Scratch Live Vs. CDJ's?

[InSoMnIaK*]

im interested in going digital, whats my best bet? for playing out as well as recording at home ? also for track selection?

[mapleleaf4ever]

Serato.

Unless you don't have a Laptop.

[rawb]

SCRATCH LIVE, CLOSE THREAD l

[Digital Over]

Honestly man. Go CD's. Club owners I have talked to are more comfortable using the house CDJ's instead of patching in a serato setup. imo I think Serato's cool, but I've seen the program crash way too many times (even on a MAC) to be confidently and consistantly played out with out any hiccups. Hope that helps dude

[omega_image]

^HE'S A BRIT. DON'T LISTEN TO HIM.

But seriously, what do club owners have to do with your personal preference? Taking a minute to connect your box is nothing, and really doesn't involve anyone but you and the dj before/after you.

I've never had it crash while playing, I've only ever had it crash during boot-up, which is easily fixed by closing and restarting the program.

[neoteric]

Originally Posted by rawb

SCRATCH LIVE, CLOSE THREAD l

co-sizzled

[rawb]

Originally Posted by Digital Over

Honestly man. Go CD's. Club owners I have talked to are more comfortable using the house CDJ's instead of patching in a serato setup. imo I think Serato's cool, but I've seen the program crash way too many times (even on a MAC) to be confidently and consistantly played out with out any hiccups. Hope that helps dude

i have countless hours on serato (BEYOND YOUR EARTH NUMBERS) and the only crashes i have ever experienced were hardware based (accidentally pulled a usb drive, flaky box, etc) or when someone got pissed off i played 'what about your friends' by tlc over a dmx beat

[dj_soo]

i've been playing out consistently with Serato for over a year now and although it hasn't been completely issue-free, the problems are no more severe than a scratched CD or a needle feedbacking. As rawb mentioned, crashes that occur are usually user-resulted or hardware related and I've seen my fair share of DJs dealing with faulty CDJs and turntables too.

A few things to consider when deciding which route to go.

#1. How much do you enjoy the feel of DJing? Personally, I never liked CDJs and never enjoyed the experience of "jog-wheel/platter DJing" so I pretty much stuck with vinyl until I got Serato. Granted, a lot of new CD players now have spinning platters, but much like Technics, 90% of club installs will be Pioneers so if you don't like playing on Pioneer CDJs, you'll be SOL if you decide to go the CDX or Denon route. Digital vinyl systems aren't exactly the same either but it's the closest thing out there in the digital route currently and like techs or pios, Serato is the industry standard for DVSs.

#2 what do you play? if all you play is a single EDM genre and tend to DJ a typical EDM set that consists of 15-30 records/tunes an hour then really, there's not that much need to go serato as you won't need 50 gigs of tunes available at your fingertips. If you want to play multiple genres and get booked for shows or parties where you're expected to DJ most of the night (4-5 hour sets) then an HD system is invaluable.

If you're a hiphop DJ or want to do even a small amount of scratching, then serato is also a no brainer.

#3 - how do you feel about bringing your laptop to gigs? Some DJs party too much like rockstars or would rather not bring a $2000 laptop to parties where it can be damaged/stolen a lot easier than a crate of records. When I bring my setup to parties, you better believe that laptop doesn't leave my sight.

btw, that statement about club owners is pretty inaccurate. In most large North American cities at least, a lot of clubs have set up a permanent serato install (either an SL1 or a 57) that the dj can just plug into.

[Lazy-Rich]

Use both - your'e buying mp3s either way so buy a serato box but burn your best stuff to CDs as a backup incase it fucks up or you cant arrive early to set up.

[project.one]

IMO, I like CD's. I wouldn't feel comfortable bringing a laptop and such to a show. Just too many things that could happen to it. (Stolen, beer spill, crash, whatever.)
With CD's, if anything happens to them, I can just burn another copy. If my whole CD case gets jacked, all I have to buy is a new case and blank CD's. When I had records, if they were stolen, thats pretty much it! Though I still collect vinyl, it stays at home or for the odd party.
Also, I find that it's just easier to come to a show with CD's then to have to hook up your laptop. Also, I wouldn't want to interfear with the DJ's set before or after me while dealing with it. I've had a few times now where the DJ before me was using serato/laptop and made it difficult to start my set, and after I had started then they had to get in there to un-hook it all. It's just annoying, IMO.

But everyone's going to be different. Maybe try CD's and see how it suits you, then get serato/scratch and see if you like it better.

[ebbomega]

I've had a few times now where the DJ before me was using serato/laptop and made it difficult to start my set, and after I had started then they had to get in there to un-hook it all. It's just annoying, IMO.

If the DJ knows what they're doing, they should be able to hook/unhook serato without affecting you at all.

And in all honesty, unless they're leaving right away, there should be no need to unplug it at all. Serato makes it so that you can use vinyl with the box still plugged in.

[dj_soo]

Originally Posted by ebbomega

If the DJ knows what they're doing, they should be able to hook/unhook serato without affecting you at all.

And in all honesty, unless they're leaving right away, there should be no need to unplug it at all. Serato makes it so that you can use vinyl with the box still plugged in.

Honestly, if a DJ is doing that during your timeslot, he's being incredibly disrespectful and it's less a problem with the hardware and more a problem with the DJ.

For most gigs, I always want to sound check beforehand anyway so I show up before the gig and set up ahead of time. If it's a case where i absolutely have to set up while someone else is playing, i'll wait till they play their last song and try to tear down during my last track (or at the end of the night depending).

[ppcock]

Originally Posted by Digital Over

Honestly man. Go CD's. Club owners I have talked to are more comfortable using the house CDJ's instead of patching in a serato setup. imo I think Serato's cool, but I've seen the program crash way too many times (even on a MAC) to be confidently and consistantly played out with out any hiccups. Hope that helps dude

TTM 57SL Mixer


problem solved..

[Phrenetic]

Originally Posted by ppcock

TTM 57SL Mixer


problem solved..

theres no way that that will be the industry standard in clubs any time soon....

[ppcock]

probably not..


but with the world going software, there might be a few more mixers released with support for DJ software.

Rane makes fantastic mixers with superb quality.

[dj_soo]

Originally Posted by Phrenetic

theres no way that that will be the industry standard in clubs any time soon....

Rane's are the industry standard in a lot of bigger NA cities already and a few have adopted the 57 as their install mixer.

[Phrenetic]

Originally Posted by dj_soo

Rane's are the industry standard in a lot of bigger NA cities already and a few have adopted the 57 as their install mixer.

still can hold a candle to Xone:92 or pioneer djm 600/800. it will take more push for it to be seen in more clubs

[rawb]

SHITTY DJS AGREE: MORE CRAZY EFFECTS NEEDED ON MIXERS l

[Phrenetic]

Originally Posted by rawb

SHITTY DJS AGREE: MORE CRAZY EFFECTS NEEDED ON MIXERS l

not really the effects that appeal to me, just the odd bit crush and filter effect from time to time. what appeals to me is the digital quality thats pumped out.

[dj_soo]

Originally Posted by Phrenetic

still can hold a candle to Xone:92 or pioneer djm 600/800. it will take more push for it to be seen in more clubs

depends on what you play. I (and many, many, many other djs) would prefer a rane 57 (or even 56) to a xone 92 or a pio any day.

The whole world doesn't play trance/house you know.

[Phrenetic]

Originally Posted by dj_soo

depends on what you play. I (and many, many, many other djs) would prefer a rane 57 (or even 56) to a xone 92 or a pio any day.

The whole world doesn't play trance/house you know.

I will retract and say use what you want to use and/or what works for you, no debate that Rane faders last longer than any other mixer and they are solid. It really depends on your application than anything, but the defacto is pioneer and A&H.

[dj_soo]

^ that's more the defacto for the EDM crowd.

Rane is the defacto mixer for the hiphop crowd.

Again, it depends on what you play.

[P.A.R.T.Y]

Pioneer's FX, Zone92's filter, and Rane's software support. In the end, it really depends on who's using it for what.
I've personally decided to go digital when it comes to DJ'ing. Records wear out, so it only makes sense to use CD's or other digital formats.
Also, I've downloaded Traktor DJ studio and I'm impressed. It's so easy to mix tracks into each other. I think Traktor has made it so easy to DJ, that anyone who can pick 2 songs and point and click can record a set. However, there are some special features that dj'ing vinyl have over digital. For instance, I like to randomly sample and it's so easy to just drop the needle and let it ride. It creates what we can call "happy accidents." Also, vinyl is very easy to grab when you're slightly drunk, whereas CD's are less inviting, and God forbid clicking on an MP3.
Maybe a combination of all 3 is the way to go?
At this point, I take it in stride.

[omega_image]

Originally Posted by P.A.R.T.Y

It's so easy to mix tracks into each other. I think Traktor has made it so easy to DJ, that anyone who can pick 2 songs and point and click can record a set.

i'm assuming i don't need to stress what is wrong with this statement.

[ebbomega]

lol. I've heard a few people trainwreck with traktor, so all of it?

Ableton is pretty much the lazy-beatmatcher choice du jour. Still though, then you have to pre-program your set and honestly that has too much opportunity to lose your audience completely.