The Great Vinyl vs. CDJ vs. Software Controller Debate

[Dystinkt]

All decks, controllers etc are is tools. If the guy using them knows what he's doing, it'll be a brilliant set if hes on vinyl or a virtualDJ demo. If you can't beatmatch, your fucked regardless of what your on. even with the sync button on software, you can't just start it at a completely arbitrary time, you have to have some idea of the best times to mix tunes in/song structure etc. The bottom line is software can make anyone a DJ. But it can't make anyone a good DJ.

[RightOnTime27]

This thread is full of so much elitism. Saying people who dj on controllers, even if they use them exactly like cdjs or vinyl, aren't djs is like saying you're not a writer if you use microsoft word instead of a sheet of papyrus and a feather. Art forms evolve, strictly vinyl setups are big, expensive, limited, and all around impractical, especially for newbies. Laptop set-ups, if used well, are in no way easier than vinyl, if that's what you're so upset about, extremely portable, way cheaper in the long run and just allow for much more creativity and expression. It sounds like the people who are so afraid of digital setups are also the people who sit in the back of clubs scoffing at people who just want to dance and have fun. Djing is about sharing good music, not about how fast you can beatmatch a tune or whatever, all this vinyl elitist crap is totally missing the point.

But I guess this shit goes on in every layer of musicianship. The funny thing is, djs are right at the bottom of the pyramid, yet they always seem to have the biggest heads.
"Digital dJing takes no talent." - Vinyl DJ
"DJing takes no talent" - Producer
"Electronic music takes no talent" - Guitarist
etc. etc.

guitar playing takes no talent-trombone player (Still love ya bill)

[Redderious]

"Digital dJing takes no talent." - Vinyl DJ
"DJing takes no talent" - Producer
"Electronic music takes no talent" - Guitarist
etc. etc.

guitar playing takes no talent-trombone player (Still love ya bill)

[Trifficspurs]

the problem i have with digital DJ's is the effects, the looping and general butchering of tunes. playing 4 tunes at the same time and having switch ups every 16 bars just sounds shit to me. i think what style of music you listen to plays a big part too. i'm a lover of all things deep and that music works better with 2 decks and a mixer. if your into Skrillex and stuff like that you probably don't see the effects as gimmicks but as sick soundz.

[crabb_steppa]

I just don't get the whole "vinyl is impractical" argument...


just cuz yr too lazy to bring some techs to the rave doesn't mean we all are

[deadnoisesystem]

i got technics and bare vinyl, but my mac has far more on it. i could bring 5 boxes or i could bring one with fx and loops too. what do you do?

[Redderious]

i got technics and bare vinyl, but my mac has far more on it. i could bring 5 boxes or i could bring one with fx and loops too. what do you do?

Agreed. Using the custom crate feature in Itch, I can sort my music according to their tone and inside each sub-category i can arrange all my tracks by key. My crates are Odd tempo, Burial/Spaceape, and 140 bpm. In the 140 crate my sub crates are bright-jazzy, bright-jungle, bright-neutral, neutral, dark-neutral, Industrial-Dungeon, Dark Jungle, and eh/in your face which is for my tunes that will most likely be completely untouched in a mix. With this...perfect mixes every time with a constant similair vibe.

[BenTheDrummer]

IMHO, one of the things that people don't seem to appreciate about controllers is that not everyone chooses to have the sync button lit up at all times. Personally, I think the biggest advantage of digital djing for me is the waveform. Even though I didn't get into DJing too long ago, I still enjoy the feeling of success when you're able to beatmatch in addition to all the FX you're throwing in the mix. That's not to say I don't use the sync feature, but I think of it more as a panic button, like a last minute save to the mix, and try to not use it when I don't have to.

[Redderious]

I choose to buy a controller without a sync button, if you know what your doing theres really absolutely no need for it at all.

[deadnoisesystem]

i got technics and bare vinyl, but my mac has far more on it. i could bring 5 boxes or i could bring one with fx and loops too. what do you do?

Agreed. Using the custom crate feature in Itch, I can sort my music according to their tone and inside each sub-category i can arrange all my tracks by key. My crates are Odd tempo, Burial/Spaceape, and 140 bpm. In the 140 crate my sub crates are bright-jazzy, bright-jungle, bright-neutral, neutral, dark-neutral, Industrial-Dungeon, Dark Jungle, and eh/in your face which is for my tunes that will most likely be completely untouched in a mix. With this...perfect mixes every time with a constant similair vibe.

exactly my point.

[Etches828]

I think it's a debate that has valid points for all of the platforms. Personally I think if you're a musician and you're using a laptop, learn to use it properly, do something live and exciting, don't just press auto-mix or sync or whatever. It's embaressing, I used to use ableton before I got WORKING decks, but I used it creatively, cutting up bits tunes using acapellas own samples etc...

Vinyl, naturally, especially in this scene (or what this scene used to be) is the prefered medium, it's weightier, warmer, it has an element of exclusivity with dubplates and stuff. It also takes skill to mix vinyl unlike using laptop software such as traktor/(egugh)Virtual DJ. I think Serato or Traktor with timecoded vinyl control is the way forwards these days.

Personally, I use CDJ's, i still buy and collect vinyl, but i only have one working deck, plus i wanna play my tunes and friends/other producers un-pressed tunes in my sets, I think while skill needed is questionable on CDJs It's easier to go on a vibe with CDJ's if you know what i mean? No one likes to see someone standing staring at a laptop if they've paid money to see them DJ, whereas you see someone feeling the tunes, putting in effort behind CDJ's/Decks it adds to the atmosphere of the show.

But yeah, lots of tunes I can't get anywhere else I buy on vinyl and of course tunes I love i buy on vinyl when I can, and i do the bad thing and rip them to CD hahah. But personally I think using laptops (just to play tunes) is a bit of a cop-out, it makes me sick when i see people around me getting paid and getting booked abroad to play but they literally just use sync and auto-cue while i sit at him bitter fiddling with my CDJ's and hugging my vinyl collection hahhaha

[mikeyp]

just stumbled across this article, thought i'd share

[mks]

There are so many boring ass DJ's no matter what the medium.

It's probably inevitable now with the technology where everyone is a DJ and a producer.

I've seen so many wack vinyl sets where the dj mixed flawlessly but there was no soul.

Now with the digital, you can't be accepted unless you tear apart the music and add so many effects and tricks that the original music is lost. You might as well have just done a Live PA instead.

DJ's cannot forget about the soul of DJ'ing, which should just be about the music.

[subfect]

There is no debate - it's a question of what you prefer/what you're most comfortable with. People who think that simply because you have a controller you're not mixing - is clearly totally unaware as to what you can/can't do with them. Secondly - what about Live setups? There's generally no actual mixing, but rather it's a question of performing.

Punters don't give a shit - if what you do sounds good, then well done.