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Originally posted by rapfiend03 1. Which is better to start off with? (Vynil or cdj's)(sp?) 2. If i got TT's could i use my laptop as the mixer? and would it be better in the long run to actually buy a mixer? 3. How much do you generally spend on viynal...say in a month? (sp?) 4. Ever since you started home dj-ing or club dj-ing have/do you regret it at all? 5. Finally how hard was it to figure out how to mix two songs to gether? uhh i think thats it...just basic newb-trying-to-figure-out-if-should-spin questions.....lates!

1. Vinyls are sexy, fun to collect, and there is definitely something rewarding about spinning them cos of the whole 'hands-on' thing. However, there are obvious advantages to CDs because you can practice with freely available music (if you so desire), and downloading high quality digital recordings to burn to CDR is quite cheap (and faster than snail mail). CDJs are generally more expensive than turntables. I have a pair of Technics MK5 vinyl turntables which are the industry standard, yet I paid slightly more for my entry-level Pioneer CDJ-800. Also, practice spelling vinyl before you buy turntables.

2. You wouldn't want to use your laptop as a mixer for a few reasons. Firstly, you would need a signal processor of some kind to convert the phono signal from the turntables (assuming you buy vinyl decks) into a line level signal that your (probably ordinary) sound card accepts. More importantly however, is that your computer is going to have a certain amount of lag between what you do on the screen and how it affects the music, which will get in the way of mixing. Also, controlling a mixer on the computer is awful. If you have ever used traktor DJ studio to mix mp3s, you'll know that controlling sensitive knobs with nothing but a mouse cursor (and some hot keys which you can program to a certain extent) royally SUCKS. Last of all, you can at least get an entry level mixer for cheap, and it'll be much more usable than a software one, trust me. That is why software mixers aren't really used by DJs. In short, buy a hardware mixer.

3. Money spent on vinyl in a month? Depends entirely on how many tracks you buy of course! If you buy new vinyls from overseas they'll usually set you back (including shipping) about $12-$14 a piece, or new vinyls bought in the USA around $10-$11 a piece. Second hand vinyls can be bought on ebay for less sometimes. Seeing as you live in San Antonio, shopping for vinyls in brick-and-mortar record stores (as opposed to online) is generally a shithouse experience. If you're going to be buying trance, the selection leaves a lot to be desired, though there are a couple of stores here in town that occasionally carry a couple of good tracks. You'll end up buying them online though, I promise you. It's the way to go anyway.

4. My first gig was about 18 months ago, and it was a shitload of fun, even if it was a disorganised, empty club in Austin. Since then it has been even more of a blast. Getting gigs is about knowing the right people for the mostpart, but expect to deal with selfish promotors and people that are in it for reasons different from your own. Don't expect to get paid, at least initially, and even later don't expect much money for what you do, in this part of the world at least. It's very enjoyable though. I still love just spinning records in my bedroom, and wouldn't sell my turntables unless I got into serious financial trouble or somethin.

5. Unless you're a pendejo, you've already been thinking about the technical aspects of how one might mix two tracks together. Basicly blending a couple of tracks, as one finishes and another begins, is not difficult. There is a learning curve, as you have to practice beatmatching (matching the tempo of both tracks, and aligning their beats so that they mesh as you blend them), but that isn't hard either. The concept is simple, it just takes a little time. DJing is only as complex as you make it. For someone that mixes trance, I would say that much of the skill is in the selection of tracks. You may choose to become more technical in your mixing skills, but you'll be mixing sets long before that happens. Besides, with a genre like trance, being technical with your mixing is much more limited than it is with techno, tech-trance, tech-house, drum & bass... with those, a DJ can usually be more creative in his/her mixing.

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"I played 12.30 til close at 3am at the club (Antro), following on from an Australian dj,
which seemed unusual in deepest Texas." - Judge Jules

You might have a lot of luck in the DJ Booth section of TA. Here is thread sticky dedicated to your inquiry:
Vinyl vs. Cd's: Which Is Better?

^^^ I wouldn't bother with more than a few pages of that enormous thread... it may be an endless debate but the fact is there are clear advantages and disadvantages to both media and it won't take long for you to decide which medium is better for you.

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"I played 12.30 til close at 3am at the club (Antro), following on from an Australian dj,
which seemed unusual in deepest Texas." - Judge Jules

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Originally posted by Rememberence_ Also, practice spelling vinyl before you buy turntables. Unless you're a pendejo

I can't stop laughing at this post!!! The nicely hidden hilarity is pure class!!!

I'll put it to you this way Bo...which ever one you choose you'll be happy with and wonder how you could have ever done it any other way.

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Originally posted by Dirk W. People in Dallas aren't *ssholes. Just look at me, I live in Dallas.

Meat is Murder...tasty, tasty murder.

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Originally posted by davemolina I can't stop laughing at this post!!! The nicely hidden hilarity is pure class!!!

Oh my god I haven't stopped laughing hahahah!

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http://531.am

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Originally posted by rapfiend03 1. Which is better to start off with? (Vynil or cdj's)(sp?) 2. If i got TT's could i use my laptop as the mixer? and would it be better in the long run to actually buy a mixer? 3. How much do you generally spend on viynal...say in a month? (sp?) 4. Ever since you started home dj-ing or club dj-ing have/do you regret it at all? 5. Finally how hard was it to figure out how to mix two songs to gether? uhh i think thats it...just basic newb-trying-to-figure-out-if-should-spin questions.....lates!

1) Vinyl is way more fun. It's more difficult in my experience, but at the same time, with CDJ's there's the temptation to let technology make up for lack of real skill and technical foundation. If you let yourself get sloppy, no matter how much technology or experience you have, you'll start sounding worse. Turntables don't have master tempo, forcing you to pick songs that are naturally in key. They don't have a numerical representation of the pitch adjustment, so you have to use your ears rather than your eyes to beatmatch. I had several years of experience on vinyl before I ever touched a CDJ, and while it's nice to have them now or be able to use both I'm greatful for what vinyl taught me.

2) why would you want to do this? you need a ton of extra hardware in addition to the laptop. then there's the question of lag/latency, which has the potential to ruin the sound of a set or performance. lastly, a regular mixer is easier, has higher sound quality, and is just better.

3)it depends on the month. first of all, it depends on whether or not there are a lot of songs that I feel are worth buying. second, it depends on how much money I have and what my expenses are.

4) nope. just plain no, I have no regrets about it. In the beginning, it's a fun challenge to learn what you're doing and progress from suck-ass to not-so-bad. I haven't had many live gigs, although I had a twice-weekly radio show for about 2.5 years (albeit with a pretty small broadcast area). Now I'm looking for gigs, and there's nothing quite like playing to a receptive audience. Even without an audience, it lets me play only songs that I like in ways that I like, and it's just fun. Also it's a nice skill to have if a lot of your friends like electronic music.

5) it'll vary from person to person. there's a baseline of technical skills and familiarity with tracks and equipment that you have to get, but you get it by practice. then it really is what you want it to be. sometimes you'll be limited by your equipment, e.g. not having a sampler or effects box, but you'd be surprised what you can do with just a couple of input faders and no eq's if you know how. My advice is to not get frustrated if your early mixes suck, or aren't beatmatched perfectly, and just keep practicing. Work on the idea of a set as a whole, rather than working on the idea of a single mix between songs, because once you get the technical skills to do what you want with the music, track selection is what makes one dj stand out over another in many cases.

I'm really bored and decided to chime in with more info...

1. Which is better to start off with? (Vynil or cdj's)(sp?)

Like in my earlier post, you will be happy with either one. Vinyl is more expensive, but with Technics being the standard, you'll see them at almost any respectable venue you play at...so you're not going to see any surprises. CDs are much cheaper and its easier to stay current on your tracks, but you don't have the luxury of having one CD player being standard at every venue. Some of the newer guys that use only CDs freak out a bit when they have to use CD decks they're not familiar with, so it will add to their stage fright. Personally, since I was familiar with Technics, I only freaked out when I saw a mixer I hadn't used before.

2. If i got TT's could i use my laptop as the mixer? and would it be better in the long run to actually buy a mixer?

I'm not a tech guy, but buy a mixer you cheap bastard! A 2-channel job should do well for ya.

3. How much do you generally spend on viynal...say in a month? (sp?)

I try to spend at least $50 - $100 a month on vinyl, which translates to about 4 - 8 vinyls...its sad. I spend more if I have a steady cash flow from playing out, so I let my gigs pay for my records. Suede has Final Scratch installed in the booth, so I've been doing the Beatport thing and I'll upload my tracks to the server next time I'm there. I am learning to use CD players though.

4. Ever since you started home dj-ing or club dj-ing have/do you regret it at all?

Never once. I've met some of the best people a guy could know from DJ-ing and it also feeds my need for attention nicely.

5. Finally how hard was it to figure out how to mix two songs to gether?

Not very hard. I listened to lots of mixed sets and knew the tracks fairly well. It took a couple weeks to do it decently, but the trick is doing it CONSISTENTLY. I still mess up to this day, but I don't trainwreck anymore.

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Originally posted by Dirk W. People in Dallas aren't *ssholes. Just look at me, I live in Dallas.

Meat is Murder...tasty, tasty murder.

Why not get Rane's Serato Scratch Live? http://www.rane.com/scratch.html I LOVE it. You get some of the control and feeling of vinyl with the ease of MP3s. You can even buy vinyl a little at a time to play on the system. You can learn how to beatmatch both visually and by ear and take off the visual features when you want to practice your skills in a "real world" manner. You can hook up CDJs to it if you want to instead of tables but for the price difference I would stick to tables. (Plus if you hook up CDJs to it you loose alot of the visual help that can be important while you are learning!) It supports an EFX box later if you want to upgrade. As you can tell I love the system and would not advocate someone learning on their own with something else. (As it sounds like you are teaching yourself by the questions you are asking!) BTW get a mixer, Traktor Sucks ass!! Too hard to control for even a good DJ just because you have no control over it. Worse program ever written and I do not know why people even pay money for it!

The new version on Traktor allows you to use a MIDI controller to ride the pitch, which is pretty awesome...but they fudged it up by making everything rotary.

I advocate FS or SSL, but its another 400 - 500 dollars on top of what you're paying for equipment, so its not very realistic when you're first starting out.

Xyzpdq0121: Haven't seen you here much, did you just move to SA?

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quote:

Originally posted by Dirk W. People in Dallas aren't *ssholes. Just look at me, I live in Dallas.

Meat is Murder...tasty, tasty murder.

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Originally posted by rapfiend03 1. Which is better to start off with? (Vynil or cdj's)(sp?)

Its all preference based on your budget, and what you are comfortable with. I started off with CDs because I planned on getting into producing my own work. If you decide to go this route...and plan on playing on anything bigger than a small system, I advise against using downloaded MP3s. Forget the whole legality of it...they just sound like crap. 320kbs mp3s from beatport and edmdigital sound decent, but I go with the wav and flac formats they sell respectively.
You will hear alot of people say things like: "people dont dance to CDs, blahblahblah" and all I have to say is I used nothing but them when opening for van Dyk and G&D...and there didn't seem to be a problem there

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Originally posted by rapfiend03 2. If i got TT's could i use my laptop as the mixer? and would it be better in the long run to actually buy a mixer?

I dunno anything about being able to use your laptop as a mixer. You can use it for selecting tracks if you are using FS, SSL, or Ableton..but to my knowledge you still actually use a hardware mixer. I could be wrong.

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Originally posted by rapfiend03 3. How much do you generally spend on tracks...say in a month? (sp?)

Beatport sells tracks anywhere from $3-4 a track, MP3s are a dollar cheaper, but I already explaind my thoughts on that. I buy in the neihborhood of 30 new tracks a month, depending on how much new material is released that I actually like..so usually $80-150 a month for tracks. Vinyl your gonna spend 10 times as much.

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Originally posted by rapfiend03 4. Ever since you started home dj-ing or club dj-ing have/do you regret it at all?

I only regret not getting into earlier.

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Originally posted by rapfiend03 5. Finally how hard was it to figure out how to mix two songs to gether?

Everything has a learning curve, and nothing will come overnight. Too many people expect to become professionals in under 6 months, and get frustrated, and give up. Patience, practice and perseverence. If you stick with it and if its what you love to do, you'll be surprised how far you may find yoruself progressing.

Keep in mind as well Bo, you have the lot of us as a good support group. Feel free to ask us for any kind of help.

I'm also in town, so if you need deck time...let me know.

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quote:

Originally posted by Dirk W. People in Dallas aren't *ssholes. Just look at me, I live in Dallas.

Meat is Murder...tasty, tasty murder.