So I’ve got some random thoughts… was initially gonna post this as a reply to the blog post but I want to hear what people think.
"I gotta add something.
It seems this debate is always about microwave DJs stealing gigs from old skool scratch DJs, but it feels a very important group is being left out.
What about people who’ve practically never touched a vinyl record let alone DJed with one, but also don’t take microwave DJs seriously and want to make a name for themselves?
As far as I’m concerned they (we) BOTH lack the many tedious years of vinyl experience AND we compete with a growing group of microwave DJs who love taking shortcuts that actually work. If an experienced DJ can’t compete with them, how would we?
So what’s the choice, first buy a couple 1210s, practice for 10 years for that experience and then make the switch to digital? Or jump straight on the digital DJ bandwagon, learn the tools of the future but miss out on all the basics?"
It’s not rhetorical, merely something I’ve been thinking a bit of… plus I’m at work and tired so I don’t feel like leaving just yet
The point is (in my own opinion): doesn’t matter the gear man. Go digital if that feels right for you or vinyl or cdjs or both/all whatever. The article is about the attitude.
But
Learn the basics so when you’ll have to beatmatch by ear (it will happen) you won’t look like a sucker. Learn music culture, grow taste, develop skills. Raise a universe, a personality. Don’t pick up your playlists from the same obvious artists/charts. Be curious.
etc, etc…
this may sound really stupid but…even if your going digital to start with…just dont look at the screen. beatmatching isnt some sort of archaic method that cannot be practiced on most controllers. or hell just just mix/scratch on a dvs with the computer far away from you.
How does one start on digital, but avoid becoming a ‘fast cooked’ dj?
I want to start on digital, and don’t have the money to buy an old setup for the point of learning to beatmatch…
My uncle has an old denon system which he still uses, which I am going to use to learn to beatmatch on, yet there is more to people becoming ‘microwave dj’s’ than just not knowing how to beatmatch yes?
What about the guys like me who hail from the music production side of things and picks up on what you “digital DJ’s” do with ease cause that’s what he has been doing with producing his own tracks anyways?
Using software like Traktor to bring a new dyanamic to production skills and live manipulation.
i agree with janzak point on this. Do you have to wait ten years? The issue here is not so much about beatmatching or set planning or creative set feel or whatever you want to express through as a performer.
the thing now is that the audience has changed a lot from lets say 1990s or even before that when people went to a CERTAIN kind of clubs and were interested into listening a certain performance and not radio stuff that they could normally hear.
Now you have the two sides of the spectrum one u still have that kind of party goers that want to listen something different and a big majority of club goers that just want to listen to commercial top 40 stuff.
At this point if you have to dj in front of a crowd of top 40 club goers anyone can do it in a small matter of time.
Now if you take the same dj and put it in a crowd of i dont know for exemple some venue such as DC 10 there is no way in hell one he s gonna get booked and two if he is booked the crowd is expecting something special that they ll probably leave the place.
i think there is room for everyone Veteran dj yes have to re invent themselves and new upcoming dj has to catch up and learn from those djs cause even though the technologically can beatmatch for you without any problem,
if you dont understand sound, phrase and beat, and building set structure there is no way in hell you ll be able to catch up to those veteran djs.
i am sorry its all mixed in this statement but i am sure people will understand the point i am making here
IMO you avoid the fastcook instadj route by training your ears and learning your music, literally removing any visual aid beyond tracks/playlist and time position of song. just like the days of records, when most people only had a limited number of records, you keep a small playlist and practice practice practice. I think it’s easy to throw a 1000 songs in a folder and just start mixing…you never get the intimate feel of only having those few choice records and the depth you will learn these tracks, and really the structure of most dance tracks.
you start off without using every FX chain in the world, and really trying not to hogwild on the EQ…much was learned in the days when mixers didn’t have individual eq, and this carries over to production; when mixing and things aren’t jiving, try messing with the relation of the vol faders of the tracks first.
those are just some thoughts off the top of my head, to me its about what’s its always been about, the music, the audio experience
if its the denon dual deck cd players with no touch or even jog beyond scroll, then i recommend you practice and get good on them. if you can rock out on those, everything else will seem easy… burning cds will be a pain but you’ll then have those as a quick backup for when you’re using the digital setup out.
charo, not using any visual aid at all is actually a GREAT tip. Thataway you can both use your digital gear AND practice your “core skills” at the same time. Great stuff
Edit: also I think my main point was that us “middlegrounders” seem overlooked in the entire old vs new school debate.
Yeah, it’s great to have a short playlist you’ve memorized, and just turn the monitor off completely - let the controller tell you whats going on. It’s like in Star Wars where Obi Wan teaches Luke the force by making him wear the helmet with the blast shield down…
That’s where you find out how well you really know your tracks: if you still know exactly when it will end.
i’ve never owned a pair of turntables, but I learned how to dj on tech12s that my friends had. Every now and then I get the chance to spin some tracks on tech12s and although it’s fun, I always feel very limited by the constrictions of an analogue setup.
I love being able to rock 4 decks, with 5 fx units, being able to find a song by typing a search in the browser, utilize looping and cue points and having a visual display of the waveform to calculate the perfect mix without having to headphone cue. Digital DJing with Traktor for me is just a superior tool that allows me to truly breathe and flex my ideas far better than a pair of Tech12s ever would.
djs have huge egos and usually dont like when their ‘art’ can be learned by others. the golden days when it took a buttload of cash and records to dj is pretty much out. i like djing for fun, and i understand how some djs are better than others but in general, i think ‘we’ place ourselves on a pedestal. idk, i just think everyone should relax.
Nah. Use whatever you need to make sweet sweet music.
At some point at some time you will have to beatmatch. Your laptop may freeze, you may have to mix in over a CD, your beatgrid could disappear with :30 left on the previous track. So knowing how to beatmatch is useful then.
There are still people who think that CGI is cheating, and we should use Ray Harryhausen stop motion animation. But there are very few of them left.
I’m new to dj’ing, I became interested in it as a means of remixing and performing live my loops and productions - so frankly I do not understand this discussion or why there is much heated debate over a tool. Whether its a sine wave, sample, a 32 bar loop from someone elses song; we are all just trying to entertain ourselves with a sound and hopefully someone else is entertained by it too.
