4 deck mixing

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R

Robert20

New DJ
May 6, 2011
10
0
32
Anyone got any techniques for this? I see richie hawtin uses the other decks sometimes for just loops that he adds on to a song playing.




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Grand Rapids DJs
 
DJ JohnThe1 said:
Some DJ's can't even use 2 decks. Giving them 4 decks is like putting Stevie Wonder behind the wheel of a car. A wreck waiting to happen.
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Stevie-Wonder-Driving--71481.jpg

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maybe I am just a little dense (insert your own joke here), but I do not get the point of using 4 decks, can someone explain to me why it would be needed?
 
patrickrlewis said:
maybe I am just a little dense (insert your own joke here), but I do not get the point of using 4 decks, can someone explain to me why it would be needed?
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Unless you've done serious club, NOT BAR ROOM, work, you would likely not have ever had the experience or need.

eg:
Deck 1 = Beat/Song 1
Deck 2 = Beat/Song 2
Deck 3 = Vocal loop
Deck 4 = EFX loop or transition

..and that is merely one example of how a DJ ARTIST might use 4 decks.
 
Maybe not as useful for mobile applications but with 4 decks you can make great mashup. Example-
Deck 1 - play the beat from Song A
Deck 2- play the acapella vocal tracks from Song B
Deck 3- insertion catchy one liners from Song c
Deck 4 - insertion a DJ drop or another sample from another song

Like John said putting it all together is the key

Another more straightforward use is you always have 3 songs cued up ahead of time
 
One of the guys I worked with in college used both cd decks, hooked up both turntables and patched in his own single cd deck. It was pretty awesome to watch him work all 5 decks at once.
 
Using 4 decks is absolutely fantastic for creating YouTube videos to impress your friends, and/or sell products to DJs ;)

I find no use in it for mobile work, although I used to play around with it making custom mixes. Now, I just find it easier to use Acid for custom mixes (cue Rox quote in deck 3 for drug abuse ditty). :D
 
SoftJock Rick said:
I find no use in it for mobile work,
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Rarely but occasionally, when I had a grander club presence, a client that had hired me after experiencing a club performance would expect and request a more club style performance for a private/mobile event. The other 99.999999%, two turntables and a microphone would suffice.

SoftJock Rick said:
Now, I just find it easier to use Acid for custom mixes (cue Rox quote in deck 3 for drug abuse ditty). :D
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" ," says djrox.

Even Babe Ruth let a clear and absolute meatball reach the catcher every now and then!:triwink:
 
I have Virtual DJ setup with 4 decks for my own performances when im using ableton or remixing...but typically for all my regular mobile jobs i only use two decks.
 
You use 4 Decks to be creative. Making mixes on the fly is like playing "Live". It is not for the feint hearted or typical Wedding DJs.
 
ahoustondj said:
You use 4 Decks to be creative. Making mixes on the fly is like playing "Live". It is not for the feint hearted or typical Wedding DJs.
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I can be quite creative with 2 decks, and since I only have two ears, it seems to match up well. :)

If you choose to ruin a good song that was mixed down properly in the studio, by overlaying yer mad skillz, so be it. Just don't include me in the audience...

If you want to make your own music, buy a guitar, keyboard, etc..., and learn how to play. Otherwise, play it back the way the artist intended it to be played... ;)


BTW, we're on the right arm today... :)
 
SoftJock Rick said:
I can be quite creative with 2 decks, and since I only have two ears, it seems to match up well. :)

If you choose to ruin a good song that was mixed down properly in the studio, by overlaying yer mad skillz, so be it. Just don't include me in the audience...

If you want to make your own music, buy a guitar, keyboard, etc..., and learn how to play. Otherwise, play it back the way the artist intended it to be played... ;)
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I'm pretty sure you're not in the audience - 'cause you're likely to be at a BAR not a CLUB. Big difference.

Mashups for the most part are a novelty as is the chopped up crap bedroom DJs post online. Club DJs have to keep the dance floor moving so, a decent club DJ makes the songs BETTER and more enticing to a dancer.

When vinyl was king it was standard practice for a club booth to be equipped with at least 3 turntables. An effect has to land back in measure, and if it repeats 3 times you'll land back on the 4th beat (4/4 time) - hence at least 3 turntables and 3 copies of the record. Most of those effects can be created now with samplers (or loops) and others with digital processing (Kaos). The hard drive eliminates the need for multiple copies of a record since you can simply load the same file to any or all decks.

The purpose of mulit-decks in the software is to replace an outboard drum machine and/or outboard samplers by allowing you to simply add those elements as files/tracks from the additional decks. It is definitely NOt over-kill at a mobile event if what you are using them for is to enhance an actual dance experience.
 
Proformance said:
I'm pretty sure you're not in the audience - 'cause you're likely to be at a BAR not a CLUB. Big difference.
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You are correct that these days you would more likely find me in a bar (watching a band), and not a club. However, that was not always the case... I've spent a good portion of my adult life in dance clubs (that's where the chicks are) :)

I've just not seen much of what you describe, unless there was a showcased, big name DJ...

Perhaps it's more prevalent in some areas than others... :dontknow:

Most of the actual club work I've done, was as an assistant to the actual DJ. Most of these guys were using mixes done by somebody else, or themselves -- but they weren't doing anything fancy live. They were required to turn over the bar at regular intervals, so they didn't have time. Sure, they went through the motions, but most of it was pre-mixed.

Instead of lip syncing, I guess you would call that hand syncing... :)
 
Try something like this...at least if you have TP2.

[video=youtube;wVNLaJginhE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVNLaJginhE[/video]
 
soundinmotiondj said:
Try something like this...at least if you have TP2.

[video=youtube;wVNLaJginhE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVNLaJginhE[/video]
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Sound,
There are a great majority of DJs who, if not for the DJ software abilities, would not be able to manually mix two tunes without it sounding like a train wreck. It is great for special mixes to be made at home before the event but the "rush" comes from "Live Mixing" where you are confident enough in your skills to be able to pull off flawless mixes and effects on the fly!
I would venture to say that a great majority of DJs on this board only have one pair of outputs coming from their Laptop. They don't know how to manually mix digital tracks. Some are programmed to just push play!
 
There are occasions where I will play a separate piece of a song for each member of a Wedding Party Intro, so my thought is to map my RMX effects buttons as start and stop buttons for 4 or more decks. I'll let y'all know how it works. Especially since I'm a dreaded just push play DJ and not a real DJ like Canute is. Even though I can quite often pack a dance floor.
 
ahoustondj said:
Sound,
There are a great majority of DJs who, if not for the DJ software abilities, would not be able to manually mix two tunes without it sounding like a train wreck.
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"....darn whipper snappers...back in my day it was HARD...and we liked it..."

I know a bunch of photographers who could not even get a picture in focus, let alone exposed properly without the "full auto" mode on their camera. That does not mean that digital cameras are bad, or that film is the only true art form. It does mean that technology has made it possible for thousands of people to get a foot in the door and look around...where before that would not have been possible.

Technology will continue to change, and as things advance what is hard today will be a button push tomorrow. Embrace the change or get left behind.

I learned to beatmix on a Numark CDN-35S - because it was what I had at the time I was learning. And it was hard....and I did like it...but I'm really odd that way.

AFAIAC, using CDJs is just as much cheating as using the sync button. If you can't beatmix with a pair of CDJ-1000's, then you probably can't even find the beat. :tritongue:

ahoustondj said:
It is great for special mixes to me made at home before the event but the "rush" comes from "Live Mixing" where you are confident enough in your skills to be able to pull off flawless mixes and effects on the fly!
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"A" rush comes from beatmixing on the fly. I get my kicks from a lot of places.

ahoustondj said:
I would venture to say that a great majority of DJs on this board only have one pair of outputs coming from their Laptop. They don't know how to manually mix digital tracks. Some are programmed to just push play!
Click to expand...

Manually mixing digital tracks without an external controller (of some kind) is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay more trouble than I'm willing to go to for anyone. The least interesting thing that happens when I'm playing is lining up the beats. I agree that anyone who is serious should know the basics...but I'm also not a fan of suffering for the sake of art.

I performed at hundreds of events using only a computer and no external controller...without beatmixing a single track. Different audiences call for different things. While I was doing that, I had some club residencies that called for beatmixing all night long...and the club provided CDJ-1000's for that purpose.
 
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