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Virtual DJ. Good or Not?

Im rather new to the DJing world , in fact i think the only DJ software i know are Virtual DJ and Ableton. I was able to teach myself how to create a mix using Virtual DJ , but i began to wonder , "Is it really professional"?

My question is , is Virtual DJ a good DJing tool , or should i move on to more advanced tools like Ableton?

Btw I mainly mix house and trance music..

They're two totally different programs. Do a search.

what about your rapist friend Michelle?

Ableton and Virtual DJ are two completely different pieces of software. Ableton is not specifically designed to mix records together, although it serves that purpose pretty well.

That said, Virtual DJ is a kiddie toy. It might be good to learn the basics, but it's a rather shitty piece of software. If you're looking for something more advanced I recommend that you look into Traktor Pro.

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Originally posted by woscar That said, Virtual DJ is a kiddie toy. It might be good to learn the basics, but it's a rather shitty piece of software. If you're looking for something more advanced I recommend that you look into Traktor Pro.

Surprisingly, Oscar, it is not as shitty as you think. The latest versions of the program are quite powerful in many ways, and are a lot of fun to mess around with at home. But it`s not a program I`d ever bring with me to a club, that`s for sure.

And to the original poster: but Traktor Pro and learn how to use it.

Oh well, I guess it could have improved in the last 4 years
It still looks pretty childish, and +1 on not using it in a club.

the only thing you should be using in a club is lots of cocaine and your arms for long breakdowns.

Agree to disagree ...

Before I started DJing i used VDJ to do some mashups and such ... I got so used to the program and knew all the ins and outs that when it came down to buy a software/hardware piece for my setup I quickly went with Numark Virtual Vinyl.

It looks EXACTLY like virtual DJ .. just has a diff title...

To ME, it's MUCH easier to use compared to serato or torq ...

I somewhat grew with it ...

Its all up to what you feel comfortable with ...

Just because serato is the leading program to use , doesnt mean you HAVE to go with it .. REGARDLESS what people say about how cheesy YOUR program is.

Re: Virtual DJ. Good or Not?

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Originally posted by 9Vibes Im rather new to the DJing world , in fact i think the only DJ software i know are Virtual DJ and Ableton. I was able to teach myself how to create a mix using Virtual DJ , but i began to wonder , "Is it really professional"? My question is , is Virtual DJ a good DJing tool , or should i move on to more advanced tools like Ableton? Btw I mainly mix house and trance music..

i don't see anything wrong with it as long as you can hold back from using the sync button...which can and will trainwreck your mixes. ableton live is useful for publishing or "producing" podcasts, mixes, or tracks. but for dj-ing virtual dj is better.

the other problem i have with virtual dj is that you're limited with your hands and the speed at which you can do things. knobs make things easier...so i'd recommend getting a controller like numark total control routed to a laptop with numark cue so you keep the feel of virtual dj but also give yourself more control.

I'm using it right now w/ a controller until I can afford some cdjs. I got fucking sniped during an ebay bidding war for a pair of cdj-200s at $475 collectively. Until then, I'm stuck with it.

It's... meh. But, I got no other choice.

Re: Re: Virtual DJ. Good or Not?

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Originally posted by Imu i don't see anything wrong with it as long as you can hold back from using the sync button...which can and will trainwreck your mixes. ableton live is useful for publishing or "producing" podcasts, mixes, or tracks. but for dj-ing virtual dj is better.

bang on.

virtual DJ actually puts a couple of decks and a mixer in between for you to use. its a graphical representation of actual equipment.

Ableton is more to produce flawless mixes etc, as well as producing music.

I wouldnt take VDJ to a club under any circumstances especially if you are using it on a PC, the software has regular glitches/pops/scratches and all other kinds of noises that come through the output...

As far as traktor is concerned I havent heard good things about its beat matching engine (VDJs tho is ROCK SOLID, once youve aligned the beats they just wont drift)... in the sense even if youve managed to align beats (and the BPM is the exact same), the beats slide out of position pretty regularly, if you dont have the beat markers down correctly or whatever...

John Digweed's been struggling to make the 'transition' over from CDs to traktor but so far has just not been succesful, so a little research before deciding on the software for you would be a good idea...

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Originally posted by kliq bang on. virtual DJ actually puts a couple of decks and a mixer in between for you to use. its a graphical representation of actual equipment. Ableton is more to produce flawless mixes etc, as well as producing music. I wouldnt take VDJ to a club under any circumstances especially if you are using it on a PC, the software has regular glitches/pops/scratches and all other kinds of noises that come through the output... As far as traktor is concerned I havent heard good things about its beat matching engine (VDJs tho is ROCK SOLID, once youve aligned the beats they just wont drift)... in the sense even if youve managed to align beats (and the BPM is the exact same), the beats slide out of position pretty regularly, if you dont have the beat markers down correctly or whatever... John Digweed's been struggling to make the 'transition' over from CDs to traktor but so far has just not been succesful, so a little research before deciding on the software for you would be a good idea...

Have you even used traktor? or are you being paid by virtual dj?

Traktor is rock solid. Don't believe me?

http://www.residentadvisor.net/feat...ad.aspx?id=1035

Normally I don't like fanboys but I'm not going ignore a quality product just because it's popular. The beatsyncing is tight as a nuns vagina. Once you beatgrid your tracks they will not go out of sync, simple as that. I know this because i've used it for years.

Ableton is also a good program but i prefer the feel of traktor for dj'ing.

edit: traktor will also auto-beatgrid your tracks now. it works well from my experience.

Re: Re: Re: Virtual DJ. Good or Not?

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As far as traktor is concerned I havent heard good things about its beat matching engine (VDJs tho is ROCK SOLID, once youve aligned the beats they just wont drift)... in the sense even if youve managed to align beats (and the BPM is the exact same), the beats slide out of position pretty regularly, if you dont have the beat markers down correctly or whatever...

VirtualDJ definately has a better BPM engine. I've only seen a few songs where it didn't detect the BPM correctly, and in every case it was because the BPM changed throughout the song. The new version of traktor has come close to matching it, but you still have to mess around with the beat grid frequently. It's also easier to tell where the beat is at / if songs are in sync using vitualDJ's visualization compared to traktor.

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Originally posted by TWD VirtualDJ definately has a better BPM engine. I've only seen a few songs where it didn't detect the BPM correctly, and in every case it was because the BPM changed throughout the song. The new version of traktor has come close to matching it, but you still have to mess around with the beat grid frequently. It's also easier to tell where the beat is at / if songs are in sync using vitualDJ's visualization compared to traktor.

I agree that beatgridding is kind of a hastle since it takes a few seconds and that can add up with a lot of tracks. But if i'm dj'ing with beatgridded tracks then i can trust that they will stay in time and that means a whole lot to me when i am trying to focus on flow, mixing, picking tracks, fx, etc.

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Originally posted by coroknight I agree that beatgridding is kind of a hastle since it takes a few seconds and that can add up with a lot of tracks. But if i'm dj'ing with beatgridded tracks then i can trust that they will stay in time and that means a whole lot to me when i am trying to focus on flow, mixing, picking tracks, fx, etc.

how lame. no two tracks can ever stay completely in sync. they will always eventually move apart. acknowledging that is the first step towards becoming a DJ.

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quote:

Originally posted by coroknight I agree that beatgridding is kind of a hastle since it takes a few seconds and that can add up with a lot of tracks. But if i'm dj'ing with beatgridded tracks then i can trust that they will stay in time and that means a whole lot to me when i am trying to focus on flow, mixing, picking tracks, fx, etc.

VirtualDJ actually has it's own beat grid as well. You set the initial beat and then set the bpm from there. It's just buried deep within the interface. It's one of the options you get if you right click on a song in the browser while it's also playing.

In this respect traktor's beatgrids are actually better than VirtualDJ's. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the autodetect algorithms are on par as well. Traktor has caught with every other feature, and unless virtualDJ makes huge changes to stay a step ahead in it's next update they face the risk of becoming irrelevant.

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Originally posted by Imu how lame. no two tracks can ever stay completely in sync. they will always eventually move apart. acknowledging that is the first step towards becoming a DJ.

have you ever used traktor? might want to try it before bringing my dj knowledge into question

quote:

Originally posted by TWD VirtualDJ actually has it's own beat grid as well. You set the initial beat and then set the bpm from there. It's just buried deep within the interface. It's one of the options you get if you right click on a song in the browser while it's also playing. In this respect traktor's beatgrids are actually better than VirtualDJ's. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the autodetect algorithms are on par as well. Traktor has caught with every other feature, and unless virtualDJ makes huge changes to stay a step ahead in it's next update they face the risk of becoming irrelevant.

I agree. It also took me a while to figure out how to beatgrid in traktor but i never stuck around with virtual dj long enough to beatgrid with it. My main issues were with 1) sound quality and 2) stability.

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Originally posted by coroknight have you ever used traktor? might want to try it before bringing my dj knowledge into question

yupp i have.

traktor is not the issue, the fact that you expect that to be the case however, is an issue. it's nothing to do with knowledge, but the day you realize the disadvantages of beatsyncing on traktor (or anything else that has beatgrids and syncs) you will become a better dj.

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Originally posted by Imu yupp i have. traktor is not the issue, the fact that you expect that to be the case however, is an issue. it's nothing to do with knowledge, but the day you realize the disadvantages of beatsyncing on traktor (or anything else that has beatgrids and syncs) you will become a better dj.

We are talking about computer DJ software. If you want their are a million other threads debating the virtues of software vs cd's vs vinyl.

My point about traktor was that if you have your tracks beat-gridded then they should NEVER go out of sync unless something happens out of your control (computer dying, someone fucking with your midi controller, etc.)

But trust me I understand the importance of starting out bare bones and working your way up. I doubt a beginner could truely appreciate the features that DJ software provides, let alone use them properly.

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