Page 59 - Zone Magazine Issue 006

" I think we are all slightly fooling ourselves if we think that it will go back to the days of vinyl. There’s not enough of a market for labels to produce vinyl anymore and it’s expensive to produce. "
So going back to the sync skills debate lets be honest is there hardly any sync skills required using modern CD deck?
Now using laptops and software such as “Traktor” with controllers or even via CD turntables / turntables. Software such as “Traktor” relies on using sync for timing of effects as much as matching tempos between tracks.
You can use the software without auto sync but if you using it along with a controller you will find it very hard to get sync tight when using a pitch control on a controller. Most pitch controls on midi controller are too coarse to allow you to get accurate sync. This is one of the reasons DJs using controllers will use sync buttons rather than not being capable of manual sync. You can also control the software via CD decks or even with vinyl with the correct time coded media, this will give you better / smother control over pitch and sync. Don’t be fooled by auto sync in software via "Traktor" or the like, it doesn’t auto sync the tracks that tight. To get it to work properly you have to adjust the timing / beat grids for each tracks you want to play. Again the technical side of this software would be a topic in itself but this is also the same for “Pioneer Rekordbox”
Here’s something to consider, Does Technology Suit the music a DJ plays?
From my own experience using CD decks, laptops or vinyl can be great for different things. If you are into mixing swiftly being creative with looping and live edits of tracks laptops / software with controllers are great for this. They allow you lots of time to think more about the creative picture and tricks if you like whilst not having to think about the timing stuff. There’s a reason why lots of Techno DJs have embraced this and used it to create something that’s not possible with vinyl or CD decks. I saw one of “Richie Hawtins” first gigs when he was road testing “Traktor” in its infancy and the gig was awesome.
CJ turntable’s I personally find more enjoyable if you are playing music which is lengthier or more musical and needs to breathe when playing it. If you’re playing that style of music and more into the blending side of mixing when music holds its own for long periods, well CD decks give you more activity than a controller and laptops would do. It would pretty boring playing a track of 9 min long off a laptop with nothing to do until the last 2 min of the track.
Vinyl & turntables, well it’s the ultimate feeling and buzz whilst playing. It will keep you on your toes throughout a set and you have to be sharp if you want to mix swiftly. In my eyes there all as equal as one another can be all be used to advantage.
What about DJs who use key mixing, is that also considered cheating or unfair?
Key mixing is nothing new it’s been used by DJs back in the days of disco and through to modern day. DJs such as “Sasha & Dave Seaman” took advantage of it in the early 90’s and they stood out of the crowd as a result. I’m not going into the principles of key mixing there’s lots of documented information that can be found on the net. There’s also lots of software available that will analyses your digital files and tell you what key the music is in and what other keys to mix it with. When I started out key mixing and like many others there was no software that would analyze your tracks and give you the key of the track and options it will mix it.
You had to play the track off a turntable at 0 pitch and work the key out yourself with a piano / keyboard or use your ears. I still use this method for the majority of the time because from my experience a lot of key analyst software isn’t always accurate enough and I don’t like to rely on it. So is using key software also cheating or rather creative? There are also some apps that go beyond just giving you the keys of the tracks but also options of what tracks from your files to mix with your current track playing. So it can be like painting by numbers without listening to music properly to decide what you should choice to play next.
Personably I’m not a fan of a software app suggesting what I should play next as a DJ and I prefer to go through time-consuming effort of listening to the tracks and testing out mixes.
One thing other thing on key mixing to consider, just because two tracks are in a relative Key and tempo doesn’t mean that they will create an energetic mix or transition. It’s not a dead cert and sometimes out of key mixes can still sound good.
Convenience factor
I wonder how many DJs if given the choice would opt to go back to lugging boxes of vinyl around again? Imagine what it’s like some airline looses your box of records and say its ok we will compensate you. Nothing compensates not being able to play your next gig because you don’t have your music. Obviously the ultimate convenience is using pen drives with CD decks and DJs are often opting for this convenience over laptops in clubs.
Wrapping up this topic
So we are in the year 2015 and a lot of things of changed, developed and progressed. I personally can’t see technology slowing down and feel we have to embrace change.
I don’t really understand all the bitterness regarding how DJing has chanced and complaints. It’s like some people feel short changed because they spent a lot of time
developing a skill that’s now taken as a given. This is the way of the fast paced world we live in and developed human skills are constantly being replaced or affected by technology.
Look at Sound engineers and recording studios. The art of a creative sound engineer that spent years learning their craft is becoming dispensable as software simulates audio equipment. Software such as the very popular “Ableton” not only allows audio simulation but also auto takes care of audio routing. Most of the presets are pre set up ready to use without any prior knowledge required on how to set up the related settings. All of a sudden everyone’s a producer and commercial studios have lost money or closed down. But not so many are bitching about that when its helped a lot of traditional based DJs to record / produce music they couldn’t have before.
Outside of music supermarket checkout staff are being reduced because of self check outs, lots of professional photography has suffered because of the quality of consumer digital cameras that are available and the lists / examples go on.
Back to the music side of things I think we are all slightly fooling ourselves if we think that it will go back to the days of vinyl. There’s not enough of a market for labels to produce vinyl anymore and it’s expensive to produce. There has been an influx in vinyl sales over the past year but the majority of these sales are re issues of classic albums.
Will the younger generation of DJs be interested in using vinyl or turntables?
It would be nice to think so but it’s doubtful. Technics are re issuing the classic 1200 / 1210 turntables with improvements, which will be great but it’s likely that mainly vinyl enthusiasts and scratch DJs will be buying them.
I think on a whole when we start criticizing new developments and methods in technology because it takes away a skill away we feel we had to work at. We should look at other areas in our lives and what we do and how it’s affected other industries and other people’s skill sets.
Remember when there were no pitch controls on turntables and DJs used to wind the records around with their finger to speed the music up for sync. Well they didn’t complain when Pitch controls became available.... they embraced it.
So In the words of “Richard Pryor” "have a coke and a smile” Enjoy the music coming out the speakers.
Words By Lee Softley
AKA Blu Amazon
Pics By Rob Tarren & Jason Hankin
ESSENTIALDANCEMUSIC 59