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Does your play style change when you use CDJs?

Home :: General Discussion :: Does your play style change when you use CDJs?Reply

Does your play style change when you use CDJs? Posted on: 06.05.2013 by William Muccio Im one of the few residents that uses MIDI, and i usually get put down by other, older residents scolding me on how real djs use cdjs bla bla, not the point of the thread. I use midi cause it improves my performance su much, having visual references i can mix songs so that intros of one son overlap perfectly with the drop of the other one and so on, sadly i havent been able to achieve this with cdjs and i dont want to risk my job. When i use cdjs i find myself playing one track to the end, where i just play the outro with the intro of the next and so on. Recently i noticed that all the other local djs do this aswell, they just use large mashups instead of individual tracks. Should i bother trying to learn cdjs as well as i know midi or do i continue doing my midi?
Qiana Castellucci 15.05.2013	Originally Posted by mdcdesign If actually making an effort to DJ is a problem for you, just quit now. "USB Stick + Headphones" DJs piss me off no end; bring the gear with you that allows you to play the best that you possibly can, or just don't even bother showing up. Christ, I remember when we had to lug cratefuls of vinyl and flightcased TTs around with us to every gig. Fucking hell you really are a tedious little shit! How about letting people chose to play and organise their play however they like. And don't start with the "Christ, I remember when ......" shit. You're a 26 year old who never DJ's outside of his town or local clique and never even goes clubbing outside of said clique (your own words!), so don't pretend you're some "old school" Dj FFS, is just embarrassing.
Kristofer Krauel 15.05.2013	Originally Posted by mdcdesign If actually making an effort to DJ is a problem for you, just quit now. "USB Stick + Headphones" DJs piss me off no end; bring the gear with you that allows you to play the best that you possibly can, or just don't even bother showing up. Christ, I remember when we had to lug cratefuls of vinyl and flightcased TTs around with us to every gig. What if he can rock it with usb + headphones? You pissed off becaus he DOESNT have to lug loads of shit around to rock a crowd??!!
Dedra Kreinbring 15.05.2013	Originally Posted by mdcdesign If actually making an effort to DJ is a problem for you, just quit now. "USB Stick + Headphones" DJs piss me off no end; bring the gear with you that allows you to play the best that you possibly can, or just don't even bother showing up. Christ, I remember when we had to lug cratefuls of vinyl and flightcased TTs around with us to every gig. Each to their own. Some people like ease and security of not taking their own expensive gear everywhere. I certainly know if I didn't have a car, I wouldn't want to be carrying my gear and laptop to my local train station. Dhino is also saying that he wants to do this so he can be as good on CDJs as on a controller, hence it will allow him to play the best that he can.
Doreen Schurle 15.05.2013	Originally Posted by Dhinojosa94 well yeah, but lugging around my laptop and controller is getting tediouse, and just carying like 2 or 3 mp3 cds with the tunes im gona use seems like a good option for some scenarios, im not looking to permanently adopt a play style, i just want to be able to dj as good as i do with a controller without one If actually making an effort to DJ is a problem for you, just quit now. "USB Stick + Headphones" DJs piss me off no end; bring the gear with you that allows you to play the best that you possibly can, or just don't even bother showing up. Christ, I remember when we had to lug cratefuls of vinyl and flightcased TTs around with us to every gig.
Ming Devis 14.05.2013	Originally Posted by Dhinojosa94 well yeah, but lugging around my laptop and controller is getting tediouse, and just carying like 2 or 3 mp3 cds with the tunes im gona use seems like a good option for some scenarios, im not looking to permanently adopt a play style, i just want to be able to dj as good as i do with a controller without one Well a laptop and a small audio interface isn't much, you won't need a controller. But each to their own.
Sonja Roybal 14.05.2013	Originally Posted by Dhinojosa94 well yeah, but lugging around my laptop and controller is getting tediouse, and just carying like 2 or 3 mp3 cds with the tunes im gona use seems like a good option for some scenarios, im not looking to permanently adopt a play style, i just want to be able to dj as good as i do with a controller without one Just do it. Burning some cd's costs about a $1 and 5 minutes.
William Muccio 14.05.2013	Originally Posted by LoopCat To be honest I wouldn't bother with CD's burning tones of them is too time consuming and wasteful. Time code cd's and an audio interface sound like a better option or use 1200's with time code if their available well yeah, but lugging around my laptop and controller is getting tediouse, and just carying like 2 or 3 mp3 cds with the tunes im gona use seems like a good option for some scenarios, im not looking to permanently adopt a play style, i just want to be able to dj as good as i do with a controller without one
Ossie Pooley 14.05.2013	Originally Posted by willisnz Learning to use CDJ's would be advantageous if you plan to continue to play out if you feel it is an issue for you. This
Latoria Kavulich 15.05.2013	Not comfortable with where this convo is (inevitably) heading guys. sorry
Rolanda Clodfelder 15.05.2013	USB Stick + Headphones" DJs piss me off no end; bring the gear with you that allows you to play the best that you possibly can DJ'ing is nothing to do with the Medium and everything to do with the Media. As for playing differently, sure I play completely differently on Ableton or Traktor than I do on CDJ's - sometimes its a breath of fresh air to just rock it on 2 decks and a mixer straight up. Honestly I find that if you get sucked into the Beat Gridding / Warping / Sampling / Looping / Effects wizardry / Transposing madness you can lose your sense of groove, sense of atmosphere and of course the crowd, which can be fine if thats what they expect - but if they don't know what they were walking into. Just getting back to basics every so often is a surefire way to start feeling the groove again rather than watching it happen as a waveform dancing on the screen. And yeah, if CDJ's are available where I'm playing I'll probably use them straight for a while anyhow during a set regardless of what other toys I bring with me. Its also IMHO alot easier to have fun WITH the crowd when you aren't believeing about whats on the screen (which just enhances everyones evening - right). For the record I generally find I play darker, more serious sets with Ableton and funkier fun stuff on CDJ's
Inez Marcinik 15.05.2013	I started out using Traktor with a controller, and a shitty laptop. It's always assumed it's going to be a hassle by the people running events, aside from any of the controller vs cdj stuff. A couple of years ago I got a set of technics and scratch pro and learned to beatmatch properly, the whole shabang, because I was fed up of the embarassing situations I found myself in while switching over with other DJ's, not being able to beatmatch transitions etc etc. I've had quite a few gigs now playing with timecode at parties and I'm at the point of just wanting to play off of CDJ's because at the end of the day in a real world situation CDJ's are so much less hassle than anything else, it's just less to worry about. They just work.
Qiana Castellucci 15.05.2013	Originally Posted by mdcdesign If actually making an effort to DJ is a problem for you, just quit now. "USB Stick + Headphones" DJs piss me off no end; bring the gear with you that allows you to play the best that you possibly can, or just don't even bother showing up. Christ, I remember when we had to lug cratefuls of vinyl and flightcased TTs around with us to every gig. Fucking hell you really are a tedious little shit! How about letting people chose to play and organise their play however they like. And don't start with the "Christ, I remember when ......" shit. You're a 26 year old who never DJ's outside of his town or local clique and never even goes clubbing outside of said clique (your own words!), so don't pretend you're some "old school" Dj FFS, is just embarrassing.
Kristofer Krauel 15.05.2013	Originally Posted by mdcdesign If actually making an effort to DJ is a problem for you, just quit now. "USB Stick + Headphones" DJs piss me off no end; bring the gear with you that allows you to play the best that you possibly can, or just don't even bother showing up. Christ, I remember when we had to lug cratefuls of vinyl and flightcased TTs around with us to every gig. What if he can rock it with usb + headphones? You pissed off becaus he DOESNT have to lug loads of shit around to rock a crowd??!!
Dedra Kreinbring 15.05.2013	Originally Posted by mdcdesign If actually making an effort to DJ is a problem for you, just quit now. "USB Stick + Headphones" DJs piss me off no end; bring the gear with you that allows you to play the best that you possibly can, or just don't even bother showing up. Christ, I remember when we had to lug cratefuls of vinyl and flightcased TTs around with us to every gig. Each to their own. Some people like ease and security of not taking their own expensive gear everywhere. I certainly know if I didn't have a car, I wouldn't want to be carrying my gear and laptop to my local train station. Dhino is also saying that he wants to do this so he can be as good on CDJs as on a controller, hence it will allow him to play the best that he can.
Doreen Schurle 15.05.2013	Originally Posted by Dhinojosa94 well yeah, but lugging around my laptop and controller is getting tediouse, and just carying like 2 or 3 mp3 cds with the tunes im gona use seems like a good option for some scenarios, im not looking to permanently adopt a play style, i just want to be able to dj as good as i do with a controller without one If actually making an effort to DJ is a problem for you, just quit now. "USB Stick + Headphones" DJs piss me off no end; bring the gear with you that allows you to play the best that you possibly can, or just don't even bother showing up. Christ, I remember when we had to lug cratefuls of vinyl and flightcased TTs around with us to every gig.
Ming Devis 14.05.2013	Originally Posted by Dhinojosa94 well yeah, but lugging around my laptop and controller is getting tediouse, and just carying like 2 or 3 mp3 cds with the tunes im gona use seems like a good option for some scenarios, im not looking to permanently adopt a play style, i just want to be able to dj as good as i do with a controller without one Well a laptop and a small audio interface isn't much, you won't need a controller. But each to their own.
Sonja Roybal 14.05.2013	Originally Posted by Dhinojosa94 well yeah, but lugging around my laptop and controller is getting tediouse, and just carying like 2 or 3 mp3 cds with the tunes im gona use seems like a good option for some scenarios, im not looking to permanently adopt a play style, i just want to be able to dj as good as i do with a controller without one Just do it. Burning some cd's costs about a $1 and 5 minutes.
William Muccio 14.05.2013	Originally Posted by LoopCat To be honest I wouldn't bother with CD's burning tones of them is too time consuming and wasteful. Time code cd's and an audio interface sound like a better option or use 1200's with time code if their available well yeah, but lugging around my laptop and controller is getting tediouse, and just carying like 2 or 3 mp3 cds with the tunes im gona use seems like a good option for some scenarios, im not looking to permanently adopt a play style, i just want to be able to dj as good as i do with a controller without one
Ossie Pooley 14.05.2013	Originally Posted by willisnz Learning to use CDJ's would be advantageous if you plan to continue to play out if you feel it is an issue for you. This
Ming Devis 14.05.2013	To be honest I wouldn't bother with CD's burning tones of them is too time consuming and wasteful. Time code cd's and an audio interface sound like a better option or use 1200's with time code if their available
Alphonso Deitchman 15.05.2013	BPM info is a visual reference too, and accurate BPM is almost the same as sync.
William Muccio 15.05.2013	Originally Posted by LoopCat Hmm maybe bring a time code kit like others have said and use your Serato on the Dvj's?(Can't really give any advice on these though never used time code cd's only vinyl) no, my aim right now is being able to play without any sort of visual reference, ive been practicing with my monitor turned off and ive been doing great,
Olin Easley 14.05.2013	You could write down the tempos on a piece of paper/the CD (depends how you organise your library) and use that for initial reference. You can also use maths, but it's good to be able to do it without it.
Dedra Kreinbring 14.05.2013	Originally Posted by johney (which you shouldn't use anyway) (Which you shouldn't need to use anyway) but they are there to help and are a useful tool.
Augustine Mitzen 14.05.2013	No it won't, however CDJs have built in bpm counters (which you shouldn't use anyway) Edit: missed a page, oops
Emelina Chillson 13.05.2013	Why not just play cd's and learn your tunes? Even when Im using vinyl where I can read the grooves, I rely more on my memory than seeing the physical track. You will gain a lot more appreciation for the music this way.
Ming Devis 13.05.2013	Originally Posted by Dhinojosa94 whish i could, the clubs around here i have played on, even though they are super high end, have old dvjs that dont have usb in Hmm maybe bring a time code kit like others have said and use your Serato on the Dvj's?(Can't really give any advice on these though never used time code cd's only vinyl)
William Muccio 13.05.2013	Originally Posted by LoopCat Hey mate, you're better off downloading Rekord box for free from the Pioneer website and analyzing your tunes on there and saving to a usb stick (remember to bring two to the gig in case the link cable is bad) Just a bit of advice that's helped me - Look into getting your beat matching by ear spot on. You might not need it to be perfect 90% of the time with the technology you use 'but' when you have to use cdj's and for some reason you can't use software it makes things so much less stress full and easier for yourself if you can match tunes manually when technology fails. When I first started my friend bought a pair of cdj's and I would load tracks up match the bpm's and hit play on the one letting Rekord box and the CDJ's do the work. That was the worst habbit to get into and when tracks had an irregular structure or were not analyzed properly it would go to shit. The best thing I did was get some turntables and a stack of vinyl and DVS and learn to mix by ear. This has helped every part of my mixing. Now when I use CDJ's readouts as a rough guide and use my ears. If you're doing this for a job it would be a good idea to try and beat match with no aid in your spare time with some turntables or some cdj's with your ears it will help you massively. whish i could, the clubs around here i have played on, even though they are super high end, have old dvjs that dont have usb in
Sonja Roybal 13.05.2013	95% of dance music, in any genre, is all made from a similar template. Pop music is too. What in the hell do you need waveforms for? If there's something different or weird about a tune, you should remember it after playing it a few times. Part of the problem with digital dj'ing is that tunes are so cheap/stolen that people don't even take the time to learn their tunes. It's mind boggling.
Ming Devis 13.05.2013	Originally Posted by Dhinojosa94 one quick question, if i have analyzed mp3s with serato and have the bpm information, when i burn them into a cd and load into a cdj will the cdj read the bpm info? i dont want to take a leap of faith since im not 100% confident in my beatmatching to risk my job Hey mate, you're better off downloading Rekord box for free from the Pioneer website and analyzing your tunes on there and saving to a usb stick (remember to bring two to the gig in case the link cable is bad) Just a bit of advice that's helped me - Look into getting your beat matching by ear spot on. You might not need it to be perfect 90% of the time with the technology you use 'but' when you have to use cdj's and for some reason you can't use software it makes things so much less stress full and easier for yourself if you can match tunes manually when technology fails. When I first started my friend bought a pair of cdj's and I would load tracks up match the bpm's and hit play on the one letting Rekord box and the CDJ's do the work. That was the worst habbit to get into and when tracks had an irregular structure or were not analyzed properly it would go to shit. The best thing I did was get some turntables and a stack of vinyl and DVS and learn to mix by ear. This has helped every part of my mixing. Now when I use CDJ's readouts as a rough guide and use my ears. If you're doing this for a job it would be a good idea to try and beat match with no aid in your spare time with some turntables or some cdj's with your ears it will help you massively.
Alphonso Deitchman 13.05.2013	Originally Posted by Dhinojosa94 if i have analyzed mp3s with serato and have the bpm information, when i burn them into a cd and load into a cdj will the cdj read the bpm info? No. You can use Serato Timecode if you want to have your track info on hand.
William Muccio 13.05.2013	one quick question, if i have analyzed mp3s with serato and have the bpm information, when i burn them into a cd and load into a cdj will the cdj read the bpm info? i dont want to take a leap of faith since im not 100% confident in my beatmatching to risk my job
Donny Vonbargen 09.05.2013	I started on Traktor and a S4 then transitioned to CDJ. Much difference? Not really other than the feel of it. Start learning phrasing and you can mix at any stage of the songs. Leave traktor in browse mode to force you not to waveride, use your ears and try not to use sync for the first bit. When you master that, go back to sync and start really improve your set. Now you can play on CDJ's and your controller, the best of both worlds.
Yajaira Harang 09.05.2013	Personnaly, i'm on Serato and i just start to hate mixing with a computer, a find much more creativity when i stay on CDJs and when i don't have a screen around. I'm trying to get on CDJs at the moment! You should defenitly try, it's always good to know
Ashanti Andreacchio 09.05.2013	When I play at a club that has CDJ2000 I bring my laptop (Traktor) and my F1(Mapped for hotcues/Loop and FX) there is no differance in the way I play then when I use my DDJ SX. If I bring only an USB drive there are some smal diferences because Traktor can do some things that a Pioneer CDJ DJM setup can do. Although the way I mix is prety much the same.
Ming Devis 09.05.2013	You can do pretty much everything on a modern CDJ you just need to learn how to use the features other then the pitch fader and the track select button knob..
Kristofer Krauel 09.05.2013	Originally Posted by djmetalgear Idk wtf ur doing with ur controllers but I've had my s4 for 2 years and it travels to every gig with me (2 a week) and its been fine. But who knows, maybe I just got lucky with the best s4 ever built while everyone else's falls apart. Not the only one. Mine travelled about every weekend, went to Ibiza and back a few times and even over to Aus. If an S4 can survive Ibizan baggage claim it can survive ANYTHING!!
Augustine Mitzen 09.05.2013	Originally Posted by locksmith Also one more related question, at my school parties everyone wants electro house and dubstep.... The dj was using virtual dj and a numark controller, and was using a number of effects and filters for the transitions, which sounds good for the audience, but there is little beatmatching or mixing, which is my goal for using cdj's. it was obvious he was relying a great deal on the software. Is this a problem when switching? I'm mostly concerned with timing and want to know how much cdj's will slow me down if you rely heavily on the software, then yes, it'll be a problem. Nothing that can't be learned though, the most useful skill you'll learn would be the ability to listen to track playing and the one you are cueing/matching at the same time to keep believes in phrase. A lot of DJs seems to have a problem with that
Meaghan Machold 09.05.2013	Originally Posted by makar1 There are some durable controllers out there, sure. The S4 is certainly not one of them. Idk wtf ur doing with ur controllers but I've had my s4 for 2 years and it travels to every gig with me (2 a week) and its been fine. But who knows, maybe I just got lucky with the best s4 ever built while everyone else's falls apart.
Alphonso Deitchman 09.05.2013	Originally Posted by djmetalgear Not true at all. 1. Controllers aren't fragile so chill with your slanted view. There are some durable controllers out there, sure. The S4 is certainly not one of them.

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Does your play style change when you use CDJs?