DJs... What do you think of Ableton laptop DJs?

[wrexile]

If your ears n brain are enjoying the sounds, your eyes have no purpose other than watching that you don't elbow someone in the face whilst you have a good ol' boogie

[basicanarchy101]

Two track mixing on ableton is gay... I mean... I kinda feel like people limit thier idea of whats possible with PC processing down to live though... You can accomplish alot with a simple midi mappable two deck software and some creative wiring, you dont have to go ableton, you can go play buttons and pitch knobs... At the end though, vinyl will never die, so dont get your panties in a twist... My biggest fear is that itll make it hard to see the gems under all the bullshit...

If you use live to create an interesting and unique live experience, or too do things completely beyond the realm of possible with dj equipment, fine. Do it. But if your using it in a way that emulates traditional djing with none of the skill, well you sir, are a tnuc.

[wayoftheworld]

when you are on the dancefloor getting sammiched by multiple chicks

you arent worrying about wtf the dj is playing on

exactly.

[yamaz]

.Ok then...coming from a production side I got ableton for that purpose but now I can also dabble in mixing/djing, Way coool! I can fit my laptop, audio card, two midi controllers, headphones and all the cables in one backpack and be completely mobile and lightweight, even coooler! I don't have the funds for big heavy bulky outdated overpriced technology. if you dont like queing with software, then you can use the pitch adjustment manually in ableton the traditional way. Me, id rather spend my time gettin creative with this shit live then spend time beatmatching...Mind you, this takes about same amount of time as warping all your songs, but you do this before the gig instead of during.

I can now mix my own songs or experimental shit I'm working on without vinyl and i can share songs ive made for friends to dj with serato/traktor or ableton for free. Hell, I can play songs that are not even fuck available on vinyl. And the best thing of it all is how much damn fun you can have twisting the fuck outta soundz with endless effects and other possibilites ; ) ... so you decide!

Oh yea and ableton and serato are pairing up for a huge project together so you can expect the best from both worlds now!

[wayoftheworld]

.Ok then...coming from a production side I got ableton for that purpose but now I can also dabble in mixing/djing, Way coool! I can fit my laptop, audio card, two midi controllers, headphones and all the cables in one backpack and be completely mobile and lightweight, even coooler! I don't have the funds for big heavy bulky outdated overpriced technology. if you dont like queing with software, then you can use the pitch adjustment manually in ableton the traditional way. Me, id rather spend my time gettin creative with this shit live then spend time beatmatching...Mind you, this takes about same amount of time as warping all your songs, but you do this before the gig instead of during.

I can now mix my own songs or experimental shit I'm working on without vinyl and i can share songs ive made for friends to dj with serato/traktor or ableton for free. Hell, I can play songs that are not even fuck available on vinyl. And the best thing of it all is how much damn fun you can have twisting the fuck outta soundz with endless effects and other possibilites ; ) ... so you decide!

Oh yea and ableton and serato are pairing up for a huge project together so you can expect the best from both worlds now!

right on, bro.

i think its kinda weird when people get so worked up over things like this. not referring to the op or anyone in particular, but it's like sharmaji said, ableton is just another tool. obviously there are some really incredible benefits to working with ableton that you can't really get out of vinyl only, so why not embrace it all and save that passion for the tunes?

[narcissus]

all i know is that when a DJ plays a set, regardless of what he's using, i'm trying to get lost in the music and think as little as possible.. especially about how the sounds are being generated.. i just like to get lost in them and watch as my problems drift out the window. that's what music is to me, not some kind of competition where you have to keep your eye on your opponent's weaknesses...
that said, if i hear a break in the music that the DJ didn't intend, or some other mistake, then it takes me OUT of the music, out of that high place where i like to be. but even a couple breaks like that are acceptable, as long as the DJ can get things rolling the way he/she wants again.
so whether the DJ is using vinyl or ableton, all that matters is that music is good and it's presented in a good way. if you NEED to see vinyl to hear good music, then that's just what you're used to... and it's really your decision whether you want to accept other forms or not. personally, i LOVE to hear vinyl, but if it's just ableton, that's good too

[-dubson-]

if you're gonna ableton. do something siiick and original. if not, whats the point?

x1000

[jolly wailer]

no discs doe innit?

[dynamat]

If your doing stuff you cant do with decks then its fine by me and i do it myself, if your 2 track mixing with warped tracks, then its talentless and boring

[Dub_Fiend]

I get kinda pissed off when people rant at me about using Ableton... I understand that there's a skill in learning how to beatmatch, but on the flip-side I see it as a limitation. I mean, how much is it for two vinyl decks? I wouldn't know, but for a decent pair it's probs more than Live 8, and I can just press Ctrl+N to make as many audio tracks as I like...

While I was getting used to Ableton, I just played two tracks together, but after my first big mix I started pushing the boundaries i.e. adding risers/build-up FX, acapellas I'd found on the internet (Dizzee Rascal - Sirens with Benga & Coki - Night, Muse - Supermassive Black Hole with Bar9 - Strung Out), and more recently I've been using Follow Actions (which are SICK btw) and I'm looking to learn to use Dummy Clips in the near future... At the end of the day, it's how you use the software (as I'm sure tonnes of Ableton-users have already said, but nvm eh?) and I'm proud to push the envelope with my mixes

Also, I recently decided to invest in an APC40 for my 21st birthday, and so now I'm using a funky flashing buttoned MIDI controller instead of just triggering tracks with my shitty M-Audio Keyboard I'll deffo be using that to my advantage, especially when I get around to grabbing Max for Live :3


Dub Fiend

p.s. (SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT) If you wanna hear the Supermassive Black Hole acapella with Strung Out, check the mix in my sig at about 7.16 the best bit imo is when the David Guetta remix mixes in at 9.28... pure tingles

[Rickmansworth]

i guess i would be frustrated too, if i wasted 1500 bucks on a vinyl setup that is inferior to an ableton setup. back in the day, i loved my sl12s, but in 2010, it doesnt make sense to go out and spend 10 bucks on a vinyl when you can buy the tune in mp3 format for 2 bucks...

vinyl dj'ing is still sick if you can 'actually' mix two records well on the fly, or else you are a battle dj. other than that, vinyl dj'ing is for wannabes or noob music elitists.

there are more possibilities with ableton, it costs less and and easier to use. it is the future.

[webstarr]

As long as it sounds good I don't really care. Selection is the most important thing, no matter what your using. You can be as sick as anything but if your tunes are shit it won't make a difference

[relik]

i could care less what people use, but if you want to complain about abelton djs just pressing play...it's no different than playing cdjs with all of your tracks stretched to the same bpm. i'm sure some people do it so they don't have to worry about beat matching. a lot of dubstep is 140bpm anyway so you don't even need to really be good at beatmatching...just cue, press play, and cut up the mix.

[Mad_EP]

I don't really care... and to be honest, I probably have more of an issue with someone doing a serato set, dropping other people's tracks, and being billed as a live act. Not for any reason other than I just see the division in terminology as thus: If one plays only their own tracks, I call it a live set. If the performer drops other people's tracks, I call it a DJ set. Simple.. the tools used to play the set is irrelevant.

[bokatordubstep]

damn good shit Dub Fiend, nice mix!

[hectikx]

Fuck the critics.

At the end of the day if the people are having a good time and the sets fire, who the fuck cares if it's mixed on wax or software.

[Wolverine]

i prefer listening/watching djs on cdjs or turntables, i think its better cueing, dropping, eqing using proper equipment imo

i come across a dj playing out using albeton yet, but theres some mixes ive seen on here where they rip youtube videos and use them in ableton

[Mysius]

I'm just bored of computers that is why i have stuck with two decks and vinyl. i work all day on a computer and then produce for hours again on a computer til the early hours so i just love gettin away from it and immersing myself in the music though it doesn't really matter what is used for live purposes. as long as the crowd are digging it, that is all that matters.

[abZ]

I would never make blanket statements about people who use a specific thing. Defo some respected people by me who use Ableton. I have done a couple studio mixes with it. What kills me are dj's that don't put the time in, just get ableton and tracktor and bam! ur a dj. Fuck off. Should be a rule that you make a statement that you want to dj and then a year from that date you should be allowed one opening slot

[Dub_Fiend]

damn good shit Dub Fiend, nice mix!

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Safe man, thanks it's mostly bangers tbh, and I've made a better mix since but i thought i'd just give an example ↲
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Dub Fiend