When Will Live Audiences Be Ready For Computer Mixing

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I've listened to that mix twice now, and parts of it make me want to go to sleep, parts of it make me pump my fists... but I have to stay awake to get to those parts. I wouldn't sit through that set unless I was drunk.
 
I think some of you guys are missing the point. Sure the basics of DJing are easier on an compter, but so what? Surely if something is easier that makes it better because you don't have to concentrate so much on the mundane stuff.

Using a computer opens up a whole new realm of posibilites because you have more tools to choose from. I've not seen anyone really take advantage of this yet, and also the software is still fairly new. Give it a few years and I bet those people who stick to vinyl will be left behind by those who have ventured onto a computer.
 
I am more impressed by the person who is doing more than clicking on a mouse button. I've used Ableton, it's neat, and it helps with my sets... but it's not something I would want to use exclusively in my sets.
 
I guess I'm more impressed with what a dj can do with ONLY two decks, a mixer, and a crowd. The less control a dj has over the music (aside from the eqs), the more attention he/she has to pay to WHAT they're playing. Meaning, track selection becomes essential, but at the same time, it takes a back seat to where they want to go within the set. So they have to be able to mix through the trickiest sounds and come out clean on the other side in order to take the listeners on that proverbial journey. That forces the dj to be technically on point to make it through the mix. Call me old fashioned, but thats where the magic is.

I'll add that I'm not a techno-phobe either. Innovations will always create more ways to present the music, and thats a good thing. But its like my design professor always used to say in college: "you can teach a 4th grader to run photoshop, but you can't teach them to design effectively." Same is true for all the djs using the new digital tools available to them: they're just tools, at the end of the day, the music and the interaction with the crowd is what matters most. you could put together the most seamless, effect filled, sample loaded set ever, but if no one is on the floor, who cares? (props if you get it rocking though :) )
 
^^ exactly, just tool. You don't use a hammer to see if a wall is level, dig?

you don't use a screw driver to hammer in a nail. you need all tools available to you in the booth.. period.
 
i think that's sort of the point i was making; decks, amps, mixers, records, progams, pcs, PAs, compressors, headphones - they're ALL just tools.

what matters is the music :)
 
I've pretty much said everything I have to say on this topic, but I just wanted to add this little snippet.

Turntables were hi-tech in '70's. The first true DJ's in the 'rave' scene were true geeks in every sense of the word. You may say that turntables are the only way, but yet you still make the tracks themselves on the computers, and using PC's to do the show, is just removing one more piece of an already expensive studio.

Me personally I know the age of computers is still new, it's only been teh past four,or five years, that we've been able to do on the fly editing on tracks, whilst they are playing, without lag, or the computer crashing. Trust me, that is a huge leap from when we were still using text based cakewalk. In the end it's all about musical vision, and talent.
 
i'll be ready when the fucktarts stop being so boring....

i mean, damn. it's bad enough lazy asses are Ableton-ing it
up and then point-click... there's nothing more un-inspiring as just watching them stand there... pointing... and clicking... pointing... and clicking... oh, wait... thatwas a click-drag-drop.... oh, now he's gettin' rowdy.
 
jus saw this thread but i dont htink theres nething wrong with "laptop DJing".........i jus saw KC-(human imprint)"dieselboys label" do a completly laptop set with 3 other djs Mr. tiktak and beet and bad leiutenant(most of thier stuff is all laptop).......and he had the dancefloor goin crazy........and thats fuckin laptop DJing with drum and bass a genre that is usually restricted to turntables alone
 
I know someone said it earlier, but what Physix said made me want to restate it.

I don't care what equipment you are using, a doring DJ is a boring DJ. One of the worst sets I've ever seen was Baby Anne, she looked like she didn't give a shit, and her set reflected it.
If someone is on a computer, and they are feeling what they are doing, I find it hard to believe that they will just point and click away.

Don't use the worst example to say why something sucks, something truly sucks when even the best you can do with it is still lackluster. And I find it had to believe that the best you can do with computers is point click.

Hell, at one point the best you could do with a turntable was put a record on and walk away from it. Should we have abandoned the technology there?
 
^ no, but you wouldn't have watched someone put on a record and walk away.... you waited until shit got more involved and exciting, right?

same with laptop djing.

for every 1 energetic laptop dj/live performer, there are 100 "stand-point-click".... so, that's why the general market (myself included) is not ready for it.... b-c it's boring.

jungle Djs/performers tend to be an exception, in general... even as DJs (on average) they tend to be more animated and involved.... so, if any genre can pull it off, it's them...

but for the most part.... bleh.
 
well,

i've not seen 101 laptop performers.

i have seen 101 DJs though....

and about 40 of them were fuck-boring.

VINYL IS TEH BORE ;)
 
physix said:
jungle Djs/performers tend to be an exception, in general... even as DJs (on average) they tend to be more animated and involved.... so, if any genre can pull it off, it's them...

but for the most part.... bleh.
Click to expand...

We try harder, and tend to have more love for the music. How can someone really get into a syth washout, and rinse, with the atypical 4/4 beat?
 
an extremely valid point was brought up that people have failed to look at....how hard would it be for a dj to set up a pre-programed set on their comp and then just fake it all the way though...no one would be able to tell the difference.

picture this...some guy you've never heard of starts getting pretty big. he never learned how to mix, and ONLY uses a computer. he pre-programs all his sets and fakes like he is actually "mixing" (i use the quotes to emphasize the fact that he would not actually be mixing...computers take any skill out of that). not that far out of the realm of possibility.

ANOTHER very big concern i have...how hard would it be for someone to *never* have to pay for any tracks they use if they are mixing on a comp. i know how easy it is to get tracks on slsk...this would kill alot of record lables pretty damn fast, even the ones selling mp3s or flac files.

things to think about....


ohh, and aphex twin is a snooze fest
*puts on flame suit*
 
You can't be sure the guy Djing with records is actually playing. If there is a CDJ next to him, it could be a CD. What's the difference.

And about paying for music, final scratch gives you that option, but it's still vinyl, how is it different.

Good point physix, I think the problem is that this thread has gotten a little disjointed, we were arguing two differnet points, I think a lot of people have gotten to whether or not it is valid at all, which is what I was arguing, but you are arguing whether it's ready for the big time. Which is the true argument. Good point.
 
I was pissed when I saw Qbert play for 2 hours on a QFO that was all digital, with one fader attached to one table... snooze fest, and I love Qbert.
 
day_for_night said:
.how hard would it be for a dj to set up a pre-programed set on their comp and then just fake it all the way though...no one would be able to tell the difference.
Click to expand...

How hard would it be? Not hard at all.

How succesfull would that be? Not at all.

Picture this. You've got your pre-programmed thing going. You've planned out a peak hour at some point in the set. But, for whatever reason, the crowd shows up later, or earlier, or just isn't quite there yet (mentally) when the peak music rolls out. Result? Failure. Only those playing live will satisfy a live audience.

As a side, what you've described has happened with one of the dj's in the gay scene just playing a cd a pretending to do the work. He's been smited for the very reason I listed. Not playing the right song at the right time for the crowd that was there at that moment.
 
day_for_night said:
ANOTHER very big concern i have...how hard would it be for someone to *never* have to pay for any tracks they use if they are mixing on a comp. i know how easy it is to get tracks on slsk...this would kill alot of record lables pretty damn fast, even the ones selling mp3s or flac files.
Click to expand...

That point is mute. They've already rolled out equipment that plays mp3's, and if your not using that you can always just burn it to a cd. CD players are already accepted by the audience. I do agree that the fate of the record industry is uncertain, but adding computers as a tool isn't goin to change that.
 
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