new dj Equipment (different types)

[disc]

was just wondering what everyone now uses . from the cd to laptop , now you can plug in your ipod into a numark idj2 and use it to dj ....

[retired]

Traktor all the way man! I would have laughed at laptops etc a few years ago but its come a long way.

[Collins Radio]

old sony lap top usb sound card and ots dj never failed me

[Ginger]

old sony lap top usb sound card and ots dj never failed me

I use ots for the warm up but if you its not possible to use it for good mixing and effects . The buttons are too small and must be used with a mouse or using the delayed function keys on the keyboard . It was great 5 years ago when there was nothing else . It was never designed with the club dj in mind . Traktor is becomming the inductry standard for the DJ who wants to mix and show off his skills .

Cheers

[Caretaker]

Hi Ginger..

Laptop programs have taken the talent out of mixing ..

anyone can mix now with all the features available on the screen..

The talent at the moment seems to be good MC skills..

I use numark cue with the denon hc4500..

[Red Room]

was just wondering what everyone now uses . from the cd to laptop , now you can plug in your ipod into a numark idj2 and use it to dj ....

Not meaning offence to you if you use such a set up but the IDJ2 is a good example of what's wrong with the industry today.

To think people assume they can walk into a gig with a MP3 player and a bunch of songs that may well be of dubious Limewire sourcing and quality and this is a DJ? I'd not guess how much money I've spent on CD's over the years but more the fool me if it can be done cheaper and no questions asked.

No wonder the trades gone to the Dog's Wall with €120 gigs :swearing::frust:

[Michael Masterson]

Had one of the allen & heath mixer's in the studio yesterday its amazingly compact and light with great features and effects with a bit of practise this would probably be great . Very handy for giging light weight one nice piece of equipment ..

[disc]

i still use cds myself like i have been for the last 15 years (not the same cds by the way)

i also have virtual dj with a dual sound card on my laptop. which i do bring but i find it hard to leave my cds (cant teach a old dog new tricks)

but the way technology has gone lately cds are dying out and mass storage media djing is becoming more common

i remember walking into a disco bar years ago with a maybe a few mp3 and a copy of winamp and the bar owner nearly shit himself with excitement of a (DIGITAL DJ) so much so he use to advertise it every week

[disc]

also if the laptop has replaced the cd , which midi controllers are ye using

[Caretaker]

also if the laptop has replaced the cd , which midi controllers are ye using



Laptop has not totally replaced CD ..

I still carry a denon and a full pack of Cd's containing essential tracks .. the laptop goes down .. you lose your Music .. the means to play same..

Denon hc4500 for laptop

[jjmayo]

Just wanted to know what is the best laptop programe to get. Im still undecided between serato and traktor, Stll saying that im getting more requests for video Djin, Does Traktor support the Video function for VJ.

[Collins Radio]

has anybody used a cortex 1000 in anger? i got 1 in the workshop bought it to play with but never got round to taking it to a gig....yet

[mise]

I headed to Belfast last week & got myself an iPad, currently trying my hand at finding a decent controller which can be linked to Virtual DJ or Traktor :cool:

[Red Room]

I headed to Belfast last week & got myself an iPad, currently trying my hand at finding a decent controller which can be linked to Virtual DJ or Traktor :cool:

You do know that neither system plays on the iPad, don't you?:cool:

[ste mc d]

I headed to Belfast last week & got myself an iPad, currently trying my hand at finding a decent controller which can be linked to Virtual DJ or Traktor :cool:

The ipad also doesn't have any way of connecting a controler to it as it doesn't have any usb ports on it.

[Airhead Coded]

Not meaning offence to you if you use such a set up but the IDJ2 is a good example of what's wrong with the industry today.

To think people assume they can walk into a gig with a MP3 player and a bunch of songs that may well be of dubious Limewire sourcing and quality and this is a DJ? I'd not guess how much money I've spent on CD's over the years but more the fool me if it can be done cheaper and no questions asked.

No wonder the trades gone to the Dog's Wall with €120 gigs :swearing::frust:


Totally agree, this type of set up is the main reason of what's wrong with the industry - It's ridiculous the amount of "DJs" out there doing this every weekend.

[Airhead Coded]

Hi Ginger..

Laptop programs have taken the talent out of mixing ..

anyone can mix now with all the features available on the screen..

The talent at the moment seems to be good MC skills..

I use numark cue with the denon hc4500..

Your dead right caretaker, DJ's who use laptops to mix are a joke to the industry, you could never EVER call yourself "Talented" if you have to rely on your "auto mapped beatcounter" on your swizt swzoo DJ software. no wonder the industry has gone to the dogs with chancers like these polluting the place every week with their dodgy crap quality mp3s and below par ability to be creative in their mixing and do it like the pros do, I would NEVER employ a DJ who uses a laptop to mix, it's an insult to the customers and the management of a venue, to have a person swoon in with their laptops/mp3 player, pre mixed cds etc.... and then have the audacity to call that "work" and charge for it!!!! Disgraceful behaviour :swearing:

[Ginger]

Your dead right caretaker, DJ's who use laptops to mix are a joke to the industry, you could never EVER call yourself "Talented" if you have to rely on your "auto mapped beatcounter" on your swizt swzoo DJ software. no wonder the industry has gone to the dogs with chancers like these polluting the place every week with their dodgy crap quality mp3s and below par ability to be creative in their mixing and do it like the pros do, I would NEVER employ a DJ who uses a laptop to mix, it's an insult to the customers and the management of a venue, to have a person swoon in with their laptops/mp3 player, pre mixed cds etc.... and then have the audacity to call that "work" and charge for it!!!! Disgraceful behaviour :swearing:

Well there you go Airhead, don’t hold back!!!! I can only assume you are taking the piss . Failing that you obviously dont get out to often.

I am using a laptop and have worked for ovwer 30 years and been through the 7" , 12" , cds and now I’m using a laptop , does that make me less talented ?
I should hope not . I mix on a laptop and do it manually using the pitch control on a Stanton controller and the mixes are sweet as ever. I use mp3s but never less then 320kbs and i challenge anybody to tell the difference over a 12,000 watt turbo sound system. Using a Stanton controller makes the job exactly the same as using two decks.

If you honestly believe that being a dj is all about the equipment you use, maybe you should get another job as you seem to have it all wrong. Being a good dj is all about your choice of music, reading the crowd, and a good interaction when needed. And to take this to the extreme, even if you beat map the tracks that you mix, you still have to start the track on the right bar.

I remember many moons ago resisting moving from vinyl to CDs and felt cds was cheating...I was wrong. The customer’s don’t give a flying Figaro what you are using as long as you make them dance. The managers don’t give a flying Figaro as long as you keep the punters happy. So you can’t be creative with a laptop? And where did you pluck that statement from? In fact im pretty sure i have more creativity in mixing for the last 30 years in my toe then the average dj and not only that but i have a lot more music to choose from due to the fact i carry more than ever in a 500 gig drive .

Finally, over 80% of DJs around the world use laptops or macbooks so consider yourself part of the elite 20% who are so brilliant for sticking with an outdated music source. Some day you will look back at your arrogant and ignorant posting and smile.
I use a laptop, Andy Preston uses a laptop ,Gregg Merriman uses a laptop , dj wicked uses a laptop , Paul Van Dyke , Tiesto , Paul Oakenfold ,and actually come to think of it most of the guys i know use laptops and are working 5 nights a week and on good money .

Have you considered anger management, it might help you to move on .

[disc]

Cd's or laptop ? There's only one way to find out FIGHT...
Have to agree with Ginger , I think with evolution of the hard ware
it allows you to do more.
To be a good Dj it takes more than mixing two songs together
the art is in reading the crowd and knowing what they want to hear before they know,
while trying to full fill everyones tastes...

Also on the idj2 all it is is a different form of midi controller
that uses an iPod as your storage....

On a final note (niall ) loving the mix on a Friday from 2

[Red Room]

Cd's or laptop ? There's only one way to find out FIGHT...
Have to agree with Ginger , I think with evolution of the hard ware
it allows you to do more.
To be a good Dj it takes more than mixing two songs together
the art is in reading the crowd and knowing what they want to hear before they know,
while trying to full fill everyones tastes...

Also on the idj2 all it is is a different form of midi controller
that uses an iPod as your storage....

On a final note (niall ) loving the mix on a Friday from 2

Disc, the issue I have with using an iPod mixer is nothing to do with the DJ as a skilled trader using one tool over another but how the trade is open to unskilled traders thinking that this is how it works and all it takes. In turn, a punter can see it and genuinely think that's all it is. This is why Aldi sell blowtorches today and people will be in A+E with blowtorch injuries that evening; they haven't a bulls arse notion of what they are doing and they get found out. Thing in this trade is that a dodgy DJ doesn't kill anything but his mates party Out with a friend of mine last week who needed a sink moved recently and the builder he rang for a quote asked him if he had caught Polish Plumber :lol:

I'm quite sure that the likes of myself or Ginger or whomever it may be would be ducks in water on an iPod mixer but it's what we do with it all is what counts. What we need to watch here is keeping our skill levels up no matter what format we have so we can see out the sham's and hope their iDJ2 chokes with dust after their third gig bellies up on them:)

[Airhead Coded]

[QUOTE=Ginger;149022] In fact im pretty sure i have more creativity in mixing for the last 30 years in my toe then the average dj and not only that but i have a lot more music to choose from due to the fact i carry more than ever in a 500 gig drive .

Well, now, firstly get over yourself ginger, saying you've more creativity in your toe than the average DJ, extremely disrespectful, whatever helps you sleep at night:nutter:, . secondly, my point is DJ's that use laptops to mix with NO!!! controllers expect to be called a "DJ" and be rewarded for this. like I said before I don't mind DJs using laptops to accommodate them to bring more music OR use it as their set up with a controller each to his own.

[Airhead Coded]

Have you considered anger management, it might help you to move on .

what has this got to do with the thread.

any way.

woo saa

[disc]

Point well taken and can see where your coming from , but if that us the case what is to stop a wannabe who has a laptop downloading a copy of traktor or any other Dj software plugging it into a mixer via the headphone socket and doing a disco that way , or even a guy going to maplins buyin a set of numark cd players for 150 euro and doing it that way.
When the likes of your self or Ginger started out you like myself chanced our arm buy buying a set of players/cd players and doing discos , and were probally not great.
Every business has People who think they can do a proffesional job themselves.
Do you get te painters in everytime you want a room painted or do you do it yourself.

The reason we are more worried about these guys picking up the likes of the idj2 or equipment like this is cause they can now go and do gigs for a reduced price so less work for guys that have been in the business for years.

Work is hard to come by and money has been reduced big time (I'm not in Dublin so I speak for country djs)

The reason I opened this thread was to highlight the different of equipment now available on the Market ...

[Red Room]

Point well taken and can see where your coming from , but if that us the case what is to stop a wannabe who has a laptop downloading a copy of traktor or any other Dj software plugging it into a mixer via the headphone socket and doing a disco that way , or even a guy going to maplins buyin a set of numark cd players for 150 euro and doing it that way.

As simple as price first off but more importantly is the perceived ease of being able to do it with an iPod as opposed to taking along your CD collection and clumsy decks. The easier it is to get the gear then the easier it appears to budding DJ's to be a "DJ".

When the likes of your self or Ginger started out you like myself chanced our arm buy buying a set of players/cd players and doing discos , and were probally not great.

Back in them days (God, I sound fierce old, loike :) ) you started off being a dogsbody; most older DJ's had a younger lad who did your lifting and who was let practice using and playing music. After a while, he'd let you do the school end of term party or the youth club disco and you'd work your way up. Nowadays you hear of people literally doing weddings and 21st birthdays with bugger all experience behind them. Think about it, life's milestone parties being played by people with maybe less than 10 gigs behind them. It's a very very big risk and it's done in all innocence, let me add, by many people who just don't know who or what they are getting into.

Every business has People who think they can do a proffesional job themselves. Do you get te painters in everytime you want a room painted or do you do it yourself.

That is true, it does happen in every trade but you are talking about getting it done right or not at all. We still operate in an industry that is seen by people of being an "easy" job to do and that does create an illusion that any idiot can do it. In entertainment, it's endemic and it's the experienced pro's jobs and living that's on the line.

The reason we are more worried about these guys picking up the likes of the idj2 or equipment like this is cause they can now go and do gigs for a reduced price so less work for guys that have been in the business for years.

Work is hard to come by and money has been reduced big time (I'm not in Dublin so I speak for country djs)

The reason I opened this thread was to highlight the different of equipment now available on the Market ...

Yes, some of it boils down to money. When you go into a Maplin and you see a rig for €600 you see just how easy it is from them but the way I look at it is this; go into the hire shops and they use JBL's or EV's or Turbosound etc and they get their life's use from them.

In short, quality pays so pay for quality :)

[Ginger]

[QUOTE=Ginger;149022] In fact im pretty sure i have more creativity in mixing for the last 30 years in my toe then the average dj and not only that but i have a lot more music to choose from due to the fact i carry more than ever in a 500 gig drive .

Well, now, firstly get over yourself ginger, saying you've more creativity in your toe than the average DJ, extremely disrespectful, whatever helps you sleep at night:nutter:, . secondly, my point is DJ's that use laptops to mix with NO!!! controllers expect to be called a "DJ" and be rewarded for this. like I said before I don't mind DJs using laptops to accommodate them to bring more music OR use it as their set up with a controller each to his own.

It's hardly disrespectful to be confident in ones own ability . I say it again I am better than average and would always strive to be more than average at anything I do in business , that's called self confidence . As for doing a gig on an iPhone , i will say if the crowd ae happy and the selection of
music is right well it's a job done , not that I would or indeed imagine any self respecting dj doing !

Indeed air head , your comments about laptops which cover the vast majority of djs in this city are disrespectful !

And if it makes you feel better I'll say it again " I'm better then the average dj " . You should try saying it to yourself , then you might feel better about your own ability and stop making widesweeping statements like the ones you mDe about djs who use laptops !

Niall

[disc]

Red room I agree with you totally , and I think we are on the same lines.
I know a company who would send a young fella out on his first gig to a wedding and that guy may have gone out with another Dj 2/3 times.

This industry is full of chancers. You get people comming up to you asking can they have a go??? It's not like you go into a shop and go up o the cashier ans ask can you have a go on the til...

[Ginger]

Cd's or laptop ? There's only one way to find out FIGHT..

Also on the idj2 all it is is a different form of midi controller
that uses an iPod as your storage....

On a final note (niall ) loving the mix on a Friday from 2

I assume the ipod is just the hard drive for the media . Well i dont see the problem there although you would be limited in the amount of music . In saying that i possibly am over prepared with 30 years of a collection filling a 500 gig drive :-))

On an Final Note , thanks ... I am limited because the mix is on Rays show in the afternoon on Today fm , i can only use certain music ( you know the radio friendly versions ) -))

Cheers

Niall

[Seanie Morris]

I am still using a pair of Pioneer CDJ 500 MkII's and DJM-600 mixer (all flightcased) since 2002 for mobile gigs. Have never failed me. I won't tread across to laptop mostly out of preference.Long live the Wheel of Steel! :notworthy

Seanie.

[Airhead Coded]

Only for I witnessed this with my own eyes I would never have believed it, this is the reason that Digital DJing the emergence of laptop DJing (without midi contollor) is destroying the DJing culture!!!!

One of the Regional stations "DJ" (I'm using that as loosely as possible for this case) was booked to do a club and they showed up with a laptop and Not Traktor, serato or anything like that, (No that would be acceptable providing they had an external controller) But instead opened a premixed Mixmeister file and pressed play and did nothing for the whole night only pretended that they could DJ - Not even a single manual movement or shred of DJing skill used all night, they we're shite on the mic too... this "DJ" charged in excess of €450 for a 2 hour set and effectively conned the owner and the nightclub management in the process.

FFS - has anybody got any shame anymore???

that's what Digital DJing will end up doing to this industry overtime, anybody will be able to start DJing overnight with not so much as a ounce of skill, mixing or music intelligence nothing!!!!! This is the lowest of the low but I'm sure its not an isolated case and there are way worse out there but for me, this is the Last straw - infact theres no more fecking straw left!!!!! :swearing: I think this disgraceful and unforgivable behavior from an individual and highlights an even bigger problem for the industry. It's the worst case of this crap I have ever witnessed in over the years, surely it can get any worse can it???

[djdeclan]

Only for I witnessed this with my own eyes I would never have believed it, this is the reason that Digital DJing the emergence of laptop DJing (without midi contollor) is destroying the DJing culture!!!!

One of the Regional stations "DJ" (I'm using that as loosely as possible for this case) was booked to do a club and they showed up with a laptop and Not Traktor, serato or anything like that, (No that would be acceptable providing they had an external controller) But instead opened a premixed Mixmeister file and pressed play and did nothing for the whole night only pretended that they could DJ - Not even a single manual movement or shred of DJing skill used all night, they we're shite on the mic too... this "DJ" charged in excess of €450 for a 2 hour set and effectively conned the owner and the nightclub management in the process.

FFS - has anybody got any shame anymore???

that's what Digital DJing will end up doing to this industry overtime, anybody will be able to start DJing overnight with not so much as a ounce of skill, mixing or music intelligence nothing!!!!! This is the lowest of the low but I'm sure its not an isolated case and there are way worse out there but for me, this is the Last straw - infact theres no more fecking straw left!!!!! :swearing: I think this disgraceful and unforgivable behavior from an individual and highlights an even bigger problem for the industry. It's the worst case of this crap I have ever witnessed in over the years, surely it can get any worse can it???

There is another variable at play in this instance... the effect of "celebrity"

I'm fairly sure without having been present at this event that myself, yourself or indeed a number of the DJs on this board could have played the same tracks in the same order as this chap, mixed them live and sounded just as good (if not better), we could have spoken on the mic better than he did and the punters would have had a much better night.... except they wouldn't. The punters (or at least some of them) came to see/hear this particular person because they are a "celebrity", if the club had advertised me or you (I'm assuming that you are not a celebrity!) as the DJ for the night chances are less people would have showed up. Chances are the additional door/bar receipts more than paid for the extra cost of this DJ so the club owners weren't robbed at all!
Something similar happened to me a couple of years back whereby a new club was opened by a 2fm DJ on the Saturday - the place was hopping, packed to the rafters, everybody assumed that it was because he was an unbelievable DJ. I did the following night and took up residency thereafter, management were happy with me but asked the 2fm DJ back a few weeks later as number were flagging. It wasn't properly advertised so most people arrived to the club not knowing who was playing - he bombed in the half full club.
Its more or less a personal appearance these people are being paid for rather than their DJing skills. Bottom line - the club owner would rather have a full club listening to a terrible DJ than a class DJ playing to a half empty venue.

[Caretaker]

This thread remonds me of the first DJ meeting in Tamangos in the 80's

so many egos in one palce ...

One a manager said to me a long time ago is that when most DJ came looking for work they would rubbish the DJs working there ..

have used all formats .. laptop with controller easy as you do not have to spend anytime lining up bpms.. the screen tells you what it is...

[The Big Gig]

ive been using traktor ever since I read Greg Merrimans Post here about 4/5 years ago about Digial DJing
I just read that in this post that using a laptop without a midi controller is destroying the DJ industry.......what are you talking about?, A midi controller is only good for effects and there is absolutely no requirement for one if you are a competent laptop DJ.
I have tried plenty of different controllers for traktor and the only ones that i'd recommend are the ipad with touch osc (thats for a different thread!!) or the kontrol x1.
I have also tried Serato and Virtual DJ
I found Virtual DJ very buggy and a bit cheaper if thats possible?! A bit like a set of Numarks in comparison to Pioneers.
The Serato is good but my preference is on Traktor and version 3 at that. Havent been able to get in to PRO yet but its getting there! Probably because i cant import my history files in to it from T3!
The Serato / Traktor argument will be the Denon / Pioneer Argument
of current times.
I'm also convinced that native instruments create the best sounding external sound cards in their audio 2 / 4 / 8 range. absolute pure quality

[Astec]

Anybody know what software the Propaganda guys are using at The Academy, Dublin on a Saturday nights? They seem to be playing off a Mac laptop using a playlist and then giving the usual miming behind the pioneers!

Anybody else video DJing?

[Red Room]

Anybody know what software the Propaganda guys are using at The Academy, Dublin on a Saturday nights? They seem to be playing off a Mac laptop using a playlist and then giving the usual miming behind the pioneers!

iTunes?:p

[Radioactivity]

I use Tracktor Pro with a Reloop Digital Jockey and NI Audio 4 sound card off a Mac Book Pro and mix internally.

I made the transition from my Pioneer CDJ 1000’s to the digital format for a couple of reasons.

One was the condition I was finding equipment in when I arrived at clubs. CDJ’s with drink spilt in them, buttons missing, poor quality phono cables being used or the type of CD deck being unsuitable for proper club use.

I also found the burning and labeling of CD’s to be quite tedious.

The flexibility afforded to me through Traktor by being able to search by track, BPM and genre, helped me up my game significantly.

There are quite a lot of what are referred to in the states as “microwave DJ’s” using programs like Traktor etc but unless you know how to craft a set, read a crowd and understand the fundamental structure of the music you are playing, you will be shown up against somebody who has all the above qualities.

Personally I am really excited by the new Traktor S4 hardware and software package coming out shortly. It won’t quite re-write the rule book like they claim but it sure will make for some great DJ sets in the right hands.

[buzzbomb]

Swore i'd never go laptop, that was until a mate came over and showed me his set up. With dragging pioneer cd players and two bags of cd's into venues getting ridiculous i thought i'd give it a try . Best move i ever made .
I think a lot was down to fear of change and would i adapt to it.
After 2 days , ok maybe 3, i couldnt get away from it.

Radioactivity hit the nail on the head here, QUOTE 'unless you know how to craft a set, read a crowd and understand the fundamental structure of the music you are playing, you will be shown up against somebody who has all the above qualities' .

Well said.

[divinity]

that is right but i still spin...........and i like to do that..........