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SOMETHING AWFUL DEEJAYS Hello and welcome to the wild and wonderful world of DJing. The world of DJing is vast and wide, featuring a variety of different styles of DJing. DJs can range from human iPods to musicians. Table of Contents 1. Getting Started 2. Equipment – Hardware/Software 3. Mixing 4. Famous DJs 5. DJing outside your room 6. Links ======================================================== ======================================================== [1] Getting Started ======================================================== ========================================================  DJing is expensive, and getting started can range from free to thousands. You should already be listening to new music constantly and have a deep library of different genres of music. You should follow mixes by established DJs, watch YouTube videos of DJs performing. Eventually when you get an idea of what DJs do, then it’s on to getting equipment. Do you have any friends or acquanitances that are DJs? If so, it is highly recommended you get familiar with DJing on someone else's gear before investing in your own. This is especially true if you are interested in DJing but don't understand the mechanics of it. This will also give you a chance to possibly trial software/hardware that would normally run you hundreds of dollars (if not more) No laptop? It's pretty much a given anymore that a DJ will be using a laptop computer. But if you really don't want to make the investment (or risk your existing investment) in a computer but still want to give it a try, you still have options * Vinyl - keeping it real, oldschool. Be prepared to spend a shitton of money on music. It's called the black crack for a reason * CDs - cheap and easy. Any CD player you come across in a club or at a party can handle CDs the same way turntables can handle vinyl. Be warned that older models do *not* handle data disks burned with MP3s. Play it safe and burn audio CDs instead * Flash drives - if you are lucky enough to have access to some of the newer high-end model CDJs (such as the Pioneer CDJ 2000s), it's possible to simply load up a USB flash drive with music, plug in, and play. I've been told by my cohorts at Beatport that this is how Fedde Le Grande tours Laptop options I'd classify the laptop DJing spectrum into the following categories: * DVS (digital vinyl system) - The heavy hitters here are Serato Scratch Live (SSL) and Traktor Scratch Pro (TSP). Each of these packages allow you to take advantage of existing turntables or CD players using special time coded media to control the music from your laptop. * Controller-based systems - Those same software packages also allow for control via external controller devices, especially useful if you are starting from scratch and don't already have turntables or CD players. The controllers range from the cheap and flimsy (such as the Hercules) to the ridiculous behemoths (such as the Traktor S4). * "Live" setups - If you're interested in doing more than just mixing between songs, Ableton Live is the weapon of choice here. Rather than playing full songs, you can deconstruct them into individual parts and make something completely original that is generally not possible in your traditional "ones and twos" DJ approach. Sasha is a well-known A-list DJ that has gone this route, and pretty much any electronic "live" act is probably using this software in some fashion. This is also a preferred approach to people who are largely performing their own original music rather than just playing other peoples. The controller options here are quite a bit more varied, and yes, cover a large price spectrum too * DVS/hybrid setups - Just because you are using a DVS doesn't mean you can't also incorporate a controller for added flexibility. In my case, I use the Traktor X1 controller alongside TPS to allow me to set loops and do effects on the fly while doing a traditional timecode DJing setup Audio Interfaces One thing is likely a given if you go the laptop route: You're gonna need a better soundcard. The ones built into laptops tend to be noisy, high-latency, not to mention they are limited to one input/output. DVS packages like Serato and Traktor come bundled with a hardware interface which takes some of the complexity out, as do some of the more serious controllers (such as the S4) that give you a bit of "all in one" convenience. If you're just starting out with the basics or perhaps trialing these software packages, a proper external audio interface is a worthwhile investment. I personally think that Native Instruments (maker of Traktor) produces amazing hardware and you really can't go wrong. TSP comes with the Audio8 (4 ins, 4 outs), the smaller Audio4 and Audio2 models can be had for a lower price without sacrificing quality What computer should I use? Mac. Just take our word for it, and look at any picture of a DJ and you will see a Mac Book Pro. ======================================================== ======================================================== [2] Equipment and Software ======================================================== ======================================================== IM JUST STARTING OUT AND DON’T WANT TO SPEND ANYTHING!!! Try out a trial version of Traktor: http://www.native-instruments.com/index.php?id=tprodemoversion Try out a trial version of Serato : http://serato.com/downloads Try out DJay [OSX Only]: http://www.algoriddim.com/djay-mac Try out Virtual DJ: http://www.virtualdj.com/download/free.html Try out Ableton: http://www.ableton.com/downloads Play around with the software for free before buying anything. Your best bet is to try out a friends setup if you can, or go to Guitar Center/DJ Store. Okay, I’ll spend some money. ~$300 Buy a midicontroller that can use some functions of your chosen DJ Program. I’d recommend the Traktor X1, or a Korg Kontrol. I’d recommend that you buy a midicontroller first because if you buy cheap/used equipment, because if you upgrade you’re losing money; whereas If you buy a midicontroller and a upgrade, then you have a midicontroller to complement your DJ setup. gently caress that I got loonies to blow • If you want to use turntables, then you will probably have to find them used as only Numark makes highend turntables now (TTX-USB). Look for used Technics 1200s. Then you will need to get a mixer, and a DVS (Traktor/Serato). • If you want to use a midicontroller (DJ Setup with soundcard that works 1:1 with software). Look for a ITCH controller like NS7/NS6, or Traktor certified controller like the S4 or VCI-300. These controllers just need to be connected to a computer via USB, they will not work otherwise • If you want to use CDJs, check out used Pioneer CDJs, or the current CDJs of the 850/900/2000 along with a mixer. There’s also Denon, but Pioneer is the industry standard for CDJs. Be prepared to DROP A LOT OF MONEY Headphones? Don’t buy Dr.Dre beats. You should spend a lot of money on headphones as you want high quality moniters because you’ll be using them a lot. Technics makes good headphones, and Pioneer has the HDJ-1000/2000s that are very solid. There’s the previous industry standard of the Sony 700s but they break easily. There’s also the highly preferred Sennheiser HD-25, but they aren’t swivel cups. What speaker should I buy If you just want to DJ in your room you can get cheap speakers, or accurate monitor speakers for around $300. If you want to play out, then there lots of different options to choose from depending on how serious you are. If you’re just doing college house parties then get cheap stuff off craigslist. If you plan on gigging and need a durable and dependable PA system, then buy the powered/active mobile DJ line from Mackie (SRM) or JBL (EON). Should I use Musician’s Ear Plugs YES. If you value your hearing get Musicians Ear Plugs made. They make special earplugs that prevent harmful DB from PERMANENTLY RUINING your hearing. THERE ARE LOTS OF DUMB DJS THAT DON’T WEAR EAR PLUGS, DON’T JOIN THE SOON-TO-BE VOLUNTARILY DEAF IDIOT SQUAD. Get a pair of these and keep them in your bag. In fact, get several pairs, they are drat cheap. They have flat frequency response and don't sound "muffled" like traditional cheap foam earplugs. http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.html  Also see http://www.hearnet.com/ for custom molded plugs Vanilla Slimfast posted:I always wear these when I'm at the club and not playing. It's not as good as getting custom molded plugs with interchangable filters, but it's a good start. As someone who's been DJing for a long time and spent far too many nights in front of loud speakers with no protection, I can tell you that tinitus sucks really bad. Mine is not quite to the point where it's preventing me from living my life, but I certainly don't want it to get any worse. Whats up with Serato, Traktor, or Ableton?? WHAT ONE DO I USE?? This article provides the most information pertaining to this subject: http://www.djtechtools.com/2011/01/25/battle-of-the-1s-and-0s-traktor-vs-ableton-vs-serato/ ======================================================== ======================================================== [3] DJing ======================================================== ======================================================== What quality of MP3s should I be using 320 KPS. What is MIXING? Matching two songs using their speed (BPM) and/or musical key. Whats that record scratching stuff Skratching/Turntablism is a percussionist technique by manipulating the vinyl record with crossfader to create unique sounds, or Skratching. Skratch DJs, and sometimes referred to as Battle DJs due to the completion (DMC) they compete in are not mix DJs. Skratch DJs aren’t concerned with mixing, playing top40 or anything of that nature, and definitely lie of the musicianship side of DJs. They are primary concerned with creating experimental tracks by manipulating records. Skratch DJing is difficult and very technical and doesn’t translate into being famous club dj. Most Skratch DJs are obscure, and the popularity of the style has been on the decline with decline of turntable production. What is master tempo (key correction) and should I use it? A common feature of all modern CD players and DJ software is known as key correction. On the ubiquitous pioneer CDJs it's labeled as "master tempo." So what does it do exactly? It uses an algorithm known as "time stretching" to maintain the same pitch of a song while still speeding it up or slowing it down based on the pitch fader. This means that there won't be the characteristic audible effect you normally would hear on a track that's been pitched down or up (e.g. chipmunk-y vocals). There are two good reasons to use this feature if it's available to you: * For harmonic mixing, it's a must. Without it, tracks will actually end up in between keys or in a completely different key depending on how much you're pitching up or down. A good rule of thumb is that at 120bpm you're going to move roughly a half-step in key for every 3 percent of pitch * For mixing on CDJs in a non-vinyl emulation mode (e.g. the lower-end CDJs or in "CDJ" mode on the 800/1000/2000s), it counteracts the audible pitch bend you hear when adjusting via the jog wheel. If you are using CDJs with timecode in Serato Scratch or Traktor Scratch, be sure to leave master tempo *off* or it will gently caress up the tracking of the timecode and your software won't know what the gently caress Harmonic mixing What is harmonic mixing? It's an advanced technique of DJing whereby you are not just mixing tracks together that are the same tempo and style, but also in compatible musical keys. If you are playing in styles that are heavily melodic (e.g. trance) or heavily vocal (e.g. house), it can make an appreciable difference to the quality of your mixing. Plenty of information available at this website, including how camelot notation works: http://www.harmonic-mixing.com/ Lots of DJs swear by this software (myself included) I'd say it's about 80% accurate which is as good as you're going to get unless you have perfect pitch and can harmonically mix by ear: http://www.mixedinkey.com/ WHATS WITH ALL THOSE WHACKY REMIXES/EDITS TAGS Usually song titles when changed go by: SONG NAME (DJ NAME TYPE OF REMIX) Remix – The song’s instrumental and/or acapella is altered from the original Re-Fix – Only a small part of the song is altered Re-Drum – The song’s drum tempo is altered Dutch Edit – The song’s structure is remixed to a Dutch house style Big Room Edit – The song’s structure is remixed to a Trance style Hype Edit – Fat Man Scoop or samples that “hype” the crowd up mixed into the song Transition – Two songs with a large difference in BPM with a produced bridge between them (AKA 128 BPM songs slows down to 101) ======================================================== ======================================================== [4] Famous DJs ======================================================== ======================================================== Club/ Concert DJs DJ Z-Trip – The original “Mash Up” or “Blend” DJ. Check out Uneasy Listening Vol 1 & 2, DJ residency in Vegas DJ Vice – Talented Club DJ DJ AM (RIP) – Most famous celebrity DJ, also talented party rocker DJ Enferno – The new breed of hybrid Skratch/Ableton DJ. Very talented. Lil Jon – Yes, he’s always been a DJ and a decent one too. DJ Shadow – Very experimental DJ, check out his vast library songs DJ Jazzy Jeff – Will Smith’s DJ, also a great DJ DJ Kool Herc – OG DJ, original NY Block Party DJ. Creator of using extending breaks by juggling. Cut Chemist – Skratch DJ, Jurrassic 5 and Ozomalti Roonie G – Pioneer’s sponsored DJ, extremely talented CDJ Girl Talk – Clip DJ, aka plays very short samples of songs using a ableton type program Skratch DJs DJ Fly - French DMC Champion DJ Rafik - England DMC Champion DJ Shiftee – US DMC Champion DJ Qbert – Master Skratch DJ. Check out “Wave Twisters” Mix Master Mike – Beastie Boy’s DJ, taught Qbert how to Skratch DJ A-Trak – Youngest Winner of DMC, Kanye West’s DJ, Fools Gold Records DJ Craze – 3x DMC Champion , Slow Roast Records Grandmaster Flash – Creator of scratching Rob Swift – Skratch DJ, invented Skratch notation. Cut Chemist – Skratch DJ, Jurrassic 5 and Ozomalti Roc Raida (RIP) – Famed Skratch DJ Invisbl Skratch Piklz – DJ Group X-Ecutioners – DJ Group Other Steve Aoki – Crowdsurfer DJ DJ Pauly D – Trash, watch his videos to avoid to being him ======================================================== ======================================================== [5] DJing outside your room ======================================================== ======================================================== Like any other artistic endeavor, getting gigs is more than just having talent or skill. It's all about who you know. If you're just starting out this can be pretty daunting. A few helpful hints: * Socialize. You're never going to get booked if you never leave your bedroom * Network. Get to know people involved in your local scene. Other DJs and bartenders/bouncers/club staff are a good start. * Help out. Get to know the people throwing events and offer to help. You'd be surprised how far flyering, doing an airport run to pick up a dj, or setup/teardown can get you. But most importantly, be humble and friendly and keep your expectations in check. * Band together. Get a crew of like-minded individuals together to help pool resources and effort into getting a night going. There is a reason that promoters and DJ collectives are so pervasive, it's hell of a lot easier than trying to do everything on your own Wicked Walrus posted:In my experience: it's who you know. Which can suck for sure, but that's life. In general, managers don't give a gently caress about how well you can mix, they don't give a gently caress about your song selection... they care about how many people you can a) get to pay cover (if applicable) and b) get to buy drinks. This also sucks because you have to become a promoter instead of just a DJ, and promoting can really suck when you just want to play tunes. So there you have it, either know someone inside the DJ world that will take a chance on you, promote/throw your own parties, or talk to a bar owner. I’d recommend having professional looking business cards designed in combo with a mixtape on CD/Flashdrive. Links helpful concerning DJing out: How to launch a club night: http://www.djtechtools.com/2010/10/17/how-to-launch-a-club-night-part-1/ Building your club night and DJ career: http://www.djtechtools.com/2010/09/06/building-your-club-night-and-dj-career-with-guest-djs/ Self promotion: http://www.djtechtools.com/2010/08/09/self-promotion-tools-for-djs/#more-7298 ======================================================== ======================================================== [6] Links ======================================================== ======================================================== http://www.qbertskratchuniversity.com - Online DJ School; Skratching Oriented Blogs: http://www.beezo.net - DJ Mixes http://www.skratchworx.com - Skratch DJ oriented equipment/software blog http://www.djtechtools.com - Controller DJ oriented blog Stores: http://www.agiprodj.com http://www.djtechtools.com Music Blogs: http://www.beezoblog.com Digital storefronts Are you jacking your mp3s from p2p or blogs? Stop it. Buy your music and support the artists. Some good digital download stores to choose from Beatport - Caters to every EDM genre and are well known for house and techno. Also responsible for giving Deadmau5 his big break. Full disclosure: I used to work there Juno Download - UK-based. Digital download offshoot of Juno Records storefront Stompy - Heavy focus on house music Traxsource - Heavy focus on house music Bleep - Started by the folks behind the record label Warp. Sells FLAC files(!) Zero Inch - A newer European-based storefront. What People Play - Another Euro storefront. I believe this is an offshoot of an old physical distribution company DJ Download - Another UK site. Honestly surprised they're even still around Record Pools : https://www.crooklynclan.net https://www.ratedh.net https://www.crack4djs.com https://www.clubkillers.com https://www.djcity.com Resources for obsessive vinyl collectors Although the advance of CD player and digital vinyl (DVS) software have largely made the traditional vinyl approach to DJing basically obsolete, there are plenty of people out there that actually play records, or at least collect them. There are also quite a few labels or producers that choose *not* to release content digitally. Here are a few great resources for the Rob Gordon in all of us. Discogs - The ultimate discography site. Everything you could ever possibly want to know about artists, labels, and releases. Even if you're not a record collector, it's a useful resource for learning more about artists you may like, as people using aliases and working in group is very common in EDM. Also boasts a very active marketplace for buying and selling GEMM - Essentially an ebay/storefront aggregator for record collectors. Great for tracking down that elusive limited pressing on the clear vinyl or whatever. Ikea Expedit - Technically it's a bookshelf but it's pretty much the perfect thing to hold your record collection. Comes in several different configurations such as 5x5, 4x4, and 4x2. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny for shipping one if there isn't an Ikea store nearby Square Deal Online - Store with a bunch of useful vinyl supplies like replacement sleeves, shelf dividers, etc [/quote] ======================================================== ======================================================== [7] Misc ======================================================== ======================================================== What's the deal with Beatport's pricing? Beatport has three price tiers: $2.49 (USD) - New, exclusive content. Labels that have exclusive deals with Beatport usually have it for 4 or 8 weeks from the time of the release. So if you can wait, the price will eventually go down $1.99 (USD) - New, non-exclusive content $1.49 (USD) - General content, back-catalog The $1.00 WAV fee applies regardless of the base price. Thanks to Vanilla Slimfast, That Wicked Walrus, That drat Dog OG KUSH BLUNTS fucked around with this message at 01:15 on Mar 8, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 00:07
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Sending mix to the internet. How to properly record a Mix A few handy tips related to recording a demo: * Audacity is a free, open source audio editing/recording program that will do the trick. No, you don't need pro-tools or anything like that. If you use a DVS like Serato or Traktor you can record your mix within the software, permitting hardware. If you have Serato, I would reccomend getting Ableton to take full use of the bridge. * Use the highest quality source material as possible. 128kbit limewire mp3s are not your friend. The default is usually AIFF, which you can import to Audacity and reduce. * Use an external audio interface if possible. Your built-in soundcard may be quite a bit more noisy due to proximity to other components in your computer (test it and see). * Always be sure to record into a "line in" input and *not* mic in. Microphone inputs are usually mono and usually have a ridiculous gain, which sounds awful for line-level signals * Always use a record-out or other "clean feed" output from your DJ mixer whenever possible. Some mixers that have RCA outputs tend to gain the gently caress out of the signal depending on your master mix level (the older pioneers are notorious for this) * Before you get set to actually record, be sure to level check. Get your loudest track and put it full up on the mixer and see how loud it comes in on the recording. Your goal should be to keep your average signal level at -6db with peaks going no higher than -3db. * Remember that the point of the gain knobs on a mixer is to allow you to pre-match levels so that 100% up on the fader is the same for both tracks. Many DJ software packages can pre-gain for you, taking some of the guesswork out of level matching * For the love of all that is holy, do NOT push your recording into the red (past 0db). This is known as clipping because you are literally chopping the peaks of your waveforms off, resulting in distortion. Once this information has been chopped off, it is impossible to recover. * The more even your recording level at the start, the less post-production you'll need to do. Remember that mixing is additive, so always try to counteract every increase in volume/eq on one channel with a decrease on the other during your mixes. * Ok, all set? Go ahead and record your set. What you should have now is a nice shiny waveform that you can do further work on. * First thing I'd recommend doing after recording is trimming off any leading or trailing silence. * Second, run a simple normalization on the entire waveform at -0.01 db. This will bring the entire level of the audio up such that the loudest part of the waveform is now at essentially 0db. If you kept your levels in check, this should give you a nice even boost in volume across the board. * If you didn't (e.g there is one part of the recording that is significantly louder than the rest), you won't be able to gain much with normalization. At that point, you'll need to resort to compression/limiting, which can give you more of a boost at the expense of some dynamic range. Use with care * Now that you have your cleaned up and "mastered" recording, what to do with it? Burn it to CD? Encode to a portable format for internet distribution? * For cd burning, be sure to include track markers. Nothing worse than getting a CD with a single, 74 or 80 minute track on it that you can't skip through. Pretty much every major audio burning program supports inserting track splits. I've had good luck with Nero Burning Rom under Windows, but have yet to find a proper equivalent in OSX. If you're handing out a CD, a tracklisting/cover/other info is also nice. Bare CDs are less likely to get listened to. * For encoding to MP3, be sure to use LAME as the encoder. There is a plugin version for Audacity that lets you export straight to MP3 at any quality level right on the fly. Neat! -V2 or 192kbit CBR will probably be sufficient, 320k is probably overkill WHERE DO I SEND MY MIX? I WANT EVERYONE TO HEAR IT SO I BECOME FAMOUS AND SLEEP WITH EVERY GIRL IN THE CLUB!!! There's quite a few choices of where you can upload your mix: Your own hosting! DropBox - http://www.dropbox.com SoundCloud - http://www.soundcloud.com Mix Cloud - http://www.mixcloud.com Fairtilizer - http://official.fm/ Beezo - http://www.beezo.net - $20 to upload a mix OG KUSH BLUNTS fucked around with this message at 04:27 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 00:07
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SA DJ Directory: If you want to be in the directory post with the following details (if you want): Username: DJ Name: Website: Twitter: Facebook: Experience: Location: Genre: Mixes: ***URL HERE*** I will update as needed. MAKE SURE YOU PM ME as I will probably not update stuff I see in the thread ======================================= ======================================= Username: vanilla slimfast DJ Name: Bones Website: http://bones.dj/ Twitter: @vanillaslimfast Experience: 13 years Location: Denver, CO Mixes (Soundcloud): http://bones.dj/ Username: chrix DJ Name: DJ Hollow Point Website: https://www.indymojo.com/g9 & http://www.boost.fm/djs/hollowpoint/index.html Twitter: @djhollowpoint Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/djhollowpoint Experience: 4 years (dnb, primarily) Location: Indianapolis, IN Hardware Setup: 2x Tech 1200s, Serato Scratch (might be handy if people want to ask specific questions via PM) Mixes: https://www.soundcloud.com/djhollowpoint https://www.mixcloud.com/djhollowpoint Username: GbrushTwood DJ Name: The Vandal Squad Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thevandalsquad Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thevandalsquad Experience: 6 years Location: Hollywood, CA Mixes: http://www.soundcloud.com/thevandalsquad Username: Sjoewe DJ Name: Avex Lemarto Website: http://www.soundcloud.com/sjoewe Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sjoewe Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/manmetdehamer Experience: 5 years Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Mixes: http://www.soundcloud.com/sjoewe Username: KillerJunglist DJ Name: DJ Maru/the KillerJunglist Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/!/pages/DJ-Maru/121941694498402 Experience: 9 years Location: Chicago, IL Mixes: http://killerjunglist.mindsay.com/ http://www.mixcloud.com/Killerjunglist/ Username: Rivfader DJ Name: Figure 8 Website: https://www.soundcloud.com/figure-8 Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/rivfader Experience: 7 years Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Genre: Techno Mixes: https://www.soundcloud.com/figure-8 Username: nexxai DJ Name: Simon Future Website: http://flawedlogic.org Twitter: @nexxai Facebook: http://facebook.com/SimonFuture/ Experience: 15 years Location: Calgary, Canada Genre:[ Progressive trance/progressive house Mixes: http://mixcloud.com/SimonFuture/ http://flawedlogic.org OG KUSH BLUNTS fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Apr 5, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 00:08
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Very good OP! I hope plenty of newbies will find the help they need easily now. You also reminded me about buying ear plugs, I already have tinnitus from going to concerts regularly since I was 16 and I have to take extremely good care of my ears now when I go to a show. Seriously, buy some plugs, I'm not even close to 30 yet and I've lost a bit of my hearing already. Just a correction, A-Track should be changed to A-Trak under Skratch DJs, maybe a R.I.P. next to DJ AM 
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Feb 2, 2011 00:45
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You should mention the Ableton trial in the "what do I use" section. I've converted a few DJs to Live because it's so drat good. Vector 7 fucked around with this message at 00:58 on Feb 2, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 00:56
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Earplugs!!! What's that grandpa? Can't hear poo poo? Well yeah, one of the unfortunate downsides to becoming a DJ is being in loud environments a LOT. And despite what rock and rollers might tell you, if it's too loud, it means you are damaging your hearing Get a pair of these and keep them in your bag. In fact, get several pairs, they are drat cheap. They have flat frequency response and don't sound "muffled" like traditional cheap foam earplugs. http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/er20.html I always wear these when I'm at the club and not playing. It's not as good as getting custom molded plugs with interchangable filters, but it's a good start. As someone who's been DJing for a long time and spent far too many nights in front of loud speakers with no protection, I can tell you that tinitus sucks really bad. Mine is not quite to the point where it's preventing me from living my life, but I certainly don't want it to get any worse.
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Feb 2, 2011 01:06
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Lil Jon is a dj?! I knew he did more then yeah YEAH and WHAT all day, but I had no idea he was an actual dj. Interesting!
ShortyMR.CAT fucked around with this message at 01:29 on Feb 2, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 01:26
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ShortyMR.CAT posted:Lil Jon is a dj?! I knew he did more then yeah YEAH and WHAT all day, but I had no idea he was an actual dj. Interesting! Even funnier-I am friends with T-Pain's DJ, who informed me that Mr. T-Pain himself is apparently a REALLY good DJ.
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Feb 2, 2011 01:30
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What's up with all these people who you think have one shot gimmicks and you wonder how did they get so famous!? Maybe if I yelled random words while autotuned i'd be extra famous? Anyway real question! In the last thread I was asking about laptops. I was avoiding Apple because of their hefty price tags on laptops. So I found some reasonable ones, but they had AMD Turion II processors. I was told to avoid them due to problems with certain software. The other recommendation was intel. My question is what kind of intel processor? There is so many to choose from! And I'm kinda dumb at this. Any help welcome.
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Feb 2, 2011 01:42
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ShortyMR.CAT posted:I was told to avoid them due to problems with certain software. The other recommendation was intel. My question is what kind of intel processor? There is so many to choose from! And I'm kinda dumb at this. Core2Duo will suffice and will likely what you'll find if you're looking used. If you are going with a new machine a Core i3, i5, or i7 will work. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Core#Core_i3
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Feb 2, 2011 02:46
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ShortyMR.CAT posted:What's up with all these people who you think have one shot gimmicks and you wonder how did they get so famous!? AMD processors, while cheap and speedy, have issues with most DVS systems (Serato&Traktor especially). Really it is a crapshoot-some people never have an issue, others do. As for Intel, really any Core 2 Duo 2.1ghz and above will do. The Core i3's are quite powerful for not much cash as well.
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Feb 2, 2011 02:52
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That is an excellent OP. I'm hoping this thread will become a repository of questions and advice/recommendations. My one piece of advice for now? Listen to everything. Any mix, any bit of music (even if it is not part of a genre you spin), any sound byte. You never know when you will stumble across something inspiring, so always keep your ears perked. Also, listen to plenty of amateur mixes. They can keep your confidence up when you get discouraged and think every other DJ on earth is better than you.
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Feb 2, 2011 02:58
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Getting Started advice: Do you have any friends or acquanitances that are DJs? If so, it is highly recommended you get familiar with DJing on someone else's gear before investing in your own. This is especially true if you are interested in DJing but don't understand the mechanics of it. This will also give you a chance to possibly trial software/hardware that would normally run you hundreds of dollars (if not more) No laptop? It's pretty much a given anymore that a DJ will be using a laptop computer. But if you really don't want to make the investment (or risk your existing investment) in a computer but still want to give it a try, you still have options * Vinyl - keeping it real, oldschool. Be prepared to spend a shitton of money on music. It's called the black crack for a reason * CDs - cheap and easy. Any CD player you come across in a club or at a party can handle CDs the same way turntables can handle vinyl. Be warned that older models do *not* handle data disks burned with MP3s. Play it safe and burn audio CDs instead * Flash drives - if you are lucky enough to have access to some of the newer high-end model CDJs (such as the Pioneer CDJ 2000s), it's possible to simply load up a USB flash drive with music, plug in, and play. I've been told by my cohorts at Beatport that this is how Fedde Le Grande tours Laptop options I'd classify the laptop DJing spectrum into the following categories: * DVS (digital vinyl system) - The heavy hitters here are Serato Scratch Live (SSL) and Traktor Scratch Pro (TSP). Each of these packages allow you to take advantage of existing turntables or CD players using special time coded media to control the music from your laptop. * Controller-based systems - Those same software packages also allow for control via external controller devices, especially useful if you are starting from scratch and don't already have turntables or CD players. The controllers range from the cheap and flimsy (such as the Hercules) to the ridiculous behemoths (such as the Traktor S4). * "Live" setups - If you're interested in doing more than just mixing between songs, Ableton Live is the weapon of choice here. Rather than playing full songs, you can deconstruct them into individual parts and make something completely original that is generally not possible in your traditional "ones and twos" DJ approach. Sasha is a well-known A-list DJ that has gone this route, and pretty much any electronic "live" act is probably using this software in some fashion. This is also a preferred approach to people who are largely performing their own original music rather than just playing other peoples. The controller options here are quite a bit more varied, and yes, cover a large price spectrum too * DVS/hybrid setups - Just because you are using a DVS doesn't mean you can't also incorporate a controller for added flexibility. In my case, I use the Traktor X1 controller alongside TPS to allow me to set loops and do effects on the fly while doing a traditional timecode DJing setup Audio Interfaces One thing is likely a given if you go the laptop route: You're gonna need a better soundcard. The ones built into laptops tend to be noisy, high-latency, not to mention they are limited to one input/output. DVS packages like Serato and Traktor come bundled with a hardware interface which takes some of the complexity out, as do some of the more serious controllers (such as the S4) that give you a bit of "all in one" convenience. If you're just starting out with the basics or perhaps trialing these software packages, a proper external audio interface is a worthwhile investment. I personally think that Native Instruments (maker of Traktor) produces amazing hardware and you really can't go wrong. TSP comes with the Audio8 (4 ins, 4 outs), the smaller Audio4 and Audio2 models can be had for a lower price without sacrificing quality vanilla slimfast fucked around with this message at 03:52 on Feb 2, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 03:11
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Digital storefronts Are you jacking your mp3s from p2p or blogs? Stop it. Buy your music and support the artists. Some good digital download stores to choose from Beatport - Caters to every EDM genre and are well known for house and techno. Also responsible for giving Deadmau5 his big break. Full disclosure: I used to work there Juno Download - UK-based. Digital download offshoot of Juno Records storefront Stompy - Heavy focus on house music Traxsource - Heavy focus on house music Bleep - Started by the folks behind the record label Warp. Sells FLAC files(!) Zero Inch - A newer European-based storefront. What People Play - Another Euro storefront. I believe this is an offshoot of an old physical distribution company DJ Download - Another UK site. Honestly surprised they're even still around There are tons and tons of others that I'm either not aware of or simply forgetting. Don't be afraid to look around!
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Feb 2, 2011 03:25
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Resources for obsessive vinyl collectors Although the advance of CD player and digital vinyl (DVS) software have largely made the traditional vinyl approach to DJing basically obsolete, there are plenty of people out there that actually play records, or at least collect them. There are also quite a few labels or producers that choose *not* to release content digitally. Here are a few great resources for the Rob Gordon in all of us. Discogs - The ultimate discography site. Everything you could ever possibly want to know about artists, labels, and releases. Even if you're not a record collector, it's a useful resource for learning more about artists you may like, as people using aliases and working in group is very common in EDM. Also boasts a very active marketplace for buying and selling GEMM - Essentially an ebay/storefront aggregator for record collectors. Great for tracking down that elusive limited pressing on the clear vinyl or whatever. Ikea Expedit - Technically it's a bookshelf but it's pretty much the perfect thing to hold your record collection. Comes in several different configurations such as 5x5, 4x4, and 4x2. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny for shipping one if there isn't an Ikea store nearby Square Deal Online - Store with a bunch of useful vinyl supplies like replacement sleeves, shelf dividers, etc
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Feb 2, 2011 03:35
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ShortyMR.CAT posted:Anyway real question! In the last thread I was asking about laptops. I was avoiding Apple because of their hefty price tags on laptops. So I found some reasonable ones, but they had AMD Turion II processors. I was told to avoid them due to problems with certain software. The other recommendation was intel. My question is what kind of intel processor? There is so many to choose from! And I'm kinda dumb at this. To be honest, it appears (to me) that buying a mac is a good option because they tend to just work. On Windows based laptops (I've also heard of bootcamped macs doing it) you can often run into DPC latency issues and they often boil down to slowly turning devices things on/off until it settles. For me it turned out to be some rogue USB controller for a set of ports I didn't care about but it was an annoying problem to solve.
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Feb 2, 2011 04:38
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That's the easy option (i know it is and I'd love to do it), but those price tags!  for a starter "bedroom dj" like me a mac is a big investment. Even bigger then my controller and monitors combined  I mean I could save up for one. Maybe I'm just being picky.If it helps I'm running with a Numark Mixtrack Pro and Virtual DJ LE. Professorbx posted:AMD processors, while cheap and speedy, have issues with most DVS systems (Serato&Traktor especially). Really it is a crapshoot-some people never have an issue, others do. As for Intel, really any Core 2 Duo 2.1ghz and above will do. The Core i3's are quite powerful for not much cash as well. i3's huh? I'm looking at these and they seem to be right in my price range! AWESOME. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+La...customerreviews Goon consensus? YAY or JUST GET A MAC ALREADY fake edit: OH shiz! Didn't see this posted in the other thread. http://www.macofalltrades.com/Apple_Intel_Core_2_Duo_2_16GHz_13_MacBook_2_0GB_p/macbook1.htm This is most deff doable. Thanks again for all the advice and tips for a starter like me.
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Feb 2, 2011 05:13
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F'Nog posted:To be honest, it appears (to me) that buying a mac is a good option because they tend to just work. To elaborate on this... A long time ago there were actually things built into the Mac OS that made working with audio a lot easier. Windows has mostly caught up, I think, so really in terms of the operating system there's not much of an advantage to one or the other. HOWEVER, the "they just work" thing is true, and it's because there isn't too much variation between Apple hardware. There are like 3 types of laptops and they're almost all the same, so it's really easy to make an audio interface that accounts for all the possible combinations in hardware. On the other hand, there are a million different combinations of Windows machine and I believe that's where most of the problems come from... it's not that the operating system is any worse, but more problems will arise when your drivers and hardware have to be compatible with every single combination of PC. I personally would recommend saving for a Mac for DJing purposes for the above reasons, but it really doesn't matter as long as you do some research and get PC hardware that's proven itself to work with whatever type of audio hardware you're getting. And yeah, that $600 Macbook will be fine for DJing.
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Feb 2, 2011 05:25
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I updated the OP(IE copied Vanilla Slimfast Posts), send me a PM if you want to be in the DJ directory. I'll add more about Record pools in the coming days.
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Feb 2, 2011 06:24
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[snip]
GbrushTwood fucked around with this message at 20:24 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 09:14
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[snip] And a picture of my gear to make this post of some use.  Gear: 2x Technics SL1200mk2 Allen & Heath Xone:92 Redsound Soundbite Sennheiser HD-25 2x Yamaha Hs50m monitor speakers Macbook Pro with Traktor Scratch Pro Sjoewe fucked around with this message at 10:00 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 09:33
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is there a scene for people who just like making pre mixed CDs and selling them? what about clearing all those music rights?
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Feb 2, 2011 19:01
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ChaosTheory posted:what about clearing all those music rights? Yeah...good luck with that
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Feb 2, 2011 19:29
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Have you seen 'RIP! A remix manifesto'? It's a documentary film about copyright and sampling. In the film they calculate that for a Girl Talk style remix album the royalties would be well over $22 million. Happy remixing!
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Feb 2, 2011 19:44
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GbrushTwood posted:Hey Og Kush, I don't have PM capabilities, but here's my info for the directory. I'll delete my post afterwards. Edit: Thank you for adding me to the post. For content: If you are new to DJing and haven't already, watch "Scratch" - http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7085594575841814301 KillerJunglist fucked around with this message at 08:26 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 2, 2011 20:12
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OG KUSH BLUNTS posted:
I don't want to get into a huge audiophile tangent, but if you are at all serious about DJing as anything other than learning the tools and playing around in your bedroom, there's no reason you should be using mp3, ever. All the big DJ web shops sell music in wav or FLAC format for a bit extra (usually around 50 cents or 1 dollar US) and disk space is dirt cheap. Mp3 is a lossy codec (think jpg vs. png); it achieves smaller file size by smoothing out some data in a way which is not very noticable by a casual listener, but the data loss is there (in the form of less detail and accuracy in frequency response and stereo image), and can become much more noticable when played on a good soundsystem (similar to how an xvid or mp4 video file can look great on your phone, but becomes a smudgey mess on a big-screen TV). Also, any imperfections in an mp3 can become more audible when you alter the way the sound is played, like playing it at a different speed/pitch.
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Feb 3, 2011 02:03
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I don't think I've ever personally met a DJ who uses WAV's. I'm sure there are a ton who do it but I mean, 320 MP3s sound perfectly fine. You said it yourself, it's not noticeable to a casual listener which is the majority of a DJ's audience. Hell I've been listening to EDM for years and I don't notice a quality difference. Firaga fucked around with this message at 02:36 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 3, 2011 02:33
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h_double posted:I don't want to get into a huge audiophile tangent, but if you are at all serious about DJing as anything other than learning the tools and playing around in your bedroom, there's no reason you should be using mp3, ever. All the big DJ web shops sell music in wav or FLAC format for a bit extra (usually around 50 cents or 1 dollar US) and disk space is dirt cheap. I don't know a DJ that uses Wavs or FLACs, even ones that play in festival settings. No one uses FLACs with Traktor because they don't have IDv3, and there's problem with stuttering frames. They aren't compatible with Serato (You have to convert to Apple Lossless). DJs aren't conducting a symphony in Carnegie Hall, they'll playing loud bass heavy music for crowd of people that's been drinking, smoking, or popping pills. Those people don't suddenly get offended because the DJ is using 320 KPS instead of FLAC and storm out of the building to demand their money back.
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Feb 3, 2011 04:21
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h_double posted:Mp3 is a lossy codec (think jpg vs. png); it achieves smaller file size by smoothing out some data in a way which is not very noticable by a casual listener, but the data loss is there (in the form of less detail and accuracy in frequency response and stereo image), and can become much more noticable when played on a good soundsystem (similar to how an xvid or mp4 video file can look great on your phone, but becomes a smudgey mess on a big-screen TV). Also, any imperfections in an mp3 can become more audible when you alter the way the sound is played, like playing it at a different speed/pitch. This is true. However, the quality of the encoded mp3 is largely dependent on how good the encoder is. Back in the early days of MP3, there were some truly dreadful encoders that sounded terrible even at high bitrates (anyone remember Xing? I'm probably dating myself here). Anymore, LAME gets the job done with a much better psychoacoustic modeler than the first gen encoders ever did, and with enough bitrate it's going to be pretty drat transparent. For those who may care, Beatport gets all of their content as master tracks in wav or aiff format and they encode using LAME. Is lossless going to be better, assuming the same source? Absolutely. Is it really practical, despite how cheap disk space is? Eh...jury's still out on that one. FWIW I've always used MP3s and I don't think I've ever had one person tell me that they could hear a difference (this includes playing on the big funktion one soundsystem at Beta). I'm sure there are people who can, but they haven't been up in arms about it. OG KUSH BLUNTS posted:No one uses FLACs with Traktor because they don't have IDv3, and there's problem with stuttering frames. They aren't compatible with Serato (You have to convert to Apple Lossless). No, but FLAC does support metadata tagging that Traktor understands. I've done this for my own rips of vinyl that I keep stashed on my laptop, stuffed in artist/title/artwork/etc The big downside to FLAC is, as mentioned the serato compatibility (didn't they fix this in v2.x?) and the lack of compatibility in itunes which I know a lot of users use for organization The only other comment I'll make on this topic is that poor mixdown and mastering on the part of the producer/label is going to have a much much bigger audible impact on a track than a 320k mp3 vs flac/wav ever will. vanilla slimfast fucked around with this message at 05:11 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 3, 2011 04:55
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OG KUSH BLUNTS posted:gently caress that I got loonies to blow I'm really goddamn tired of the rumour that the SL-1200 is going out of production. They only discontinued the Japanese only SL-1200 MK6, the MK2 and MK5 are still in production: http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Audio/Technics-DJ/Technics-Analog-Turntables/model.SL-1200MK5 (Panasonic released a press report in Japan announcing the cessation of selling it in Japan, and dipshit websites repasted the English translation of it assuming it meant all models and markets) Please stop reinforcing this misinformation, it's the reason why everyplace is sold out of them right now and the people that do have them are asking stupid prices north of $900 for them (and why people are asking new unit prices for used ones).
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Feb 3, 2011 05:29
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GbrushTwood posted:Hey Og Kush, I don't have PM capabilities, but here's my info for the directory. I'll delete my post afterwards. That intro to your mix. I've heard that voice before. Isn't it a goon voice actor? Anyway quick question! I got this KRK Rokit 5 and I was wondering what cables I need to hook it up to my Mixtrack  I've read around it and most shops say they ship with Stereo RCA cables, but mine didn't for one reason or another. I just wanna make sure these are the cables I need before I go out and get some only to find out I got the wrong size or something. http://www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Mini-Plug-Computer-Stereo/dp/B000FEHO0U
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Feb 3, 2011 10:09
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Link to info about your mixtrack and about your rokits and I'll tell you for sure Also, this is the best place to buy cables: http://www.monoprice.com/
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Feb 3, 2011 19:11
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HotCanadianChick posted:I'm really goddamn tired of the rumour that the SL-1200 is going out of production. They only discontinued the Japanese only SL-1200 MK6, the MK2 and MK5 are still in production: http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Audio/Technics-DJ/Technics-Analog-Turntables/model.SL-1200MK5 the thing is, if you call any US retailer they will be out of stock and tell you that techs are discontinued.
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Feb 3, 2011 19:45
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HotCanadianChick posted:I'm really goddamn tired of the rumour that the SL-1200 is going out of production. They only discontinued the Japanese only SL-1200 MK6, the MK2 and MK5 are still in production: http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Audio/Technics-DJ/Technics-Analog-Turntables/model.SL-1200MK5 I can tell you first hand, 100% verifiable that they are all discontinued. They are gone. I have had conversations with the buyers of leading retail chains who had to do their final buy in, as recently as NAMM. They are dead. For the love of god, will people just accept this?
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Feb 3, 2011 19:51
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ShortyMR.CAT posted:That intro to your mix. I've heard that voice before. Isn't it a goon voice actor? As a matter of fact it is! He had a thread where he would say anything anyone wanted, so I had him record that voiceover, and then I decided to start my mix with it. 
GbrushTwood fucked around with this message at 20:39 on Feb 3, 2011 |
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Feb 3, 2011 20:23
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Anyone interested in doing a monthly mixtape challenge?
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Feb 3, 2011 21:15
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We should def have a mix challenge at least once to kick this thread off... I'd suggest 10-minute mixes though because having to listen to 10 hour-long mixes is kind of a drag.
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Feb 3, 2011 21:25
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FWIW a few years ago there was a DJ competition and it kinda fizzled out, not from lack of submissions but because of a lack of interest in people listening/voting edit: that being said, if someone wants to try again I'm all for it, I'll even enter again!
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Feb 3, 2011 22:02
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GbrushTwood posted:As a matter of fact it is! He had a thread where he would say anything anyone wanted, so I had him record that voiceover, and then I decided to start my mix with it. I wonder if he knows he;s now part of a face melting mix? vanilla slimfast posted:Link to info about your mixtrack and about your rokits and I'll tell you for sure Here's the back of the pro  and the back of the rokit 5 with some general info  Drivers: Woofer: 5" Glass Aramid Composite Woofer Tweeter: 1" Neodymium Soft Dome Tweeter with Ferro Fluid Input: XLR (3-pin), RCA & 1/4" TRS - 10k Ohm, Balanced / Unbalanced Amplification: HF: 15 Watts/LF: 30 Watts Freq Response: 53Hz - 20kHz (+/- 2 db) Video Shielding: Yes Dimensions:(H x W x D) 10 7/8" x 7 1/4" x 8 7/8" 27.6cm x 18.5cm x 22.5cm Weight: 13.8 lbs (6.3 Kg)
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Feb 3, 2011 23:02
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| # ? Apr 27, 2024 00:51 |
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You need straight RCA cables, not RCA to 1/8" (this is what you'd use to plug an ipod into a stereo, for example) Here you go: click here
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Feb 3, 2011 23:54
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