What conviced you to jump ship?
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  1. #1
    Tech Mentor Lineypirate's Avatar
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    Default What conviced you to jump ship?

    I know this has probably been brought up literally hundreds of times but I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place here (LIFE STORY ALERT.....),

    I started DJ'ing about 10 years ago on some really crappy belt drive turntables and a two channel cheapy mixer. But at the same time, messed about with software like EJay and Atomix (the granddaddy of Virtual DJ). As time went on I progressed onto Technics and in parallel with the likes of Virtual DJ and then Traktor. Due to other commitments, I then binned off all computer based DJ'ing and concentrated on turtablism, solid beatmatching and I had a residency in a club with 1210's and a Xone: 92. Since moving hundreds of miles and therefore losing my residency, and travelling a lot with work, I got back into software DJ'ing and stumbled across DJTT, which with Mr Golden's impressive skillset, and the likes of DJ Rafik, Shiftee and numerous hours on Youtube I got back into the fun side of DJ'ing by getting creative with cue points and effects instead of just beatmatching two vinyls.

    Step forward to TSP and a fair few hundred pounds of midi controllers, I still feel like I'm being held back by my perhaps antiquated views that just pressing "Sync" feels like cheating. I still have to manually beatmatch all my tunes before cutting them up with effects and hotcues. I know deep down that it doesn't matter and it's all about the music. I know that cue point juggling, mashups and some of the amazing mixes I see all over this site would be impossible if you were spending half your time getting your tracks in sync. But I still can't convince myself to get rid of my beloved 1210's and buy an S4 or something. Digital DJ'ing IS the way forward (memory stick beats a crate full of records hands down) but I can't commit and make the change.

    Long and short of it is.... how did you lot learn to fully embrace the digital DJ'ing age? Have you any regrets about moving on? Does anybody miss the old ways of doing it?

    Just to clarify, I'm not one of the old school who looks down on DJ's who SYNC, I used to teach DJ'ing and a lot of my students used Virtual DJ / Traktor and I fully accept it's just the next step in the DJ'ing evolutionary process. At the end of the day, it's about what noises you make out them speakers, not how you do it.
    Last edited by Lineypirate; 04-19-2011 at 11:43 AM.
    TSP 2.6.1 | 2 x CDJ 2000 Nexus | 2 x Technics 1210 MK5 | Denon DNX-1600 | Behringer DDM4000 w/Infinium X1 | MBP | A&H Xone K2 | Akai APC 40 & MPK 25 | Novation Launchpad | Pioneer HDJ 2000 & 500 | Audio 8 DJ | Ableton Live 9

    http://www.mixcloud.com/lineypirate/http://www.soundcloud.com/lineypirate/

  2. #2

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    My opinion: As long as you know how to match by ear, and have put in your dues, use sync. Beatmatching is the most elementary part of what makes a good dj good. Take the hassle out of the equation and focus on doing more with your set instead. Look at big names like sasha, richie hawtin, carl cox, umek. All of them are using software and controllers to take their sets to the next level.

    The only thing I miss about my vinyl days was the exclusivity of the tracks. White labels, promo presses etc. I miss having that special section of my crate that I knew were dance floor slayers that no one else had.

    Seems we have traded lugging around a ton of records for lugging around a ton of equipment though.

  3. #3
    Tech Guru mostapha's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lineypirate View Post
    Long and short of it is.... how did you lot learn to fully embrace the digital DJ'ing age? Have you any regrets about moving on? Does anybody miss the old ways of doing it?
    I wanted to seriously try Ableton Live and didn't have the money for both. Once you sell your turntables and CDJS, thus making it impossible to mix without sync, it gets a lot easier. I also just got over myself.

    No. Well…a lot of the time I think a pitch fader is just plain easier than warping or setting beat grids. I curse the time I spend setting up things, but…when performing, no.

    Cover art. Big, useful, physical cover art. That's the only thing I miss. I don't think it's worth it because it's a physical thing that has size and weight and places very stringent limits on what you can do, but that's one thing I miss from the old ways. Little tiny jpgs are almost good enough, and they're certainly good enough to justify it given all the other advantages…not the least of which is that I can fit my club rig in a messenger bag. If I had the money, I could also fit duplicates for everything in case something broke.

  4. #4
    Tech Mentor sidetrakd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Street Knowledge View Post

    The only thing I miss about my vinyl days was the exclusivity of the tracks. White labels, promo presses etc. I miss having that special section of my crate that I knew were dance floor slayers that no one else had.

    .
    +1 to that!!
    Ive found a few ways around that though,
    1) Do a few exclusive mashups for your sets
    2) Produce your own
    3) Find some cool tunes on soundcloud that are unreleased and ask the artist for a copy(Ive been successful 99% of the time)
    4) Get on a label promo list or get a few producer mates and talk them into giving you promos
    5)Stop focusing on unusual material and focus on custom midi maps so you can do shit no one else can
    The Djtt Psychic Network has closed for the day. If you need help from the non-psychic members of the forum, you need to be more specific
    http://soundcloud.com/djsidetrakd
    Check out my midifighter extreme!! http://www.djtechtools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28014

  5. #5
    Tech Mentor Lineypirate's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mostapha View Post
    Cover art. Big, useful, physical cover art. That's the only thing I miss.
    Agree with that. I have a load pinned up on the wall in my little "studio". And I quite like looking under my desk at hundreds of colourful sleeves.

    Your right in "getting over yourself" too . Maybe thats just what it is. Getting over the fact that you don't NEED to work pitch faders and finger the platter anymore, you can just press a button. That the definition of a DJ has changed. It used to be someone who could mix two (or more) tunes together in a seamless blend AND entertain the crowd. Now it's someone who can entertain the crowd without all the worry of beatmatching manually.

    Tell you what, I used to be a sceptic, but DJTT has done a lot to convince me otherwise.....
    TSP 2.6.1 | 2 x CDJ 2000 Nexus | 2 x Technics 1210 MK5 | Denon DNX-1600 | Behringer DDM4000 w/Infinium X1 | MBP | A&H Xone K2 | Akai APC 40 & MPK 25 | Novation Launchpad | Pioneer HDJ 2000 & 500 | Audio 8 DJ | Ableton Live 9

    http://www.mixcloud.com/lineypirate/http://www.soundcloud.com/lineypirate/

  6. #6

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    I had it explained to me like this.

    Learn to beat match with your ear.

    Then use sync.

    Cause instead of taking the time to beat match you can press sync and it gives you more time to get creative with fx.
    Quote Originally Posted by ctrld View Post
    confession time: I clicked on this thread only because my dirty mind made a connection between "6 analogues and 14 digitals" and "2 girls 1 cup".
    Setup: VAI-40, Nanokey2, APC20, Ableton, (Shit ton of VST), TP2, DN SC2000, LPD8 (RIP) MF3D (with custom Mapping FX for ableton for Turnado and Artillary2 (ill release it when its been perfected.) PM me if interested in the mapping or helping me with it.

  7. #7
    Tech Guru SirReal's Avatar
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    I've struggled with this a bit myself and have come to a happy medium. If I feel like just long intro/outro mixing I beatmatch and pitch "old school", but if I'm looping, sampling and tweaking hard with FX I'll use the sync button. Using sync when I feel like just mixing with eq over long periods is kinda boring but I feel I'm justified in using it as long as I'm experimenting with all the other things Traktor has to offer.
    "Walking the fine line between Stupidity and Genious" My Soundcloud ---- My Mixcloud
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  8. #8
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    When I got Traktor it was after a 10 year break in DJing. At first I tried to beatmatch every mix just because I'd forgotten the skill. Now I've got it back to where it was when I was 18-19 I beatmatch every 3rd or 4th transition when practicing at home.
    That way I still practice beatmatching, to improve my ear, because you never know when you'll need to play a tune that hasn't been gridded correctly or has live drumming.

  9. #9
    Tech Guru BradCee's Avatar
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    i miss using vinyl sometimes but space/expense/etc.. just meant having to give it up. would love to have a pair if 1210s in the corner to fiddle on now and again

    Win 7 / 2x Reloop Contour / Numark M6 /Traktor Pro 2.5
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  10. #10
    Tech Guru Nesquigs's Avatar
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    dood keep the 1210s and buy an s4 and the scratch upgrade.

    shit if you wanted to you could still beatmatch by ear on the 1210s and then use everything else traktor has to offer.

    i personally "truely learned" on a digital rig, so i cant really say anything about switching from traditional to digital... but ... i will say this.... its all about making sure people are having fun and enjoying themselves (if not more importantly youre having fun while doing that) while listening/playing the best tunes (for the moment)... which i undoubtedly believe you already know.

    also, watch videos and try and recreate what the "big names" are doing -- cues/loops/fx/on the fly mashups and the whole thing... cause at the very least your evolving with the technology rather than standing by idly watching the scene pass you by while youre still fiddling with the pitchfader on your 1210s.
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