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scracthing on CDJs...
speficially refering to the CDJ-800s and 1000s....how often do you see DJs do it? would you rather scratch on vinyl or on CDJs? I'm also curious...do most DnB DJs still use wax or they also mix /w CDJs?
i plan on doing a lot of scratching on my cdj1000's (they're on their way). I dj for a hip hop crowd 2x a week and a house/trance crowd once a week, so i do a fair amt of scratching. I am really looking forward to the hot cues and hot loops cuz im gonna get crazy with that shit!! I'm gonna be all over the place!
i'll let you know what i think about the cdj in terms of scratching in the near future tho...
I think if you look at any turntablists video you wil lsee them scratching on vinyl. I know you won't find many (if any) tracne DJs scratching. I thin kthe main reason that DJs scratch with vinyl is that vinyl allows them to have more of a visual of what is going on. All a cdj wil lgive you is a fairly small line indicator - that and the cdj platter doesn't actually spin.
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| Originally posted by Polt I think if you look at any turntablists video you wil lsee them scratching on vinyl. I know you won't find many (if any) tracne DJs scratching. I thin kthe main reason that DJs scratch with vinyl is that vinyl allows them to have more of a visual of what is going on. All a cdj wil lgive you is a fairly small line indicator - that and the cdj platter doesn't actually spin. |
lol when i scratch it sounds stupid... but wtvr im having fun in my room.. 
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| Originally posted by carreux as far as i know eddie halliwell is the only high-profile trance DJ to successfully scratch. i've heard others try it and it sounds well shite. just a side note |
I've seen Freddy Fresh using a CDJ to scratch - no different from when he was using vinyl during the set!!
scratching on vocals is cool...
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| Originally posted by carreux as far as i know eddie halliwell is the only high-profile trance DJ to successfully scratch. i've heard others try it and it sounds well shite. just a side note |
I'd rather scratch on vinyl on the whole, mainly because I'm more used to it (it tends to feel more natuary) but also because it does sound better - I can always tell when i hear someone scratching on CDJs because it just somehow sounds more "digital".
Although there are a lot of benefits to using CDs, like needles not jumping (can be a problem if you're playing out on a pair of knackered decks) and the extra technology (simply being able to skip to the next track/stab, hot cues as have already been mentioned, loops can be useful too etc). I actually burned off all of my scratch samples onto CD yesterday so I can practice doing it on CDJs and I'm warming to it... but it still doesn't sound quite as good!
Very few DnB DJs seem to be making the switch to CD, despite there being a fair amount of DnB available for download from trackitdown.net etc. It's just part of the culture I suppose. Same goes for turntablists, although there are some who use CDs.
If u dont mind me asking, what scratch samples are good to use? I have CDJ1000Mk2s they are the dogs! I only recently made the transition from vinyl and I would never go back! although I never really bothered with scratching on vinyl (mostly because I was spinning only Trance) Im far more diverse now I also play electro/house aswell so scratching comes into play more and I want to learn. I have done a few basic scratches sucessfully, but nothing amazing, so im after some good samples to practice with. Any pointers?
Cheers,
Dan 
Check out the DJ tools section on Juno: http://www.juno.co.uk/dj-tools/, I find the best way to get scratch samples on CD is to buy a scratch record and rip it.
I recommend the Scratchaholics "This is for the DJ" series: http://www.juno.co.uk/artists/Scratchaholics/
I also use a few samples ripped out of various tracks, but I'll be keeping them to myself
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| Originally posted by discobiscuit i plan on doing a lot of scratching on my cdj1000's (they're on their way). I dj for a hip hop crowd 2x a week and a house/trance crowd once a week, so i do a fair amt of scratching. I am really looking forward to the hot cues and hot loops cuz im gonna get crazy with that shit!! I'm gonna be all over the place! i'll let you know what i think about the cdj in terms of scratching in the near future tho... |
here is a really good 30min video demonstration of the CDJ-1000 with lots of scratching!
http://www.sendspace.com/file/ri7vco
the first partof the video is straight scratching and turntable tricks using the CDJs. then they go and compare a CDJ-1000 with a Technic 1200 side by side using the same scratching samples and then show how it can do basicly everything a vinyl turtable can do plus more.
hip hop is way harder... i guarantee someone will disagree w/ that statement, but i know for a fact that spinning hip hop requires more talent/turntablalism. for one thing, its almost impossible to mix.. i make instrumental loops (using serato) at the beginning of some tracks. by some, i mean any track that doesnt have vocals right off the bat (i'd say about 50% of the rap songs give you enough time to make an instra loop). you can drop the track in too but you usually have like 5 seconds until people start singing or whatever.
another sucky thing about hip hop is the fact that the songs range from 80 to 170 beats a minute!! so (using serato) i organize my tracks by bpm and start off the night around 110bpm and slowly work my way down to 80. then i jump from 80 to 160 and back down again. it really sux cuz if you change the pitch even a little on a rap track it sounds like total shit so you gotta make sure there isnt more than a 2bmp difference between 2 tracks you're mixing (i usually hit quartz when there's a drop off on the track i just dropped into so i can get it into its original bpm).
sometimes it can get boring. when you want to drop a track that doesnt have vocaless instrumentals at the beginning, you have to scratch into it (which i hate doing). you can also just drop the track in if there's instrumentals at the end of the track you're cueing out of.
if you are getting requests, that can really fuck you up. i'll be at 120bpm and people will be requesting songs at 80 and 100 bpm. when that happens, i improvize (or make them wait). you can do a delay echo on the end of the chorus on track you're finishing up and drop the new track (w/ big bpm difference), or you can do a high to low filter sweep out of the track you are spinning and drop in the new one. i like to use the delay echo and drop method if i am dropping in a track with a 2 second intro or someone talking or whatever and i like to use the high to low pass drop method when the track i'm dropping in starts off abruptly with bass and people singing/talking.
every rap song is totally different (in terms of muscial make up, key, tempo, etc...) so you basically have to be really familiar w/ the music. it took me a while to get used to hip hop and i'm still not 100% comfortable (i've been doing it twice a week for 6 months now..)
if you are a house/trance dj that has an opportunity to spin for a hip hop crowd once in a blue moon, i suggest that you just spin baltimore club music. its just like house/trance and very structured. its high energy hip/hop and remixes that ranges from 120 to 160bpm. any trance dj could spin baltimore club with no problem. hope i answered you're question... i taught myself how to spin, so these might not be the most effiecient/best methods. i definitely have my own style so i guess thats a good thing! i dunno, there might be more qualified people to ask at this site but i dont know of one to refer you to...
its a constant learning experience
bisco
| quote: |
| Originally posted by discobiscuit hip hop is way harder... i guarantee someone will disagree w/ that statement, but i know for a fact that spinning hip hop requires more talent/turntablalism. for one thing, its almost impossible to mix.. i make instrumental loops (using serato) at the beginning of some tracks. by some, i mean any track that doesnt have vocals right off the bat (i'd say about 50% of the rap songs give you enough time to make an instra loop). you can drop the track in too but you usually have like 5 seconds until people start singing or whatever. another sucky thing about hip hop is the fact that the songs range from 80 to 170 beats a minute!! so (using serato) i organize my tracks by bpm and start off the night around 110bpm and slowly work my way down to 80. then i jump from 80 to 160 and back down again. it really sux cuz if you change the pitch even a little on a rap track it sounds like total shit so you gotta make sure there isnt more than a 2bmp difference between 2 tracks you're mixing (i usually hit quartz when there's a drop off on the track i just dropped into so i can get it into its original bpm). sometimes it can get boring. when you want to drop a track that doesnt have vocaless instrumentals at the beginning, you have to scratch into it (which i hate doing). you can also just drop the track in if there's instrumentals at the end of the track you're cueing out of. if you are getting requests, that can really fuck you up. i'll be at 120bpm and people will be requesting songs at 80 and 100 bpm. when that happens, i improvize (or make them wait). you can do a delay echo on the end of the chorus on track you're finishing up and drop the new track (w/ big bpm difference), or you can do a high to low filter sweep out of the track you are spinning and drop in the new one. i like to use the delay echo and drop method if i am dropping in a track with a 2 second intro or someone talking or whatever and i like to use the high to low pass drop method when the track i'm dropping in starts off abruptly with bass and people singing/talking. every rap song is totally different (in terms of muscial make up, key, tempo, etc...) so you basically have to be really familiar w/ the music. it took me a while to get used to hip hop and i'm still not 100% comfortable (i've been doing it twice a week for 6 months now..) if you are a house/trance dj that has an opportunity to spin for a hip hop crowd once in a blue moon, i suggest that you just spin baltimore club music. its just like house/trance and very structured. its high energy hip/hop and remixes that ranges from 120 to 160bpm. any trance dj could spin baltimore club with no problem. hope i answered you're question... i taught myself how to spin, so these might not be the most effiecient/best methods. i definitely have my own style so i guess thats a good thing! i dunno, there might be more qualified people to ask at this site but i dont know of one to refer you to... its a constant learning experience bisco |
i found mixing hip hop to be aite... as you stated main problem is because sometimes the lyrics vocals/lyrics start right away. as for hip hop tracks being 170 bpm? i'd really like to hear which ones. i've never heard one that fast.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by discobiscuit hip hop is way harder... i guarantee someone will disagree w/ that statement, but i know for a fact that spinning hip hop requires more talent/turntablalism. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by discobiscuit i mean any track that doesnt have vocals right off the bat (i'd say about 50% of the rap songs give you enough time to make an instra loop). you can drop the track in too but you usually have like 5 seconds until people start singing or whatever. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by trancinchink i found mixing hip hop to be aite... as you stated main problem is because sometimes the lyrics vocals/lyrics start right away. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Stealth I have been mixing hip hop for many years and I can tell you mixing hip hop is waaaay easier than mixing any style of e.d.m. The main reason being is you're blending/mixing the tracks for a much shorter time which makes it a lot harder to trainwreck. Also you don't have to scratch or know turtabalism tricks to mix hip hop, in fact people at hip hop clubs usually get annoyed if the DJ is doing a lot of scratching and tricks, they just want to dance. LOL thats why you always mix in the instrimental track first then mix in the vocal track... you guys have never seen a hip hop DJ mix before? |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by trancinchink i found mixing hip hop to be aite... as you stated main problem is because sometimes the lyrics vocals/lyrics start right away. as for hip hop tracks being 170 bpm? i'd really like to hear which ones. i've never heard one that fast. |
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| Originally posted by Abhay hmm... can hip-hop DJs use turntable to beatmatch etc. and mix 2 trance tracks....???? they wouldn't know how to do any of the finer details.... |
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| Originally posted by discobiscuit are you kidding? i'll name a few when i get home... off the top of my head, oh i think they like me (some versions) is around 170 i think... |
i know thats a dirty south beat and they have that really fast snare(wood hit?), but i dont' think its 170. i'm assuming they wrote the track in 4/4 time. you're probably listening to the wrong drum part. you have to follow the actually timing of the phrases etc..
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| Originally posted by nchs09 thats probably what ur bpm counter on ur cdj showed.. and well.. its compleatly wrong. |
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| Originally posted by discobiscuit no, i analyze w/ the mixmeister bpm counter... good guess though |
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