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-- CDJs V.S. Time-Code Vinyl/CD + Laptop


Posted by m2j on Aug-24-2006 05:10:

CDJs V.S. Time-Code Vinyl/CD + Laptop

As the digital world expands its inevitable that a wider range of dj technology will rise. So far the most popular two are CDJs (eg. Pioneer CDJ1000) and Time-Code Vinyl/CD with Laptops (eg. Final Scratch)

Personally, I like the fact that with the Laptop + Timecode combo you can search for tracks in an instant, it comes with many FX, AND you get to hold on to the touch and feel of vinyl.

I hate to start another versus thread, but it seems more and more djs follow the CDJ route... which makes me curious as to why... is there something I'm missing?

So, which do you prefer and why?


Posted by Pattink on Aug-24-2006 05:17:

I dont usually post in the DJ booth, but...


seriously people, stop the god damn vs. threads, they turn into flame wars and there is no real way to rate apples vs. oranges. both systems have their pros and cons and it comes down to user preference.



/rant


Posted by m2j on Aug-24-2006 05:20:

quote:
Originally posted by Pattink
I dont usually post in the DJ booth, but...


seriously people, stop the god damn vs. threads, they turn into flame wars and there is no real way to rate apples vs. oranges. both systems have their pros and cons and it comes down to user preference.



/rant


I know, versus threads start flame-wars, but thats not my intention.

I'm just curious to know which people prefer and why.
neither answer is right or wrong.


Posted by Vero on Aug-24-2006 05:32:

no vote.

whatever works for you.

i rock serato and a powerbook, would i like to have a set of CDJ1000mk3s? you bet your ass i would, but in the meantime, serato does everything i need it to including cue points and looping.


Posted by Cosmic Realm on Aug-24-2006 06:25:

i voted for serato..
because in the long run i feel like it would save money, i have a really fucking good computer already and its less money then just buying 2 or even 1 good CDJ...
quality isnt really an issue anymore because most online digital shops have .wav's anyways
that and i just like the feel of vinyl too must and i wouldnt have to stop using my technics that i busted my ass for


Posted by Cosmic Realm on Aug-24-2006 06:26:

quote:
Originally posted by Vero
would i like to have a set of CDJ1000mk3s? you bet your ass i would,


+1


Posted by superglo on Aug-24-2006 09:07:

i chose cdj because the laptop+timecode option tends to be a bitch when you dont have the time to setup and soundcheck beforehand.
that said... i use the laptop+controller option.


Posted by Nemesis44 on Aug-24-2006 09:29:

I user vinyl and CDJ... No option for that so no vote.

Cheers
Nem


Posted by DFOP04 on Aug-24-2006 10:43:

quote:
Originally posted by Cosmic Realm
i voted for serato..
because in the long run i feel like it would save money, i have a really fucking good computer already and its less money then just buying 2 or even 1 good CDJ...
quality isnt really an issue anymore because most online digital shops have .wav's anyways
that and i just like the feel of vinyl too must and i wouldnt have to stop using my technics that i busted my ass for


+1000000000, serato is quality, offers so many different oppurtunities in the wonderful world of djing, i would recommend to anyone.

dfop


Posted by Djyoungsta00 on Aug-24-2006 20:15:

no vote


il dj with any format its best to be flexable these days in this industry .


Posted by tvmann on Aug-24-2006 21:42:

Laptop + Traktor + Midi control box - you don't have an option for that so no vote.

I like having thousands of my tracks there, all categorized by genre, artist, BPM, my comments, etc, and I can change the sorting order or find and load a track within seconds, this is impossible with CDs and vinyl. But probably you could do that with Serato / FInal Scratch.

All my equipment is in one bag and it fits in a small crowded DJ booth or friends' party rooms. Because of the portability there is less hassle for me bring my equipment, while people who are asked to bring out their own CD/vinyl decks & mixer often will not bother because it's too much work and they risk damaging something. Granted, people who DJ at a normal well-equipped club or party will only need to bring their discs, while I'm bringing a laptop & accessories.

If the place has a crappy mixer and bad monitors or no monitors - it's not a problem, because I cue in my headphones and I have a software mixer and Midi knob box to let me do the hands-on adjustments. Also I don't need to worry much about operating the oddball/malfunctioning mixer setups that the clubs often have, because I mostly use my own equipment. All I need is to plug into their mixer or amp and set some levels and then I hardly need to touch their stuff again.

I use quality MP3s I rip from my own CDs (and a few vinyl) plus downloads from BeatPort etc. When I compare the sound from those MP3s and WAV, to me and all my friends, there is no difference at all.

I use the automatic beatmatching, it's a low-level mechanical process that the computer does very well (once you've figured out the trade secrets), and it frees up my time for other things. I still do the fine adjustments to the beatmatch and the bar-matching or phase-matching. Do the DJs on vinyl (and CDs to a less extent) look cool while they beatmatch? Yes. Do I want to do that? No, to me it would be a step backward.

I can do some digital things that are impossible or difficult on vinyl & CD. Such as some types of beat juggling. I can play a wider variety of music types & BPMs because of all those tracks and genres I carry, and key-locking. Once I did a warm-up set that went from 70 BPM down-tempo to 130 house in about 45 minutes. I doubt that the average DJ would be able to do that since most stick to one genre and a narrow BPM range.

My system works very well, no it's not perfect by any means, but it does not feel dorky and awkward. The bad feeling is what you get if you run music software on a slow computer and try to control everything with a mouse or keyboard. I would say my computer with Traktor 2.53 and a nice Midi knob box, runs like a good little sportscar. It works for me.


Posted by Zild on Aug-25-2006 17:25:

Time code vinyl for now.



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