Personal Opinions on Sync Button

Gentlemen,

With all due respect, this topic is a textbook example of whipping a dead horse. While I whole-heartedly agree with most of the opinions and views expressed here, there’s really nothing here that hasn’t already been said a dozen times before in a dozen similar threads on dozens of forums.

Equally with all due respect towards every participant in this thread, I’ve come to notice that this discussion is often had in a very closed environment by similarly-thinking people – be it for or against. Therefor threads such a this have tendency to become nothing more than a – pardon my expression – pointless circle jerk.

Just wanted to re-post this from a previous post that was recently closed pertaining to the notion that using sync was the same as looking at CDJ bmps, lining them up, and then nudging them in place.

[INDENT]I feel ya on this homie, but I just wanna say something real quick for me as a DJ who has to use CDJs instead of my controller (my laptop is horrible and the CPU load messes up the master output if I try to cue).

I thought exactly the same thing as you since I don’t use the sync on my Mixtrack, but I learned quickly that beat-matching is MUCH more difficult on CDJs even if you practice for them on your controller for these reasons:

-Not sure about older CDJs, but my new residency has a pair of CDJ 750 (between 700 – 800 series if I am not mistaken – it’s dark in clubs haha). On this version, I don’t think there is a way for you to use hot cues via SD/USB (I had to start learning how to burn CDs), so all cueing has been done manually. There is no waveform, so you gotta KNOW your music and guestimate where the part you wanna bring it in is. If you are not familiar with this kind of workflow, it WILL most certainly show up in your beat matching by either taking you much longer to get two tracks in sync or not being able to in time when you want to bring it in.

-CDJs drift more than they do when using a laptop – also the bass from the speakers may rattle the CDJ, inadvertently altering your pitch fader without your touching, effectively screwing with your beat matching over a long period of time. Plus, the BMP of computers is usually more accurate than CDJs. Maybe on newer ones they have the tap function, but on the ones I’m using they don’t. So sometimes you get a BPM at 300 while the other one is flickering between 125 and 126. (Even if you get them at the same BPM, they will eventually drift – if the beat grid is good, then I could play two songs at 124, line them up, and they will never go out of sync; I have never had such luck with CDJs for more than 10 seconds).

-Beat grids, wave forms, phrase bar, etc. – you have so many tools on a DJ program that (older) DJs do not. The only way to REALLY practice as if you are using CDJs is to disable all of your beat grids, hide your phrase bar, and only look at your computer to select the next song and see its BPM.

I just want the people who haven’t used CDJs yet to know that beat matching involves (sometimes a lot) more variables than what may meet the eye. OLD CDJs are standard, not the CDJ 2000 Nexus ones lol

Sunjalo is right – the basics are the same as if you don’t use the sync button on your controller, but with any basics it still takes some practice to get it right when switching equipment. I played on digital vinyl once using Serato Itch for a Hip Hop set and all I could do was vinyl brake, back spin, and cut on the 1 since the feel was completely different from CDJs and/or a controller.

Props for you for learning the old school way haha

-Shoni[/INDENT]

new tools are meant to be used, period. it frees up a few seconds for you to do something else. everyone should still master beatmatching by ear though, since the sync button can still get it wrong if you didnt adjust your beatgrids ahead of time.

This was previously mentioned, but the only problem I have with it is that a lot of newbies use it as a crutch to compensate for the fact that they can’t beat match by ear, and don’t learn a lot of the fundamentals of mixing because of this, which in the long run limits one as a DJ.

But other than the scenario I just mentioned, Im cool with the sync button.

Earlier I replied to this thread by criticizing what a beating a dead horse this topic is. My message got removed by the moderator, so Plan B: let’s add something new to the conversation.

Aside being a DJ I’m also an event promoter/organizer. I’ve never cared much what gear other DJs use and how they use it, but when dealing with a number of other DJs from an organizer’s point of view makes such things even more trivial. If a DJ you’ve booked is a good guy, shows up on time, has proper communications skills and most importantly rocks the crowd, I don’t give two s**ts if he mixes on pancakes.

On the other hand an unreliable, arrogant, I’ll-show-up-when-damn-well-I-please jerk with zero communication skills will be DJing for the last time in my event – I don’t care if you mix blindfolded with Polish vintage Unitra reel-to-reel decks, your ass it out with that kind of behaviour.

Sync button is ace i use it a lot but then i usually just djing to myself at home. haha but i do think mixing on cdjs/vinyl is very helpful for learning your tunes properly as you have to listen to them closely.

Personally i think CDJs will be on their way out soon and it will be just digital and vinyl. Sync on digital, beatmatch on vinyl. I notice a lot of techno i like is vinyl only at the moment so i am going to reinvest in some vinyl decks and i will be forced to carry on learning to beatmatc! Remember at the end of the day DJing is about music not sync or beatmatching.

The average person dancing doesnt care how you mix the music I cant stress that enough.