Dallas huh? I’ll be in Dallas tonight, not playing though, just eating and shopping.
Maybe you need to include video with your demo cd’s so the promoter knows you don’t just stand there and stare at your laptop the whole time. Familiarizing yourself with how being able to use CDJ’s would be a plus because then you could just say ok I can do it on CDJ’s. After a few gigs bring in a controller for FX and before you know it it’ll be all controller and you’ll have convinced the promoter that controllers aren’t all bad.
I wish there was some way to poll club goers across the country and ask the if they care about what the DJ is doing then see all of the results in one place.
Setup playlist/cue points/analyze you tracks on offline mode
Learn how to play on serato on the clubs gear or hook up with fellow djs that use SSL
Make a name for yourself and once you become a known dj, the promoters & club owners dont give a rats ass what you play on. I’ve been djing for some time and i regularly play in clubs & bars. You can either join them or not get gigs and do everything the hard way, Its simple as that.
I am not trying to be a dick, but I see how promoters see it, because I also promote too. Most DJ’s that play on traktor/virtual dj etc & a midi controller are usually rookie djs that dont know how to hook shit up or are using a crack copy of the software, blah blah blah. Once the dj has made a name for themselves they can show up and do a whole night on ableton and they would even question what you are doing.
I think that’s the root of the problem, midi controllers have made it so that $99 and a torrent site make you think your a DJ. And with Soundcloud promoters don’t even know if that’s really you on the demo cd either. It used to cost some serious change just to get into the game on your own, but that’s not the case now.
On a related note, the promoter at my local haunt went and bought a controller the day after he saw me spin with my vci. shame more people who are seasoned djs (hes been at it since before i was born) aren’t as open to change and experimentation as he is.
I mean for a promoter im sure he has seen his fair share of people come in and talk the talk on midi’s because like u said £99 and a torrent site and somebody else’s mix tape and you could be playing anywhere if that was the case. Too much people just see the midi as ‘cheating’ because the industry was and still is alot of the time over run with these people who claim to be dj’s with theses kind of set up and big ball persona’s.
It was alot easier to spot a someone with talent and someone without when it was two turntables and a mixer but the times are changing and we all need to get with it. I mean i get people who learnt on cdj’s saying that when i use midi I’m ‘cheating’ but give them a pair of technics and they shit bricks. I’ve learnt them all and had them all. At the end of the day i think its what you can do with what you got that counts
That blows. But most of the promoters around my area care more about the demo than the equipment. I learned on TTs, and moved on to CDs and I’m in the process of switching to Traktor + controller. It’s great to know how to use all types of media. I used Torq, but if you don’t know Serato, you’ll be in trouble because 99% of the clubs here use Serato and they’ll start a shit storm if you swap the gear out. I personally think they should love DJs who bring controllers because if someone screws up the gear, that’s less hassle for the club.
This is also a good reason why DJs should learn proper beat matching. To be able to play on vinyl, CDs, and laptops is a great plus.
bottom line is we’re not using the “industry standard” tools of todays “dj”, although what we are using opens a hole new spectrum of creative techniques.. Giving clubs/promoters/etc. a mix displaying that as well as elaborating on the philosophy of you style will only open there minds to whatever you choose to bring to wow the crowd..
I have to agree, and admit that this is my background.
My first performance in a club was pathetic, to say the least. I had been using a Hercules DJ Console with VDJ in my bedroom for a while, and my transitions on there were alright. I also took the time to travel to a friend who has 2 CDJ-1000s, so he could teach me how to beat match, and to how me a few things on how they work.
I was invited by a friend, who played at a club before, to play some tracks at a birthday party of some friends of his, at a club in my hometown. Since he played in a club before I figured he had more experience than I did. I was wrong!
When we arrived, there were 2 CDJs, a 3ch mixer, and a PC running VDJ. He started by asking some guy who worked there, how he could hook VDJ up with the mixer. I tried to stop him, by telling him it wasn’t possible, since the soundcard had only one output, but he didn’t understand what I was saying, but he kept demanding that it would happen, because he couldn’t play with CDJs, and would be fucked otherwise. When he finally got the message that it wasn’t going to work, I told him that I’d prepared for this, and brought my piece of sh*t controller. When I offered he could use it, he said: “I’ll mix in VDJ using the mouse.”
When he said this, I was finally convinced he wasn’t fit to be playing in clubs. Luckily, another DJ convinced him that the controller would be the better pick. Having arrived way before the party started, I managed to install the drivers, and have it running before the guests arrived.
In the end he was an egomaniac, and I only got to play like 10 songs on the CDJs while he did his shitmixes on the Console all night.
After that night I decided never to play with this guy again, even though he gets more gigs than I do…
I do have to finish off by admitting, I am now using cracked Traktor, but it’s just for practice, and I’m saving up for a real controller, and legit software. (Hopfully the new NI controller!!!)
To finish off, a pic of the Hercules controller I own:
You’re gonna meet A LOT of DJ’s like that, mate. The problem is, tehy’re the ones that are better at networking, than DJ’ing. It would be a good idea to tag along with him for a while, meet the owners, the bar tenders, even the cleaners. Get talking to them. Maybe pass 'em a CD or 2 every now and again. Word will soon get to the owner/manager that you’re a better DJ than the one playing, and gig’s will start coming your way.
It’s a shame, but so much of the club DJ scene is about networking to get gigs. No matter what anyone tells you - it’s very unlikely that you’ll pass a CD and get offered a gig.
I think it’s kinda ironic that Digital DJs are being critizised by oh-so-real DJs and fans for not being credible enough, while it seems that these days that you can’t get more underground as a DJ than with a laptop and a controller, thanks to the discrimination against this technology.
its true, demo cds are not worth that much anymore. i generally give them out to people on the dance floor rather then promoters.
it is sad that you guys seem to not care at all about promoters think. they are your meal ticket, why are you gonna knock them? seriously, these are they guys that are going to book you. loads of promoters already have their DJs and they arent really looking for anyone new. because of that, you need to show them that you want to play and that you want to do whatever it takes to do that. if that means you play on CDs for a few weeks, that is what it means.
i recently played at a festival and had to play on CDs because they didnt have enough room to set up a laptop setup (turns out they did because of the performers had a guy with a laptop for his set). it wasnt great, but i met a guy who is the sound engineer for one of the bigger clubs in brighton (the honey club) and he was pretty impressed by my flexibility.
wouldnt you rather play in a club with a set of CDJs then sit in your room and play video games all night and complain because they didnt a laptop?
I am coming round to the opinion that you ought to be able to mix on vinyl, CDs DVS and controllers - almost like a “minimum skill requirement” - then once you can, you get to choose your personal preference (controllers every time for me). That way you can cope with DJing in any club or situation.
For instance (go with me on this): Accountants are good at maths in the first place (let’s equate this to DJing on vinyl), and they can also use calculators (let’s pretend this is DJing with CDJs), but most choose to work with spreadsheets (ie the modern way: with controllers/laptops). The point is, though, that an accountant could do your accounts with a pen and paper quite happily, even though he may not choose to.
If you can use vinyl/CDs/DVS you can respond with a confident “I’ll use what you’ve got” to get the gig, then later you can introduce the way YOU want to do it when you’ve won the promoter over.
Although I agree - people have spent time and money investing in certain media.
If you’ve spent a grand on a laptop, 300 quid on a controller and another hundred minimum on a soundcard. Money for the software…
So you have to fork out for decks x2 and a mixer. Oh and then cdj x2 as well…
Not everybody can afford that. ok - if you already have decks then going down the digital route via serato or tsp is slightly cheaper but not the other way round.
I’m happy enough treating this as a hobby - making mixtapes (lol - my age showing there) and perhaps playing small parties or friends nights where I can use a controller.
I’m just glad I don’t want to be the next big thing or do it seriously.
I agree with you too. I wouldn’t expect people to go and buy all the kit; a good thing about digital DJing is that you don’t need a whole room dedicated to it like with decks, records etc.
But just finding a mate with two 1210s and an old analogue mixer and borrowing them for a weekend with the express intention of, say, doing a mix tape… then the same with a set of CDJs… this kind of thing would pay dividends for any DJ.
Failing that, even turning all visual cues, beatgrids etc off and just mixing manually in software. All better than nothing.
The thing is, I sense a lot of new DJs now are torn because they want to use laptops, controllers etc but feel obliged to learn the old ways to get over some kind of perceived inferiority complex. The will to “do the dues” often comes from the DJs themselves, not the detractors.
