Blends, dj friendly records, hip hop djs?

[matéo]

Whats your opinion on pre made blends?

It seems every hip hop dj out there plays other peoples bootlegs and/or makes their own. A little more respect going out to those who are the ones that hit the record button. Theres the "hustlin" rock the casbah one, and a whole wack of others. I mean I can understand if theres no possible way to get an instrumental of an older 80's tune or something, or if you're playing in an environment thats not really dj friendly (no moniters, shitty setup) but to me, if you have all the tools in front of you and you're being payed to perform, whats stopping you from doing these blends live? This is mainly directed at those who have scratchlive, which has an amazing looping feature that would allow anyone to loop whatever part of a track they wanted.

and on another topic all together wtf if up with party mixes??? You know those tunes with the extra few bars at the start and end of the track making it dj friendly. Thats garbage! I can't believe theres djs out there that rock that shit still.

[dj_soo]

^ i blame serato and the advent of digital controllers.

I have been known to rock a few "mash-ups" and pre-made blends but they have to be *good* for me to do them and most of those I consider to be "remixes".

Simple fact is that the majority of these pre-made ones could easily be done live and even the ones that do require some production skill to put together, the majority of them are just straight up crap.

Blending and multi-genre mixing used to be about playing good music regardless of genre and was highlighted by the incredible skill of the DJ to mix, cut, and blend - but somehow it turned into guys playing a bunch of pre-made mash-ups of one shit tune combined with another shit tune.

And that is exactly reason I hate being associated with the "mash-up" movement...

[matéo]

what about the loop function on serato? Personally I like it. I know I can mix anything that has atleast a few bars but being able to extend it makes things sound really nice. Maybe that makes me a hyprocrite though.

[dj_soo]

I haven't messed with the loop function much as I just got my hands on Serato recently but honestly, I don't have a problem with it even if you're essentially doing what you just blasted - extending intros and outros to make your tunes more dj friendly :).

Honestly though, serato just makes djing easier - period. I'm just getting used to using relative mode with cue points and everything and it makes it soooo much easier to mix quick and run through like 10 tunes in 5 minutes or something. Things like the waveforms makes it so you don't even need to wear headphones, key lock makes key blends a whole lot easier and makes pitch riding a whole lot easier to do (less pitch warping). Some DJs are even taking old rock and 80s tunes and running through Ableton to quantize that shit so they don't have to pitch ride their blends.

Honestly, it saddens me that there are new djs out there that have no concept of where djing started - they buy serato instantly have access to 10,000 (illegal) mp3s, and play in relative mode all night long.

Just go to the Serato forum and you see people gleefully dissing vinyl all day long...

That being said, I still love serato :D

[rawb]

I AM A SHITTY SERATO DJ AND EVEN I WOULDNT PLAY A PRE-MADE BLEND

CLUB/PARTY MIXES WITH EXTRA BARS I ROCK THOUGH, PROBABLY BECAUSE I HAVENT FUCKED WITH THE LOOP FUNCTION, DO YOU HAVE TO GO INTERNAL MODE WITH THAT? I NEVER ROCK INTERNAL AM I MISSING SOMETHING HUGE

[dj_soo]

^ you just need 1.7.1 and you need to be in relative mode to use loops.

There's also a hidden auto-loop easter egg in there that allows you to take your loops and halve and double their legnth.

[dj_soo]

Oh yea, relative mode is pretty fun - you can almost use it as a faux sampler and you can cut down your mix prep times significantly (i.e. not even having to take your needle off the record).

[project.one]

Originally Posted by matéo

Whats your opinion on pre made blends?

Within regards to the same thing you said. Some clubs/bars/whatever, dont really have a set up where a DJ can play. In cases such as that, I guess I can understand a club DJ playing out some pre-made mixes. But again as you said, if all the equipment is there, there is no reason he/she should not be preforming properly.
Everyone wants to be a DJ. And Im surprised how many club djs I meet who are so open with the fact that they do it just for the image. This is probably why they dont learn how to actually DJ and just play premade shit all the time to make them look better. IMO.
However, then Ive seen some DJs (Stimmy J!!!) Who blew my mind when i saw them live (Serato and all). Still to date Im impressed and I wish more DJs were like that. Id be at the clubs a little more often for the music, lol.

Originally Posted by dj_soo

Honestly, it saddens me that there are new djs out there that have no concept of where djing started...

I have had a few people ask me about the difference in CDJs and Vinyl. I say the same thing. Sometimes CDs help out depending on certin factors. But everyone who's serious about learning the ways of DJing should start on vinyl! IMO. Build up a collection of vinyl. I know so many people who went straight to digital or never even touched vinyl before. Thats a sad thing.

Im conflicted with things like Serato. I like to use them and find it does make things eaiser. However, sometimes I worry that they have ruined or are ruining the DJ industry. I dont know alot about how everything is being affected in this way. I only have my own opinions on what Ive seen going on over the past little while. But still, I just wish more 'new' DJs would give more effort into learning how to mix records on a pair of techs before buying Serato and CDJs!

My 2 cents!

[rawb]

Originally Posted by dj_soo

^ you just need 1.7.1 and you need to be in relative mode to use loops.

There's also a hidden auto-loop easter egg in there that allows you to take your loops and halve and double their legnth.

I HAVE 1.7.1 AND IVE PLAYED AROUND WITH THE EASTER EGG, ILL PLAY WITH THIS NEXT
THANKS FOR THE INFO, ILL USE THIS TO BECOME AND EVEN WORSE, LAZIER DJ

[matéo]

yo rawb,

the loop function is great!

You don't have to be in internal, but I find its way easier to edit the loops. in fact what i've done is the following. Taken an rca to mic input and connected my serato box to my computers mic input. From there I am still able to play tunes without any mixer or turntables. Makes it way more comfortable setting cues, loops, etc.

That easter egg is pretty geigh. I like when you press alt t and it does the crazy rave build up!

[dj_soo]

Originally Posted by project.one

Im conflicted with things like Serato. I like to use them and find it does make things eaiser. However, sometimes I worry that they have ruined or are ruining the DJ industry. I dont know alot about how everything is being affected in this way. I only have my own opinions on what Ive seen going on over the past little while. But still, I just wish more 'new' DJs would give more effort into learning how to mix records on a pair of techs before buying Serato and CDJs!

My 2 cents!

It is definitely re-defing djing to a degree - it's amazing the amount of posts i see on scratchlive.net where people are like "Booked for a gig to play house! I don't play house, give me track names please!"

It's amazing now that people are willing to take gigs they know shit about the music just because they think they can download a bunch of tracks and instantly be a house dj or something with no knowledge about the genre or music. Really couldn't do that when what you could play depended on what records you owned :-\.

[dj_soo]

^ that being said, in the hands of a truly skilled DJ, Serato can really improve your sets an incredible amount...

[rawb]

SHITTY DJS ARE STILL SHITTY DJS GUYS
IT JUST HAS MADE DJING EASIER TO GET INTO FOR THE CASUAL PERSON

I DONT THINK BUYING VINYL OR LEARNING TO MIX ON TECHS MAKES YOU BETTER AT PLAYING TUNES PEOPLE LIKE

[Phrenetic]

^agree

[project.one]

Originally Posted by dj_soo

It is definitely re-defing djing to a degree - it's amazing the amount of posts i see on scratchlive.net where people are like "Booked for a gig to play house! I don't play house, give me track names please!"

It's amazing now that people are willing to take gigs they know shit about the music just because they think they can download a bunch of tracks and instantly be a house dj or something with no knowledge about the genre or music. Really couldn't do that when what you could play depended on what records you owned :-\.

The one thing its helped me with is being able to play a few different Genre's. Just because I can buy my tracks alot cheaper on MP3 then I could on wax. Where as with records I could only afford to collect for one or two styles, now, I am able to play the couple genres I like to play. Which is good. But I still collect and buy wax! Can't quit the black crack!

[dj_soo]

Originally Posted by rawb

SHITTY DJS ARE STILL SHITTY DJS GUYS
IT JUST HAS MADE DJING EASIER TO GET INTO FOR THE CASUAL PERSON

I DONT THINK BUYING VINYL OR LEARNING TO MIX ON TECHS MAKES YOU BETTER AT PLAYING TUNES PEOPLE LIKE

I do realize the 90% of the masses out there only care about the tunes but honestly, I'm one of the 10% that thinks DJing can be an incredibly creative and challenging artform. If all i want to hear is tunes unmixed, why even bother with turntables at all? Just have a laptop with a guy manning the playlist (granted I have seen some great DJs who don't beatmatch control a crowd).

I'd rather watch Z-Trip or Mike Relm or DJ.P do what they do best (mix, cut, scratch, blend) than watching somebody fade tunes in and out or watching some dude trigger shit in Ableton (most boring "PA" style ever).

The biggest problem is most people think that all there is to DJing is selection. Yes, great selection will outweigh great technique but why in the hell does it have to be an "either or" scenario. My favorite DJs are those that have both great selection and great technique - and if you want to take up DJing as a hobby why in the hell wouldn't you want to work on your technique as well?

I realize that only the DJ nerds will recognize what you're doing if you get technical in your mixing but I also believe that the ignorant masses will implicitly pick up on a great DJ whether they realize he's making that blend live or not - just look at DJ AM - say what you want about his cheesy selection and the fact that he was fucking nicole ritchie or mandy moore but the man is an incredible DJ and he's easily the most popular DJ in the states right now.

[Wood]

i've got nothing against pre-made blends IF it's something that couldn't be done live on decks. like if somebody makes an instrumental out of an old rock tune or whatever, and drops an acapella over it.... it's just remixing really, if it's good it's good & i won't hesitate to play it. i won't spend my money on blend records where it's just an acapella over an instrumental that could easily be duplicated live. i do like the extended intros, especially for 4 deck sessions because you can run that extended intro under the end of an acapella and then have it drop into the proper tune, which is usually a nice effect.

i'm really enjoying making remixes in Ableton, there's a ton of possibilities for making things work that would never be possible live - like re-pitching parts of an instrumental to follow a vocal with chord changes in it. those i give to Soo to play back off his Serato, i'm still 100% vinyl.

[jprime]

Originally Posted by dj_soo

I'd rather watch Z-Trip or Mike Relm or DJ.P do what they do best (mix, cut, scratch, blend) than watching somebody fade tunes in and out or watching some dude trigger shit in Ableton (most boring "PA" style ever).

Yeah man...the phrase "Lost art of DJing" comes to mind. I rarely hear DJ's scratch these days, let alone go out on a limb and try some advanced/DMC style mixing. Seems like most DJ's are content to hump their mixer all night.
What is a DJ if (s)he can't scratch?

[mekim]

^^^ still a fine dj for most of the crowd. as for most of the dj's who can scratch (or at least think they can), i'd rather they do a little less of it & stop fucking up the flow so much.

[dj_soo]

i honestly don't want to hear much DMC stuff in a set - "turntablism" has gotten so wanky and technical at this point that it's lost sight of the idea that djing was supposed to be about rocking a crowd and the only people that really care are other turntablists.

Guys like Z-Trip have the right idea - they have great scratch/juggle technique but keep it simple for the most part to enhance a set rather than sit there scratching shit for 10 minutes. I swear - some scratch guys are worse than hair metal lead guitarists.

[Wood]

Originally Posted by rawb

IT JUST HAS MADE DJING EASIER TO GET INTO FOR THE CASUAL PERSON

has it really though? you still need turntables or CDJs, you need a laptop if you wanna use it out, plus the $700 price tag for the Serato itself. a couple hundred bucks on wax & a friends turntables still seems like an easier way to get into it to me... most people i know who've bought Serato were already well into it by that time.

i can definitely see where it's renewed some people's interests in DJing who otherwise may have quit completely... but if it comes to the point where you need to have serato & a laptop to get into DJing, i think it would make it more difficult.

[rawb]

I DIDNT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT TECHNIQUE, I THINK YOU MISUNDERSTOOD ME.

IM JUST SAYING THAT I DONT THINK VINYL IS THE BE ALL AND END ALL OF DJING ANYMORE. JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE LEARN TO MIX WITH CD DECKS OR WITH SERATO + TURNTABLES DOESNT MEAN THEY AREN'T PRIVY TO SOME CRAZY DJING SECRET THAT WILL ESCAPE THEIR GRASP.

I FIND THAT WHEN IM MIXING WITH CDS THE INSTANT CUEING LETS ME DO SOME REALLY RUN AND CREATIVE THINGS THAT I MISS WHEN IM USING A RECORD. I FIND THAT WHEN IM USING A RECORD MIXING FEELS MORE NATURAL, AND OF COURSE SCRATCHING IS SUPERIOR (MY WEAK, UGLY, EARS BLEEDING SCRATCHING).

A GREAT DJ IS A GREAT DJ, A SHITTY DJ IS THE SAME.

[rawb]

TO SOO^

[dj_soo]

it's less about being privy to some secret and it's more about guys flexing their old-timer dicks with their "back in my day... we never had instant cue-points - we had to find it on the record or mark that shit with stickers" mentality.

Still though, just reading the scratchlive forums makes me sad in the pants as there seems to be far less respect for the music than before...

could just be me though...

[Wood]

^oh yeah, i'm talking purely for financial reasons. i'd still think, for the average income person, that buying serato & a set of decks (are you really going to buy serato just to use on your friends decks?) at entry level might be a prohibitively large purchase. whereas it's no biggie to go out & buy 10 records if you have a friend who has decks you can use. as for technique, i agree that it doesn't make much difference what medium you choose to learn on.