Ableton Forum

I guess some of you are really really tired of this subject, but somehow something triggered me to write this message tonight. So.... tonight I am experimenting with Live and 2 CDJ-800s. It is quite interesting. I am feeding my CDJs into Live input, and just doing my regular dj'ing using Live as a FX effect source. I also layer a loop over the live House mix and wishing that somehow Live internal engine can detect the BPM of the CDJ feeds.. I have to pitched my CDJs to the Live loop to keep them in sync. I have to admit that it sounds quite nice when you have a loop or beat layered over your mix. It makes the whole thing stronger and more powerful for listenning pleasure...( I am doing Electro House tonight)..., but it takes quite alot of attention and crafting.

Ok .. so why would I say all the above? I went to a friend's house yesterday and happened to play around with a software called Virtual DJ. I couldn't believe with 1 click of the mouse.. the whole damn thing is in sync quite perfectly. I was able to mix in and out .. in and out... with 1 click of the mouse...... THIS IS NOT FAIR!!!! Then again I was thinking what really is the difference between Ableton Live and Virtual DJ. With Ableton we would warp tracks and play them in sync, and it probably looks more technical and challenging compared to 1 click of the mouse for Virtual DJ. So.. I kept my mouth shut.

After 5 years of time and load of money spent on equipments, all I am trying to do can be done with "1 click of the mouse"... Speechless......

Anyway.. thanks for listening to my rant... I just have to let it go...

IMO, the tools are irrelevant.

What's coming out of the loudspeakers is all that matters.

hambone1 wrote:IMO, the tools are irrelevant.

What's coming out of the loudspeakers is all that matters.

i sort of agree, DJThis if the applience of DJ skills mean a lot to you, i mean for your own sake - feeling or for a real advanced audience who can tell the difference, because there is a hell of a difference you can hear using the one button sync me function or seriously skilled highly crafted organic mixing. IMO

then try the latest version of traktor, traktor3 you can either use the sync me all button easyness for disco dancing or since version 3 of traktor get a 100 percent, yupp a real 100 percent technics 1210 mixing feel, if you use a midi controller, with it. for artistic performance.

try it out yourself to believe. i was blown away after over 15years of turntable skills when i realised what happened to traktor since version3. version 3s behavier has nothing, absolut nothing to do with all previous versions.

ableton is very cool for djing, but for my personal taste to static, very good for people without great mixing skills. IMHO.

yeah it's djing.


Whenever you are playing pre-existing tracks - even if you are cutting them up and blending them, it's DJing.



If you are frustrated that somebody can do what you are doing by just a click or two, imagine how people doing all their own material live feel when somebody asks them to "play (insert shitty popular track here)". <----exposing the fact that at least part of the audience can't distinguish what they are doing from DJing.



.lm.

leisuremuffin wrote:<----exposing the fact that at least part of the audience can't distinguish what they are doing from DJing.

Does it really matter?

IMO, as long as the end product is quality, and people are dancing, it's all good!

Less mixing means more time for cheerleading...

I started out doing live sets, so I always find these "DJing now is too easy" threads funny.

ALL DJing is too easy compared to doing a live pa, always has been

(flame suit on)

Who cares whether it's a PA or DJing?

Seems to me DJs would be better off practicing alternate knee raises while simultaneously bending forward at the waist, punching the air, headbanging on beats 1 and 3, and full-body-motion filter sweeps... the software does all the rest!

hambone1 wrote:

leisuremuffin wrote:<----exposing the fact that at least part of the audience can't distinguish what they are doing from DJing.

Does it really matter?

IMO, as long as the end product is quality, and people are dancing, it's all good!

Less mixing means more time for cheerleading...

of course it matters.


i don't have any issue what so ever with dj's doing what they do. I actually appreciate it as it's own art form, and even do it myself every once in a while. But it is very different from doing a live pa of original material. The point isn't always dancing either. It certainly can be, but it isn't always. Electronic music is bigger than the dance music scene. It is, IMO, an unfortunate state of affairs that most people do not understand this.



.lm.

hambone1 wrote:Seems to me DJs would be better off practicing alternate knee raises while simultaneously bending forward at the waist, punching the air, headbanging on beats 1 and 3, and full-body-motion filter sweeps... the software does all the rest!

just because you don't want to appreciate the time and effort it takes to bring mixing over the top doesn't mean you should bash those who do

to say DJ's would be better off not applying skill to their craft is just plane senseless


just because you choose to DJ in a more conventional aspect, gives you no right to constantly belittle the maybe 2% of DJ's out there that actually put blood sweat and tears into their passion


yeah i'm a dj... does that make me a musician? well i dunno, at this point in time I only have 11 original tracks cut to vinyl to play in my set. For me turntables are the medium i use.

maybe you constantly bash dj's because you never figured out how to take your own mixing to the next level, and by bringing all DJ"s down you wont blow your cover.


lets face it people will dance all night to a jukebox..... everytime

so who freeking cares if they are dancing... it's about more then that


sorry for the rant it just burns me to hear people bash things they don't understand.... i don't bash the lapjocks.... i just step up and drop jaws

If it matters to you how you do what you do, that's all that really matters.

My point is that IMO Joe/Jane Public couldn't care less about the technology or methods involved in what makes the sound come out of the loudspeakers in a DJ dance environment... record players/computers/CDs/whatever.

It's more about the cheerleading and track selection.

i feel you on that hambone, but i draw the line at not recognizing the difference between original material and a dj set.


and also recognizing that there is more to electronic music as a whole than the dj.dance scene.




.lm.

I suppose if I had the talent to create captivating original material, I'd see things differently!

oh, i think it takes just as much talent to dj, even if it's just track selection style djing.


im just frustrated by the fact that dj culture overshadows everything else in electronic music because of ignorance.


.lm.

leisuremuffin wrote:im just frustrated by the fact that dj culture overshadows everything else in electronic music because of ignorance.


.lm.

we can all thank mainstream media and cooperate pop-culture for that.
once the industry turns it into top 40 the soul runs out the window.
there's too many out there trying to cash in on the "next" thing.

like i said 98% crap... but there are plenty of gems out there as well!

the fist-pumping cheerleaders have allways bummed me out... once it all goes back to the sidelines we'll have our music back.

but i do feel the art of mixing is part of the whole package

in the mean time i'm keeping my head down

Use what you like.But be creative.
You can paint a nice picture with a pencil but you can also paint a nice picture with oil colors.