DJing with Ableton vs. DJing with the best turntables

[lesterdiamond]

By the way I didn't mean to imply that any of the posters above me are jaded or elitest... they gave some good advice.

i understand your point of view, i fell in love with turntables before the ableton DJ thing, got around to me, so its hard to move on

I don't like to rely on a computer in case of fatal errors and stuff that goes along with it

[ScholarlyGent]

By the way I didn't mean to imply that any of the posters above me are jaded or elitest... they gave some good advice.

i understand your point of view, i fell in love with turntables before the ableton DJ thing, got around to me, so its hard to move on

I don't like to rely on a computer in case of fatal errors and stuff that goes along with it

Very good point. The computer crashes are one scary drawback but if your hardware is sound (which this guy should be able to achieve with 4 grand) the risk can be minimized a lot.

[Pantytec]

I don't DJ. BUT, I did setup my padKontrol this evening to do a DJ set in a practice run. OMG, soooo freakin easy. You can map all the controls that would need out. Start, Stop, Play, EQ, EFX, etc. The softknobs can control your levels, and your pads can be mapped to EQ kills. It would be so piss easy to give it a go. Theoritically you could pull it off. I too was all about turntables. I thought I was going to get the Denon's at one time to start DJ'ing. Not now. Why bother? Plus if you're producing you would throw your own tracks or parts in there to make things fun and interesting. See how the crowd reacts to certain bits and parts, etc.

Honestly, i've been waiting my whole life for a setup like this. It's a kick in the ass!

[lesterdiamond]

By the way I didn't mean to imply that any of the posters above me are jaded or elitest... they gave some good advice.

i understand your point of view, i fell in love with turntables before the ableton DJ thing, got around to me, so its hard to move on

I don't like to rely on a computer in case of fatal errors and stuff that goes along with it

Very good point. The computer crashes are one scary drawback but if your hardware is sound (which this guy should be able to achieve with 4 grand) the risk can be minimized a lot.

i'd feel pretty safe with four grand into it, but it will be a very very long time before dj's show up to a club with all that stuff installed like turntables and cdj's

when that happens i think it'll be the time for a BIG shift

[chrysalis33rpm]

Despite what several above may feel, mixing and making music is not a freakin martial art. An art, yes, but you dont have to pay dues to make art or express yourself. You dont HAVE to spend months waxing on and off on a pair of turntables to be able to make great mixes, or appreciate what your mixing, or be able to get the most out of the gear of today or gear of tomorrow.

...

My advice. Unless you want to do battle style mixing and scratching, go with live and a nice controller (ie lots of knobs, buttons, faders, reliable and well built). This type of mixing is the most versatile, simple, portable, and the creative possibilities with it are vast. You will not lose much if anything by starting here rather than learning how to spin vinyl and if its pure mixing you want you cant beat this approach. IF you do want the ability to do battle style mixing and scratching (which is a lot of fun and a skill/art in itself) go with something like final scratch or other apps like it that let you control MP3s and other audio files as if they were on wax. CDJs and the like are nice but simply don't compare to the capabilities of using vinyl to control files off your laptop.

I agree with Scholarly; I don't mean to make it seem like vinyl is the ONLY way to go, or that if you can't mix with vinyl you are not a 'real' DJ. Technology is only going to diversify what we' are doing as an artform, and the only thing that really matters is how the music is making you feel RIGHT NOW.

However, there is undeniably a benefit in not only intellectually understanding the history of DJing/beatmatching/turntablism, but viscerally understanding it through your own experience.

Also, I think the real benefit to turntables is exactly their limitations. This forces us to be very creative with few controls. When you open up the possibilities of software like Live, it can get reallly messy really quickly.

In summary, learn to use your tools well before getting too complicated. A simple well made tool like the turntable has withstood the test of time and will always be a classic, even if its use evolves to fit in with new ways of working. You will probably not regret time spent learning how to mix with vinyl.

[ScholarlyGent]

i understand your point of view, i fell in love with turntables before the ableton DJ thing, got around to me, so its hard to move on

I don't like to rely on a computer in case of fatal errors and stuff that goes along with it

Very good point. The computer crashes are one scary drawback but if your hardware is sound (which this guy should be able to achieve with 4 grand) the risk can be minimized a lot.

i'd feel pretty safe with four grand into it, but it will be a very very long time before dj's show up to a club with all that stuff installed like turntables and cdj's

when that happens i think it'll be the time for a BIG shift

Wait a second... all you need to use live in a club is an audio interface for your laptop and a mixer to plug into. No DJ would ever go to a a club and expect to use the club's computer/ hardware and software. That would be a nightmare. You bring your own laptop. Thats part of what makes laptop DJing so convenient, you can essentially transfer your whole studio setup to the club. I dont know why you think clubs need to have their own software setup or why any DJ would want to use it.

[andydes]

Despite that the fact that Live keeps getting fantastic write ups in DJ mag and the like, it was never intended to be a DJing package. It was the DJs who discovered that Live could be used for this.

I think it’s important to remember as the process is completely different. You probably know this, but you’ll need to prep the tracks before they can be used (not hugely difficult, but dull work and it’ll take a fair while to go through your collection). Once the tracks are warped, there’s no need to spend time beatmatching, so it gives you lots of time to play around whilst performing.

This is great if you want to be meddling with FX, loops, samples, your own drum beats, bass lines etc, etc. If you have DAW experience, I assume you have or are working on material you may want to play in your set. This would be a very good reason to go with Ableton. Burning your music to CD is always an option, of course, but much more limited.

However, if you just want nice smooth mixes between tracks, it doesn’t give you all that much to do and you may not find it as fun as using decks.

Also bare in mind that DJing with decks or with CDJs, is a skill you can take with you anywhere, you can just turn up to a party with some music, jump on the decks and start playing (as long as you ask, of course). With Ableton, you’re completely tied to your computer.

Personally, I’d ignore all the hype about the Ableton, ignore the DJ purists and think hard about what you’d like to achieve.

[DJThis]

Get CDJ-Mk3... They are so awesome...

[ChiDJ]

just a couple more pennies,

I was a producer for 10+ years before I learned to DJ.

I can't tell you what a profound effect learning to mix on tables had on me. But I'll try:

-An organic affection for Vinyl that I would have never experienced.

-The completely different thrill of DJ'ing in a club versus performing on stage, (in a band)

-And the most important:

My ear became so much better. Because I learned to mix with turntables my production has become much tighter. I can hear the difference in timing in absolute resolution, (1/240th of a beat).

I have a keen sense of "groove" that I never would have had if I did not learn to beat match.

your mileage may vary.