Am I Totally out of my mind thinking this is total garbage

[Gapout]

Okay so this is a post off a different forum. People actually think this post is considered "VALID" Djing. I'm sorry but its shit like this that pisses me off...and further more people actually consider this being a DJ...Fuck me if this is what it has come down to i may as well throw away all my gear.


"I'm a Virtual DJ program DJ. I line up songs and let the program do a 4 second automix. On most nights, the most I'll do is change the automix points of songs, so that it comes in when I want it to and cuts off any unnecessary intro's and outro's. I do it for a living, it takes care of me and my wife, and we live pretty comfortably. I have 4 guys who work for me, and last year my company had almost 700 shows. Everything from 12 year old birthday parties to Weddings, plus, mostly, a lot of bars and restaurants. In any given night we can go from top 40, to old school hip hop, to 90's rock, to country... Whatever seems to fit the mood of the crowd. I charge about $50 per hour with a 4 hour minimum for the basic shows, obviously, much more for Weddings and the more complicated gigs. If I've got a dance floor slammed, and I'm playing a bunch of songs that would go well mixed together, I'll usually do some basic beat matching and mixing within Virtual DJ and throw in a few effects sparingly, but nothing fancy, and frankly, usually people don't know the difference between my beatmatched mix, and virtual DJ's quick automix. In a way, I do it just to look busier. Also, some of the area DJ's that mix give me shit because I'll "press play, and walk away"... But I'm usually off engaging specific people in the crowd. Checking in on the different groups of people, cracking jokes, getting to know the newcomers, basically trying to make damn sure that everybody is having a good time and that they know who I am and that they can and should come up and engage me.

I often shake my head when I go on DJ boards and hear people bad mouthing program DJing. I can think of a bunch of DJ's off the top of my head in my area who mix and work really hard at it, and are pretty damn good at it. But they don't make good and consistent money or get consistent shows, because they don't adapt to different crowds as well. With that said, there are also a few DJs in my area that mix top 40, are really good at it, and are like local celebrities. I'm happy for their success. I would never bad mouth mixing, but there is more than one way to skin a cat. We're all supposedly about the music, I'd rather play 50 random incredible songs that fit my crowd, in their entirety, than 100 similar styled, pretty good songs, that we're beatmatched and cut up.

Now, I'm here because I'm trying to teach myself to mix a lot better, and I'd like to start using my NS6 out once in a while if the show seems to call for it. But I definitely wanted to chime in to say that plenty of people out there in my fairly affluent Chicago suburbs have a blast getting drunk while I DJ, and I usually don't mix at all. Song selection is the key for me, I love it when at the end of the night, the hipsters, dubsteppers, country girls, and top 40 fans are all leaving happy. I love it when I play a track and people go apeshit because it's an awesome song that they forgot existed and they still remember every word... that's my favorite. I love being a DJ, I just haven't needed to mix to love it, or to profit from it. "

[C.Lukas1]

Why are you pissed?

He's doing his thing, who cares. I wouldn't bother even thinking about it any further.

[JasonBay]

My god, he's an over priced juke box in the worst way possible. Just goes to show how ignorant the masses really are

[Gapout]

The reason why im pissed...is that this came directly from another "Digital" Djing forum board and was considered as "Valid" Djing.

How the hell is this valid djing in any way shape or form.

[Ed Paris]

and what exactly is it that pisses you off?
1. he´s still a dj even if he doesn´t beat match. dj - disc jokey not beatchmatcher
2. he´s making a living out of it, so for some reason he´s doing a good job
3. he stated one point that is the most important when beeing a dj: SONG SELECTION this is where a big part of the magic happens
4. he also said, that he´ll try and teach himself some beatch matching skills, so big up to him for realising, that this is also a part of the job
5. if your doing 700 gigs in one year and it pays your bills and it´s what you love then don´t cares about haters and keep on doing a good job
6. also i think it makes a big difference if you are a dance-club-dj or a wedding dj

just my 2 cents

edit:

oh and one more thing:
you should better use that energy you just wasted on being pissed off and opening this thread for something creative and constructive. hate doesn´t get you far my friend

[Gapout]

okay explain to me how he is a "DJ"

[Ed Paris]

Im sorry but hes not even using discs...hes using virtual DJ without a controller, and automix.

I guess im just too old school in my thinking...I love the digital world, and controllers and having laptops...but this is just stupid.

I guess this is what happens when you take a job which is considered to be an artform...and turning it into a profession...all soul is ripped out of it and your left with a laptop and a mouse.

who needs discs or controllers if you can throw down a decent mix using a mouse or a keyboard?

like in this video for example (no self promo!)

[Gapout]

the reason why i am hating, is because its people like this that will eventually destroy the DJing industry.

How long do you think it will take for all the local clubs to realize hey why the hell should i pay someone good money to "DJ" when i can just get virtual DJ line up 300 songs and just use the auto mix?

[Ed Paris]

okay explain to me how he is a "DJ"

"A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. "

[JasonBay]

Depends on your definition of what a DJ is and should do. He goes out, plays music, make sure people are having a good time and gets paid.

Sadly, that's all it takes to be considered a "DJ".