JustChris
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September 15, 2013 at 1:34 am in reply to: What do DJs think about clubbing as "just something you do in your 20s"? #44176
JustChris
MemberDJam, I see what you mean, but it really depends and how long you’ve been through, and not when you start. Just happens that most start in their teens or early 20s.
But how about myself, who is already about to hit 31 but only been out to those places a few times? Clubbing is still much a novelty for me. I’d like to go a lot without looking like a creeper geezer, and that entails looking for people who are as virgin into the scene as I am. Fortunately I look younger for my age.
I guess I have to really get into clubbing in order to “flush it through my system”. And then I’ll have crazy tales to tell about my clubbing days.
August 30, 2013 at 8:40 pm in reply to: How do I keep my white Pioneer HDJ-2000's from staining? #43689MemberNick Powers, post: 43631, member: 2466 wrote: Maybe a magic eraser?
This too. The most annoying thing about white equipment is it starts to look crap easily. I use a regular white MacBook and magic eraser solved my dirt problems cheaply. It made the bezels and keyboard top dirt-free again, no more annoying smudgy spots on the keyboard anymore.
MemberGood choice on the Haswell chip. Are you planning on overclocking it? The -K chips are unlocked and cost more for this reason. If you weren’t going to, you could have saved some money getting the non-K version, but oh well that’s all done with.
I’m not too fond of the WD Green drive. These are mostly meant for storage than performance. Yeah, you’ll have all that space to store your sample packs with, but your projects will load noticeably more slowly if you have many plugins and instruments using samples. The WD Black drive gives the best performance (without going hybrid or SSD), downside is they can be noisy due to how fast they spin. The Blue drives are a good compromise between speed, noise and cost.Mitch Hambling, post: 42195, member: 7942 wrote: *ahem* macbook pro *cough* 🙂
If you ever plan to go the MacBook route, keep in mind, the lower priced ones are dual core i5’s and not the quad-core ones commonly used as OEM processors in other computers! Usually an i5 is an i5. But with the MacBooks they have two of the cores disabled, probably to conserve battery life on the lower-end Pro’s. Losing out on two cores could seriously set back on your productivity.
July 31, 2013 at 6:24 pm in reply to: Do you play a musical instrument? (Recorder doesn't count…) #42728MemberI learned the piano when I was in 3rd-4th grade. Then took up the bugle and tuba in high school JROTC.
MemberI’ve seen pairs go for around $800 on eBay. I’d pay for more if they were modded/restyled.
D-Jam, post: 42842, member: 3 wrote: I wouldn’t think you’ll get a decent pair of 1200s now for $600 or something insanely low
Actually, I just did a couple weeks ago 😀 You just gotta strike when the iron’s hot.
MemberHey Chuck, I’ve already paid up for the turntables and just awaiting their arrival, so the Denons are not an option now. There are still new in box Technics out there but yeah you can expect they’re ridiculously expensive…
Back to the controller topic, I’ve seen several so far and weighing my options for something that is smaller and has an interface that’s simple and sensible for Serato’s workflow. The Akai LPD and Korg Nanopad are cheap and look like it will handle cues and loops with their pads, but that still leaves a way to browse your music away from the laptop.
Robert, nope, don’t have an iPad. Kind of lame it’s iPad only, because the app looks nice, and it would be the tightest integration with Serato I’d imagine. Just wish these companies don’t make us feel forced to buy more apple products 😛
MemberPretty good advice here, especially from D-Jam. I’m in the almost the same situation and almost the same age as the OP.
Never understood those people that say they are “worn out from clubbing” when so many club DJs are in their 30’s and beyond… 😀
MemberWelcome to the forums! Looks like you’re already off to a good start with your gigs.
MemberD-Jam, post: 41656, member: 3 wrote: All my mixers since 1992 have been “pre amp”.
My first mixer:
Usually for a home setup the “amp” was a home stereo system. After that I remember buying a cheap small amp from Radio Shack and using some small monitors. Now I just use my computer since most of my DJing is making mixes to put online.
Heh, I have that just as a backup. Those old Geminis can sure last.
MemberMy eMusic purchases have been VBR for the most part, but I’m avoiding them for other reasons. When I was without a job I cut all my frivolous expenses including my eMusic subscription. I chose the “freeze for 3 months” option which stopped recurring payments. After the 3 months expired, it automatically reactivated, but I could not access my account options! It kept redirecting me to a “choose your plan” page which then looped back to saying “it seems that you already have an account with us.”
When I logged in I always had a balance of zero dollars yet the monthly fees came back after the 3 months of temporary closure. So the eMusic service sees my account like some “phantom user” with missing credentials while still being charged for it. Time to call their customer support, and be through with them.
MemberHeh, I hope it’s not weird to dislike going to movies, bars or clubs alone then.
Making the right music loving friends is the tough part for me. I never was much of a social butterfly at college. Didn’t go clubbing or partying in college and got the least applause from my major’s graduation ceremony lolMy interest in DJing picked up in the later years. I always stuck closer to high school friends even though now a lot of them have moved out of state or got married. So I literally am starting from zero, my old friends are just there to hang out but won’t push me into the DJing scene I want to be a part of.
Some people have suggested volunteer in interest groups. So I’m looking to see if there are any local DJ schools or workshops where I can volunteer my time to and meet other DJs.
MemberI rarely follow blogs, but I am subbed to a few YouTube channels to hear new music in my favorite genres. Most of the time, though, I find interesting tracks in mixes I hear and look for the track list to get them on Beatport or some other online store. I dig around there by record labels and buy my tracks in groups that sound great with each other.
And admittedly, cover art that catches my attention plays a factor in blind choosing tracks from unknown artists in a related style/category.
Just as important as choosing tracks, IMO, is creating your own “recipes” of blended tracks, especially if they’re more unusual combinations that sound surprisingly well.
MemberI never bought controllers- started out with good ol’ turntables and a CD player. First I bought Stanton Str8-60 with Gemini PS-525 mixer, then bought a CDJ-100s to play around with CDs for a bit. Then I sold both decks and got a Str8-100 and a Technics 1210 MK2 and replaced the bad pitch fader with a click-free MK5 variety. I also put blue LEDs on it.
Mixer-wise I upgraded to the Urei 1601-S soon after getting the newer decks. It was like going from a econo-box to an exotic racer in performance. But a few months later I decided to sell up to a Pioneer DJM-909, and bought Serato SL1 as well. Even though the sound of the 909 is a bit inferior, I much preferred its effects and rich set of options.
Then I faced a financial crunch and sold all of it…
Now I’m back into the game with used but good CDJ 400’s and DJM-300. I feel like sticking with CDs now, and plan to upgrade to CDJ-850s soon.
MemberAs someone that started with vinyl, I mostly rode the pitch to beatmatch, but nudging is better for pitch bending, when you know the tempos are virtually the same but one track is still a bit out of phase.
I personally think hiding the audible difference is the hardest part of beatmatching. Many DJ turntables have a master tempo/pitch lock but many others don’t (most notably Technics) so those nudges have to be very subtle in the mix or your audience will hear them. Thus, it’s just best to do these adjustments when still cued in your headphones.
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