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qirex posted:http://nativeinstruments.com/#/en/products/dj/traktor-kontrol-s4/?page=1813 [bottom of the page] gently caress yeah, this is fantastic news. I was briefly worried I'd have to shell out a couple hundred for the full copy of Traktor 2. Guess I shouldn't have gone ahead and bought those control vinyls, though...
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Feb 11, 2011 21:15
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AKP posted:Quick question: The S4 has a 1/4" (large) headphone jack on the front. Go to TheSource or something and buy a 1/4" to 1/8" (small, iPod-size) adaptor for like ten bucks if that; you can now plug your earbuds right into the S4's 'PHONES' output. Enjoy spinning with it, it's a really fun piece of gear!
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Apr 6, 2011 04:47
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Firaga posted:Toronto, everybody here is a DJ. When I say everybody I mean everybody. I'm a little late but this is hella scary and discouraging to hear. I don't think I'm good enough, even playing accessible crap like Dubstep.  I wasn't really sure whether to ask this in this thread, the Ableton thread, or the general 'electronic/club/DJ music' thread, but here goes - as it's mostly a 'Traktor' question. I've got a problem using Traktor as a tempo master for other devices. Basically, I'm running a two-computer system at home for some bedroom mixes with a lot of options for effects, beat/loop-dropping etc. - it's still very rough and constantly being honed but so far I've got Traktor and Maschine on a laptop, and Live on my desktop, with my S4 spitting out all the relevant sync data into a MIDI Thru-box that sends to the Maschine and to the other computer's audio interface for Live - I find this more reliable than internally using the 'virtual Traktor output' (between Traktor and Maschine) for some reason. ANYway, that's not really the issue. Live on the desktop is taking in Traktor/Maschine's audio output mostly to just record the set, at this point, but there are other things going on - particularly a chain of Beat Repeats and an FX loop out to my KP3 for some general 'master FX' and 'ridiculous Skrillex noises' should I want to use any of that. Maschine (on the same laptop as Traktor) was initially purchased for 'random sample drops', e.g: annoying airhorns, etc., but I've found the ability to record loops on the fly quite satisfying and useful. The problem is, sometimes if a set is causing Maschine to be off-beat by X-number of beats (for whatever reason - song intro a bar long, straight-up gently caress-up in mixing, movie sample drop to open set for irregular # of beats), I want to hit the Traktor keystroke I have to re-send the sync signal - which resets Maschine's loop transport to align, as long as it's sent just before the downbeat of the right bar. No matter what way I cut it, hitting said 'sync' button in Traktor before the downbeat ALWAYS causes Live to restart its transport, and if it is recording, to stop recording. Naturally, I don't loving want that. All of my questions/issues seem to be really long-winded. Sorry. What this really comes down to is this: 1. Is there a way to make Live interpret Traktor's 'SYNC' signal differently, such that its transport doesn't re-set and kill recording? 2. Is there a way to reset Maschine's loop transport (to 1.1.1) without hitting Traktor's 'SYNC' button? Even with the new update, 1.7.1 IIRC, it doesn't seem like the 'RESTART' button works in external sync mode. 3. Am I SOL, and should probably just use a third-party software or external piece of gear to record my sets?
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Sep 21, 2011 10:25
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Is anyone familiar with TouchOSC? I finally made the move to a smartphone and it was my first app purchase. Unfortunately I can't seem to get my MBP to 'see' the phone in MIDI Network Setup, and Google searching has been vague. Any ideas?
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Oct 26, 2011 18:46
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JohnnyMondo posted:Unrelated question, what hard drives do you guys use? I want to get a small portable hard drive to back stuff up and bring around just in case. Any recommendations? Physical size is the biggest factor to me. I use one of the LaCie 'rugged' drives. Not the smallest, but you should be able to find space for it no problem. Bus-powered; if you have FW800 it's a breeze. Re: Traktor F1: How possibly groundbreaking could this thing be? The interview with Shiftee is charming, but it just gives me ideas on how I can do that with the gear I already have. Colours are neat, though. Lights Per Dollar.
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Mar 23, 2012 09:31
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So I just picked up some CDJ2000s (my wallet hurts but these things loving own). I'm getting ready to burn all of my music to DVD-R and wondering if anyone has any insight to share with regard to keeping things organized. I get that I should be organizing by Genre and Date - should I back-date tracks I've bought over the past couple of years, or lump things together and simply label every disc 'April 2012' for now? Is there any advantage to organizing by BPM, not Genre? Is it really that important to print slips to go with each disc?
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Apr 16, 2012 22:46
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Oh, deffo. Matter of fact I just got two Patriot XT 8GB sticks in the mail. But I do want to be prepared with proper backups, or in case somewhere I play doesn't have 2000s.
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Apr 16, 2012 23:15
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vanilla slimfast posted:Don't burn DVD-Rs then. Burn CDs and make sure they are AUDIO cds (not DATA), as only the newest versions of the 1000s (mk3) and 800s (mk2) can read data. Ohh, drat. This is something I really should have checked into before buying a bunch of blank DVDs. Thanks for the heads-up. EDIT: In related news, I'm really enjoying the CDJs' intuitive menus. Most of what prompted my post asking for media organizing advice, was fear that I'd have to arrange a tiered folder structure - like, Genre>Artist>Album>TRACK - on every CD/DVD I burn. Nope, the 2000 not only takes DVDs but gives options to sort by Artist or Album as well - unfortunately no Genre. Naturally, I imagine this disappears with an audio CD (so I've still got to get my poo poo together with tons of CDs), but it's rad nonetheless. The GUI looks like a guddamn car stereo. Mister Speaker fucked around with this message at 09:39 on Apr 18, 2012 |
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Apr 18, 2012 09:32
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JohnnyMondo posted:I'm the 15+ years of vinyl dude that likes to use sync and the jog wheel, almost never touches the pitchfaders. I think part of it is that the pitchfaders feel WAY twitchier to me than 1200s do, and I have trouble not overshooting in a major way. On the flipside (i'm the irritating kid who used to spin vinyl but got back into it a year ago with an S4 and the SYNC button), i feel the same way. With my 1200s, i ride thr pitchfaders because they have a bit of resistance and overcompensating isn't a big problem - maybe the occasional platter drag or spindle pinch, but mostly all pitchbend. The CDJ2000s have almost NO resistance on the fader and i can totally see myself trainwrecking from an overcompensated pitchbend. The platters have a nice, high resolution so i ride them all day. Obviously the S4 platters are similar in this regard. I still need to work on that last part. I think i'm OK, but i have little confidence and 'selling myself' (interviews/bookings/etc.) has always been a problem. I've been talking with some quality DJ/producer friends about setting up a 'bass music' night somewhere, but i don't want to fall into the same 'Bassmentality-wannabe' category as all the kids these days - even though i'm a sucker for that poo poo.
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Apr 23, 2012 20:49
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JohnnyMondo posted:Sounds like it's not a flipside, but the same page! Hahah! The other thing is that the pitch faders on the VCI-300 have that "dead zone" near 0, like on the old Mk 2s. I have the Mk 3, which has the "pitch fader engage" button, removing the dead zone. Anyway point is, the jog wheel feels way more precise to me than the pitch faders on the VCI-300. I feel the same way about the S4's platters and pitch faders, but mostly because the pitch faders are so damned small and sensitive. I live in Toronto.
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Apr 25, 2012 23:07
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oredun posted:
A thousand times, thank you for this. I get that there's a relationship between bar sales and repeated gigs, but that's great detail (and hilarious). Now to find some bars to cut my teeth in...
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Apr 26, 2012 21:32
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oredun posted:A good way to start is find some bars/venues that really need a good dance night. Go in there and pitch your idea and just ask for a few weeks at a cheap rate to start out and then go from there. You will fail and you will be fired from gigs. Its just life. But some will work, and just go from there. I was actually thinking more about this at work today and that's one thing I wanted to bring up in more detail. When I say I'm bad at "selling myself" - low confidence or whatever - I mean I really have little idea what my skills are worth at this particular point in time. Somewhat related anecdote: In college (I took recording engineeringAHAHAHAHAHAHA) a lot of the profs stressed to us that "it's time to start charging" for our services - no more "hey bro ill do ur mixtape 4 free", even if our studios were entirely Mickey-Mouse'd, with pantyhose pop filters an' poo poo - naturally, nobody wants their kindness taken advantage of. Thing is, I can't recall a solid discussion of what rates we should have been asking for, and that's kind of where my confidence falls short here, too. I've heard numbers tossed around like "ask for 5% of bar sales" or "have a small cover and take none of the bar" (TBH the former sounds more realistic even if 5% seems optimistic), but I don't really know what's 'selling myself short', what's 'ballsy' and what's on the unrealistic side. Seriously though, thanks a million for DROPPIN' KNOWLEDGE, oredun et al.
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Apr 27, 2012 08:54
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Another option is simply buying the Traktor software (doesn't it come free now with the hardware, even an Audio2?) and building/copying a template for your APC40 to control it. That way at least you're learning part of the (IMO) more versatile DJ software, and you CAN drop tunes in on the fly as opposed to Ableton. I had some friends over on the weekend to jam and talk events, and one guy used my APC40 with his Traktor laptop and was doing some seriously ridiculous poo poo.
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May 9, 2012 08:00
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Whoa! I've got my first real gig. Turns out several of my buddies who promote shows here in Toronto actually know one another (not that big of a surprise but still, small world). I'll be playing at Nocturne tomorrow night. Not expecting a big crowd given the holiday weekend but I'm pretty stoked/nervous. The promoter told me "the less top40, the better" and I smiled.
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May 20, 2012 04:31
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Firaga posted:Hey congrats! My friends are actually on the bill with you tonight! I play Nocturne once in a while, I've known the guys who work there and throw these parties for a long time. Toronto's scene is indeed very tight knit, but these guys are legit. Thanks! Would your friends happen to me MemRX and Diggy Tots? If so, they were awesome!!! MemRX is ridiculously fast, and the originals they played were incredible. It was pretty much exactly as you describe; like I said the place wasn't even supposed to be OPEN so it only filled up at like 1AM, long after my set was over. That said, Matt and everyone else seemed to like what I did, and there were comments about putting me on one of their 'Twisted Tuesday' bills, so I'm stoked! Been riding that elation for most of the week and it's done well for me, but just tonight a friend texted that we may have a spot at 751! Needless to say, I'm feeling unnaturally good about this silly 'playing records' thing. Oh yeah, and you were also right about the atmosphere - I totally dig the lighting/video setup. Trippy.
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May 25, 2012 09:44
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Sjoewe posted:Getting gigs: have skill, have music, have friends that throw parties, have the balls to ask, have other friends attending your gigs, have fun. Basically this. I'm notoriously insecure and I think that's been my biggest impediment, not only in DJing, but in anything music-related. "Check out my beats, they're OK...", "I'm sure it's not really your kind of thing", etc. Getting a gig is just about confidence and persistence, and a little bit of networking can help - do you know a guy, who knows a guy who books shows? Contact that guy and don't sell yourself short. I'm kicking myself for not letting my balls drop sooner. But things are going spectacularly now, with connections at Nocturne, a gig this Sunday at 751 Lounge (with potential to become a weekly! - I can't take the credit for that, it was my buddy Mac Magnum who got the gig) and possibilities at Crawford and others. As stated above, house parties are great too. I spun a friend's Birthday party and it was almost all Dancehall, which I know nothing about. Plus they heckled me like crazy ("play something less gay") when I did try to play D&B or Dubstep. Gets you out of your comfort zone which can be important. EDIT: poo poo, while I'm talking out my rear end I might as well post A Link To This Sunday's Debauchery. Mister Speaker fucked around with this message at 08:56 on May 30, 2012 |
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May 29, 2012 20:41
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I figure this is the right place to post this: I'm looking for more tunes with tempo changes. In particular, I'd like to find something that transitions from House (or maybe Breaks around 130) to D&B. I can obviously ramp up the tempo across a few songs but I'm under short time constraints - and I hate having to use Freeze Reverb because I think it's pretty cheeseball. My 'crew' and I have started playing out regularly but we've kind of gotten the short end of the stick at the bar we have a regular night at - spinning on the same nights as big festivals or events at said bar, etc. But some bigger opportunities on the horizon have got me excited. This Tuesday a couple of us are playing at Nocturne (that's why I'm looking for that transition track) and it's actually going to be streamed live online! https://www.musicneversleeps.ca https://www.frenchkissfm.com https://www.afterhoursdjs.org should have the stream if anyone's interested. These are exciting times! I still have much to learn but it feels so good making people dance (and lose their minds) and being able to play out my own stuff. It's increased my studio productivity like craaaaay. Mister Speaker fucked around with this message at 10:31 on Jul 15, 2012 |
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Jul 15, 2012 09:14
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Is anyone else experiencing CPU load issues with the latest versions of Traktor? I'm on 2.5.1 on a MacBook Pro, and I'm getting concerned. Previously I was able to run at the lowest buffer size setting (64) with absolutely zero problems, but now the CPU load meter fluctuates significantly even without any activity, and spikes into the red if I so much as recall a track's hotcue, with an accompanying pop or click. Naturally, a larger buffer size seems to alleviate the problem but not by much - and I really don't want to go any higher than 128; like I said things were working flawlessly at 64 before. I've removed my S4, my external hard drive and my USB hub and I'm still experiencing the problem, and loading up a shitload of things in Ableton on the same machine doesn't seem to work the processor nearly as hard, so I think the problem lies with the Traktor software itself. I've rolled back to a pre-2.5 version and forward to 2.5.1 again, and I've reinstalled all sorts of drivers, all to no avail. Some talk on the NI forums suggests that this was a common issue when 2.5 was new, but the consensus over there seems to be that 2.5.1 fixed any inordinate CPU issues. Not for me. I'm all out of ideas, got any?
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Oct 21, 2012 20:03
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vanilla slimfast posted:What OS are you on? Mountain Lion, or earlier? OS 10.6.8. Thanks, I'll try that fix and report back.
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Oct 22, 2012 23:43
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vanilla slimfast posted:...the fix I linked to is specific to 10.7.latest and 10.8.x only Oh drat, brain-fart. I was thinking 10.7 was Mountain Lion. Suppose I should update, yeah? Thanks anyway. Re: Large speakers; college parties. That's why I loved living in a fully-detached house with the VP Entertainment in my college years. One of our roommates had a JBL PA that he'd stick in our hallway, while another had his DJ gear out on our kitchen counter. We also put a smoke machine in our bathroom. Our parties were off the chain. I miss college.
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Oct 24, 2012 18:16
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Any of you guys ever experience a pair of headphones going out of phase? My HDJ2000s just did this to me the other day; it's the cable (probably the 1/8" end). Really freaked me out - fortunately my AKGs have the same type of miniature-XLR connector as the Pioneers, so I was able to rule out the headphones themselves pretty quickly. I'm still kind of ticked-off about it, though.
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Nov 12, 2012 02:20
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mitztronic posted:I've never had a problem... werid? I've never had a problem uploading a mix either - well, plenty of failed uploads but never a single copyright warning. But yeah, I do pay for my SC account; I have the lowest tier of paid account IIRC.
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Nov 14, 2012 10:00
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So I just bought a DJM-900, and a couple of other little goodies. Holy gently caress is this thing ever a beast. The EQs beat the native Traktor EQs by a wide margin but they're almost a totally different animal - I'm very used to making subtle adjustments on my S4 but these EQ bands just seem a bit more robust, if that makes sense. The Isolator mode is a sweet little touch, too, even though I rarely find myself digging that far out of the spectrum. The LPF/HPF on each channel, which I was so used to using as a crutch with my S4, is significantly more musical as well - surprisingly resonant, almost to a fault, but it's less for 'cut the bass to mix' and more for creative filter manipulation. I won't even get into the send effects section yet, because I haven't entirely wrapped my head around some of the more unique effects - all I can say is, the Flanger is exactly as fun to use as it is irritating to hear in a club.
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Dec 7, 2012 19:19
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Dopo posted:That setup is so loving unreasonable. It truly is; I'm a gear addict and this stuff has been acquired over a few years. It certainly helps to be versatile, and to have something a friend can rent for a gig. A lot of the stuff in there is totally redundant now - as TheWevel said the little touch-pad is a nice addition and it makes the effect template from my APC40 basically obsolete. The idea has always been to incorporate stems from Live, and sequenced external stuff, into a DJ environment - which of course gets easier every year, and is nothing new anymore. I'm looking forward to playing around with the F1. And yeah, I definitely need to do some cleaning.
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Dec 8, 2012 02:19
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mitztronic posted:The only thing I was confused about was dual laptops. Just seems like a waste of ~$1500. I can understand everything else in the pic The Ableton laptop is running a template of inline (dummy-clip) and send effects. It was previously paired with my KP3 as a Master effect unit but as I said the scope of the effects on the DJM900 sort of make that obsolete. Nevertheless it's still there, set up through the 900's effect return in case I feel nostalgic for the days of having to toggle Beat Repeat on and off. I have plans to use the other outs on its Audio10 to output stems of my own tracks directly into the line ins on the 900; combined with the F1, that's a lot of stems.
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Dec 9, 2012 04:40
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Revmoo's weird monitoring solution makes me wonder - does anybody out there DJ with in-ears? Proper in-ear stage monitors, I mean? Seems like they'd be a boon, but I can also see how they'd be annoying and they tend to be expensive. Thoughts? A few weeks ago someone posted about Beatport's 'holiday sale' unlock codes; if you used the first one for 10% off by a certain date, you got a second one, same deal, use it by a certain date and unlock "our biggest discount of the year ooooOOOoooOOOoohh". Anyway, I'm wondering if any of you guys followed through with that, and if so have you gotten the final unlock code yet? I haven't and I'm worried that I actually somehow missed the deadline. gently caress, so much of my money goes to mp3s these days.
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Dec 15, 2012 21:22
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^ I'd buy that in a heartbeat. Also, Rekordbox. Does anybody use Mixlr to broadcast live sets? I'm having trouble getting the application to work; it doesn't pick up audio from my interface. I record & monitor through a Mac with a TC Konnekt48 interface.
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Feb 23, 2013 18:30
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Yeah, it does. But right now it's the only utility to edit cue and loop data away from my CDJs. It'd be nice if Pioneer tried to keep up with NI and made some sort of app. Like snakeandbake says, I'd be all over an app to allow me to test transitions or even just add cues for either Traktor or the CDJs, provided the library integration is good and it scales down nicely to an iPhone. Right now I'm using DJay to test transitions and writing stuff down - it works, but obviously it's very limited and there's no integration at all. Thanks for the tip on Mixlr; I had a spare Y-cable laying around so I just connected the Record out of my DJM to my MacBook's line in. I really wish this would work on my monitoring computer with the TC interface, though, as I have a thing about running software in the background on my DJing laptop, plus I'm mildly suspect of the converter in its line input. But at least I've got signal now, thanks!!!
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Feb 27, 2013 00:41
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What? I'm using two identical USB drives with Rekordbox right now. I have no problems copying playlists, tracks, anything to multiple devices - aside from it being slow as Hell.
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Feb 27, 2013 04:14
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Solus posted:wear earplugs
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Mar 18, 2013 08:49
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Another vote for the Etymotics ER20s; mine come with me everywhere. Unfortunately I'm forgetful and stupid as poo poo, so I don't actually wear them as often as I should.
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Mar 19, 2013 09:21
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I played a D&B gig on Friday, first time with a proper MC. He was great - the whole night was great. I was worried that he wouldn't shut up, but he showed some good discretion. Also forced myself to spin exclusively off of my CDJ2000s with a USB stick (virtually the same in function as using CDs in them). I've done it at home plenty of times, but never live before - our crew is mostly Traktor DJs and I haul all of my own gear to our shows, so we usually end up playing off of my laptop. Man, it felt GREAT not staring at a loving laptop! I was worried I'd forget my 'load>cue downbeat>load hotcues' procedure but after the first couple of transitions it just became automatic. So very satisfying, definitely doing that one from now on. You know what's a mixed blessing, though? When other DJs load their tracks into my Traktor rig. I acquired about 200 D&B tracks from my buddies that night. The 'mixed' part of that blessing is that nobody (but nobody) is as much of a stickler for track organization as I, so I have my work cut out for me in terms of re-tagging/cueing everything. And before you start off about taking other people's music, I'm the first guy to share my (pristine, crystal-clear organized) purchased tracks with fellow DJs.
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Jun 10, 2013 20:54
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Muck and Mire posted:It's only going to work if the tracks work together. You can mix like 8 techno tracks at the same time if you EQ them right because most of them are so sparse, but if you're playing big room house or something then the tracks probably just aren't going to work. Think of it as one track, if you have just bassline and drums going then you can add percussion and melody and vocals but if your track already has all of those things then it will be more and more difficult to add anything. Remember your ABCs: Always Be Cutting. This goes for simple two-track mixes but it's much more important with three or more. Learn your EQs and how much they cut - for instance, even with Traktor's settings set to the Pioneer-type EQs/filters, I find there's a huge difference between them and my actual DJM. The filters don't have any resonance like the DJM does, and the EQs require a lot more cutting to make the same impact. And cut, and cut some more. Naturally it's the mids and lows that tend to interfere the most (especially if you're not harmonically mixing), so pay attention to how that gets muddy very easily, but you should still pull a bit of the 'percussion' up top every time. I'm a big fan of double-drops, to a fault, and with triples I'm basically killing the entire midrange on the outgoing track.
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Jun 24, 2013 19:17
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^ You'll get used to it fast, especially if you were already using your ears before beatgrids/phase meters. It's so loving liberating to not have to stare at a laptop. On a related note: Because I'm a total gear whore, and because I have pretty good standing at my local Long & McQuade... I'm thinking of trading in my CDJ2ks for the brand-new Nexus models (for the added RekordBox functionality). I've taken ridiculously good care of my decks and I have the original boxes for them. What would be a reasonable price to ask on Craigslist/Kijiji for the pair? I'm thinking $3200. EDIT: Even better... anyone want to buy my CDJs? Goon priority.
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Aug 20, 2013 19:46
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Toronto, and I'm open to reasonable offers.
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Aug 20, 2013 20:23
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Anybody with Traktor have experience with Novation Dicers? I have a pair and I'm wondering if it's possible to map them to decks 3/4. EDIT: To clarify, the installation specifically mentions that the Dicers default to 1/2, but I'm wondering if there's a workaround (like an existing .tsi file) short of hard mapping them myself. Mister Speaker fucked around with this message at 19:18 on Sep 11, 2013 |
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Sep 11, 2013 19:15
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Let's talk promotion. A handful of friends and I have been spinning ~monthly gigs at a local dive bar - a big local bass music night got its start there several years ago, but it's gone downhill since then; as far as I know we're one of the only groups that play entirely electronic stuff there anymore. Some of the members of my 'crew' have not been pushing as hard to bring people there, as I'd like - I do get the impression that some of them only promote our gigs if they're the ones DJing a closing set (an aside about this later). On top of this we've recently experienced some episodes of massive technical issues (no working monitor, busted sub, ground loop in the PA, etc.) that are indicative, to me, that the venue doesn't see us as important. Needless to say it's been less than fun, and certainly not profitable. I'm absolutely ready to move on, and I want to do it for real this time - ready to quit loving around and drop those who are not putting in effort. I have some local places in mind that I feel would be significantly more conducive to what we like to play. The goal is, naturally, to secure a semi-regular gig. The problem is, I really don't have much clout. The most active of my crew are producers-first, DJs-second (after all, I didn't get into it to play Avicii tracks - I want my music to be heard), and I know there's at least one brand-new venue in my area that is looking to showcase up-and-coming music, but I'm worried that "we're producers first, DJs second" isn't a great sell. Especially considering, like I said, lack of a name for ourselves. The dive bar gigs aren't boosting our name, in fact I'd reckon that they're kind of an embarrassment. But I don't really have much else - naturally nobody wants to hear about my wealth of technical experience or my versatility as a DJ, they simply want a fresh act that can draw heads. I have emailed some local places with Soundcloud and MixLR links but as I understand it from a friend who's rather large in the local Hip-Hop scene that this isn't exactly the right way to do it, either. That same friend has offered to introduce me to the bookers at one of the venues I've been looking at - the place is kind of a staple of the 'in-between bar/club' scene. This is probably our best chance but again, I'm still a bit unsure of how to pitch the whole thing since we don't have much to show, beyond our talents and our commitment - of which I can really only attest to my own, which at this point I'm ready to kick into high-gear, since I'm already pulling most of the weight (but still not enough - again, more on this later). With regard to initial promotion - let's say, for a second, that we secure an opportunity at one of the aforementioned places (the brand-new place, or the staple). Beyond postering the neighbourhood, I'm a bit in the dark about resources for promotion. Part of the reason for this is the dive bar gigs; in the distant past I recall receiving negative reception from online promotion based squarely on the name of our venue (see 'embarrasing', above). I've learned to stop relying on friends, since most of them don't care for my music - to say nothing of the electronic scene. So what are some avenues for promotion that are typically more successful for an upstart like myself? "Hi Toronto Rave Community, I'm nobody. Come to my gig!"? Of course, I'm not that basic - I know TRC would actually probably be a pretty good bet, and I know enough to continue linking to Soundcloud and MixLR pages to show our actual sound. But I still do feel like I'm missing something, to this end. I mentioned above that there are some internal issues with my crew. I have taken on several responsibilities WRT upkeep of our current gigs, as embarrassing as they are: I design the posters. I supply and transport the gear (usually in a taxi, unless another of the more-committed members is available with his car). I'm diligent about confirming set lists/times with the other DJs, who often leave me in the dark in that regard. I take the whole day off every time we have a gig, and I continue to push to friends who probably won't show, and invite my entire FB friendslist. I've noticed that some of the other DJs haven't shown a similar level of commitment - no more invites on FB events, no gabbing about the event at all, unless they're playing (usually closing) that particular night. On more than one occasion I've heard, effectively, "I want to spin tonight but I have to close because I can't get off work until midnight", followed by complaints that they're still losing out on tips at their job to come DJ for nobody (again, I take the whole day off if we have a gig). On the one hand, I feel kind of mad about these things. I feel almost like dropping the crew and working for myself, keeping spots only for those who have demonstrated a similar commitment to my own - and whose creative output is strong. Even though I assumed extra responsibility of my own choice, I feel like I deserve an extra cut - at least for designing the posters. As valid as these concerns are, on the other hand, maybe I haven't been putting in as much effort where it matters, either. When we meet next, I'm wondering how to broach the topic. Like I said, I find 'lack of clout' a difficult hurdle to overcome. This seems to have turned into a bit of a rant, but the points still stand. What steps do I, a skilled DJ with some creative talent (maybe?), and little to no clout, take to inspire faith in bookers/promoters, such that we can foster a regular gig to showcase my (and my friends') music? What are the most successful avenues of promotion conducive to those goals, should such an opportunity present itself? Are my concerns about effort valid? Are LP records made of actual wax??? But seriously... I'm feeling more motivated than ever, I have a high degree of technical proficiency and I'm certainly not stupid (just oft-ignorant). I want to work to make this happen. Mister Speaker fucked around with this message at 21:30 on Sep 22, 2013 |
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Sep 22, 2013 21:26
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oredun posted:quit playing your own poo poo music. Absolutely. As that post got away from me I failed to clarify - what you're talking about; "about 20% original music" is actually pretty spot-on accurate to what we've been doing - less, even. I don't feel all high-and-mighty but maybe that came across, sorry - if you've seen my posts in any of the production threads, I'm actually not too keen on my own tracks. But they fit the scene, and they have gotten people dancing. Maybe something I should have clarified as well but - I'm not trying to pay the rent solely through DJing. I am trying to stay as close to music as possible, and naturally I do like money on the side. I totally understand where you're coming from as far as DJing being the most important part of DJing, but then how do local artists/producers (nebulous term but i'm basically talking about creators of electronic music that can only really be performed via DJing) cultivate followings, get their names out, become touring artists? Is every promoter/booker I've met 'looking to showcase new local talent' lying through their teeth? How did Bassmentality turn two guys who made hip-hop beats and graffiti into touring 'DJs' with an established name? Not saying I'm looking for that kind of success either, but absolutely that's the angle (producer-first) and even with your helpful post I'm still left scratching my head as to how anybody succeeds like that at all, if the world is indeed 100% as you describe it. Does that make any sense? As you can tell I'm not exactly concise. Again, your post was actually really helpful (and I know this isn't SomethingHelpful.com) but forgive me, I'm still a bit in the dark as far as promotion, once a better spot is acquired - although yours and 19's posts have given me some interesting ideas about acting charming and handing flyers to college-aged girlsOH GOD I'VE BEEN MACED AGAIN - And what of my concerns about the 'crew'/venue, are they not valid at all? If it's indeed half-business then isn't there some damage being done to our brand by lack of effort and by association?
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Sep 25, 2013 00:33
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Also had a really good Halloween gig at a new venue - second Thursday in and we've already made more than ever at the last place, and the environment, staff, patrons - it's just so much better all around. Met some really great people, linked up with more great producers and had a blast. Followed the first guy's Hip-Hop set by opening with Thriller into some Tech House, but very quickly found myself playing mostly Trap and Moombahton, with tons of manual tempo transitions. The floor was packed, girls were twerking, the energy was awesome. Thank you, SA DJ thread. Super-late EDIT: Pics are up! I'm the DJ wearing MARPAT and a beret. I've had Thriller stuck in my head for like four days now. Also, just got my 1200s back from a local repair guru. Months ago, I lent them out and one got stolen from a buddy's car, he replaced it with one with a busted-rear end tonearm (only after I hounded him for nearly a month). Anyway not only are they fixed but they feel completely brand-new. I went and bought some vinyl to celebrate, and checking through the shop's D&B section I kept cursing myself; "you idiot this is going to cost you so much in vinyl" Mister Speaker fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Nov 7, 2013 |
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Nov 2, 2013 08:50
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Flosstoevsky
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Dec 15, 2013 00:29
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