Got a bit of a dilemma right now, there’s these parties that get held maybe once a month in my town that I really want to play at (as nothing else really happens around here), talked to the guy who runs them, no problems and he is gonna sort me out a set, However…
They ‘only use CD and vinyl’ Which I can understand to a certain extent, but for me its gonna be really hard to take a step back to only using CD’s as I got rid of most of my vinyl and would have to burn tons and tons of CD’s as I am so used to having a massive amount of tracks ready in traktor.
I really don’t know how to basically say I need take my laptop in the booth, considering I haven’t used turntables and CDJ’s for some time, nor do I own them anymore and all my music is on my laptop, I really don’t know what to do…
any suggestions?
oh, and if I could afford it I would get traktor scratch and an audio 8, but being a student that is never gonna happen!
If you ever read some of Ean Golden’s advice on starting a DJ career, he mentions that you should tell the promoter that you and your digital DJing skills are going to bring a serious crowd and help them sell lots of drinks. Sometimes, you just can’t convince them. I use Serato (in my resident club), Traktor & Ableton (home & shows) AND CD’s (at parties with the same kind of guys you’re dealing with).
Preparing your tracks and burning them to CD’s takes a good day or two of effort but is totally worth it. These are a good idea to have just in case you run into a situation like the one you’re dealing with now. I have arrived at gigs and been told, “no laptop DJs.” I bite my tongue, rock a set (because most djs don’t use cues for live remixing) and when they tell me great job I say, “it’s even better when you let me use my laptop.” The next time, they usually do. A lot of these old heads cling to old ideas and stigmas. I used to play in punk and hardcore bands and they have the same feelings about too many fx pedals, and certain types of equipment. Once your prove yourself to them, they can’t say much.
As for my CD creation workflow. I have 2 sets of 200 CD’s with memory cards and cue points stored. If you’re doing a 1 hour set you can get by with 200. I add 10-20 tracks and drop 10-20 tracks a month depending on how things are going with my digital sets. To make things easier I first run all the tracks through MP3gain, then burn them to CD and write on each single track CD the SONG NAME, ARTIST, KEY, BPM and then organize them in my slip pack by genre. If you have access to a CDJ, mark some cue points and save them on SD or MMC cards. Labeling, tagging and all this preparation will prepare you to rock the CDJs.
Running just CD’s makes it so much more difficult to improvise, you know, unless you still have your book of a 1,000+ cd’s , it’s hard to always keep the crowd catered to… I’d definitely just go with it for the first gig, and if you kill it, ask him to let you do your own thing next time
I wont be getting paid for this gig, but it should hopefully lead to more (paid) gigs around the area I am in…
I unfortunately don’t have access to any CDJ’s, nor can I afford even a cheap pair to rekindle that old flame!
I think I shall just have to burn a fair few CD’s, play a really simple set and just rely on good music choice to rock the crowd. I use cue points and effects quite a lot so it will be weird not having the option to mix that way. Hopefully I’ll get another gig and convince them that I shall be able to play a better set using it!
Thank you for all the advice, especially Vondoom, I think I will work out a similar work flow for burning CD’s, it just all seems a bit much for a hour long set when I could just take my laptop and rock it ten times better…
Whats weirder is that one of the guys that organises them used to rock a laptop and MIDI controller and was pretty awesome with it. So I don’t understand why some people don’t accept things that make life easier, I mean, after all, DJ’s are just playing other people’s music right?..
Not only are you not going to be able to use the tools which would make you look your best (and thus lead to future gigs), but you’re not getting payed, which is not only hurting the other talented djs out there but will only lead to more gigs that don’t involve getting payed.
Did they explicitly tell you to use their cdjs/techs or did you just assume that? If they did, then walk away, because it’s really just not worth dealing with people like that. If they didn’t, walk away anyway and go find yourself a paying gig.
this is apparently a big opportunity for you, in your situation. one of the only big nights in your area? yeah i wouldn’t pass that up. it’s good exposure and you’ll meet a lot of important people, so i wouldn’t go about this in a “controller or die” way. i’d try to explain to them that it wouldn’t be a big deal. it doesn’t take up much space, it’s easy to hook in/unhook, and you’ll rock it out a lot harder on what you’re comfortable with. be professional!
Prep for the cd route, but take the controller and tell them you have a couple of things you want to do that can’t be done on the CDJ’s. Just make sure you have something super awesome lined up for just a little bit that you can bust out on the controller. If they let you set it up that is. Introduce it to them a little at a time and maybe they’ll be more open to it next time.
i would just bust out the laptop / controller and plug a rca out into the mixer mid set.. they wont even know whats going on… sounds like these guys are old school and don’t trust technology. They’re afraid your going to plug in your setup and screw everything up for the next guy, or they had problems before with a “laptop dj” and they have sword them off.. the truth of the matter is… almost all the top edm performers and dj’s use computers in their sets… except for maybe tiesto and a few few others..
Dont push the controller thing so hard you look like a nub, on the same token you need to stick up for your rights for performing with midi Its people like us that are setting the tone for the future allowing midi to be used along side vinyl or cdj’s without a second thought by the promoters.
If its a gig you cant get without playing cdj’s or vinyl then go the cdj route, down the track you should be able to convince them to let you play with your midi controllers - be patient !
I have to agree as well. At the end of the day, you’re going to have a fucking ball, there’s nothing like performing on stage making people dance - regardless of how you do it.
Just be confident in your ability and track selection. Put forward a good solid set and let everyone watch you expand into wider territory with your controllers down the track, and then have a laugh with the promoters while you call them digital dinosaurs
just get ur set all ready in traktor an then burn to cd’s
is there really much that ur gonna go on the laptop an vci that u cant do on the cdjs? if its just striaght mixing an filtering etc.. just burn off the cd’s
but if its using a lot of effects etc an beat juggling then i can understand why you want your vci…
just rock out an have fun
get good with both an have the best of both worlds
I agree with all those who advice you to talk to the promoter. Speak the truth: you haven’t dj’ed in a while with CDs and you will rock out much better using a laptop. Also mention you’re not using auto mixing software etc. but that you’re actually performing. Maybe show a picture of your set up and give some explanation..
I would jsut try and explain that it is a very simple setup and you won’t be altering anything that is already set up, you are simply going to line in to one of the channels on the exsisting mixer. It should not be a big deal, as I have done this a couple times already as I am in the same boat as you are!
just go with the cd’s. i really dislike the cd thing because my sweaty hands really messes with the disc read. but yea, like someone else mentioned, you should have cds on hand to begin with as a plan b. good luck man and have fun!
Well I actually use two channels, cos I mix externally, my controller does effects, looping and general transport controls so I do not need to use a mouse, so setting up I could just stick the RCA’s in the line input next to the turntable phono inputs and just switch it for my set…
I think they are pretty stuck on the idea of Vinyl and CD’s only though, apparently its beacuse (and I quote from the promoter) ‘the art of mixing is in beat matching’ which yes, is true, and it is a great skill, but these days I think DJing is way beyond just being about matching two tracks and switching the crossfader over. But for now, I shall just have to make set list, burn some CD’s and rock it that way!
