Got a few questions for people who have added cd/mp3 players to their TT setups before i decide whether or not to spend some of my student loan on one.

1. What cd player is it?
2. Did you get 1 or 2?
3. Roughly how long did it take you to learn how to dj with it properly?
4. Do you think its harder to use than a vinyl turntable?
5. Does it take longer or less time to beatmatch tracks compared with a vinyl TT?
6. How often do you use it in comparison with your vinyl TT's?
7. What do you like better, your cd deck or vinyl deck?

This might also help me choose what cd player to get - cant decide between CDJ-200 / CDJ-800 / Denon DNS-3000.

Thanks.

Oh, and if there's a similar thread somewhere, i would appreciate a link.

Last edited by Quantized on Aug-28-2005 at 13:49

quote:

Originally posted by Trancedewd Got a few questions for people who have added cd/mp3 players to their TT setups before i decide whether or not to spend some of my student loan on one. 1. What cd player is it? 2. Did you get 1 or 2? 3. Roughly how long did it take you to learn how to dj with it properly? 4. Do you think its harder to use than a vinyl turntable? 5. Does it take longer or less time to beatmatch tracks compared with a vinyl TT? 5. How often do you use it in comparison with your vinyl TT's? 6. What do you like better, your cd deck or vinyl deck? This might also help me choose what cd player to get - cant decide between CDJ-200 / CDJ-800 / Denon DNS-3000. Thanks. Oh, and if there's a similar thread somewhere, i would appreciate a link.

1. CDJ 800 x 2 (Soon to be 3!)
2. See above
3. A week or two
4. No, I don't think it's harder to use, it's just different, and has different limitations, but you learn to work within those and you'll be fine.
5. Less time for me to get the speeds close, but with most CD decks it's hard to get a perfect beatmatch by matching pitch (The 800's are only .05%), so you have to get used to your corrections... but everything will sound perfect if you can master those...
5. Part 2: I only use my CDJ's now... Sold my other decks... (Plan on re-purchasing at least one vinyl deck soon...)
6. Cd Deck - Though, I do find it completely understandable that there are a lot of die hard vinyl guys out there... I think it shows an incredible amount of dedication... I had to switch to CD for my own reasons, but to each their own...

Hope that helped...

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quote:

Originally posted by Trancedewd Got a few questions for people who have added cd/mp3 players to their TT setups before i decide whether or not to spend some of my student loan on one. 1. What cd player is it? 2. Did you get 1 or 2? 3. Roughly how long did it take you to learn how to dj with it properly? 4. Do you think its harder to use than a vinyl turntable? 5. Does it take longer or less time to beatmatch tracks compared with a vinyl TT? 5. How often do you use it in comparison with your vinyl TT's? 6. What do you like better, your cd deck or vinyl deck? This might also help me choose what cd player to get - cant decide between CDJ-200 / CDJ-800 / Denon DNS-3000. Thanks. Oh, and if there's a similar thread somewhere, i would appreciate a link.

1. FINAL SCRATCH 2
2. -
3. A day
4. -
5. - Less, it makes it ewasier as you get visual for the waveforms and time passed/remaining etc
5.
6.

Ive used a lot of cd players, but vinyl is so smooth in my eyes - digital pitch + me =

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quote:

Originally posted by Trancedewd 1. What cd player is it? 2. Did you get 1 or 2? 3. Roughly how long did it take you to learn how to dj with it properly? 4. Do you think its harder to use than a vinyl turntable? 5. Does it take longer or less time to beatmatch tracks compared with a vinyl TT? 5. How often do you use it in comparison with your vinyl TT's? 6. What do you like better, your cd deck or vinyl deck?

1. CDJ-800
2. 2
3. About a week.
4. No, not harder just different. And once you are comfortable with the differences I think it's easier.
5. I haven't really noticed if it does or doesn't take longer. The only difference is that with TT's I usually ride the pitch to the beatmatch. With cdj's I'm using the platter and the pitch to make matches.
5. Did you notice that you put 2 number 5's in your list? Right now, I'm using one or the other for the most part. The majority of my vinyls are relatively new releases. The majority of my cd's are from 2000 or so and are very cheesy tracks (but I love 'em!!!) so I rarely ever use them in conjunction right now. Once I start ripping my vinyl, I can definitely see myself just jamming out on the cdj's exclusively but......who knows.
6. I can't say one way or the other. There are indivdualities that I like more about one or the other but, they are my children!!!! I can't choose!!

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quote:

Originally posted by Ygrene Did you notice that you put 2 number 5's in your list?

Fixed :P

RJT, what are you gonna use your 3rd CDJ for? Sampling & looping stuff?

quote:

Originally posted by Trancedewd 1. What cd player is it? 2. Did you get 1 or 2? 3. Roughly how long did it take you to learn how to dj with it properly? 4. Do you think its harder to use than a vinyl turntable? 5. Does it take longer or less time to beatmatch tracks compared with a vinyl TT? 6. How often do you use it in comparison with your vinyl TT's? 7. What do you like better, your cd deck or vinyl deck?

1. CDJ-1000 MKII
2. One (About to add another though)
3. It took about a week to get used to it.
4. Nope.
5. Slightly longer on the CDJ's, but that's because I don't use them as often. Oh, and also because I was using mp3's which of course have less sound quality, that really bothered me. Thanks to beatport though, I can get full quality .wav files.
6. Well, I don't use it nearly as much as vinyl right now because I have way more vinyl. However, like I just mentioned above I've started to purchase full quality .wav's and this has totally changed my attitude towards CD's. If I can get it on CD, I will. If not, well I still will buy vinyl.
7. I love them both equally.

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quote:

Originally posted by Trancedewd Got a few questions for people who have added cd/mp3 players to their TT setups before i decide whether or not to spend some of my student loan on one. 1. What cd player is it? 2. Did you get 1 or 2? 3. Roughly how long did it take you to learn how to dj with it properly? 4. Do you think its harder to use than a vinyl turntable? 5. Does it take longer or less time to beatmatch tracks compared with a vinyl TT? 6. How often do you use it in comparison with your vinyl TT's? 7. What do you like better, your cd deck or vinyl deck? This might also help me choose what cd player to get - cant decide between CDJ-200 / CDJ-800 / Denon DNS-3000. Thanks. Oh, and if there's a similar thread somewhere, i would appreciate a link.

1. cdj100
2. 2
3. a while
4. not really, since the principle is the same. but i do prefer the control that you get with vinyl and the cdj100 doesn't even come close to matching that. the .1% pitch increment probably is the culprit, so i'd recommend something better than the bare minimum like the 800s or 1000s.
5. it takes slightly longer than with vinyl cuz i only use the pitch sliders (the platter imo is iffy) on the 100's to beatmatch.
6. 50-50, i'm still trying to get comfortable with cdjs.
7. if you haven't figured out from the responses above, vinyls.

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quote:

Originally posted by Trancedewd 1. What cd player is it? 2. Did you get 1 or 2? 3. Roughly how long did it take you to learn how to dj with it properly? 4. Do you think its harder to use than a vinyl turntable? 5. Does it take longer or less time to beatmatch tracks compared with a vinyl TT? 6. How often do you use it in comparison with your vinyl TT's? 7. What do you like better, your cd deck or vinyl deck?

1. CDJ800 x 2
2. Bought one to begin with, then another a couple of months later.
3. About 24 hours
4. Easier. Much easier.
5. I find beatmatching much quicker on my CDJs although I'm equally at home with vinyl.
6. About 50/50 between vinyl & CD although I'm noticing I'm taking less and less vinyl to gigs these days.
7. TBH, I don't have a favourite between my CDJs & Techs. Both serve a purpose and serve me very well. If I could only choose one medium to mix on for the rest of my life, it'd still be vinyl but that's only because I've spent years collecting records. I consider CD decks to be a very sound investment though.

Hope this helps - I'm very pleased with my CDJ800s if that's any help.

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1. Pioneer CDJ 800
2. One
3. Some weeks, but to learn all features it took a lot longer
4. Beatmatchin is easier for me, the difference when you play with CD you don't "see" the track like on a vinyl
5. For me the same time, but a CD player is a bit more stable in the speed i would say
6. At the moment less, if i'd download more tracks eventually more often but i am a vinyl addict
7. Technics TT, but the CDJ is a nice plaything

Wow, 6 Pioneer users already and no Denons - was expecting more of a variety.

Thanks for the answers so far guys - it's helped quite a bit. Nice to see some guys find it easier to beatmatch with cd decks than vinyl decks, i always thought that beatmatching would be a hell of a lot harder on cd decks. I've noticed that a few of you bought another cdj after getting the first one so they must be pretty decent. Also pretty relieved looking at the times its taken you ppl to learn how to use them - cueing/beatmataching on cd decks looks nowhere near as simple as cueing on my techs + there's so many extra buttons on cd decks.

1. Pioneer CDJ100
2. 2
3. Already knew how to mix on rackmount Denon CD decks and knew the differences in the cuing system, so only took a couple of hours to know it pretty much inside out.
4. Yes. With my CD deck the pitch changes in 0.1% steps, so I have to keep adjusting it. CDJ1000s etc have as small as 0.02% steps but they're only on low pitch ranges. Other than that, can be easier cos there's no chance of the needle skipping while you're cuing up the track etc.
5. About the same, but as I say with mine you can rarely get it spot on anyway
6. About 50-50
7. Prefer using vinyl on the whole (partly due to my cd decks not being the best out there) but I can see myself going totally CD within the next couple of years if I can get a pair of CDJ1000s, or even better whatever new model they might bring out. I won't be completely happy until someone comes up with a CD deck which moves in 0.01% steps up to at least 10% range with 0.02% above that (until about 24% range, depending on the different ranges it offers). One of the main reasons being due that master tempo makes harmonic mixing easier, although that's something that could do with being improved too.

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Stu Cox |