DJing - Using Live 5 like 2 CD Decks (I do the beatmatching)

jbypp · Post by **jbypp** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:47 pm

I want to DJ using only my laptop and a midi controller.

I like the software crossfader/EQ3/FX offered by live 5, BUT I want to be able to set the tempo of the songs in the set manually without Live calculating it (cheating!).

Is is possible?

Thanks,
Josh

JohnDP · Post by **JohnDP** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:54 pm

its not cheating, its leaving place for creativity!

stallos · Post by **stallos** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 3:02 pm

The features you are looking for are in NI Traktor DJ studio, its much more like conventional mixing on CD decks.
Live as a DJ tool is somewhat different, Live tracks play at the master (global) tempo. 2 tracks correctly warped will always play in time whether the master tempo is 100 or 150 BPM!

Check out the DJ tutorials and warp a couple of tracks and experiment. Trust you wont want to go back to conventional mixing once you see the amazing potential of mixing in Live

enjoy

robin · Post by **robin** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 3:33 pm

Don't view beatmatching as djing. View beatmatching as a skill like plate spinning.

ie. it has very little to do with the actual music, more the mechanics of playing using older technology.

spiderprod · Post by **spiderprod** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 4:07 pm

jbypp wrote:I want to DJ using only my laptop and a midi controller.

I like the software crossfader/EQ3/FX offered by live 5, BUT I want to be able to set the tempo of the songs in the set manually without Live calculating it (cheating!).

Is is possible?

Thanks,
Josh

get traktor & you will enjoy more ,
cos if you just want to simulate turntables with live ,apart for doing it as an experiment it's completely pointless .

mike holiday · Post by **mike holiday** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:43 pm

robin wrote:Don't view beatmatching as djing. View beatmatching as a skill like plate spinning.

ie. it has very little to do with the actual music, more the mechanics of playing using older technology.

it doesn't mean beatmixing isn't fun

BUT

imho, if your going to use a computer why not cheat??
besides live only gets it close, you still have to beatmatch everything (once)

and if you feel the need to beatmix you can drop wax ontop of your computer set!

kabuki · Post by **kabuki** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 5:58 pm

Its only "cheating" if DJing is supposed to be a contest...

If you are competing in a DMC, I think they might be able to tell if you are using a computer anyway.

kabuki · Post by **kabuki** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:04 pm

Something struck me...

Not pointing fingers at jbypp, btw.

But when someone is concerned that it isn't beatmatching and "the computer is doing all the work" type of crap, is it because they actually ARE concerned that it isn't as good as spinnning wax, or is it because they will have to actually step up their skills because they won't have the "I'm too busy BEATMATCHING to actually do anything new and different." argument?

Because this comes up a LOT, and since Live has been out for a while, folks should know what cool, new things it can do that tables can't...

Just a question.

spiderprod · Post by **spiderprod** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:33 pm

kabuki wrote:Something struck me...

Not pointing fingers at jbypp, btw.

But when someone is concerned that it isn't beatmatching and "the computer is doing all the work" type of crap, is it because they actually ARE concerned that it isn't as good as spinnning wax, or is it because they will have to actually step up their skills because they won't have the "I'm too busy BEATMATCHING to actually do anything new and different." argument?

Because this comes up a LOT, and since Live has been out for a while, folks should know what cool, new things it can do that tables can't...

Just a question.

the reality is that a lot of people are scared to evolve .

kabuki · Post by **kabuki** » Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:36 pm

spiderprod wrote:
kabuki wrote:Something struck me...

Not pointing fingers at jbypp, btw.

But when someone is concerned that it isn't beatmatching and "the computer is doing all the work" type of crap, is it because they actually ARE concerned that it isn't as good as spinnning wax, or is it because they will have to actually step up their skills because they won't have the "I'm too busy BEATMATCHING to actually do anything new and different." argument?

Because this comes up a LOT, and since Live has been out for a while, folks should know what cool, new things it can do that tables can't...

Just a question.

the reality is that a lot of people are scared to evolve .

OR just too lazy... perhaps

Suade · Post by **Suade** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:13 pm

Now we have the opportunity (for a limited time only) to be criticised for using a new technology. Enjoy the silly comments because they won't last long.

I was one of the earlier DJs to start playing using CDs for beatmatching. I remember a friend telling me that they overheard a group of people actually walking out of a room I was playing in saying 'that guy over there is pretending to DJ' because they could see that the turntables were not spinning. Now that it's completely normal to see DJs using CDs there are no more such incidents. This will soon be the case with software DJing too.

I'd like to hear the stupidest comments anybody's had thrown at them for DJing using Live. Some of this stuff is really hilarious.

Does anybody have any good comebacks to use in response?

kabuki · Post by **kabuki** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:22 pm

I think its kind of ironic that some music snobs think its not real music because it is made on a computer. If its not made usind an analog instrument and a mic, its not real music.

I'm sure the folks that are there to hear a DJ "Spin" would take offence to that notion.

But playing music with the same computers that were used to make the music is wrong?

Hmmm...

TonySoprano · Post by **TonySoprano** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 6:54 pm

What the die-hard vinyl/CD DJ's are going to have to understand, is that the more sets that people listen to that were done using Live, the more obvious it is when a mix goes even slightly out when DJ'ing on decks. Because the majority of the stuff I've been listening to has been put together using Live, a slight cock-up really grates on my ears and is extremely noticeable. The fact that the previous 60 minutes might have been flawlessly mixed and executed goes out of the windows, as you can't help becoming used to certain things. By the end of this year, a lot of the people who swear they'll never move from vinyl will have changed their mind, especially if their sets sound inferior, even if they're fantastic mixers.

ChiDJ · Post by **ChiDJ** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:01 pm

For those of you that never learned to beat-match using vinyl, I pity you.

You will never know what you missed.

To all you LIVE "DJ's" that claim to mix, you're full of crap. You're programming. And those of you who use LIVE strictly to match two records, just get out of this room now.

LIVE is a greatly innovative tool when used as such.

I personally use both.

kabuki · Post by **kabuki** » Wed Jan 25, 2006 8:23 pm

I learned to beatmatch. Whooptie Friggin' Do.

Not too hard to do and beleive me, I'm no genius.

Have you learned to write Japanese? You don't know what you are missing.

My point is, what is good for you is good for you but not necessarily good for the rest of us. Ultimately, it comes down to the audience, and if they are having fun, then who really cares if you are beatmatching, if its in tune or not, if the dirty hippy in the alley shit the pants he is wearing yesterday, or if Sasha made the song...

I know what I'm missing, and I couldn't care less. Neither could the kids dancing their asses off.

But SCRATCHING - now that is a different story, and it has nothing to do with beatmatching.

DJing - Using Live 5 like 2 CD Decks (I do the beatmatching)

DJing - Using Live 5 like 2 CD Decks (I do the beatmatching)

Re: DJing - Using Live 5 like 2 CD Decks (I do the beatmatching)