I really do not understand why everyone gets so hung up on people using sync.
You say it takes no skill and means anyone can DJ. That is really not the case, yeah you can play two tracks and they will be in time. You still have to layer and blend them nicely, get the phrasing right, make sure they don’t clash and in general keep it exciting. You can add loops and samples to layer it up more etc.
What exactly is so hard about beatmatching?? It really is not the be-all and end-all…
I don’t understand that just because someone isn’t manually beatmatching they aren’t a DJ.
So many people on here seem to have this attitude.
Anybody can beatmatch with a bit of practice. I can beatmatch just fine but I use sync seeing as there isn’t much point in not using it. Granted, it does keep you a bit more busy as you do have to adjust the jog wheel occationally, but for the most part if they are a similar BPM, they keep relatively in time.
Why is it that if a computer does this one simple task for you, you are no longer a DJ?
Is there something I am not understanding?
Surely what you really mean is just using Traktor/digital DJing in general is cheating, since all the effects are quantized, you get a visual cue of what you’re doing, you can use cue points etc.
It’s funny, I had quite a long sabbatical from dance music and DJ’ing and completely bypassed CDJ’s, which I didn’t like and didn’t feel it had the soul of vinyl, etc. Some years later I discovered Traktor and I was totally impressed and it re-kindled my desire for DJ’ing. I use sync, loops and really long mixes sometimes. I was very good at beat matching with vinyl and keeping the mix going. I loved the phase cancellation sound between the bass drums when you got the vinyl mix tight. You don’t really get that with Traktor. I’m not too much of a fan of the key lock function where you can set the key for tracks. I like it when you intuitively pick the right tracks that match keys. I think good DJ’ing is about intuition, picking great tracks, playing them at the right time. I love it when I put a couple of tracks together and they are in key and the mix sounds so right. Many scan their tracks, find out which key it is in and find the tracks which match. I don’t like that. When I’m putting my mixes together I listen to what my feelings are asking for next, and I search my tracks to find that. With mixed in key, etc I think it could get to be too much painting by numbers, but I changed my mind about sync, so that may change in the future too.
the only thing for me and dvs is that I’ve used vinyl for a really long time and I’m absolutely rubbish at names! I know the label and artist that track that’s gonna fit is by but I couldn’t tell you much more than that and half the time I forget the dang artist. But I always know the record and already have it visualized. I don’t think in file lists and I’m not sure If I could. When the record pops into my head that’s gonna get played next I see the physical record in my head and put zero thought into the artist or track that’s gonna play. I have a lot of records already committed to memory based on what the record looks like and not the titles on it.
I am exactly the same. Some of the more established artists I associate the track to the name, but with vinyl there is that visual, when you’re rummaging through the record box. I end up using the preview player on Traktor to quickly go through and listen
First off, my apologies for coming across as a crass punk earlier. I just found it funny that the pictured setup could be used by a “sync” DJ or an old school DJ who beat matches vinyl.
Secondly, yes, there’s something about seeing the record that commits it to memory better than even seeing cover art in something like Traktor. My friend asked me for a song in a mix I played him and I couldn’t remember it, but I know the record label.
I went to a festival here in Denver this weekend and saw a very big-name DJ/producer and couldn’t believe how stale it was. Same buildup to new song break for every transition, many not even requiring any kind of beat matching which you could tell by the fact he hardly had headphones on. But the kids ate that stuff up, and he’s getting paid boku bucks to do what he does. More power to him. One of my besties recently asked me why I took a step backwards going from S4/sync to vinyl, but it’s because I love vinyl and the challenge of beat matching and mixing songs and having to know the songs better than merely listening once, setting cue points, loop and tada you’ve transitioned. To each their own. Maybe if I had dreams of doing this for a living or becoming a superstar DJ or was actually grinding for gigs, I’d feel differently. I just love music - that’s why I do this as a hobby, and music’s had a very positive effect on my life since rediscovering it.
Became a big fan of updating my cover art in Traktor. Like many who used vinyl, my eyes are trained to see labels and sleeves. Find myself gravitating to old habits by seeking out the art.
These tiny details really do help the transition.
[quote=“feedbackl00p, post:19, topic:67241, username:feedbackl00p”]
Its all about wether or not you respect someone as a performer. I personally dont consider sync DJs much as performers, as they cant make a mistake, there is no dramatic tension. Thats not to say they cant play great music and get a room dancing, no debate, but I never get the feeling that they are on the edge of something cool and experimenting.
[/quote]So you’re saying the only mistake a DJ can make is a mismatched beat? I mean, really… there are so many mistakes we can make, and we’ve all made mistakes even when the beat is matched.
Looks like there is quite a mix of opinion on this subject.
I suppose if i was to walk into a bar or club and didn’t look at the dj (Im sure I’m not the only one here that looks at the dj booth or the gear the dj is using) i would just accept the music for what it was and not question it.
I do still go to the odd rave (Jungle Mania etc) and i would expect the djs to be mixing manually. I don’t know why, but i would be very disappointed if they weren’t. I have paid good money to come in here and hear music from a certain era played and mixed by a dj. Not some some guy hitting buttons.
I can’t actually put my finger on why i feel this way, but when i went to Jungle Mania before, 2 acts came on and they literally had their MacBooks…and that was it. Fortunatly for me i had VIP tickets so i could go to the plush bar up stairs.
i was annoyed that some guy turnt up with a laptop.
Like i said before, i am not here to insult anybody, and if you get paid to do what you do, good luck to you!
But me personally, i have no interest in going out to a venue to watch button pushers. Even if it does give you the time and or option to do more loops or Fx etc.
I think maybe the use of turntables or cdj’s is more popular in Jungle & DnB than it is in say House music, and maybe that is why i feel this way, and expect a dj play that way…maybe i am just too damn stubborn
I am not totally against all new technologies though. I have purchased Traktor, and after having some teething problems with it, i love the idea of having all my tracks at my finger tips. I can mix track after track after track, 3 times as fast than if i were digging through crates of vinyl, or even if i had them organised in a playlist order.
I actually find myself challenging myself to mix more and faster. I might even break out a third turntable!
Like I said though guys, I am not trying to knock anyone.
Think of it this way mate. You wouldn’t call someone a “fake” driver just because their car has an automatic transmission … sure their driving may suck balls, they think they are all that, and they may spend more time striking a jesus pose and staring at the talent than steering, but they are still driving, right?
OP, your original post doesn’t really have anything to do with the point I think you just tried to make.
You simply posted a picture of a very high end mixer, one that can literally be used to mix anything INCLUDING vinyl, which is what I use it for (well, I have the DB2, actually). You can also mix things MANUALLY with it; in fact, it’s SOFTWARE that allows you to sync tracks, not anything that you pictured.
The K2s in the picture can also be mapped to control anything in any midi-mappable software (including video software) but don’t inherently “sync” anything up. There are limitless advanced possibilities with this setup, but you somehow have it out for “button pushers”. You don’t seem to really even understand how this equipment works, and thought showing a photo with a bunch of buttons would somehow make a point.
I’m not a so-called sync DJ, and I use a mix of real vinyl and control vinyl, and yet I push some buttons during my set when appropriate (particularly if I’m using remix decks). What’s the problem?
I have no problem, i have said that a couple of times now. And your right, I don’t know a great deal about this equpimtent, i am learning as i go.
I don’t have it out for people who i tagged as “button pushers” i have said several times that if thats what you do and you get paid for doing it, good luck to you.
There has been a lot of replies since i posted my original thread, and the topic has covered a fair bit of ground. Unfortunatly i don’t have the time to reply to every single one of them, so i tried to generalise and cover what i could in 1 reply.
I may not have done that very well, but that was my aim.
I am not out for people, you do what you do and if you enjoy it, well done.
like i always say. only other djs care care what a dj is using.
use whatever you want to entertain a crowd. even if you’re using a banana or a bicycle. as long as you have a good time your crowd will recognize and mostly will have a good time as well.
i use sync. so what?
i don’t use tts/cdjs. so what?
but i can asure you that the clubs and their guests know how to have a good time once i’m in this bitch…sorry. i meant booth.
also. i saw many djs who weren’t able to match a single beat. that didn’t stop them from giving me the time of my life on the dancefloor.
my advise:
do not give a f*ck about what other djs say. if you feel confident with the way you are playing and you get the positive feedback from the crowd, then there is nothing to worry about.
A bit off topic but I’ve found recently it isn’t just other DJ’s who care, it seems to be the odd know it all now and again.
I’ve found if i play with an S4 or Z2-X1mk2-MF3D combo, i have no end of people who come up and firstly cast an eye over it and then come out with the usual "It’s just buttons and the laptop does it all for you’'. Drunk people usually proceed to try and press buttons and expect you to have every tune under the sun as the laptop is present.
HOWEVER.
Whip out the above with a set of 1210’s and a crate of records off to the side and people stay at a respectful distance. Drunk people wont push buttons but will ask for some godforsaken chart tune to which i can make a show and dance of flicking through the record crate and saying ‘‘Sorry i don’t have it’’ with a shrug…and the laptop (Running DVS anyway!) largely remains ignored.
