Well, I wasn’t going to post this as I really just wrote it for my friend DJ Anna Kiss. But since she backlinked it on her blog and facebook. May as well share it.
She’s a long time DJ and producer on di.fm and long time london scene dj that pretty much plays all over europe and shes finally looking to move to a laptop setup after being on cdj’s for years.
All the guides I found out there pretty much only spoke about features or tried to speak to a really board audience. So I decided to write her up something that specifically targetted the club dj thats been playing on cdj’s and turntables for years.
It’s not perfect, not sure if writing is really my deal. But she said it helped her so I dunno, I guess it did the job it was supposed to.
Anyway, here it is. Let me know what you guys think.
Not a bad read, although one thing that I’d point out is that it is very easy to sync half/double speed tunes in Traktor, simply by using the x2 and /2 tempo buttons.
Good read. I agree lethal_pizzle on the double tempo thing. It’s kind of rare that you find an article that respectively compares Traktor to Serato. Hats off to you for that.
My main gripe with your article is the reference to your friend being a true blue REAL DJ just because she uses turntables and CDJ’s. I’m sure your friend is a great DJ, but don’t discredit laptop DJ’s who use laptops and a controller. Are you trying to say that she’s better or more of a DJ than say Ean is? Or Ritchie Hawtin? There is no such thing as “real” DJ’s. Either you are or you aren’t and it doesn’t matter what type of media you choose to play your songs.
Isn’t DJ’ing supposed to be about how you play the music for the crowd and not about your method of beatmatching?
I’m sure there are plenty of reasons that DJ’s like Sasha and Digweed are still playing CD’s, but none of us know for sure what those reasons are. For all you know, they could be held by the mafia/KGB/yakuza to be playing CD’s. They could also just not have the time or interest in making a laptop set. Maybe they think burned CD’s sound better than .mp3’s. WHO KNOWS?!
Personally, I would rather watch Ean mash a million buttons for an hour than watch Digweed play 10 songs in 2 hours.
I meant that in the fact thats shes been playing the club scene in europe for over a decade and has her own radio show. The comment was meant to distinguish the professional club and festival circuit dj from the bedroom or mobile dj.
btw, in case anyone was wondering, here’s her site.
John’s a really nice guy and a great dj who really knows how to move a crowd and is an amazing producer as well.
Funny, when I working at Metropolis in Irvine, CA we were the first team to bring Sasha and John to the Western United States. We had a Yuri rotary mixer in our booth. Sasha had absolutely no idea how to use it. I got to watch during setup while John gave Sasha a clinic.
Funny…I’ve really enjoyed Digweed’s sets, and I’d walk out on Ean. I hate his sets. Different stokes.
If he’s posting anything on this website, he’s not who you need to attack in terms of legitimizing your own existence. Your insecurity is neither confidence inspiring nor attractive. Grow some balls and come back.
@OP, Sasha isn’t a great example for your first paragraph. He was one of the first spinning with Ableton and went back to CDJs after his controller broke. I think he’s using a hybrid now. Also, he jumped straight from getting Dub plates cut to Live, so again I say he’s a bad example.
I think that the article is 25% done. It talks about TSP and SSL, but leaves out the beginning, the philosophies, the target market, the deepdive into controllers, the future vision (DAW+DJ app), the ultimate vision (video), and the big disruptor (iPad).
I can see why you chose to scratch the surface. Hopefully, someone will plow this field one day… (OK, enough with the puns.)
I played a vinyl set the other night and I just found I had proper flow picking tunes out from flicking through records.
I played 5 hours on NYE on traktor and found myself just often struggling to pick the right tune out. I’m bad with names but good with pictures.
I try and organise my collection but it’s hard
I have around 2,000 vinyl records and i know how each one goes just from looking at the sleeve…
I stare at my itunes library sometimes and just can’t find inspiration from text / titles of songs.
Somehow the album cover art in itunes just doesn’t cut it either.
Interesting take - DIG sitting with my CD covers to look/read whilst listening, but never bothered with artwork in iTtunes or TP, but I get a sense of why I SHOULD. Title and artist browsing is ‘clinical’
It’s also a matter of layout. More than anything really. A lot of people I know, including myself (we’ve discussed this in-depth), dislike the GUI of Traktor, while respecting the power behind it’s functionality. Serato did something right with what they did, and it just looks natural to me.
I think being comfortable with what you are seeing is a big part of anyone’s workflow. And that’s a much overlooked aspect of choosing which software to actually use.
I hate to bring it up, but it’s almost like a MAC vs PC debate. Everyone has an opinion, and no one thing will change anyone’s mind. You can still respect each option, and choose to use one yourself.
It really comes down to how you want to present your music, and how the workflow just FLOWS for you. A lot of people haven’t jumped on the DVS train yet just because it’s a change in pace. And a lot of people are quite particular about workflow, I know I am.
In the end, the results may vary from program to program, but you still get the basic functionality.
Another aspect that I don’t think is mentioned often enough, is people having TOO MUCH music on their computers. Even if you have a supreme knowledge of your tunes, it’s much different carrying EVERYTHING vs having a steaming hot but smaller selection of tunes. This aspect is daunting to a lot of people, and it makes actual set “planning” (or at least thought) a bit more important when you have a ton of options available, vs limiting yourself from the get-go. It’s daunting basically. And this pretty much goes with any DVS.
I like the article but I wanted to mention that the video you have of the dj using Traktor he is using 4 decks he is controling 2 decks with the 1200’s with timecode and he is controlling the other 2 decks with a x1 controler not just cue points and loops 2 other decks with that small controler. Thats the difference to me with Traktor the setup options seem unlimited but it takes time to learn the program. Serato seems to do its job very well thats a good thing but Traktor is fully loaded tweek it freak it blow it up and bang it out but if you change something you better understand the full effect of any options you change. Sounds like your friend can afford to try them both out so why choose one?
Funny, when I first saw this video I thought yeah no doubt.
Lately I have realized more than ever how much Traktor tracks backwards at the slightest tap on the turntable. And to top it off, no post fader effects. So speaking of sonics without post fader effects, sonically Traktor looses in my book.
I think Serato has come a long way since this video was produced.
Dont get me wrong, I love Traktor, but the major points of this video are irrelevant nowadays.
also that video has nothing to do with the topic. which is about the decision a dj that has an already established trade has to make when considering changing all of their tools and giving them the information on the workflow and layout they’ll be dealing with on a day to day basis going forward.
our skills as dj’s are only as good as our knowledge and understanding of the tools in front of us. we can know everything there is to know about phrasing, music selection, reading a crowd, tricks, and many other things. but if we can’t work our tools easilly, none of that makes any difference in front of a dancefloor full of people.
This is an interesting perspective, and possibly I am understanding it in a different context.
I come from a background of playing in bands, producing music, and trying really experimental stuff with music gear, routings, and FX. I got into DJing as a lover of music, AND because software had finally reached a place where a lover of music could learn to DJ conveniently without having to spend a lot of time, money and resources on digging for vinyl. HOWEVER my love for digital gear has taken a turn towards a stronger desire for analogue techniques. What I mean is, software and controllers are easy to learn, and FX are easy to use, features like “sync” are fun and based on the connivence and possibility of having more fun with FX. Twisting knobs and pushing buttons is great fun to me, but it is not where the “skill” is really shown/noticed. For example, there is no knob that lets a DJ read a crowd, choose phrasing, and drop a cut to keep the floor moving.
I am by no means a professional DJ or big local name guy. People are not going to come to my gigs and expect something from me “specifically.” I may think the next tune I drop will work the crowd only to find out, I am killing the energy. Knowing how to recover and recover fast is something that take practice. In my opinion it takes way more practice, dedication and a willingness to recognize my own failures, than learning “tools” of software, FX, tricks, etc. People are not at my gig’s because I am there, I am there because they are, and there is no button that learns respect for that.
Seems to me the real abilities come out in one who has experience with the basics, the fundamentals. More and more, software packages and controllers seem more like icing on the cake than actual tools. Maybe they are tools but they are not the skills, and the skills still seem to be the basics.
