S4 seems to me like professional equipment. I've heard mixes produced on S4s that sound better than guys with CDJ/DJM/Technics/pimp-ass setups.

    In the end, I think respect should be given to people who make good sounding music. But I feel like there is this "pay your way" mentality from established DJs who don't want guys with controllers to show them up if their music is better.

    But I don't have the experience to know for sure. Why aren't controllerists given the same respect as a CDJ/technics user?

  2. #2
    Tech Guru VanGogo's Avatar
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    <------steps over the equine corpse

  3. #3
    Tech Guru Era 7's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by VanGogo View Post
    <------steps over the equine corpse

  4. #4
    Tech Guru DubluW's Avatar
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    *****sets kindling over corpse of horse, strike's match and light's and watches as flames crackle*****


    Give it 5 years, and they wont be laughing.
    A+H DB4, Technics 1210's x2, F1, X1MK2 x2, MaschineMk2, Akai LPK 25, MF3D, XDJ-1000 x2.

  5. #5
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    I just purchased CDJ's coming from a a VCI-100 and its definitely more of a challenge. I can't say anything about a club standard cuz I don't really get very many gigs but its not just beatmatching that was hard for me. Theres something more challenging about mixing Externally vs. Internally too.

    IDK Hes prolly just mad cuz he spent $3000+ on his set up and he's being outperformed by a kid with a few midi fighters and a laptop.

    I can see both sides of the story.

  6. #6
    Tech Mentor sicnarf033's Avatar
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    just like turntablist laughed at cdjs in the past, controllerists will soon laugh at cdjs. in the future, i see controllers taking over due to the fact that they are compact and easier to carry around/set up. most controllers can already do what cdjs do. it won't be long until you find one that has twice as much effects/knobs as the mixer and capabilities as a cdj player.

  7. #7
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    There are several reasons why CDJ's are more popular I guess. If you're a club owner/promotor and you have multiple dj's working on a night you don't want the hassle of plugging in different kinds of controllers. There's always the risk something doesn't work the way it should immediately. Furthermore if a club has some bigger name DJ's once in a while, they will want to play on the industry standard as they often don't want to, or can't bring their own equipment. CDJ's are the branch standard.

    The reason why CDJ's won't be taken over by controllers in big club settings is simply the fact that if you can play music on a CDJ800, you can also play on a CDJ2000 or 400 and pretty much every other dj-cd player. And if you know how to use a basic mixer, you can easily use any DJM mixer, yet the same can't be said for controllers. You can't simply say; I've mastered the Mixtrack so now I can use anything, because software differs so much. The reason why so many industries try to standardize stuff is because it will make it easier for so many to use it. The reason why controllers are here are because they offer a lower level entry for bedroom dj's and they expand the business for all competitors. Everyone wants to survive and make a profit at the end of the day...

    And to be honest, compare it with driving stick vs automatic; if you're driving a car, you want to shift gears manually, even though automatic gearboxes can do it much better/efficient/faster than we can, because shifting gears is such a big part of the pleasure of driving a car, right? Same goes with beatmatching. If you take it away, you take away so much of the fun I guess.

    Just my 2cts

  8. #8
    Tech Mentor dj subculture's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by protocol View Post

    Do controllers give off some sort of "toy" aura?
    More than anything, the above is probably the best reason.
    --------------------------------------------------
    2023 14" MacBook Pro M2 Max 32 GB (OS Ventura 13.5.1), Rekordbox, Technics SL-1210GRs,
    DJM-A9, DDJ-XP2, Sennheiser Acoustick.

  9. #9
    Tech Mentor epikeddie's Avatar
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    I've dealt with this when we were touring in Asia. The snobbery in other countries is even worse.....and it was enough for me to sell our Kontrol S4 and then switch to the standard at that time - CDJ1000 Mk3s with DJM800.

    Fast forward to today....

    I now incorporate Ableton, Maschine, and other elements along with CDJs. And I currently hold residencies at Avalon Hollywood, Exchange LA, and The Yost Theater.....some of the top venues here in Southern California.

    I've seen the "veterans" play on vinyl and CDs but these days it's the new generation of DJs that impress me and I've been seeing get booked more headlining nights. The new guys come up with new music with new styles.

    So let him laugh all he wants. Then you can jump on your controllers like Bass Kleph and just show him what's up!
    A&H Xone DB4 l (2) Traktor Kontrol X1 MK2 l Maschine MK2 l Traktor Scratch Pro l Ableton
    Avalon (Hollywood) l Exchange LA (Los Angeles) l DS#ARP LA (Los Angeles) l Undercurrent (San Diego) l Frenzy Afterhours (Los Angeles) l AL Party (Los Angeles) l Spin (San Diego) l Sutra (Orange County) l Monarch (San Francisco)

  10. #10
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    What the dancefloors doing is what counts!

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