YEP ANOTHER ONE!!

Dj iceman, post: 14491, member: 187 wrote: CAUTION STRONG LANGUAGE!

[media=youtube]mHDuZTJV_1A[/media]

I stopped watchin at 30 seconds, I said it before and I’ll say it again..I’d rather give away my vinyl collection than use that ****ing sync button.

Just starting out, but I get the purpose. Sync can only do so much before you have to know the song structure of a particular genre to mix it with another song.

BPM’s will be lined up…but if you don’t know how to mix, you’ll be mixing two parts of songs together that just…clash, or just starting another song that’s off beat with the one coming outta the master, looking at your laptop like “wtf…sync is on”, lol.

My own friends who are DJ’s have jokingly cautioned me against using it, but the way I see it, if it allows you that much more time to make your mixes more creative/live/enjoyable…go for it.

I just don’t plan on using it as a crutch, most times when I’m practicing I have it off; I’m a firm supporter of beatmatching manually, even if I am using a controller. I toss it on every now and then to save myself some time in cueing up the next song.

Well IMO this video does not show the whole truth.

If you run T2 and the beatgrid and settings is 100% right
the syncbutton WILL do all the mixing 100% right and tight!

Iceman sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you don’t know how to set your beatgrids mate, what the sync button does is allign both the bpm and the track position to the nearest beatgrid marker. your example only works for things with broken beats like hip hop, rnb, drum n bass, breaks, dubstep etc… this is because the sounds and the frequencies of the sounds are different to regular 4/4 dance music.

In the broken beat genres the kick drum is generally short, sharp and low in volume, so it gives space for more kicks in the rthym and the bassline (the primary element in the lower frequencies) the snare in broken beats is also usually a much lower frequency than 4/4 beats and louder than the kick. for this reason software that is built to detect regular 4/4 dance music mistakes the snare as the kick drum.

Regular 4/4 has a very defined kick louder than any other sound in the track in most cases, so the software can easily determin the correct sound as the kick… If you press sync with this type of music 99 times out of a hundred it will lock to the correct position. And it should take no longer than a day to learn to drop a track on the downbeat, and another day to figure out to drop it on the first of 32 beats, then another day to learn to drop it where it feels right. then you have competition for your residency as kids want bass music now not rnb, and they will work for less than you are willing to accept and attract younger customers more willing to part with their money.

The reason you got it the first time is you pressed sync before the track started playing so you could freely drop the track where wanted it. For a solution in vdj to your sync problem you have a couple of options available to you..

1 – you can remap the sync button to “match_bpm” which will do what it says, it will match the bpm to the other deck, only with this it can work when the track is playing.

2 – you could map the play button as “play_pause & match_bpm” or “play_sync”, this will sync the bpm when you press play.

3 – you can right click the bpm button on the skin to open the cbg adjust window to so it manually/

4 – you can adjust your beagrids. you could map a button or key to “adjust_cbg -0.0125” which will move the grid backward half a beat… because the snare is the constant this should set the grid position perfectly.

5 – If you want to get in depth you could do a macro command on your play or load button to set a cue if you have reset the grid position, then if that cue exists the grid will remain where you set it next time you press that button. eg

for the play button
“hot_cue 79 ? play_pause : adjust_cbg -0.0125 & set hot_cue 79 & play_pause”

or for the load button
“load & hot_cue 79 ? nothing : adjust_cbg -0.0125 & set hot_cue 79”

there are a few other sync option available as well, but that can be left for another day

D-Jam, post: 14546, member: 3 wrote: I watched the whole video…and I agree wholeheartedly.

I especially agree with the moral of the story as Iceman stated…use what you like, do what you like, but respect everyone. That means sync users should respect those who willingly choose to use manual, and manual should not harp on sync users simply because this is the new era of it all.

I’ve said it before. I’ve been using sync many times with mixes I’ve been recording, but even on Torq where it will know what the first beat of a measure is, it’s not perfect. Lord knows even how much worse a beatgrid can get if the song fluctuates in pitch or things aren’t set on a perfect 32-beat per phrase structure (4 beats in a bar, 8 bars in a line of music).

PLUS…I still have to know WHEN to drop in a tune and BLEND IT. The stuff with the faders and EQs.

I understand what people like Sumir feel, and I respect him for his choice…but let’s be brutally honest here:

1. Cheap promoters and managers exist and aren’t going away…and that means kids with pirated software, pirated music, and sync buttons will blag their way into a residency while experienced and possibly talented DJs are left in the cold.
2. Like Iceman said…the crowd doesn’t care…and they won’t ever. So all the fantasies and desires of a crowd laughing at or rejecting a laptop or midi DJ isn’t going to happen. I’ve seen enough images on the net lately making fun of Guetta’s production skills and DJ skills. Guess what? He’ll still pack an auditorium while you struggle to get 10 people out to your event. Wow the crowds with your set as a whole…not the exact technique you use. A chef wows you with the final dish…not drags you into the kitchen to make you “appreciate” how he cooked it.
3. Sync isn’t going anywhere, and the fantasy of an industry-wide ban on it won’t happen. Deal with it. We see the software makers continue to improve and improve on their sync functions…as opposed to reject them. Maybe Serato Scratch Live will keep sync out, but those who want sync and Serato will just get ITCH.

Every time I see a DJ lament on the new technology, I usually will think he just doesn’t get it on what makes a DJ a DJ. He still thinks it’s all about 12″ pieces of vinyl plastic and manually matching beats. It’s astounding how many of those particular guys I see now who can’t get a gig to save their lives. They’re the same ones who want to come in and dictate what the crowd should hear. They’re the ones who act like it’s a mortal sin when a club doesn’t have 1200s hooked up. Give me a break.
I find it amusing that Iceman and I, two OLD SCHOOL DJs, seemingly have little issue with this compared to many DJs who started up later and go on and on about this.
I’ve been working on my own articles for my blog, calling them “The great debate”. When I get to sync I’m going to post a link to Iceman’s video…just to prove the point.

I think you should understand , I started getting gigs in 1990. I first touched vinyl 2-3 years before that, and spent that time learning to mix. It’s an insult and a joke when someone has the audacity to over simplify , and take the passion out of what my generation, and those before me worked our asses off to build. There is no meaning left in ti what so ever, no message. The only concern I see from today’s wanna be DJ’s , is for themselves. We did it to bring people together (I don’t know about you, your message seems to float in some other direction..but who knows), unity and an open place to get away from our society built lives. No need to put “old school DJ’s” in all caps, and accentuate yourself there. I’ll never agree with the approach today’s generation takes. I do not see any heart or soul or depth behind it.

Kairi_Yamoto, post: 14561, member: 1141 wrote: I don’t feel that all of today’s generation is misguided though, even though I myself am included in today’s generation, lol. In my opinion, not all of us are out to be the next big thing, make money, and all that success that may or may not come with it. We introduce our passion and heart into what we do by what we play, and how it moves US, as well as the crowd. The crowd can be going absolutely nuts for what’s playing, but if the guy is in the booth staring at his screen, not even moving to his own tunes…he’s either got the best focus in the world, or he has no passion for it.

With the increase in technology, and ease in which one can get started as a DJ, you can get lost in translation, but those that are truly passionate about their craft will pay respect to those that did it before the technology made it easy to do so, and keep that same spirit alive that a DJ brings about, which to me, is bringing about a good time. Technology can make it simpler to do what you have done in the past, but that doesn’t mean everyone new is out to take shortcuts in getting to the same result. A lot of digital dj’s (at least here, lol) want to learn how to beatmatch manually, seamlessly switch between different genres, broaden their musical palates, so that their mixes and creations better reflect them, as a person.

I’ve been doing this for roughly….a month now. Even in a year, I probably won’t be in a rush to get a gig, I want to take that much time learning how to mix, bringing my own flavor and personal style into this, using the technology available to me to the best of my ability, putting my heart and feeling into it, so that if (or when) I decide to put my knowledge to the test in front of a crowd, I’ll feel as at home as possible educating and entertaining them with what I can do, and entertaining myself in the process.

Money? I’ll keep my day job, if it ever gets to the point that this IS my day job, awesome.
Fame? Hey, we all wanna be known, leave our mark somewhere, that’s just an undeniable fact.

The arguments of past vs present/future can go on for days, but whether you’re using vinyl, cd’s, dvs, or digital controllers, or two garbage cans and sticks, like you said, it’s about bringing people together, and a good time.

In a sense, I agree with you, that today’s DJ’s are out for themselves…but can’t the same be true for the past?
You’re there to make a crowd move, but if you’re not moving yourself…where’s the fun in that? The crowd can be going absolutely nuts, but if you’re just motionless in the booth…..you might as well just bring in a radio.

If, however, the crowd is moving, and I take a look in the booth, and the DJ is going nuts his/herself, jumping around and acting a fool….passion, heart, all that good stuff, lol.

Just my two…five cents, and maybe it’s sorta off topic, lol, forgive me, I’m new. >.>

Nice. Your humility and honesty are plain to see, I commend ya for that brother/sister. For sure it doesn’t matter which medium the DJ uses. Obviously not many would be interested in using vinyl (if they haven’t before). And yes, not every single person who wants to be a DJ today can be painted with the same brush. You’re an obvious example of that. We had plenty of DJ’s who went at things the wrong way in my day, no doubt. In the end the DJ will have the type of crowd gather around him or her , that mirrors their take on things. The DJ’s I admired and loved , had a following of kids that echoed their message, if if they didn’t know it yet . Those artists brought it out of them. The other DJ’s of my time, that approached things in a selfish manner. Well I know for a fact some of those guys washed away. People who are in it for the love , stay the course..be it the groovers on the floor, or the DJ’s working the floor. I’ve watched everyone else dry up and fade away. Some years from now , if I’m still alive..I’m sure I’ll be able to say the same for this time period. You my friend, stand out and exemplify what it is all about, much love to ya

Sumir, post: 14501, member: 1335 wrote: I got the point..today’s generation of wanna bes lack what we had..I’ve ranted before , not going at it all over again now. Can sum it (them) up with three words “lazy, misguided, egotistical”

That isn’t true, yes some of us are but not all of us are like that. I’m not even close being like that, I work my ass off day and night and never take the easy way out.

To add on further to the fact that we are in some way, out for ourselves, I still take the fact that I am new to this at heart. Whether I’m trainwrecking a mix I’m working on, or somehow getting it right (and in a few instances using the sync button, I’m pretty anal about the BPM’s matching EXACTLY by number, lol), when it works, you FEEL it. Granted, in the comfort of your own home, you’re not gonna jump around, but when you get it right, when it works for YOU, your foot WILL tap, your head WILL nod, your eyes WILL close halfway, and you WILL get that dumb smirk on your face whilst saying in your head “f**k yeah”

When you feel it yourself, when you’re just planning it out, that passion, heart, and thought that you put into that selection that got you moving is sure to bleed over into the crowd.