B-H-Y
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B-H-Y
MemberChuck van Eekelen, post: 41228, member: 2756 wrote: LOL. Resident DJ didn’t use his brains, bought and paid for a license he didn’t need and now figures he can use it to leverage other witless DJs out of the place or at least have them pay for this unneeded and unwanted license too!.
Ha! He must not have heard of the power of Digital DJ Tips yet … s*ckah
!Greetinx,
C.MemberSome other soundtracks worth a mention. There all Blaxploitation soundtracks which I’m a big fan of. James Brown’s The Payback and Black Caesar, Marvin Gaye’s Troubled Man, Gene Page’s Blacula, Curtis Mayfield’s Super Fly. Then there’s Isaac Hayes’ trio of Shaft, Three Tough Guys & Truck Turner. For sample hungry hip hop artists, these soundtracks were heavily sampled. You’ll find them on many an old hip hop album.
Terry’s right about Tangerine Dream’s Legend Soundtrack. It’s really hard to find a copy now, it’s well worth picking up a copy.
MemberHi if it’s cult movie soundtracks you’re after, four I’d recommend are: Ry Cooder’s Paris Texas, Pink Floyd’s More and two by The Maestro Ennio Morricone-The Winged Angels and The Bird With the Crystal Plumage.
December 7, 2012 at 2:21 pm in reply to: Novation twitch problems – touchstrips stopped working, etc #33241MemberNovation’s customer service is excellent and they’ll do all they can to help you. Have you tried phoning them and getting them to help diagnose the problem? Often, they’ll be able to help without the need to send the unit back. It’s worth phoning before you send it back.
MemberThe TM3 and Reloop Digital Jockey ME 3 is available in Newcastle for £429. See your home page for retailer’s name. They even do student discounts and have demo facilities. The S2 might feel like a step down, but if you decide to trade up, will the Reloop hold its value like the S2. S2s are always in demand 2nd hand, whereas Reloop’s don’t seem as desirable.
As for B-stock, it’s a personal thing. Sometimes you’re buying someone else’s problem. Two very real scenarios. A controller has sat in-store as a demo model. Everyone has had a shot on it, with many a wannabe scratch DJ having a shot. Would you want it? Or it’s been sent out to someone, they’ve returned it, saying it’s faulty. The retailer can’t find the fault, or fixes something and then sells it as B-stock. Would you still want it? Both scenarios are very real. If you push some retailers on the price of B-stock, the price will drop quickly. That’s when you walk away.
If you can possibly afford a brand new controller buy new. I’d rather wait than buy B-stock. Some people will disagree, saying they’ve had a bargain, but make your own mind up.
MemberYou seem to have decided on Traktor as your software of choice, so why not go for an S2? It’s a popular controller and you could get a new one within your budget. If you decide to upgrade to another controller, there’s always people looking for S2s. An alternative would be the Vestax Vci 100 Mk 2, which is a controller that although not feature packed, is a reliable controller.
I’m not a fan of Reloop controllers, having had a similar experience to you. Some of their controllers are well built, but their customer service lets them down.
As for B-stock, you’ll hear differing opinions. Personally, I’d avoid B-stock. If you do decide on B-stock, beat the retailer down on the price, or at least add for some deal-makers eg. cables, cheap set of headphones.
If you’re open to moving away from Traktor, why not look at the Novation Twitch. I’ve got one and love it. You’ll get a brand new one for £280 and that comes with an upgrade to the new Serato software.
As for DJ shops in your area. You’re quite near Newcastle, which has a good DJ shop. From my experience, they’re helpful and keen on price. Hope that helps.
MemberI’ve had similar experiences to Dan. Had a Digital Jockey for 7 months. Tried contacting Reloop , but never heard back from them. Their customer service is really poor. Even after several emails and then contacting them via Facebook, they took 6 week further weeks to reply. By then, I’d also bought a Novation Twitch. I never use the Digital Jockey now and would never, ever consider buying another Reloop product. Novation’s customer service is the best I’ve come across and can’t praise them highly enough.
MemberHi James. I’ve just bought another controller, a Twitch and can thoroughly recommend it. It’s a a fantastic controller, one of the best I’ve had. £250 is expensive for a second hand one though. A new one will only set you back £280, if you’re in the UK and you’ll get the lifetime updates to Serato.
MemberHi Miximlee, After I posted my comment last night, I saw two videos of James Zabiela. One he was amazing and the other he seemed to lose his way slightly. On his day though, he’s up there with the best. As for the Renaissance series, they’ve outlasted many of the other mix series. I remember the early days of Renaissance, and 2012 marks its 20th anniversary since it was founded.
MemberHi DJ RITM, I can see why you use looping if you’re spinning hip hop. As you say, finding a clean break isn’t easy. Looping and effects is very much genre dependent. As D-Jam says, effects and trance don’t go together. You’re right about the flanger, it’s hugely overused.
MemberHi Luckynumba7, I was interested to read how you’re using your effects. It seems you’re using them creatively and constructively. That’s the difference between you and the DJs I’m talking about. You know how, and when, to use effects. You’e not overusing them and using them in a way that enhances the music. Used sparingly and subtlety, then they’re a hugely effective part of a DJ’s armoury.
Maximlee you’re right too. If using over-using effects and looping is what a DJ wants to do, that’s their choice. It just means they’ll neither get the bookings other DJs get, not enjoy longevity. I mean you might book them once, but wouldn’t rebook them.
The difference between DJs on this forum and the DJs that made me start this thread, is that the DJs that caned effects and loops, hadn’t even mastered the basics. They were like kids in a sweet shop, playing with their effects, but didn’t understand what they were doing.
As for Richie Hawtin, he’s one of the best DJs around. As you say, he’ll never play the same set twice. Even if you gave him the same tracks, he’d play them in a totally different. The same could be said of James Zabiela, whose taking technology and DJ-ing to another level. For anyone that’s interested, he’s made a documentary for the BBC about technology and DJ-ing. If anyone is interested, I’ll post the link.
MemberHi D-Jam. I agree with you about trance, adding effects will ruin the original production. Trance is one musical genre where effects aren’t needed. Adding effects to trance tracks not only ruins the track but the mix.
Maybe DJs need to and I hesitate to use the word, reeducate crowds. They need to get across to crowds that’s neither effects nor looping makes a great DJ set. What does make a great set is track selection and programming. Rather than deciding what effect to use or what length of loop to use, spend the time doing some digital crate digging. Finding some great tracks and playing them in a way that works and makes sense.
Maybe the problem with crowds is they realise that DJs have all these effects available too them, and unless a DJ uses them, they feel cheated. It quickly becomes repetitive and tedious.
Ironically, I heard a mix today and so thick were the effects, that I could hardly work out what track it was. Yet if the guy had just played the track without effects, then his mix would’ve been much better. Even guys who started out on vinyl are falling into the trap of overusing effects. The thinking seems to be “I’ve all these effects, better use them.” Eventually, it becomes tedious.They’d be better working out what their next track will be and playing a killer set.
MemberHi Bunyip, Here are the links: https://www.facebook.com/groups/39294238190/ is the Serato Itch group and the Novation Twitch Club is https://www.facebook.com/twitch.controller?fref=ts hope they’re helpful. Hope they help you.
MemberHi Bunnyip, I had a look at the VCI-380 and will look at turntables too. Maybe a Vestax or Stanton. I’ve really been enjoying exploring what the Twitch can do. Every time I use it, I discover something new. It’s the best piece of equipment I’ve bought in ages. Once the new version of Serato comes out for Twitch, it’ll be even better. By then, any teething problems will be ironed out in the software. There’s a Serato Itch group on Facebook if you’re interested and one for Twitch. Im a member of both and and can send you a link.
MemberHi D-Jam. That’s making good use of looping and effects, and comes with experience. Some types of music don’t suit lots of effects added, and as you say, are best played the way they were intended. Other tracks suit effects. It’s deciding which is which, that some inexperienced DJs get confused about.
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