Having dj for years on vinyls and being hardly hit by the...

[brycebsp]

Serato's new version 1.9 now has 4 (or 6 can't remember) samplers built in that you can loop trigger single shot, or re-trigger. You can assign a button on a midi controller or midi mixer and fire away. The only thing is they are not pitch controlled or linked to BPM you are playing at.

I think they would be much more useful if they were synced to the BPM of the tracks you were playing (a sort of a midi sync) then you could potentitally load precussion loops, sound effect loops, vocal loops etc and trigger them in time with your sets. This is where the ableton/serato parnership could really pay off, because as we all know Ableton is great for keeping loops in time.

[beats me]

...but most DJs who use effects a lot aren't using it with the dance floor in mind but more to impress themselves with some odd ball sound they produced.

Yeah, that was my first reaction to using FX as well! I think this is a natural learning curve to using FX: You always use way too much FX with way too OTT settings in the beginning. The problem with a DJ doing it is that he/she's not the only person who hears it

I think most effects during DJ sets should be looked at like reverb in production, if you can hear the effect then you are probably using too much. It should sound more like a remix nobody has heard before and not like CHECK OUT THIS EFFECT!!!

[Superchibisan]

im int he check out this effect bandcamp cause they work great for buildups

[Rogue Scrunt]

you have been dj'ing for years with out seeing the waveform.

why does it make such a big difference now?


use your ears

[ashtonron]

I was in your situation about 5 years ago.. except I was thinking of getting a CDJ, but the guy in the shop persuaded me to get a sound card with multiple outs and a version of live instead...

since then I have almost completely stopped Djing, and do much more music production.. I guess i still intend to perform live at some point, but I am still working on building a set of my own material.. hehe

to me it just seems a bit strange to take other peoples tracks and cut them up ready to be used in a live set, I never liked the idea of having to prepare my set either..

I have no regrets though.. it has opened up a whole new world of possibilities..

best of luck

[inakiesarte]

I would not recommend Ableton Live for a vinyl DJ. Firstly, do you know how long it takes for ableton to load up an MP3 before you can start playing it? The MP3 is deconverted to linear audio before playback can begin, depending on your song it can take quite a while.. and gridding it on the fly to get the beatsync accurate enough for long mixes with multiple tracks? Doesn't work, for me at least.

I've started playing some gigs with ableton, but have had to switch playing with Traktor in the middle of the set just because I needed to be able to play more spontaneously. Live playing can be most rewarding, but it's not really for spontaneously getting a record spinning in under 10 seconds if you didn't prepare the audio in advance.

If you know exactly which tracks you are going to be playing at a set, this is not a problem of course. And if you really take time to prepare your live session beforehand, you can make the most eclectic sets with Live, where you can bring any part of any tune into the mix just when and how you want it, and the most diverse FX processing is possible.

Someone said "no-one likes to hear DJ effect wankery on the dancefloor"? I disagree. But "no-one likes to hear cliched Pioneer DJ mixer FX wankery on the floor"? This I can agree on Using FX in DJing is an art in itself..

I'd recommend Traktor or serato for starting digital DJing. Why not give Deckadance a try while you'r at it too? they're much more comfortable from a vinyl background (I used to play strictly vinyl before Traktor 1.0 existed)

I think with Ableton Live in order to dj you obviously need some prep as loading the tracks or simply pro-perly warping them. If you do not mind that, Ableton is great and under no reason the beatmatch will fail however long you mix run for... In between, I love super long mixes. About the effects, it is just a matter of being carefull and make them to go with the mix, not overload the mix with effects is key as people can get bored of them.

[inakiesarte]

you have been dj'ing for years with out seeing the waveform.

why does it make such a big difference now?


use your ears

Have you ever look at a vinyl??? the waveform is embebed on all of them mate so yes, it is a big difference for me. Also
the fact of previewing diff waveforms will give you the chance to play on the flay and get sort of live remixes out.

Thanks!

Inaki Arte

[DGA]

How many times have you looked at the grooves of more than one vinyl simultaneously?

[inakiesarte]

How many times have you looked at the grooves of more than one vinyl simultaneously?

Good call but... is this possible? If it was I think it would have been helpfull for everyone. Now we have
the technology for it just use it!



Thanks!

[Rogue Scrunt]

you cannot see the waveform on vinyl,
especially with the naked eye.

also you cannot see the "waveform" on vinyl, when the vinyl is in a sleeve, in a crate, in a dark club.


get over yourself, and just pick a tool to use.

a tool for the tool

[inakiesarte]

All good and valid but if every single software for time coded vynils
previews the wave form it may be a reason for that. I was just thinking
in fitting Ableton better for "old" djing porpuses and how this simple
little thing will make a bit change and implement the use of the software
forward to the creativity. I am not saying it is not possible to do the job
without this tool, but it just will be nicer.

Thanks!

Inaki Arte

[beats me]

I think the point of all this is you can DJ with Live, and maybe many versions ago that was it's purpose (dunno, I've only used it since version 5), but it isn't the most ideal tool for DJing when coming from a traditional DJ background or even from looking at more traditional DJing as something you want to aim for.

The added bonus is you can also produce original music with Live and combine that with DJing but unless you want to think and work different and work within Live's limitations and prepping then another DJ specific application would be better. Other than not showing you multiple waveforms (important or not) there are other DJ-centric things that Live can't do currently.

[Jordan Vesteyo]

I have been using tracktor since 2, I really like traktor scratch pro. The control with the vinyl is spot on. It has the feel of actually playing vinyl. I would use it some times with vinyl control and sometimes with a controller. Now with the APC40 I will probably just use Ableton. Traktor is designed from a dj perspective. Ableton is designed from a live pa/production view and it constantly blurs those lines. Ableton will let you DJ but it will also let you play live AND dj at the same time. I have the APC40 and I have really found a professional system to use for playing out AND producing. Variations on a common workflow allowing production, djing and live PA
all in one very stable system.

[inakiesarte]

Will u be using just Ableton and parked at the side traktor?

[Sales Dude McBoob]

Will u be using just Ableton and parked at the side traktor?

My Ableton system sits beside my Serato system. They're better friends.