I think recording a set in the house would show more skills than a event would. At events you have interruptions during sets and you mainly have to focus on the crowd and requests.
Denon's latest toy.
- Thread starter DJ JohnThe1
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I think recording a set in the house would show more skills than a event would. At events you have interruptions during sets and you mainly have to focus on the crowd and requests.
I've got 2 nickels and a dime.. You bring the paper..[/quote]
Got lots of paper dude
Seriously though -- maybe we can get together (Fred and Shirl will hold the keys to that), have a little party, see who's good, and maybe move on...
You never know how far you can go, until you try...
And that's why I use RockIt with a back lit keyboard mapped - F1 (play deck 1), F2, (pause deck 1), F3 (stop deck 1) etc.
I've gone simple as I've gotten older and let my MC skills, guest interaction, talent and experience take over and let that be what the guests and my clients remember.
Having a fancy pretty controller won't make me any better. I get everything I need from a keyboard by having 23 years in this biz. My reputation speaks for itself and I protect and preserve it well.
Rick you are correct about being able to mix only from a computer. Before I purchased a Controller, I was mixing directly from the Computer/Software.I'll agree, to disagree with your disagree Jon... xf
Honestly, I have thousands of customers, and the vast majority do not use controllers. I tend to think of controllers (based upon feedback from the users), that it is a transition stage. Many DJs, are not all that good with a mouse or keyboard -- especially the older ones (like yourself
So, they buy a controller to feel comfortable during the transition, and then they learn how to actually work the computer -- then they sell the controllers.
From my experience observing some DJs here in Houston and reading some of the posts on ODJT, the conclusion is that some just make a playlist and let it play, hence the Push Play DJ. One can mix manually or automix in the software but that requires cueing with headphones (especially if you want to start at a given point in the song). If using only the mouse you have to be quick for fast starts or be able to blend and fade.
I did mine by sending the two deck channels to an external mixer and using the channel sliders for mix/blend and fade. I rarely ever use the crossfader. I previewed the songs in my headphones directly from the external mixer just as in the old days of vinyl. A controller emulates the feel and features of a turntable for those of us who grew up mixing and scratching with vinyl. If one really wants to take advantage of the DJ software technology, they can introduce premade loops to be played on demand. You can also manually go backwards on a track using a controller in an interactive way more so than using a mouse or Hot key.
So there are benefits to using a controller. However for those who bought one just to get a quick start, they could have saved themselves the money by utilizing a multiple channels sound card sent to an external mixer and spending a bit more time learning to use their software.
Perhaps that's because the controllers (with their own screen) do not need a computer, OR your software!
Do you mean that the controllers without a screen are NOT popular???
As far as I can tell, the ones WITH their own screen are getting hard to find, as most are discontinued.
I tend to think of controllers (based upon feedback from the users), that it is a transition stage. Many DJs, are not all that good with a mouse or keyboard -- especially the older ones (like yourself
I do agree with your "transition" idea. That's kinda where I am headed...
as I also think that controllers are headed for history.
We all know we like to buy gear -- even if we don't need it. I've been doing it for decades.
At some point in time though, you have to start to wonder whether it is a good choice...
I like the fancy lights and all on the controllers, just as much as the next guy -- but do I need them...?
I think controllers will stay .. people like tactile things, at least some do. They may morph into something else, but there will be buttons, levers and knobs for a while.
You can try to pry my controller from my cold dead hands.... I may morph, I like that word, my setup to include either the SC2900 (assuming the cost is appropriate) or a set of SC3900. Not because I want to mix like on a turn table, but because of the versatility of being able to jam a CD or other media into an actual physical player as backup.... and it looks damn cool.
Depending on controllers is a dangerous game of putting all of the eggs in one basket. If a section of it breaks down, you are out of a mixer and two decks until it's fixed. To be worry free with a controller one would need to walk with a back up controller to each gig.
In a way it would be Rob. With Serato, if I had a turntable that went down I could still control both decks with a single turntable and make it to the end of the event.. Same would apply with using a cdj. Now if the mixer went down, I could whip out a small mic mixer and use the serato internal mode. Im sure this could be done with other dj software, I would not know because Serato is all I ever used.
I agree with you John my rack has backup drives and computer, a CD backup and an iPod as a last resort, if the whole thing fails I have a second rack that's almost identical except for the mixer.
Controllers baby!
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I do nice clean transitions. I've yet to have a wedding since I got back in where "beatmatching" was requested. I use mix in key to ensure songs I put together are in key or a complimentary key. This works well for me.
Paul
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I do nice clean transitions. I've yet to have a wedding since I got back in where "beatmatching" was requested. I use mix in key to ensure songs I put together are in key or a complimentary key. This works well for me.
Paul
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The way my system is designed, Live Mixer and DJ Mixer, Controller with two Decks, Identical Hard Drive to Laptop, Laptop with DJ Software and for a very last resort, a MP3 player with a current Playlist appropriate for the event, I don't have to worry. I can change my Crossover from two way to full range at the flick of a switch, extra amp on board and the ability to patch/bypass any component. No problem. My backup is already integrated and in use in the system.
