CDJS Really the club standard?

ChemicalSmiles

Ex-Bluelighter
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Nov 9, 2000
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The 1000's and 2000's brand new are ridiculously expensive but do boast a few impressive features not on many systems but to me it seems most midi setups can do 80 percent of what cdjs can....... I am considering a pair of used 1000's...... but just dont know I think I will since almost all clubs use them and its just easier that way, now that gig oppurtunities are opening up.... what ya'll think???
 
I'm kind of wondering about this too, actually...if you're not going to use them to play from CDs (is this possible?), is it worthwhile to shell out a huge amount for a pair of glorified jog wheels? True that they have all sorts of hardware functions built into them, but I'm sure it can all be mimicked by software on a computer for cheaper.

Correct me if I'm wrong, of course. I'm sure MIDI devices can't replicate the feel, or the accuracy isn't as high, or there's some other exception...
 
they are the club standard, and I expect this will be the case for at least as long as turntables were. the joy of cdjs is not having to set up a laptop rig. I am starting to appreciate this more and more. however, spinning on cdjs just isn't as much fun as using traktor, where you REALLY have control of the music.

I go laptop > vinyl > cds, just because I like the feel of playing records so much more than cdjs, and I really haven't played on cdjs enough to really have a grip on all the bells and whistles. I'm sure if I took the time to learn them, I would probably like them more than vinyl, but I cannot ever imagine preferring cdjs to traktor. being able to visually line up tracks to synchronize buildups/drops, the autoloops and the ability to be able to skip around in tracks is just too much fun.
 
Is it that hard if a club has cdjs set up to plug in a laptop and run traktor with them?
 
I'm sure a good engineer could make it all happen for a larger club.

For smaller clubs I'd want to have it setup beforehand.

For a PA setup it'd be DIY. Plop in a mix CD and fiddle around.

--As a side note I wouldn't want to do it during the event. Spells disaster.

Ever thought of renting the gear and giving it a trial run? A couple nights of practice with CDJs and a DJM800 might be worth it, and it wouldn't be too bad for price.

Most pro DJs are well versed to many situations/setups/mixers and bring CDs, vinyl, USB devices.
 
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IME midi and software can do anything cdj can do, and is further helped by the addition of extra
controllers/instruments



im more of a take-the-tracks-and-rape-them kind of dj, so im more midi-orientated.
guess it kiiiiiiiiiiiinda makes me biased
 
For the traktor users..... is beatmasher a cheap version of what a lemur does essentially?

Don't must djs who use cdjs at club use them in combination with laptop/software anyways?

And the reason im interested in cdjs is the incredible durability and the fact that its a standard now.

If I go to a club with my midi controller than I gotta set up and it might even not be possible to cue in to the last song of the last persons set.
 
can a sound engineer set it up before a gig in a big club? yes, if you are headlining. Chances are, however, that the issue for people here is not going to be what they should be using as they travel from club to club headlining. If that is your problem, you probably have the resources to make it someone else's problem. the practical reality is that in most cases, each dj is going to be using a different setup, and it would be almost impossible for them to have everything laid out beforehand. Traktor just isn't the industry standard yet (although I have played at events where they have a traktor setup that I just plugged into, and it was awesome).

CS: it can be a pain in the ass, but you can beatmatch with traktor to a cd or whatever. fortunately, you only have to do it once. what you can also do is have an intro cd prepared with something ambient to start off that you can then mix into from traktor. Also, I have no idea why you would want to be using cdjs to beatmatch your tracks if you can have traktor doing it for you. and it is a ROYAL pain in the ass if you want to set up your trakotr to run with cdjs in the middle of someone's set. setting it up to use with midi alone can be a pain in the ass, and there are always little glitches that happen in the heat of the moment. it would be really balls to fuck up someone else's set during your setup.
 
For the traktor users..... is beatmasher a cheap version of what a lemur does essentially?

Don't must djs who use cdjs at club use them in combination with laptop/software anyways?

And the reason im interested in cdjs is the incredible durability and the fact that its a standard now.

If I go to a club with my midi controller than I gotta set up and it might even not be possible to cue in to the last song of the last persons set.



it is in NO way a standard. MANY places i go to the djs still rock vinyl, and most of them fuck around with midi controllers etc, some even whippin out the occasional bass guitar.

essentially, CDJs eliminate the need for a laptop.
in fact ive only ever seen software in conjunction with CDJs once in my life.


to be honest, they are over-hyped, over-rated, and over-priced.


if you wanna pay out an extra few hundred for something that you'll need more space for, more shit to carry, etc, then be my guest.

ill still be in the dark, blunt smoke filled basement rockin my laptop and traktor pro with my lil bcd3000 and a usb stick full of music.







at the end of the day, its up to you-
you can lug about the mixer, the cd decks, and all the cds,
OR
you can lug about a laptop, a midi mixer/controller, and a portable hardrive full of so much music that if you had it in physical form you'd need a flatbed truck to transport.


i choose the latter, evidently.







PS - yes, beatmasher is basically a cheap version. The FX and tweaking capabilities of traktor pro FAR outweigh what certain hardware has built in.
 
toa$t... what midi controller are you using again?

I looked it up and it looked nice, much more durable than my total control, and im sure yours has the built in sound card as well....... I saw that it can control 4 tracks and traktor can as well, do you take advantage of that a lot ... or is it sorta wasted space?

And to those who are using bootlegged software, are the updates and stability of buying the full version worth it for something like traktor?
 
ill still be in the dark, blunt smoke filled basement rockin my laptop and traktor pro with my lil bcd3000 and a usb stick full of music.
wow you did the sets I heard on the bcd3000? Wow, I am really underestimating midi controllers and the software with them...... you DONT need expensive shit to sound good. I think someone with 10 years experience could jump on your midi controller and sound better than someone with 2 years experience and cdjs 2000's or technic 1200s
 
or vice versa :p
and oui, i use a bcd3000.
im wanting to sell it and get something a bit more streamlined/small.

probably like the Vestax vci range :/


and i have a full legal version of traktor, my friend.
i dont bother with updates though, really..

most of them are pointless/i wouldnt use em
 
toa$t... what midi controller are you using again?

I looked it up and it looked nice, much more durable than my total control, and im sure yours has the built in sound card as well....... I saw that it can control 4 tracks and traktor can as well, do you take advantage of that a lot ... or is it sorta wasted space?

I use a behringer ddm 4000 and an audio 8 sound card. I use 3 of the 4 decks, and have the fourth channel assigned to control the second effects bank. I'm going to switch to the new traktor controller that native instruments is coming out with as soon as I can get my hands on one though.

your midi controller won't affect sound quality at all. that is determined entirely by your sound card. I suppose the response time from the midi signal to your laptop could be increased using a shitty controller, but afaik that is mostly a soundcard issue too.
 
Just like cdjs took over turntables, laptops will take over cdjs, it is only a matter of time. When this happens, it will be a battle between Ableton and Traktor.
 
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