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on"Legitimacy" of Laptop DJing
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| DJTavish |
Hey guys,
I know that laptop DJing is becoming popular these days and was just wondering under what circumstances would one be able to laptop DJ without "cheating". And what limit can a laptop DJ go to without losing the respect of his/her fans and fellow DJs.
Thanks for your feedback in advance. :-) |
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| Aquarian |
| I personally don't give a crap, but generally speaking I would say it's ok as long as you use it to do things you couldn't really do with CDJs or turntables (like ableton) |
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| DJ Lucas |
| you have to be an established producer or show some crazy ableton skills to get my respect using a laptop... |
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| DJ RJT |
| quote: | Originally posted by DJ Lucas
you have to be an established producer or show some crazy ableton skills to get my respect using a laptop... |
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| Derivative |
Hell you could prearrange the whole set on Ableton, all beatmatched and prepped and ready to go. Then rig up a ing tonne of outboard gear and instruments and add live improvision. Hell you could even stick in a few of your own tunes in there and drop the place with some live electronic music. The logical conclusion of Laptop DJing is actual, live remixing/live production.
Then it really is your interpretation of the songs. Your chance to sculpt your set to the venue and to the mood of the event. Your chance to make old tunes shine in a new and different way.
I'd bring my Access Virus B along and have a bawl, alternatively playing feedback drone pads on my guitar and sustain pedals.
The possibilities would be endless if not for the fact that too many DJs dont really think or care about anything beyond the norms for CD and vinyl mixing.
The only thing I ever wanted in a performance was some kind of spontaneity. Some kind of live energy, in the performance which you can only really get when you are packed into a dingy converted wine cellar with 200 other people and theres a band 3 feet in front of you, playing instruments amplified to the point where they are capable of destroying building foundations. |
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| dJohn |
True, that is the logical CONCLUSION for laptop DJing, in that the possibility of prearranging a set has two implications:
1. The actual essentiality of DJing ceases to exist
2. The nearly limitless possibilities of laptop DJing are severely undercut when all the laptop and extra gear is doing is just sitting there while the song is playing.
That doesn't equate to the logical PREMISE of laptop DJing, which you hit upon as well...the ability to sculpt and shape your sound in a way that goes beyond the conventional limitations of turntable-style mixing(CDs aren't excluded...)
DJ Lucas, I can understand that credibility does have an effect on whether or not you are able to appreciate the artist, but what if it was the other way around? What if a nobody took a laptop and completely destroyed the crowd? Where does the legitmacy lie then?
There is no question to the actual legitimacy of laptop DJing. It IS DJing...the ability to combine different layers of sound via unconventional means. The conflicting point is in the CULTURE of DJing, since turntables are symbolically tied to the DJ image. However superficial it may sound, you can't deny the power of the appearance of the turntable in context with the crowd and the show. But with the acceptance of CD tables, I think it'd be hypocritical if laptop DJing wasn't accepted as "real DJing" as well. The real question, I think, is whether or not laptop DJing is used to it's fullest extent. In the same line as what Derivative said, technological advancement should be for the improvement of the music itself, not just the methods. |
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| r5a |
| I've always lived by this, who the cares as long as it sounds ing tight. People are making the whole technological advances too political. |
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| ASFSE |
| there are no rules in music, so there is no cheating... |
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| richg101 |
| you can only get away with laptop djing if you are a well known dj imo. or a producer playing his/her own tracks off it. i hate hearing a dj messing with someone elses track.. adding a load of over the top synths/efx that clash. i always look down on live laptop stuff unless the music is their own. |
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| tvmann |
Almost all the music in question here was originally produced by nerdy dateless guys sitting in a small room in front of a computer, clicking a mouse. If you agree that is an OK way to make music, then playing the music on a computer is also OK.
It's a shallow world indeed if digitally-created music can only be played on the analog equipment that was there 25 years ago. Anyway there's no shortage of people still doing that.
I say bring on the computers! I'm tired of the holier-than-thou posers with the same old Tech 1200s & CDJs, boring beats, and DJ hats. It's time for something different.
| quote: | Originally posted by DJTavish
Hey guys,
I know that laptop DJing is becoming popular these days and was just wondering under what circumstances would one be able to laptop DJ without "cheating". And what limit can a laptop DJ go to without losing the respect of his/her fans and fellow DJs.
Thanks for your feedback in advance. :-) |
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| Akazi |
Ableton isnt really a djing tool in my opinion, its more for live performances....
Traktor, Pioneers new dj software and final scratch are totaly ok imo, its just that your changing the format of your medium but the layout is the same only its on a computer screen (mixer 2 decks....)
You can dj in ableton too, but then again you can dj in cubase the same way too :D
or even in logic or any other sequencer.....
I love ableton its a wicked piece of software i use it alot but not for djing. |
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| spolitta |
| quote: | Originally posted by Akazi
Ableton isnt really a djing tool in my opinion, its more for live performances....
Traktor, Pioneers new dj software and final scratch are totaly ok imo, its just that your changing the format of your medium but the layout is the same only its on a computer screen (mixer 2 decks....)
You can dj in ableton too, but then again you can dj in cubase the same way too :D
or even in logic or any other sequencer.....
I love ableton its a wicked piece of software i use it alot but not for djing. |
:haha: |
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