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Speaking of record pools, anyone have recommendations for either Tech House or Funky / Groove / Jackin' House or Nu Disco? e: and I'm ready to accept that for specific genres (and no clout) it may just be better to follow specific labels on beatport/bandcamp etc. Splinter fucked around with this message at 04:15 on Jan 7, 2022 |
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Jan 7, 2022 04:03
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| # ¿ May 14, 2024 06:08 |
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I think it's finally time to retire my S4 mk1. First off, there's some hardware issue where touching a control in the mixer area will make the right deck patter register as being pressed down, which stops the audio. For a while this was a super rare occurrence, but now it's happening often enough that it can no longer be trusted in a live setting. Usually pushing down hard on the mixer section resolves it, but yeah... In the past I resolved a wandering fader issue by opening it up, cleaning contacts and hitting it with compressed air, but a) getting full access to the mixer section is tough because the mixer top plate is glued on, and b) I'm going to be upgrading to an M1 based Mac soon, which AFAIK will never work with the S4 (it requires drivers as it's not class compliant USB, and the drivers cannot be run via Rosetta 2). So ultimately, probably not worth the effort to try and fix it (and this thing went to burning man a few times 8-11 years, so I wouldn't be surprised if more gremlins start appearing regardless). Long story short, it's time for a new controller. For a while I was convinced my next controller would be either a DDJ-1000 or Pioneer standalone like the RX2 or XZs to get more familiar with Pioneer gear as well as have my tracks already prepped for Pioneer gear (especially since a buddy I often DJ with recently got an XDJ-RR). The idea of getting comfortable enough to just carry around USBs to drop into other people's gear is appealing to me. However, I hadn't considered how large these options are. One short term issue is my current desk can't really handle the depth of these units that comfortably (due to a riser/shelf that would overhang the rear of the controller), but more importantly, I most often DJ in situations where potability, packability and sometimes table space is a concern (e.g. the beach, parks, dispersed camping, house parties, vacation rentals). Only having something like an RX2 for example just seems impractical for how I often tend to use the controller. I was also hoping to make it another year or so at least before dropping this kinda cash on a controller (and some of these are very hard to get right now due to supply chain issues). So then I was considering going smaller for the portability, maybe a DDJ-400 to stick with my plan of switching to Pioneer/RB, or a Traktor S2 mk3 (which can also be used with the iPad version of Traktor for even more portability / being able to leave the expensive laptop at home). The Denon Prime GO, with it's small size, while being standalone, 'pro' quality AND battery powered (could even be comfortably used in a car due to it's size + no laptop) also has been sounding more and more appealing (main downside being the price is high for something that ideally wouldn't be my only controller). However, one thing I'd struggle to give up which the S4 gives me is the ability to connect external inputs into channel 3/4. A while back I picked up a beat up Technics SL-1200MK2 on the cheap and have been using it with Traktor timecode vinyl to slowly learn how to scratch. As best I can tell, there really isn't anything that's at least as portable/small as the S4 that would maintain the ability to connect a turntable. In terms of the Prime GO, I've also heard the Denon software is a bit lacking compared to the other big names. So that lead to me considering just picking up a used Traktor S4 mk2, as I believe it's class compliant and therefore won't have any issues with lack of driver support. It's pretty much the same size as the S4 mk1, and maintains all features I currently have (e.g. vinyl support) while also having a few upgrades. My main hesitation with this approach is it would still be ~$400 put towards something that is ultimately just a stop-gap, and it keeps me with Traktor for the foreseeable future. I'm resistant to committing to Traktor long term via buying a new S4 mk3 as I've been telling myself I'd move away from Traktor because a) I felt like they dropped official S4 mk1 driver support way too soon for being their $900 ($1k MSRP), flagship, 'pro' controller (their last official driver release was in 2015 for El Capitan support, which meant it was officially unsupported when Sierra was released mid 2016); and b) NI has seemingly been neglecting Traktor (for 'regular' DJing at least) for awhile now. On the driver front, their excuse was Apple switched to a new driver format, however that did not prove to be a problem for many other pro audio companies (e.g. my audio interface from ~2007 still received updates). I wouldn't mind paying for software updates to maintain support, but completely dropping driver support after around only 5-6 years just feels unacceptable to me. On the software front, TP3 mainly just a GUI refresh IME, and they've still yet to add commonly requested features like flexible beat grids that most other DJ software has now. In terms of having my tracks rekordbox/Pioneer compatible, I've come to realize there are other options than switching to a Rekordbox controller. I.e., something like DJ Conversion Utility. I still want to get familiar with the Pioneer layouts and functions, but converting via DJCU and playing around with my buddy's Pioneer controller might be sufficient for now. Anyway, if you've made it this far, any controller advice? I'm currently leaning towards either a used S4 mk2, holding off on switching to a large and/or standalone controller, OR grabbing a Prime GO and just giving up turntable support until I grab a larger 4 channel controller/standalone for home use and gigs where portability isn't as much of a factor. Splinter fucked around with this message at 02:23 on Mar 29, 2022 |
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Mar 29, 2022 02:18
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Virgil Vox posted:^ That's a tough one. I had the little Native Instruments bare bones 2 ch mixer and used it with their ipad app and being able to mix on planes, cars, classrooms was an absolute blast, so the Prime Go would be extremely fun if you think you'll use it in that way. It also gets you into a "pro" ecosystem and you could add the big boys for home/studio later like you were saying. I've been itching to try those motorized players. There's a nice used one on Musicians Friend with a case: https://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/used-denon-dj-prime-go-dj-controller/117799618. qirex posted:I really enjoy playing around with djay on my iPad with my DDJ-400. Mister Speaker posted:And you're already looking at the right things, like DJ Conversion Utility. Personally I use RekordBuddy and I've preached before about how great it is at translating Traktor grids/cues to Rekordbox. Mister Speaker posted:The only other thing I can say WRT compact controller selection is, how married are you to platters? If you don't use 'em, your options are much wider. I used to carry a Traktor F1 around with my laptop, since it's bus-powered and small I could bust it out to preview mixes, set up hotcues and prep playlists basically wherever. * Side rant: haven't actually got to try it with Rekordbox though as this guy refuses to give Rekordbox a shot even after our other friend we usually DJ with picked up the RR (pretty sure he gave up on RB within 10 minutes of unboxing). He'd rather bring his $3k+ work MBP to run Virtual DJ and look into additional hardware/mixer for smoother cut-overs than just have his tracks prepped on a USB and spend some time learning the RR/Rekordbox for when we play together outdoors. He doesn't even have the 400's hardware cue mix working properly in VDJ, so he came up with this weird (if not a bit clever) setup where he uses his headphones connected to the laptop instead of the 400s, and some how gets any track that is 'on air' at full volume in the headphones regardless of track fader position, then turns up his 'cue' track's main volume fader to just slightly above 0, which is essentially inaudible in the mix, but plays at full volume with the other track in the headphones (IIRC...hard to explain). To each their own I suppose, it's just frustrating that we now have what could be a much simpler live setup with the other guys RR, and he even already has the RB license that would make the prep easy on his end, but just won't give it a shot. I will say VDJ's spleeter integration is pretty cool, and something none of the other major DJ software has, but I feel like he's used it as a crutch to avoid learning proper EQ techniques, which makes switching to other software feel a bit more daunting.
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Mar 29, 2022 11:13
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I ended up pulling the trigger on a used Denon PRIME GO. Couldn't say no to the additional freedom the combo of compact size + standalone + battery will give. Even just being able to comfortably use it on my lap in a car (without having to awkwardly prop a laptop or ipad up somewhere) will be an immediate benefit. After watching a bunch of reviews, I think the only thing that will initially annoy me is there doesn't seem to be a non-hacky way of jumping back to the beginning of a track without first setting the cue there (e.g. what shift + cue accomplishes on the S4, and I think other platforms have similar functionality), but that's not a huge deal. I also realized that since my S4 hardware issue only affects one platter, I can still continue to use it with my turntable/timecode when I want to work on scratching (as long as I keep a Windows or Intel Mac laptop around). Eventually I'll look into getting another 4 channel controller w/ external inputs for home use, whether that be an S4 mk2/3, DDJ-1000, Prime 4, XDJ-XZ (who needs money anyway) or something that hasn't been released yet, but right now the GO aligns more with my use. For the DDJ-400, a shop in town I checked for used gear definitely had a new 400 in stock, and they have a webshop/ship. If you can't find one in stock at one of the major retailers I can send a link. Used is a great option for the 400s too though, as they're a high volume (for DJ controllers) product that a some either eventually want to upgrade, or use for a bit before deciding DJing isn't for them.
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Apr 4, 2022 21:11
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Traktor's auto gridding is also usually very good. It's rare that you need to change what it sets during analysis. The caveat however is that it doesn't support tracks with wavering or changing tempo, so if you want to sync music recorded with live drummers with no click track (e.g. most stuff from the 70s and earlier, some later stuff too) with no manual adjustments, you'll probably have a bad time.
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Apr 25, 2022 01:19
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Dr Fresch and Bijou
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Dec 11, 2022 04:42
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I've been waiting for this day for like 15 years
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Dec 12, 2022 23:19
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I mean I wish another major streaming service other than Tidal would do DJ software integration. I played around with it on a trial and it was cool being able to mess around with genres of music that I don't typically keep in my downloaded DJ library very easily on a whim. Tidal is just frustrating because its catalog, even for non-dance music, just isn't on par with services like Spotify, YTM, etc. I wish it were because it would be amazing to have access to all my streaming music/library/playlists as essentially a free bonus to my main music streaming app subscription. Still would use actual purchased/downloaded files for my real DJ sets rather than rely on streaming.
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Jan 28, 2023 01:32
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I wouldn't discount Virtual DJ these days, and there are mappings for a lot of the entry level controllers. Probably at least as relevant as Traktor now (lol). e: I'd also not really worry about RB being industry standard as a complete beginner. Go with what feels best to you initially. 99% of what you learn is transferrable to any other DJ program / gear, and there is software that can make migrating collections to other software a breeze. Splinter fucked around with this message at 23:55 on Feb 9, 2023 |
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Feb 9, 2023 23:51
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I haven't looked too much into it, but I have seen that many comparisons conclude VirtualDJ's newest stem separation algorithm (2.0) is better than Serato's stems. For a while most of the stem separation algorithms were based on Deezer's open source Spleeter library. This is what is used in the VirtualDJ stems 1.0, iZotope RX's separation features (at least in RX 8/9 not sure about 10), djayPRO and some others. Should note that different spleeter implementations can have different results depending on how it was trained. The open source library has pre-trained models, but I think some companies have done their own training to make improvements. I'm not sure what Serato is based on, but it's not spleeter. It looks like Stemverter 3 is using Facebook's demucs library under the hood, which as of recent versions at least has been highly regarded. I'm not sure if VDJ Stems 2.0 is using something like demucs under the hood or if they've licensed/developed a proprietary algorithm, but regardless VDJ stems 2.0 is what I'd compare Stemverter to in addition to Serato. LALALA.ai is another separator that seemed to be better than the spleeter based approaches, but I'm not sure how it compares to the newest demucs based splitters.
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Mar 22, 2023 19:53
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some kinda jackal posted:
The proper source material approach is how Traktor stems works (which has been out for many years now). It requires artists/labels to release tracks that have the stems available in separate audio streams. This never really caught on much (at least in many genres) as not enough music was released in this special format. When you're hearing about stems these days in apps like Serato, Rekordbox, VirtualDJ etc, this is referring to an AI/ML based approach to isolate various parts of a stereo audio file. It sounds like that wouldn't result in stems that are that usable, but the latest versions of these algorithms are actually surprisingly good (though reports are the Rekordbox algorithm seems to be older and not on the same level as the newest Serato and VDJ options). It's definitely not perfect and does a better job with some tracks than others, but still it's usable for the most part (e.g. it doesn't necessarily matter if there's some bleed if you're using it for mixing, as it's still often going to be better than trying to isolate or remove parts with a traditional 3 or 4 band EQ setup). Even Traktor is working on adding their own stem splitting algorithm implementation rather than sticking with their old approach that worked with actual stems.
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Mar 23, 2023 23:06
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guppy posted:Wasn't Native Instruments bought by a private equity firm? I like my S2 (Mk II, I think), but I wonder if they are going to get shittier. NI recently has ramped up Traktor development again, and are finally moving to add modern features that have become standard across most other DJ apps over the years. However they basically didn't do poo poo with Traktor for a decade and it went from having clear advantages to recommend it over the more industry standard brands for many people, to being hard to recommend over more popular systems (that also have higher end upgrade paths for hardware). I do still like their hardware and software (still have a S4 mk2 I use at home and I still use Traktor to manage my library for my Denon hardware using DJCU to convert it) but if I had got into DJing more recently I probably wouldn't have ended up on Traktor.
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Jul 15, 2023 00:07
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The RX3 is also newer than the XZ and will have a noticeably improved screen/software experience. I wouldn't call it dated at least in that sense. But you're right, there's not a great all-in-one Pioneer option if your goal is something similar to a 4 channel DJM/CDJ setup where you can do 4 decks in device. The Opus is the closest to what you want out of the options, but what you actually want is probably an XZ2 if/when that is ever released and assuming they actually add deck switching. e: and yeah, the Denon Prime 4 (or Prime 4+ now?) addresses all the downfalls of the XZ other than it not being Pioneer Splinter fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Oct 16, 2023 |
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Oct 16, 2023 22:32
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some kinda jackal posted:What do you guys do when you come across tracks which seem to be unobtainium? 10 years ago I used to have to order small batch vinyl releases shipped from the UK (to California) to get certain tracks that weren't released digitally on either beatport, juno download or even SoundCloud (just for me to rip to FLAC to use digitally). I have a feeling you would've found the vinyls for the tracks you want in your searching if they existed though. Sometimes producers just keep tracks unreleased though and only they and maybe some other DJs they share it with have access (as a way to be able to play sets that can't be replicated by your average joe with a beatport account. Sometimes those tracks do eventually get released.
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Dec 19, 2023 01:16
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mitztronic posted:There are many djs I stopped listening to way back because they would be playing songs in their monthly radio shows that weren’t released for 12-16 months later, if at all, and even trying to keep track of these songs to eventually get a copy became cumbersome. Some of them I suspect weren’t even released. The average listener problem didn’t care but, as a dj and collector of music, it just seemed really selfish? Not sure if that’s the right word, but I listen to other mixes to discover new music In a world where the barrier to entry for DJing is so low, I think it helps keep them differentiated. Hey book me or listen to my show or watch my stream because I have the unreleased bangers that the amateurs don't have. Also prevents people from basically being able to copy setlists or parts of released mixes if some of those tracks aren't available to the masses.
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Jan 12, 2024 23:56
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| # ¿ May 14, 2024 06:08 |
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The craziest part is she clearly never practiced/rehersed, as if she had it would've been obvious something was wrong with the outsourced rekordbox USB. I can't imagine not practicing even once for a festival that big, especially if I didn't have the skills to handle something as basic as BPM analysis on the fly. Then again maybe the point was for people to notice and care...
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Apr 17, 2024 19:32
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