This is to anyone that's spun with the CDJs. I am planning on purchasing 2 CDJ 800s. My question is this: Is the BPM counters on these CD players ACCURATE enough to fully rely on them to beatmatch? If the BPM counters are perfectly accurate then it would take away alot of the beatmatching difficulty. Can anyone comment on this, someone that's used these CD players to mix? Thanks!
___________________
When I turn on my mixer, drop the needle, and put on my headphones... nothing else matters.
I am a DJ.
Oct-06-2003 00:54
`pr0digy
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Philadelphia
/me waits for "omfg idjit stfu u r gay if j00 use bpm counters" reply.
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Oct-06-2003 02:10
Ibiza Dreams
Chroma
Registered: Jun 2001
Location: In yo mouf'
quote:
Originally posted by `pr0digy
/me waits for "omfg idjit stfu u r gay if j00 use bpm counters" reply.
Yeah, some bored TA might post trash like that. I'm just asking the question of how "accurate" they are. Because it seems as if the BPM counters on the CDJs don't go into tenths of a beat... (ie 134.3) they just give you whole numbers (ie 134). In that case the BPM counters are not perfectly accurate. Can anyone confirm this?
___________________
When I turn on my mixer, drop the needle, and put on my headphones... nothing else matters.
I am a DJ.
Oct-06-2003 02:16
Ben Sherman
Junior tranceaddict
Registered: Oct 2003
Location:
i havent used them but i have got a djm600 and that has a bpm counter which has tenths. it isnt very accurate - not accurate enough to rely on anyway. dont get reliant on using bpm counters its just not worth it. they are there for sampling so that u can create a sample and adjust its speed to the tune u are playing.
Oct-06-2003 02:41
ChEeZeBaLL
tranceaddict in training
Registered: Oct 2003
Location:
CDJ's have BPM counters?
Oct-06-2003 03:41
TwiloNYC
Supreme tranceaddict
Registered: Jul 2001
Location: NY, NY
They're good enough to get you within the close vicinity of each other... then you have to use your ears (what a concept!) to fine tune it. I have a CMX3000 and beat matching is way too easy with it, almost too boring because it takes away one of the challenges of DJ'ing.
Oct-06-2003 03:57
DJ-Fuq
gone
Registered: Apr 2002
Location: nowhere
No beat counters r accurate. And for a perfectly accurate one to be useful it would need at least 3 decimal places.
Oct-06-2003 06:06
brian
vinyl junkie
Registered: Sep 2002
Location: Addison, TX
I own a CDJ-1000MK2 and the beat counter is alright, but I usually dont look at it. As you said, its just the whole number, which gives it the possibility of being horribly inaccurate when you're trying to beatmatch.
Oct-06-2003 06:56
Nemesis44
ZZZZZzzzzzz.....
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Brighton
J00 eeez da uB3r l00z3r!!! Actually just kidding, just couldn't resist lowering myself to the level of some of the forum responses.
You can actually get studio based BPM counters that are pretty accurate, but the ones you speak of are basically meant to speed up the beatmatching process so that you can spend more time fine tuning if need be. By all means use them as a guide but don't rely on them.
If I were you I would make sure that my beatmatching skills are good without it. It doesn't take too long to become proficient at it and in time you will get to know your records/CDs so well that you will know roughly where they play in relation to each other.
Most manufacturers these days will try and cram as much crap onto the products as they can, some of it is really cool but most of it is pointless and is just something they use to try and convince you to buy it.
Hey thanks a bunch for the responses. Great post Nemesis. That's what I was thinking, that the BPM counters on the CDJs was to give you an idea of the speeds of the songs, but not give away the answer so to speak. That's still sounds pretty handy.
And Nemesis, I know what you're talking about regarding cramming in lots of little details in products nowadays. That's the main reason I was thinking of getting the CDJ 800. But, the only interesting feature the 1000 has that the 800 doesn't is the wave form. Any idea whether it's really useful? Thanks again for the replies!
___________________
When I turn on my mixer, drop the needle, and put on my headphones... nothing else matters.
I am a DJ.
Oct-06-2003 09:20
Dewi
Junior tranceaddict
Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Tranceville
they are accurate enough to get you 2 the stage of then using you're ears to fine tune them.
Oct-06-2003 10:10
Nemesis44
ZZZZZzzzzzz.....
Registered: Aug 2003
Location: Brighton
Hey Dreams,
The rsponse I will give you is based on my own goofy logic and nothing more so take it with a pinch of salt.
There are two possible types of wave form to which I reckon the 1000 might have (as I have never seen the wave form version not sure about this).
The first may be the image of the wave form like you get when you edit samples (This to me seems to be the most logical). This may be to assist you in creating loops and such like with a visual aid. It would also provide a visual marker as to where the song is in regards to place. You would in other words have a visual guide as to where the breakdown is etc. Something that vinyl gives just by looking at the spacing of the grooves and something I look at frequently to let me know the progress of the track.
This would also give you an indicator as to the volume of the track.
Alternatively this may only work on sampled loops so that you can edit them. (That in my book would be a useful tool).
The second possible answer would be the form of a spectrum analyzer type wave form. THis would ultimately really only serve as an LED.
Again take this with a pinch of salt as you are talking to a bloke who is giving you the specifications on something he as actaully never used. I'm sure that someone here will be able to give you the difinitive answer though.