CDJ Users: Using mixed discs like G&D's "Bloom" etc....

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RJT
last minute disco

Registered: Oct 2004
Location:

CDJ Users: Using mixed discs like G&D's "Bloom" etc....

Just wondering if any of you use mixed CD's like "Bloom" when you spin sets?

I just got my CDJ's about 2 months ago, and was purely vinyl before that, and now it seems like some of the tracks I've wanted to use for a while but either A.) couldn't find or B.) were unreleased/bootlegged on vinyl are now really accessible.

The only problem is that I find myself having to do a lot of looping on the fly for some tracks (See G&D "Arcadia") and I'm not entirely comfortable with some of the tracks that I have to use this technique to mix out of, which means I can't really use them live unless I am having an exceptionally confident night.

Just looking for others opinions/thoughts on this. I just got James Holden's Balance 005 and I'm hoping to be able to work with a few of the tracks on there soon, but I can already see this one being an uphill battle so I may just fork out cash for digital/vinyl singles of the tracks I really like (Pretty much the last half of the second disc )

Peace, Cheers,

RJT

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Jan-29-2005 19:16

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Zack Roth
Supreme tranceaddict

Registered: Feb 2003
Location: .....

personally I would never use a version of a song that has been mixed into a cd. Its completely illogical. If you use a song off a pre-mixed cd, you're limiting yourself to a very short intro and outro, add to that the intro and outro of the song are gonna have elements from the song before and after it still lingering around.

Jan-29-2005 20:22

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tvmann
Supreme tranceaddict

Registered: Jul 2003
Location: near Vancouver, Canada

Another problem with using DJ mix CDs as a source is that the BPM might be changing, which can make your transitions hard to beatmatch.

This is not a problem on many mix CDs however, if it is made from a computer mix they did with Sound Forge (or other software) they might have adjusted all tracks so they are constant BPM or the BPM change is done only at certain points that are not problematic.

Another issue is that the music might be sort of 2nd generation - it's a remixed version of the original tracks and there might be a quality loss depending on how it was done. Good enough for home listening but maybe not good enough for DJing.

Mix CDs can be a low-cost source but I don't buy them anymore because of the potential problems, unless they have a lot of killer tracks maybe I'll risk it.

Hed Kandi has a line of compilation CDs that are not mixed, but mostly house and club tunes, not much trance.

Jan-29-2005 22:39 Canada

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Dzokayi
Supreme tranceaddict

Registered: Feb 2002
Location: Houston, Texas, USA TXTA#32

If your CDJs have a memory function...

Whether internal, memory card (usually SD), or a combination of both... Simply save loops of the intros/outros and loop on the fly. This eliminates the pressure of setting the in/out points, and you won't have any wandering tempos to deal with.

Jan-30-2005 01:39 United States

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dj_lane
Timeless

Registered: Jul 2004
Location: MNTA #7 /// AvidTechno.com

ive mixed "Alive" from the bloom CD, worked good for me

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