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-- Sasha is now using Traktor!!!
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Worst thing in my opinion that a dj can do is place his cd collection behind him so he ends upturning his back to the crowd while going through his collection.

I remember back when I liked good music, Tiesto was playing in privilege and kept turning around. Not only did I already think he was a tosser as it stood but it just made me hate him even more.

Change takes time to accept and personally I think the laptop is becoming less and less a factor on the distraction side of things. Yes I agree when they first came out 'djs' became engrossed in staring at the screen but more and more especially with some of the more popular dj's you notice them all placing their laptops over to the side. It is in the end quite often a means to a way of having a nice large and most importantly organised collection.

We're all benefitting from one of the most important aspects of dj'ing and that's track selection. Back in the day how often do you think a Dj would have known what tracks he played at the same club he was about to go play at again? Now with laptops dj's can note which tracks have been played the previous night. Easily store the playlist and reference it if they happen to play that club again some time soon, or not so soon.

Just another angle I haven't heard too many people talk about. Yes organisation has been touched on but the ability to ensure you don't repeat songs or even better can remind yourself which songs went down nicely last time you played the place you're about to play at again..

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Originally posted by n3lly Get Traktor and then say this. It's very difficult to completely pry yourself away from looking at the screen. You're not just removing the middle man. You're removing the skill it takes to know your music as well as you used to have to. Also i don't completely agree with the "might as well have a sync button on cdj's" comment asI don't think it's as piss easy as you're making it out to be. Yeah it's not that difficult but it does require a good few months of practicing! And you can still have your off days after years of playing. Steve

I know what you mean, I guess I need to have a good go on Traktor so I can judge for myself. I am just really intrigued by it all. Also, I think the less time it takes you to beatmatch, the more time you have to concentrate on other things (including the crowd). I know for certain that my final product is lot a better on CDJs than on vinyl purely because I have more time to concentrate on the other elements of my mix (for example the EQs) without constantly making adjustments to the pitch to make sure the tunes aren't going out of time!

I agree that it is a skill that you need to work on, but when you have the bpm displays on the CDJs and the precise pitch shifting measured in units of 0.02%, IMO it is put on a plate for you when you compare it to vinyl. The most extreme example of this is when you have two tunes that are recorded at the same bpm, all you need to do then is put the same pitch adjustment on each side and nine times out of ten they are beatmatched perfectly without you even having to listen to the tracks!

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Originally posted by DJ RANN As a DJ, dancing away and mixing while staring at a screen just simply does not have the same connection as someone whipping on a CD or vinyl and then just working the mixer. I believe even those few seconds to stare at a screen to select the next track, is enough to create a disconnect between th DJ, music and crowd.

The connection between a DJ and the crowd occurs at the off period when there's nothing to do, not when they are cueing up, picking tracks or doing anything else. As has been mentioned, the picking of a track in a DVS or vinyl/CD makes very little difference.

An even major connection is the energy of the DJ. The existence or lack of it translates massively to the dance floor. Next time you see a DJ having the time of their life behind the decks, watch how well the dance floor responds.
Most DJs are boring behind the decks, just because they are. The medium they are using plays a very little part in their connection to the crowd.

I think it's a sad state of affairs that the DJ prancing around behind the decks is seen as an important part of his job. Many of the best nights out I've had on the most rocking dancefloors were at clubs where the DJ was tucked over in the corner and hardly anyone could see him. I hate these superclub setups where the DJ is mounted on some pedestal high above everyone and the crowd are all staring at him, waiting for their cue to fist-pump.

Well yea, and I tend to agree to a degree but the DJ worship is a totally different type of discussion.

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Originally posted by bigherm whats the difference between picking a next song looking at a screen, or turning your back to a crowd to fiddle through a cd wallet for the next song?

Very little.

The problem comes when DJs insist on using those laptop stands which put the laptop screen right between the DJ's face and the crowd, and they then spend all of their time staring at the screen, not just when picking tracks.

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Originally posted by BH whats the difference between picking a next song looking at a screen, or turning your back to a crowd to fiddle through a cd wallet for the next song?

I can't believe I'm getting in to this again (Steve knows what i'm talking about) and I wish i could just find the thread to repost what i wrote the last three times, but in simple short form, in my experience, something tangible is lost when a DJ has to pause for a second to look at a screen. More often than not, the screen is directly positioned between the dj and crowd, creating barrier. There's a disconnect from having to stare at the screen - I'm not sure if it comes from taking the DJ back to being in an office/studio/wherever they normally use a computer for mundane tasks/etc but I've seen it and posted my findings on here, with cases in point that related to the same DJ's mixing with and without laptops (some just weeks apart) and the clear difference in their performance and resulting DJ set.

This is certainly compounded by:

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Originally posted by Stu Cox The problem comes when DJs insist on using those laptop stands which put the laptop screen right between the DJ's face and the crowd, and they then spend all of their time staring at the screen, not just when picking tracks.

It would be great if it were just picking tracks but in my experience, it never is just that espceially with what the platform now offer such as sync, FX, routing, etc, and that in itself is another clear difference against a CDJ wallet (all you can do is pick a CD).

the other thing is I put 10 tracks on a CD so looking through a CD wallet happens maybe 6 or 7 times a 2 hour set, rather than with every single track (but I concede this may not be normal).

I do agree about the sad state of affairs that sys J mentioned. I can't stand anything more that jesus posing, fist pumping twats flailing about the DJ booth to every white noise sweep.

What I find I do like is the way DJ's like Danny Howells and Carl Cox play (even though they are different ends of the spectrum in terms of energy in the booth). They both pay meticulous attention to the floor and work it in their own ways and stay connected.

i'm not saying you can't do a good performance with a laptop, just that I think it's more difficult for both the DJ and the crowd to connect and give as good a performance and as said this is based on my observations over many years with many different DJ's and setups. I haven't been proven wrong IMO from any of the sets I've ever witnessed where a laptop was invloved.

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Originally posted by SYSTEM-J I think it's a sad state of affairs that the DJ prancing around behind the decks is seen as an important part of his job. Many of the best nights out I've had on the most rocking dancefloors were at clubs where the DJ was tucked over in the corner and hardly anyone could see him. I hate these superclub setups where the DJ is mounted on some pedestal high above everyone and the crowd are all staring at him, waiting for their cue to fist-pump.

true that

travesti

I think the reason why he probably switched is the fact all those sample decks have now become available.

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travesti

I used to play records then cds and now use traktor,I think one of the reasons for the laptop starring that has not been mentioned is that on alot of controllers such as the x1 you cant see any track info such as artist title you cant see cue points or waveform so the only way to view this info is to look at the screen, hopefully more controllers will start to include a display in the future!

Sorry guys, but TRAKTOR works great, the S4 works great too
when used to CDJ's look and feel you can work them via TRAKTOR, but really for playing USB, TRAKTOR is the more flexible solution than CDJ/Recordbox

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Originally posted by CalvP Perhaps they should start fitting out DJ booths with water coolers & stationery cupboards Let's be honest though, the medium is irrelevant, what matters is the showmanship & musical selection. If you can't play a great set with a laptop/CDJ/turntable etc then it's not the medium that's the problem imo

Next gig I get I'm going down in a suit and tie, I'm going professional.

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Originally posted by Lunar Phase 7 Next gig I get I'm going down in a suit and tie, I'm going professional.

quote:

Originally posted by Stu Cox

Lol.

Actually, the last time I saw Paulo Mojo play (quite a few years ago) he turned up in a pinstripe suit and silk tie

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