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DJ's that strictly use lap top...

I've seen this a few times now when a guest D.J shows up with nothing but a laptop and does Everything using the laptop only!!!
What are your thoughts?!
7

to each their own!

i say why not..
sure it make take away "some" of the technical aspect...i say this not knowing "what" exactly they do on those laptops..but the bottom line to me personally is that we are going to a club to see a performance...and whether we are treated to that performance on turntables, cds or a laptop..doesnt really matter.

dont dig the laptops that much, i want to see a dj use vinly on like three decks or something........

but hey if the laptop makes it a better performance then i say why not.

well, BT can't mix but he's a great producer so he's allowed to use a lap top, i'd rather producers do that and put a great set together than trainwreck every mix.

quote:

Originally posted by samhouse sure it make take away "some" of the technical aspect...

Dood, just becuase a DJ decides to use a laptop to lay the track down on the time-encoded vinyl doesn't take any of the technical skills out of DJing. FYI - There is no "auto-mix" button or "let dj go to sleep" mode.

Everything else is the exact same to DJ'ing with vinyl - the only difference is that with the laptop you don't have to change vinyl...

... and if any of you "get off" that much on the fact a DJ swaps vinyl on and off the decks - then give your head a shake.

^^
theres no freakin way Josh Gabriel was using final scratch on saturday!

I'm not a fan of laptop mixers, but to each there own, it still requires skill, but it does seem to take away from the experience, well for me anyway, I do like it however, when they got a ton of midi gear and all sorts of gizmos and there running Ableton Live or something on the laptop, I just love live PAs.

quote:

Originally posted by DannyO I'm not a fan of laptop mixers, but to each there own, it still requires skill, but it does seem to take away from the experience, well for me anyway,

We're not talking laptop mixing - we're talking DJ'ing w/ a laptop (Final Scratch).

There is a difference.

Mixing on a laptop (without turntables or mixers) would be a little less interesting in my opinion.

Using a laptop as your record bag (a la Final Scratch) takes NOTHING away from the set. The DJ is still using vinyl (time coded mind you), turntables and a mixer.

quote:

Dood, just becuase a DJ decides to use a laptop to lay the track down on the time-encoded vinyl doesn't take any of the technical skills out of DJing. FYI - There is no "auto-mix" button or "let dj go to sleep" mode

like i said in my next line...

quote:

i say this not knowing "what" exactly they do on those laptops

....

I don't see any final scratch used here, do you?!


7

PVD uses a mac once in a while, but not alone

quote:

Originally posted by ShadoWolf PVD uses a mac once in a while, but not alone

Final Scratch.

Re: ....

quote:

Originally posted by Shaya007 I don't see any final scratch used here, do you?!

He could be using Ableton Live! (http://www.ableton.com).

Ableton Live is the music-production solution that allows you to spontaneously compose, record, remix, improvise and edit music.

It's a pretty interesting piece of software in that you can lay down remixes in real time by layering different sound components and such.

Considering the production and remix work Josh & Dave have done - they definitely have the repertoire to use something like Ableton Live to do a complete set.

Re: Re: ....

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker He could be using Ableton Live! (http://www.ableton.com). Ableton Live is the music-production solution that allows you to spontaneously compose, record, remix, improvise and edit music. It's a pretty interesting piece of software in that you can lay down remixes in real time by layering different sound components and such. Considering the production and remix work Josh & Dave have done - they definitely have the repertoire to use something like Ableton Live to do a complete set.

Great Info...Thanks R.J

What many fail to realize is that even though the laptop is not doing the mixing for them it still takes away some of the mystique that surrounds 'DJ' culture. Practically everyone has used a computer at some time in their lives...the same isn't true for vinyl/mixers/decks. When ppl see a DJ using a laptop they make assumptions up in their own mind as to that DJ's skill level...and all this crap about it mixing for them, etc.

Also, laying your hands upon an elusive white label or a release with a limited pressing is a great feeling...its tangible.. its yours. Once you can digitally reproduce the same thing and burn it/pass it around then it loses its value. Yes vinyl weighs a ton.. yes it is a bitch to carry... but at least you know the person behind the decks went to the trouble of getting it, and you don't have to wonder if they're just playing an mp3 they downloaded.

Some might argue that this same view came up with the introduction of CDs into DJ sets (instead of just vinyl) -- and that once time passes laptops will also become more widely accepted as a tool of the trade....but I think its different.

Basically, if you can do it with vinyl/CDs, you should do it like that, that's my 2 cents anyways.

quote:

Originally posted by Swamper Practically everyone has used a computer at some time in their lives...the same isn't true for vinyl/mixers/decks.

I agree with you 100% here. People think "wow, look how easy a computer makes my life - it must make it easier to DJ too"... WRONG! Matching beats AND key is a bitch...

quote:

Also, laying your hands upon an elusive white label or a release with a limited pressing is a great feeling...

White labels or test pressings are a thing of the past. The cost of making white labels and test pressings simply doesn't make sense compared to digital formats. "Promos" or "White Labels" that you get today are usually just marked as such by the label or distribution arm as a sales tactic (not because they're exclusive).

I know for a fact that there are more remixes and collaboration mixes floating around today than ever before all due to the digital revolution. DJs and producers are (privately) swapping mixes and samples that we (the fans) don't even know exist. I would go as far to say in fact that we (the fans) only get to hear 5% (at the most) of the work that is produced today; One well known DJ/producer told me that he received over 50 remixes of his production to pick from when they were looking for a b-side and that was well before any wax was cut.

Final Scratch kicks ass I tried it and noticed no difference between real vinyl, well was quite impressed with, plus rather then spending so much money on vinyl, you can buy mp3's for a lot cheaper and play your productions like vinyl without ripping them on cds he he

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker We're not talking laptop mixing - we're talking DJ'ing w/ a laptop (Final Scratch). There is a difference. Mixing on a laptop (without turntables or mixers) would be a little less interesting in my opinion. Using a laptop as your record bag (a la Final Scratch) takes NOTHING away from the set. The DJ is still using vinyl (time coded mind you), turntables and a mixer.

umm where abouts here does it say finalscratch, I only see "laptop only"

quote:

I've seen this a few times now when a guest D.J shows up with nothing but a laptop and does Everything using the laptop only!!!

I ain't flaming or anything, but thats why I never brought up FS, trust me I know about FS and the others.

oh yea, well said Swamper about the Computer thing.

Re: Re: ....

ABLETON ROCKS!!!

Instead of DJ's being sequencers trying to beatmatch and play linearly. A DJ can be more like a composer mixing and blending multiple sound sources on the fly.

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker He could be using Ableton Live! (http://www.ableton.com). Ableton Live is the music-production solution that allows you to spontaneously compose, record, remix, improvise and edit music. It's a pretty interesting piece of software in that you can lay down remixes in real time by layering different sound components and such. Considering the production and remix work Josh & Dave have done - they definitely have the repertoire to use something like Ableton Live to do a complete set.

I'm fully aware that a laptop doesn't make it any easier for, say, Paul Van Dyk with Final Scratch over Tiesto with his CD collection, but that's really the wrong comparison to make. Gaetek mixing on 3 tables (or Carl Cox on 4) AND a laptop, or A-Trak dishing out a full 45 minutes of spliced beats without using more than a few seconds from any given record, is FAR beyond the technical level that you're going to see coming out of Final Scratch. Now I've seen Chris Liebing use software, but it was crazy-ass shit that didn't look anything like straight-up mixing, he was on it constantly (I think it functioned more as a replacement for the mixer than it did for the decks, it seemed mostly to be used for effects).

Some genres are more intellectually or emotionally based, like trance, so in that case it's pretty well accepted to use a computer program for the mixing. But other genres (i.e. techno and d'n'b) tend to revolve so much around the DJ culture and a show of technical skill that it would be a living joke if the DJ walked in with nothing but a handbag.

It's all relative. Don't anybody take my comments to mean that I have a problem with laptops. I'm only saying that they can't replace vinyl in every area.

quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut is FAR beyond the technical level that you're going to see coming out of Final Scratch.

I don�t think people have a clear understanding of how Final Scratch works. Final Scratch simply removes the need to swap vinyl physically on and off the platter.

Final Scratch doesn�t beat match, doesn�t tell you what track goes with the next one, doesn't cue up the track, doesn�t do ANYTHING but let you lay down the audio onto a time encoded vinyl.

FYI - Carl Cox could be using Final Scratch rigs with 10 turntables if he so wanted.

Help me understand how the act of picking up a record and putting a new one on the turntable significantly increases the technical skill requirement of the DJ?

IMO � the act of swapping records requires the LEAST amount of skill � so why does one assume that without this simple act the �technical merit� of the performance is somehow less or �sub-par�.

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker I don�t think people have a clear understanding of how Final Scratch works. Final Scratch simply removes the need to swap vinyl physically on and off the platter. Final Scratch doesn�t beat match, doesn�t tell you what track goes with the next one, doesn�t do ANYTHING but let you lay down the audio onto a time encoded vinyl. FYI - Carl Cox could be using Final Scratch rigs with 10 turntables if he so wanted. Help me understand how the act of picking up a record and putting a new one on the turntable significantly increases the technical skill requirement of the DJ?

Do you honestly think it would be possible to coordinate 4 encoded records on a laptop, let alone 10? It's simply too clunky an interface, unless they come out with special peripherals specifically designed for it (who knows, maybe they have already).

Don't patronize me RJ, you've made your point already, I've seen Final Scratch used ample times and I know exactly what it does and doesn't do. I already made my point in the previous post, so I'm not going to repeat myself. You're missing my point - far from saying that a laptop makes it easier, I'm saying that it would be nearly impossible for certain DJs to do the things they do with records on a laptop.

Can you picture a turntablist like Q-Bert doing his cuts on a PC?

It kind of reminds me of the arguments I used to have about old computer games like Descent - every run-of-the-mill player would invariably use the mouse and laugh at everyone else, but the most hardcore veterans who ALWAYS won would be the ones who used the good old-fashioned joystick, because there was a certain level of precision and coordination that simply could not be reached with a mouse.

Tables are physically in front of you. If you're just beatmatching 2 slow trance tracks, sure, laptops are great, but as the complexity of the music increases more and more, it doesn't take a pro to see why a laptop would just be getting in the way.

quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut too clunky an interface

Drag and drop too clunky?

quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut Don't patronize me...

Ok DJ Digi...

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker Drag and drop too clunky?

Dude you're not even thinking here. I am not freaking talking about the physical act of putting the record on the table. Nowhere does it say this in any of my posts, anywhere. Capiche? "Drag and drop" doesn't have a damn thing to do with it. Just read my post instead of taking things out of context! You're being pretty narrow-minded in assuming that all that goes into DJing is flipping records and beat-matching them...?

quote:

Ok DJ Digi...

Right, because I'd have to be a professional DJ to have any understanding of the mechanics. Okay, I'm not a DJ, but I've sequenced on both hardware and software and I can say without hesitation that hardware is a FAR more natural way to do it and is pretty much the only way to go when the music starts to become more complex. Fruityloops and Reason drive me nuts - I don't see how DJ'ing would be such an incredibly different science.

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