Why CDJs?
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Thread: Why CDJs?

  1. #1
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    Default Why CDJs?

    This is something i've been thinking of for a while. There are three categories of DJs. Vinyl, CDJ, or Digital/DVS. I can understand the pros of Vinyl and Digital but not CDJ. I'm not knockin them I just don't see the clear benefit of them. I can see how CDJ's were huge when they first came out but now controllers exist that carry the same functionality plus more at a way better price. I'm really just looking for some insight from people who spin CDJ here and why they feel it's a good system.

    Vinyl: Scratch/Beat juggle/ the original image of the DJ
    CDJ: ???
    Digital/DVS: controller puts you in very tight control of loops/cue points/FX/simplified beatmatching

  2. #2
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    u show up with your cds and your headphones, don't have worry about computers, soundcards, and all that is associated with it. very easy traveling and setting up and leaving. don't have to look at a screen all night. don't have to deal with computers at airport, etc.

    cdjs are great for djs that produced their own music. use the computers in the studio, burn the track to cdj and play it out.

    I hope in this age of the laptop clubs don't neglect their cdjs...

    edit and this is to answer the question not start a flame war about cdj vs laptops

    as to type I would say mixing djs of various genres, although zibela and other can do crazy things on cdjs

  3. #3
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    It's also a factor of using whats available at the club. No routing, no template mapping, no setup required. You show up with a booklet of organized CDs and get the job done. Also, less to potentially get stolen, that's for sure. If someone stole my CD booklet, whatever, I can buy a spindle of CD-R's and reburn the playlists I have in iTunes. If someone steals my laptop, I absolutely and completely screwed not only out of more than a thousand dollars, but any work invested into it which is on there. Yeah, you can keep a backup drive, but the backup drive won't retrieve the stolen laptop you lost lol.

    Also, CDJ's are club standards, so you can rest assure that no matter where you go, it's the same across the board, minus whatever mixer they deem fit to install. Remember back in the day when people would wonder why SL1200's were so expensive and worth the money?, well aside from quality, you are using what will be installed at the venue, so you're ahead of the game by being comfortable with that ahead of time.

    Less to travel with as charo said, and I can safely say I have never come across a MIDI controller that truly emulates the feel of a CDJ-1000 MK3. If you have, by all means link me to it and provide the template which does so, I'm interested for sure.

    Both have equal benefits for sure though.

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    Very good call on your tracks already being backed up on CDs. I know that laptop failure is definitely on my mind when i'm using Traktor.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rdej47 View Post
    Very good call on your tracks already being backed up on CDs. I know that laptop failure is definitely on my mind when i'm using Traktor.
    For sure, I always keep it on me and up to date even with a digital setup available to me. It's a little more work, but it's very nice to have the peace of mind knowing that either which way, nothing will keep you from getting the job done.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by rdej47 View Post
    Very good call on your tracks already being backed up on CDs. I know that laptop failure is definitely on my mind when i'm using Traktor.
    Hey guys, Happy New Year!

    Just wanted to build on this matter for a sec. Controllers are definitely taking things to another productive level. Yet, there are still benefits to having cdjs at the disposal; especially if they have HID or MIDI control built in.

    Case in point:

    Guy I know was doing a lil blowout for some friends. He's got his TSP setup with his mbp, external hdd, a mixer, an scs.3d he borrowed from me, and a pair of cdj400s. Hes got his collection of top40, hiphop, RnB, breaks, house, disco, etc, ad nauseum. Thing is though, all his music is not on the hdd or on his laptop, so what he does is alternate between the cds and music on the drive. Hes using the scs3d plus cdjs in midi/hid, and when he needs to get songs not on the hdd, he just reverts back to playing cds. Truth be told, he was so seemless in what he was doin that even if the TSP had a failure, no one would have been the wiser.

    While jumping back and fourth between mediums is not my personal way to do things, what he was doin appealed to me and made a lot of sense because he had all his bases covered for the most part, and the party kept rolling on.

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