Used CD’s for the first time in 6 months
If anyone is interested I did my first set in 6 months using CD’s instead of using Traktor or a USB stick. I found it to be exceptionally boring, easy and I didn’t really know what to do all night. It has further cemented my resolve in using Traktor and going digital. Also I found that my playing was a lot better after the time spend using Traktor, beat matching has improved and use of effects was better, Traktor and digital is the way of the future
Its a relief to hear somebody else feels the same! i used CDJs recently after using Traktor for ages and found it wierd and much less creative (admitedly the CDJs weren’t that great!). Funny thing is that i was using traktor last night and had somebody come up to me and said im old school i use CDs! had to laugh!
Was he trying to show off? LOL! Say anything back to him?
was the kid blind? completely missed the computer?
Wait, he was saying that he’s old school or you are?
i think he saw the cdjs and was like “woahh oldschool…”
CD’s are old school? LOL!!
About time… juuuuust kidding.
I’m sorry but if you were bored then you weren’t utilising everything the equipment had to offer. I’m guessing you must have just been beat matching back and forth. There’s so much you can do with CDJ’s (1/2000’s) that I think people become complacent with Traktor and then moan when they gotta get down to bare-bones DJing.
I actually agree with you dodge. Was more making a point on my state of mind. I found it quite interesting. Before I found Traktor I used CD’s for about 3 years and always felt busy, I think I have just got used to using controllers instead of using the CDJ’s. Perhaps relying to heavily on Traktor and forgetting all the cool things that can be done with CDJ’s. Might be time to take a step back so can take 2 steps forward
Glad you agree. I’m feeling the same way. I don’t want to be relying heavily on traktor and all it’s luxuries. Any fucker can play, sync and effect a tune. I would sooner captivate an audience by raw skill. Not saying I’m amazing but I know I will stand out more with pure ability over how up to date I am with equipment and current software and all it has to offer. This is why I am now restricting myself to not using FX while I practice. And I sold my CDJ’s (stupidly) a while back so I’m trying to limit myself to only using features within traktor that you’ll find on CDJ’s and TT’s (which is what I use at home).
I also dont want to be relying so heavily on something that spells game over if it crashes or some pissed prick spills beer on it (my laptop obviously). I wanna know I can rock up with CD’s and it’s still all good. And the whole setting up thing is starting to fuck me off a bit now too. I wanna get back to the raw essence of DJing ya know, and not worry about why my timecode aint working or there aint room in the DJ booth for my controllers etc. You dont need all this fancy new technology when you got 2 hands and a decent selection of tracks.
I’d love to know what sort of stuff you do with CDJs, dodge (and I don’t mean that sarcastically) - once I get some money together I’d love to try out DJing on CDJs/vinyl, and I’d be interested to know what other people do to spice up their performances. Are we talking beatjuggling and stuff like that?
Mate, I’m like fucking light years away from where I’d like to be. On the grand scheme of things I’m dog turd. Compared to what can be done I’m a fucking nobody! If you want inspiration youtube the DCM championship shit or anything along those lines. But yeah generally I like to spice up my performances with a bit scratching here and there and some fader skills. I used to do a lot of like beat juggling and proper turntablist shit back before CDJ’s were around. But I’ve gotten lazy and sloppy with the raw 2 turntables and a mixer point of view with all this new shit that makes life easier.
It all depends on your own personal wow factor. For me I like to see turntablism somewhere in peoples sets, no matter what format or how advanced their set up is. For some they cant even appreciate that shit. Each to their own ya know
As for the first part, I don’t get it. I am no super star DJ, i’m completely new to the game, but as far as I can tell as a regular bar hopper and club go-er (<-- idk if that’s a word, but it is now) I find that statement completely for a lack of a better word - wrong.
When i’m in a club or a bar and dancing I just want there to be good music. If I wasn’t a DJ I wouldn’t even be paying attention to the transitions and what the DJ is currently doing as long as his track selection isn’t shit.
No one else, aside from other DJs around will notice what you’re even really doing up there, or appreciate the skill (or lack of) required to be doing what you are doing.
This I can agree with, but personally i’ll always bring 3 backups to a gig. Internet back up playlist (on SoundCloud), I always have a USB stick in my car with songs and a playlist and a pre-recorded mix on them, and I always have my iPod with a few pre-recorded mixes on that too.
So incase of anything of this sort, I have ample “oh shit” moves I can do.
I think the whole thing behind the technology movement is the fact that it helps enhance you’re performance. I mean sure it’s awesome to be able to do really cool tricks with your cross fader and volume controls, but the digital setup limits your performance only by what you can or can’t do.
So you’re telling me I’m wrong in saying that anyone can go out buy laptop, sync up some tunes and whack a few FX on them? I’m sorry, I don’t care what anyone says, but they can. That’s like playing a computer game. You can do that shit with a mouse pointer if you really wanted to. I say that because people do do that shit with a mouse pointer.
No one else aside from other DJ’s around will notice what you are doing in the DJ booth huh? Just one example of probably millions but you mean to tell me everybody in the audience to this performance is a DJ? Righteo.
And
Yeah sure anyone can sync up some tunes and add FX on them, but that’s not proper DJing. I’ve put friends on my Traktor setup and taught them how to use the software, loading tracks, syncing them, and they sound like shit. It takes time to learn how to do it properly, but whatever.
You’re right, but in a nightclub, just a standard nightclub, not some special event or gig or festival or anything, nobody gives a shit about your turntablism. Hey, I know people that would be annoyed if you started doing turntablism, they just want to hear the song play. And yeah, I think those people are boring, but that’s just my opinion.
Well you’ve totally contradicted yourself then, cos all I said was anyone can play, sync and effect a tune. Now you’re saying people can, so why say I was wrong? I didn’t once mention anything about what is considered “proper DJing”.
And I didn’t say anything about “standard nightclubs” either (what ever you consider to be a standard night that is). I said me personally I like to stand out with different abilities. Ok forget turntablism but if blending from one track to another is your thing then maybe you should be on a different forum cos as the man who started this website demonstrates, there’s more to it then that. And again, you mean to tell me everyone in the audience in this video is a DJ too? (and before you say he’s using traktor and I was talking about not wanting to rely on it… he’s not me).
The people who don’t give a shit don’t know any better. You could plug your iPod in and entertain these clueless fools. They don’t know!
I guess pushing play and twisting some FX knobs is exciting to you? I’m going to go out out a limb (not realy) by saying you consider this deejaying.
I laugh in their faces, like HARD. Then I just ignore them the rest of the night.
hehe, I have that too… but with vinyl.
I played a lot of techno in my younger years and I have thousands of vinyls in my basement. So whenever I get an oldschool techno gig, I just use my records instead of my Traktor setup.
But yeah, when I do that… it’s so easy and routine and natural that you basicly get bored between tracks 