Hi Guys and girls,

I’m researching again for a future magazine column I’m writing. Firstly and importantly I don’t want to start of a debate of what is better or not, I know forum posts can tend to go off subject and into a tangent!!
I want first hand experiences of DJ’s entering the digital world for the very first time? DJ’s making the jump from vinyl to CD or software.


1. Was the first step of playing on a CD player daunting and confusing? If so what did you struggle with?
2. Did the thought of technology frighten you off at first?
3. Did the cost of the equipment put you off for a while?
4. Are there things today that you are still confused about; how to use the controls, what blank CD’s to use, what quality MP3’s to use?
5. In my experience, vinyl purists don’t understand technology, can’t afford the equipment and are frightened of change. They fight their cause when they haven’t even touched a modern CD player. Can you be honest and say yes you are one of these DJ’s?
6. Have your favourite DJ’s inspired you to change format?
7. Has the new format changed the way you buy your music, ie from download shops? Do you find more music this way? Those special one off magic tracks?
8. + any other thoughts.


Again please keep this topic related. It’s not a debate of what format is better. I’m researching peoples experiences.

Many thanks



John

1. Was the first step of playing on a CD player daunting and confusing? If so what did you struggle with?
Not really. It seemed very natural and easy to grasp. The only thing I "struggled" with at first was figuring out the sensitivity of the pitchbend wheel on the CDJ-800s.

2. Did the thought of technology frighten you off at first?
Not at all.

3. Did the cost of the equipment put you off for a while?
Nope.

4. Are there things today that you are still confused about; how to use the controls, what blank CD’s to use, what quality MP3’s to use?
Nope.

5. In my experience, vinyl purists don’t understand technology, can’t afford the equipment and are frightened of change. They fight their cause when they haven’t even touched a modern CD player. Can you be honest and say yes you are one of these DJ’s?
I'm not one of those DJs.

6. Have your favourite DJ’s inspired you to change format?
I guess you can say that. Most of them use CDs now and many producers issue promos and releases on CD/mp3 so I figured that was the way to go.

7. Has the new format changed the way you buy your music, ie from download shops? Do you find more music this way? Those special one off magic tracks?
Definitely. I look for new tracks at Beatport and EDM Digital rather than looking for them on vinyl. The only vinyl I buy now is at the used record store, where I can pick up a record for $3 or $4.

8. + any other thoughts.
Good luck on your article.

1. I was actually really excited to do it, I had been for a while. The main thing I struggled with was the difference of pitch adjustment and sensitivity on the wheel (On the CDJ 1000 MK@s) which took a few sessions to get used to.
2. When I was just getting into DJing, yes. I thought I'd be on vinyl for forever. But that changed maybe a few months after actually djing.
3. It didn't so much put me off, as I still would have bought them eventually when I had the money; thankfully I have a roomate who bought 2.
4. Not really.
5. No.
6. Not really change format, but I can definitely say they have piqued my interest (most recently Ableton, obviously).
7. It's definitely changed the way I buy music. Every now and then I'll go to a record shop for fun (I still love to play on vinyl) or order that one off track you just can't find in a download shop, but something like 95% of my new music is now from digital download.

Cheers John! Hope to see you back in Denver soon

1. Was the first step of playing on a CD player daunting and confusing? If so what did you struggle with?
Somewhat, but after a couple goes i realized how easy it could be.

2. Did the thought of technology frighten you off at first?
No, it always seemed great.. as i started on vinyl, we were really interested in cd players as we didnt have them, and we were like kids in a candy store when one of my friends bought a crummy dual american audio.

3. Did the cost of the equipment put you off for a while?
Still has.

4. Are there things today that you are still confused about; how to use the controls, what blank CD’s to use, what quality MP3’s to use?
I want to fully harness the power of the denon-5000. I believe there is a lot in that cd player that doesnt get fully taken advantage of.. could be fun.. other than tho, i feel very comfortable on them

5. In my experience, vinyl purists don’t understand technology, can’t afford the equipment and are frightened of change. They fight their cause when they haven’t even touched a modern CD player. Can you be honest and say yes you are one of these DJ’s?
I'm not.

6. Have your favourite DJ’s inspired you to change format?

No, but the music they spin has.

7. Has the new format changed the way you buy your music, ie from download shops? Do you find more music this way? Those special one off magic tracks?

I still like to go crate digging.. but thats about all i do at the record shop lately.. unless im in a big city and i see some "too good to be true that you have it in the store" releases.

8. + any other thoughts.

I have truly compromised when it comes to digital and analouge.. I adopted the use of FS2 for home use and its working great.. i still find myself taking cds to the club, as lots of the clubs here in bombay dont have tables- It truly does make my life easier carrying around cds, but when i go somewhere which has tts as well as cds, i know ill definetely bring fs2 along and use that in conjunction with my regular vinyls and cds..

On a random note, one thing cds have allowed djs to do is get more used to a 3+ input setup. Normally someone would have two tables and thats it, but with more and more people adding cds players onto their setups, and using 3 or 4 channel mixers, i think people taking advantage of using those 3+ inputs and i think it's helping people become better, more versatile djs.

___________________
Fortuna Favet Fortibus.

i dunno if i'm really the kind of a person you're seeking answers from as i started with cds, but here goes anyway:

quote:

Originally posted by John 00 Fleming 1. Was the first step of playing on a CD player daunting and confusing? If so what did you struggle with?

hell yeah it was. i hadn't played with any dj equipment before, so i had no idea how any of it works really. i started with cds and am still using them only.

quote:

Originally posted by John 00 Fleming 2. Did the thought of technology frighten you off at first?

not really, i've always loved technology and all kinds of equipment have always fascinated me a lot, so i was very interested in how everything works and not frightened about it

quote:

Originally posted by John 00 Fleming 3. Did the cost of the equipment put you off for a while?

definitely. i had to save about 6 months to get myself my first CDJ-100 and then i had to save for about a year to get myself another CDJ-100 and a DJM-300 and i'm still using those, altho i'd really like to upgrade, but can't really afford it

quote:

Originally posted by John 00 Fleming 4. Are there things today that you are still confused about; how to use the controls, what blank CD’s to use, what quality MP3’s to use?

nothing with my current equipment, but i have no idea how all the special features (looping, hot cues, sampling, etc. etc.) on the more advanced models work (probably, because i have never used them)

quote:

Originally posted by John 00 Fleming 5. In my experience, vinyl purists don’t understand technology, can’t afford the equipment and are frightened of change. They fight their cause when they haven’t even touched a modern CD player. Can you be honest and say yes you are one of these DJ’s?

no, i am not one of these djs, thank god. i agree completely with your view on them

quote:

Originally posted by John 00 Fleming 6. Have your favourite DJ’s inspired you to change format?

no, when i started buying cds and later on when i bought my equipment pretty much no one was playing cds, but i saw it coming altho everyone disagreed with me then.

quote:

Originally posted by John 00 Fleming 7. Has the new format changed the way you buy your music, ie from download shops? Do you find more music this way? Those special one off magic tracks?

i've bought some downloads, but i prefer not to as it's illegal to play these tracks out in finland, so i couldn't play them at a gig if i wanted to. although i'll never play out most likely as i'm doing this just for my own pleasure pretty much, but you never know what happens, so i'd like to have only stuff i can play out, just in case

quote:

Originally posted by John 00 Fleming 8. + any other thoughts.

the download thing is fucked up as you have to pay many times for the music. first you pay to download it, then you pay to burn it (cost of the cd-r and effort) then you have to pay some huge gay licencing fee in order to play the tunes out and the bar/club still has to pay the normal licencing fees. so you're paying at least 4 times for EVERY FUCKING TRACK! that is the most fucked up thing ever IMO.

___________________

Get Dropbox, with 250 MB extra space!

1. Was the first step of playing on a CD player daunting and confusing? If so what did you struggle with?

No. I had used a friend's CDJ and gotten comfortable with it so it was natural for me to buy the same model without question.

2. Did the thought of technology frighten you off at first? No.

3. Did the cost of the equipment put you off for a while? No thanks to Ebay.

4. Are there things today that you are still confused about; how to use the controls, what blank CD’s to use, what quality MP3’s to use?

No. Nothing the manual or Googling didn't quickly put to rest.

5. In my experience, vinyl purists don’t understand technology, can’t afford the equipment and are frightened of change. They fight their cause when they haven’t even touched a modern CD player. Can you be honest and say yes you are one of these DJ’s?

No. I embrace the CD player even though I still have decks. I prefer spinning on a CDJ and everything is cheaper in the long run.

6. Have your favourite DJ’s inspired you to change format?

Yes since I listen pretty much exclusively to psytrance which is dominated almost completely by CDJ. So it was natural for me to move in this direction.

7. Has the new format changed the way you buy your music, ie from download shops? Do you find more music this way? Those special one off magic tracks?

Totally. My vinyl buying days are completely over. I'll probably never buy another vinyl again. I'll still hold onto the hundreds I do have for old times sake. Buying a track online is instant gratification unlike vinyl where you always had to wait for it to come in the mail.

8. + any other thoughts.

Tons of my friends are DJs and some of them are pretty successful. More and more of them are moving over to CDJs and buying tracks online now. Some people argue about the quality but when your playing for a crowd of a bunch of either high or drunk people, who is going to notice that slight quality difference? Maybe a few anal purists in the corner with nothing better to do.

___________________

-Facebook- -SoundCloud-

1. Was the first step of playing on a CD player daunting and confusing?
- Not really, had been playing around with friend's DJ gear since a little kid.
2. Did the thought of technology frighten you off at first?
- Not at all, i've always liked cool gadgets and technology.
3. Did the cost of the equipment put you off for a while?
- No. I was too determined to get a decent DJ setup so the cost didn't put me off in any way.
4. Are there things today that you are still confused about; how to use the controls, what blank CD’s to use, what quality MP3’s to use?
- No. I have got the idea of everything by now. I'm not much of an mp3 listener/user, not at all to be honest, except for sampling purposes. CDs and vinyls are the ones for me.
5. In my experience, vinyl purists don’t understand technology, can’t afford the equipment and are frightened of change. They fight their cause when they haven’t even touched a modern CD player. Can you be honest and say yes you are one of these DJ’s?
- I'm not against change and i use both CDs and vinyls. I also do understand how the more up-to-date systems work. It's just all matter of principles to me.
6. Have your favourite DJ’s inspired you to change format?
- No. I have my own idealism of music collecting, using and listening and i prefer to have something concrete to touch and look at whether it's CD or vinyl instead of mp3s or such. The hunt for music i'm after is always more than half the fun. I know the sound quality of mp3s has improved alot from its early days but besides my principles, another reason for me not to use mp3s is basically what skip said there.
7. Has the new format changed the way you buy your music, ie from download shops? Do you find more music this way? Those special one off magic tracks?
- No. Not a bit. I want my music as i said before. Only reason i buy music from digital download shops is to support friends and amazing talents if their releases don't get released on an actual record format but i don't use download shops on a daily basis to get music.
8. + any other thoughts.
- Many of my friends are/have been DJs and most of them still prefer vinyls with some occasional CDs/CDRs. The overall opinions among them are that with vinyl you get a totally different feeling than with CDs or mp3s/other digital formats. Vinyl has some sort of magic which is lost when you just play tracks off your laptop for example. Of course it isn't the same to everyone, some people just don't mind the format of music as much as others but they just want their music easily, no matter the format and i understand that.

___________________
The walking discography.

quote:

Leslie Nielsen: Doing nothing is very hard to do... you never know when you're finished.

1. Was the first step of playing on a CD player daunting and confusing? If so what did you struggle with?

No it wasin't bad at all. I myself don't get afraid, I'd rather learn, and going in with confidence helps. I realized it was all the same thing as spinning a vinyl but different controls, and instead of being confused I just learnt very quickly the basics like cuing and jogging and went from there.

2. Did the thought of technology frighten you off at first?

No my first thought was that it opens more doors, and in my opinion it does. It gives you more options on how to construct a set if you learn to incorporate it into your sets.

3. Did the cost of the equipment put you off for a while?

Yes CDJ's are expensive and honestly I still don't own one yet, but will within the next 6 months. After spending 2000$ on a dj setup already it was hard to justify another 1000$ or more for a good CDJ. But after playing with them now, I believe it's worth the money.

4. Are there things today that you are still confused about; how to use the controls, what blank CD’s to use, what quality MP3’s to use?

No. I read a lot about subjects I am interested in and in the process learn what the hardware is capable of, and the best way to use it.

5. In my experience, vinyl purists don’t understand technology, can’t afford the equipment and are frightened of change. They fight their cause when they haven’t even touched a modern CD player. Can you be honest and say yes you are one of these DJ’s?

No, I am not, but many of my friends are. They look at it differently then mixing vinyl and think that the only way to really mix is with vinyl. I have gained their respect mixing with whatever I have available, CDJ's, Vinyl, computer, but it took a long time for that.

6. Have your favourite DJ’s inspired you to change format?

No. I think that realizing the possibilities (which in my mind are endless) helped that. Wanting to be able to get the best songs (that sometimes aren't on vinyl) and best set's possible to whatever audiance I have is what made me want to use other formats then vinyl.

7. Has the new format changed the way you buy your music, ie from download shops? Do you find more music this way? Those special one off magic tracks?

Yes. If I can't find something on vinyl or want it right now, I can usually find an mp3/wav source to download, which is great. It helps bring exposure to artists that may have great music that are independent, like the AP forum on here. Yes I find more music that way also, and even downloading a song illegally from a file sharing or other network works this way also. If I find a song that is great, I do end up buying it these days, as I want as high quality as possible to be able to share the songs "Experience" with the crowd, not some 128kbit rip with pops and clicks.

8. + any other thoughts.

I think that once the world of dj's realizes that its not what you mix with but how/why/what you mix then the world will open up and realize that it doesn't matter what format you use, you can still be great or awful. It's up to you to mix and make it sound good, whatever format that may be.

___________________

Tune Of The Month: Dekoze - This Time
Tune of The Week: Moby Feat. Mylene Farmer - Slipping Away (Crier La Vie) (Axwell Mix)

1. Was the first step of playing on a CD player daunting and confusing? If so what did you struggle with?

not really, i tried to focus on making the step from vinyl to cd easier by comparing the two and using the same technique while mixing. it actually makes you more tighter and focused while mixing with vinyl because unlike on decks, its a fine line between good and bad compared to being able to get away with so much on vinyl.


2. Did the thought of technology frighten you off at first?

not really, im intrested in new technology and after seeing the range of devices that help transform djing from being at times "one dimensional" to taking it to a more "live" feel, its worth looking at.

3. Did the cost of the equipment put you off for a while?

in my opinion, its pretty easy to get a laptop these days that is affordable compared to a few years back when prices were so high, its a big step with actual hardware like final scratch at £500+ and cd players costing between £300-1000 each for the best ones, but once you have them then you open up more opportunities with having a range of technology at your desposal. how you use it then is down to you and your abilities as a dj.
as of late, the news about the digital dj licence is confusing everyone and it makes you think that is it all worth it and what is the point in paying to download (legal) tracks to use digitally on cds or laptops when you have to pay firstly £200 to the PPL and then maybe another £500-1000 to another organisation per year, then it makes you think that the whole exercise is a waste of time.

4. Are there things today that you are still confused about; how to use the controls, what blank CD’s to use, what quality MP3’s to use?

not at all. i personally took to cds with the mindset that i was mixing the same way but with cds and got on fine. in my opinion it actually improved my vinyl mixing abilities and taught me to never be as lazy on the decks as you tend to get while mixing vinyl in the past.
most people these days have a basic if not advanced knowlege of I.T and knowing how to use the equipment. cdr's are used in almost every home in the uk these days so the whole process of changing to digital is easier than ever before.

5. In my experience, vinyl purists don’t understand technology, can’t afford the equipment and are frightened of change. They fight their cause when they haven’t even touched a modern CD player. Can you be honest and say yes you are one of these DJ’s?

i love the feel of mixing with vinyl and find it more stimulating but to be honest, if you dont move with the times then you get left behind. its each to their own really. its just down to ambition, perception, ability, comfort and even "to'mate'o" vs "to'mart'o" logic.
if you feel you dont need to experiment then thats cool, but if you want to broaden your horizons then go for it and try different technology and see if it can develope you as a dj or not. theres no harm in trying. especially if you are a specialist dj who finds it increasingly harder to get tracks and find buying digital is easier than being one of thousands tracking down the latest promo's to no avail.

6. Have your favourite DJ’s inspired you to change format?

yes and no. in my view its down to choice at the end of the day. but if you see a big name dj using the latest ableton or scratch live etc, then you become aware of it and fancy a try.
for me, its been a case that i can no longer hope that there will be enough promo's of the best and latest tracks around and at affordable prices on vinyl and with more labels and artists going digital, it makes sense for me to change.

7. Has the new format changed the way you buy your music, ie from download shops? Do you find more music this way? Those special one off magic tracks?

it just depends whether "the powers that be" actually let us play the music we buy because whats the point in buying full length tracks off the net from legal sites when we can not use them under any circumstances other than to listen on our own.
to be a dj is to play music you love. 99.999% of djs want to play the music that they love and they all desire to have an audience listening to them. however, if the likes of the P.P.L have their way then what is the point in paying to download full length dance tracks when you can not use them at all and lets be honest, apart from djs, who else is going to buy the tracks? sales will drop to almost zero.
people like myself buy tracks from online record stores because over the last few years, its been harder and harder and more expensive to buy vinyl versions of the latest tracks and to set yourself apart from the crowd, you need to look for the best tunes and some of those only get sold digitally. these days you cant get a good underground/promo track for less than £10-15 and if you want to keep your set fresh and up to date then its gonna cost you a fortune. so digital is much more practical and even more practical for the small labels and producers who can afford to sell over the net rather than pay for the demand of vinyl copies. but with the new licences, it means that djs will have to fork out £100s before they can even look at buying a tune and after paying for equipment, the whole process looks pointless.
where i live, the local HMV no longer stocks vinyl and the independant stores are either over 30 miles away or only stock out of date drum and bass. i dont want to play the same comercial dance that the major labels churn out and neither do the majority of djs. we want fresh music and upfront music by artists who love and respect the scene, not money men out to rape and pilage the dance comunity for a quick buck.
this licence for me does nothing more that act as a tax and stifles fresh growth in the dance industry and the use of new technology, there-by limiting djs to play the mass-produced comercial music that the major labels put out on vinyl and killing off independant up and coming djs and producers and effectively creating a terminal death in the scene. if it illegal to use cdr's or mp3's in your dj mix unless you are the select few who can afford to pay up to £1200, then what do companies which build the technologies like cds and mp3 platforms think? how do they see the licence that is effectively making their products obsolete or limited?. at the moment the whole digital platform is being manipulated and left unappealing to the masses because of the cost involved. with expensive licences, it could well put people off all together, if not end the idea before its begun.

8. + any other thoughts.

what do you think about the licence for digital djs john? because it effects the whole process of djing with cds and laptops and could kill off the whole idea completely.

Last edited by charlie lloyd on Jan-16-2006 at 04:53

1.) A little at first, but once you get thru your first session, you feel like you've been doing it for a year. It's the feel of it that obviously seemed like a hurdle initially, but as I said, once you get a few clean mixes under the belt, it's a doddle.

2.) No, I wouldn't say that. Technology in EDM is an inevitability, so rather than fight it, embrace it, that was my thought.

3.) Well, I'm really into doing it on the PC now, so once you have a PC/laptop, there's no real added expense. And, PC's aren't that expensive these days either, so I guess its an investment.

4.) Not in the least.

5.) I can honestly say I'm not, but I can see where the purists are coming from. It's not a gradual change we talking, it's a whole new way of mixing, so it can be intimidating if you're not open minded.

6.) Not really. I made the change because I felt it's the future, regardless of what my role models in the big leagues are doing.

7.) Well, because of filesharing, it has become reletively easy to get the tracks you really want, so no, my taste hasn't changed.

quote:

1. Was the first step of playing on a CD player daunting and confusing? If so what did you struggle with?

At first yes. The pitch range and sensitivity on say an CDJ-800 is much different than a good 'ol 1200. Then I found that looping and chopping feature and all the crazy things you can do to pitch, and I was in love.

quote:

2. Did the thought of technology frighten you off at first?

Not a tad. I suppose this might be a biased crowd seeing as tho we're all posting this on an internet forum. Most of us are familiar and comfortable with technology.

quote:

3. Did the cost of the equipment put you off for a while?

Definately. Even though I used eBay, and an aquaintence who works for an online music store it's still pricey to buy ANY gear really.

quote:

4. Are there things today that you are still confused about; how to use the controls, what blank CD’s to use, what quality MP3’s to use?

Not at all. Don't buy store brand cd-rs and 192kbps mp3s at a minimum.

quote:

5. In my experience, vinyl purists don’t understand technology, can’t afford the equipment and are frightened of change. They fight their cause when they haven’t even touched a modern CD player. Can you be honest and say yes you are one of these DJ’s?

Definately not.

quote:

6. Have your favourite DJ’s inspired you to change format?

I guess... I mean, I've seen DJs use laptops and CDJs for a while. And it was just natural. However I'll never convert completely.

quote:

7. Has the new format changed the way you buy your music, ie from download shops? Do you find more music this way? Those special one off magic tracks?

Yes, I do purchase mp3s to spin with Serato Scratch Live, but mainly I still purchase real vinyl and CDs (which is digital yes, but it's not compressed like mp3s).

quote:

8. + any other thoughts.

Digital is fun and can be very rewarding. Instant gratification. But sometimes DJs focus too much on the technicality of creating strange effects and fantastic transitions and looping that I think they loose sight of good track selection and just mixing the good old fashioned way... That doesn't mean it isn't cool though.

___________________
Soundcloud

1. Was the first step of playing on a CD player daunting and confusing? If so what did you struggle with?
Not really, no.

2. Did the thought of technology frighten you off at first?
$600 for a freaking CDJ? Yeah, it did. It pays to shop around and save long-term, though, so I ended up getting a great deal.

3. Did the cost of the equipment put you off for a while?
No. I know that I can save for any item I want. It's all about patience.

4. Are there things today that you are still confused about; how to use the controls, what blank CD’s to use, what quality MP3’s to use?
Purchasing reliable CD-Rs, taking care of them, and always using legal 320Kbps MP3's (unless i'm spinning for myself or friends ) is what I make sure to do. There's nothing too confusing.

5. In my experience, vinyl purists don’t understand technology, can’t afford the equipment and are frightened of change. They fight their cause when they haven’t even touched a modern CD player. Can you be honest and say yes you are one of these DJ’s?
I've only touched a vinyl deck a few times in my life, so I'm not one of those DJs.


6. Have your favourite DJ’s inspired you to change format?
To an extent, no doubt. I'm a Zabiela fan, so naturally that had a lot of influence. I guess a lot of it, though, is that I've grown up around more digital gear than anything. It also is more cost-effective for me ($12 for ten tunes, as opposed to $100).

7. Has the new format changed the way you buy your music, ie from download shops? Do you find more music this way? Those special one off magic tracks?
I shop around on both all-vinyl sites, all-digital sites, and sites that sell both. Each site has their fair share of hidden goodies.

8. + any other thoughts.
As said above, don't over-use the effects/looping. They're fun, but there's a difference between using them well, and using them far too much.