Can you post a recording of one of your sets? I read the post where someone mentioned Roger Sanchez’s set with 4 decks on CD’s — i think his set posted on the pioneer youtube page is awesome as well as creative, but I keep reading where guys say that they use sync because it gives them more time to do other things like effects, or it gives them 30 more seconds to concentrate on being creative.
This is NOT a debate on whether to sync or not, and it’s not bashing sync users — I’m very curious to hear what you guys do with the extra time. Me personally I find my interaction with the music, and with the correct hardware, bring out my creativity more than extra time does — but being that this is forum to share thoughts and ideas I’d love to hear what you guys are doing with the extra time.
I usually use the time to check email… I am after all using a laptop.
Seriously..
Having been playing gigs since 1983/1984-ish, mixing is not very difficult for me anymore, and frankly using sync is more about just being tired of potential mishaps like someone bumping the tables, being distracted, and wanting to try something “new”.
Having said that… I too am curious to know how this has changed a DJ’s workflow (better or worse).
I CAN tell you this however… using sync has allowed me to vibe with the music more (yes, oddly enough… more than when I was matching beats). I never thought that the actual act of “mixing” was all there was to it. I maintain that track selection and overall programming is still key… look at The 45 King… no mixing, just cuts… and he rocks the house every time. I won’t forget how to mix… especially if I’m doing it on 12’s, I compare it to the whole digital vinyl thing… do I really want to lug 4 crates of records to a gig? not really… so flame me for using DVS. As for controllers, do I really want to keep buying new styli when they wear out? not really. I know I’ll run into the DJs that are such purists… more power to 'em.
Good post and excellent point made which is often omitted in the whole dreadful sync-button debate. While I agree with haze and think the whole argument “blablabla more time to be creative” is crappy at best - creative…shmeative…well, lets phrase it a bit differently: I loathe this particular argument because people often use it to refer to the abysmal overusage of effects they are aiming for. And for one do I think that this is not particularly creative in the first place and even if it was: doing something differently just for the sake of doing it differently (or “being creative” - oh, how I hate this word) is the wrong approach and it’s easy to lose track of the big picture in the meantime.
I use sync and spend the “time saved” to figure out the best follow-up track. Sometimes I’m quick about it, sometimes I ain’t (and those are the times when the time saved comes in very handy). If I find the right track quickly, I can add in a percussion loop a bit earlier than necessary and then lay off for a bit and concentrate on the other important things: dancing, getting a beer, silently flirting with the girl in the front row, rolling a joint, going for a quick toilet break, or whatever else…
I dont often use sync…but i do like having it there…there has been numerous times when i have been distracted(looking at the hottie in the front row…some random dude wants to talk to me, telling the retarded drunk girl that i will not be playing Jonas brothers etc.) That sync has saved me from when i need to drop that new track into my mix and its 4 beats away to hit sync set up my cue and off i go.
As for the whole it lets me be more “creative” i think a lot of DJs that say this dont actually be more creative and they just use that saying as a crutch.
I have many different genres that i like to spin depending on venue and time slot. When i am doing more House, Funky house and music that isnt often that complex, i will have up to 3 sometimes 4 decks going…and i really take advantage of the sync…its retarded to try and beat match 4 decks at once…although i give massive props to the DJs that do use 4 cdjs..you guys are nuts.
Now do i have all 4 decks full blast with all the Eqs at 12…hell no…if you take a look at my mixer section with 4 decks its all over the place…grabbing highs from 1, the mids from another and the low from another, while continously swapping mids and highs lows at the right time to keep it fresh.
At the same time i will be using my Midifighter for effects to create additional aptmosphere, using Delays and reverbs etc on certian decks during buildups etc then swapping basslines or mids or whatever at the drop.
Not really - you still have to keep the tunes matched. It’s never just a case of getting them sync’d and leaving 'em - they will (WILL!) drift, and you have to correct that drift manually.
DJs spinning is not “the show”. 9/10 times, I go to a club and don’t even see the DJ, let alone know if he’s matching beats old school or using a button… i don’t care. I will however look up if the beats aren’t matching.
I tend to use sync and find myself with 3 tracks going quite often, 4 sometimes too. Basically syncing allows me to have the time to get all of it going and lets me push easily out of the box of traditional A → B mixing. It also allows me more time for playing with the eq’s / getting it all balanced nicely, using effects (usually of the more subtle variety), layering different parts of the tracks (sometime I’ll have a few decks of one track) and thinking of tracks I might play next or later in the mix.
Props to Photo for stepping up and posting two vids. Great work man. I will add though, that I think the use of sync in those vids are really more because of the equipment you have choosen — and it makes sense, they X1’s are easy to work with and VERY convenient. Thanks for posting those.
noooooo.. I’m doing fun stuff with samples and effects. Like chopping up Michael Jackson acapellas so they sound more like instruments instead of words.
IZN…man those are really good man! Are those planned routines…how long does it take you to really nail a routing like that and wow much of your nightly set would say you play like that…if alot, why not just make these in ableton and produce your own remixes.
thanks man, I think I still have a long ways to go though
when I play out, pretty much my entire set is composed of mash ups sorta like the ones up there, but they’re defo more danceable. these mashes are preplanned but when I gig the mashes tend to be on the fly. I don’t play the 99 problems one out very much as it isn’t the most danceable chune, but I play wub wub chop chop almost every time and people have always gotten down to it. It really spices up djing for me tbh. As for ableton, I haven’t really tried it, but I think traktor works really well for my current work flow
i do spin a lot like that when i mix live, but its a lot more danceable and a little less brosteppy
