Traktor Pro contains a very powerful synchronization engine but sometimes it feels like this super computer might have a mind of its own. Between mysterious button states and behavior that seems to change from track to track, it leaves you wondering, what does the SYNC button do and how can I be more in control of it? Well, we have the answers for you. Read on to learn the mystery of SYNC!
Archive for June, 2009
DJ Discrimination
This past weekend I asked a rhetorical question to a friend of mine (that happens to be a girl). ” I wonder if I was a woman- would I be willing to be a stripper?”. She didn’t hesitate, “you probably would, aren’t you already kind of the male version?” Whoa!!! I said, just as she attempted to pull the words back into her mouth. But it was too late, the horse was long out of the stable and I was left to contemplate the possibility of her less than flattering suggestion that was revealed in a moment of rare honesty.
As I am sure many of would also agree, most djs are music fans, aficionados, and slightly geeky guys (or girls) that found a fun way to fit into parties. Strippers we are not! Unfortunately this was not a question of how we see ourselves. This was a question of how the opposite sex views a dj. Is it possible that djs are plagued by the same bad cliches as strippers? If so, it it possible that we may also be discriminated against because of it?
Continue reading DJ Discrimination
MixVibes CROSS Reviewed
On a cold rainy New England day, I fired up the latest vinyl control system from MixVibes known as CROSS. This is one of the newer DVS systems on the market and DJ TT decided to tap yours truly for a review. The first thing I noticed was how small the packaging was for a standard digital vinyl system. A sticker at the top however, kindly notified me that the system includes two 7 inch control records. “That explains the size” I said to my dog Walter as I opened up the box.
Hi-Speed USB Cables for DJs
If your anything like me then you probably think that all USB cables are created equal. Just grab any old cable out of the giant pile, throw it into your dj bag and no worries right? Well thats what I thought until I started showing up to gigs and finding that certain cables would not work with my sound card at all.
Modular DJ Objects
There are now dozens of “things” you can apply to a track inside today’s powerful dj software.The problem lies in calling up and remembering those different effect settings that you liked, and having access to them in an intuitive and fun way that encourages wonderful accidents. The answer to this may be creating modular software and possible hardware that can be easily manipulated to create endless possibilities in the moment.
Best of Both Worlds- Traktor and Ableton
DJ Rob Ticho
Chances are high you have probably tried out both Ableton Live and Traktor only to discover that each program has different strengths and weaknesses. While I primarily use Traktor for DJing, there are aspects of Ableton, such as playing midi instruments live, which I’ve always wanted to incorporate into my sets. In hopes to have the best of both worlds, I spent some time and money figuring out a simple to connect the two programs on 2 laptops. Now I would like to share that knowledge with Dj TechTools so others can try out that great combo as well.
Jean Michel Jarre starts DJing
After years of experimental music and new control paradigms, Jean Michel Jarre (or “Mj” as he is now known on the European club circuit) has shifted gears and taken Ibiza by storm with his brand new Wi-mote routine. The AP press quotes him as saying ” Yeah, the groupies are just so much better when your a dj- I really cant ever go back to creating ground breaking music after I discovered the joys of triggering quantized clips in Ableton”
Get More from Your Music Library
If my digital music collection were to suddenly manifest itself into some kind of physical media, I’m sure it would look something like this picture. A random mess of scattered songs, from different places and times, each being a small surprise every time they were played. Fortunately, these tracks will remain in digital form and everyone has the option of re-organizing them with relative ease. The most obvious forms of organization involve play lists and smart tagging which have been previously covered in depth here and here.
Take it a step further and there are still many things that you can do besides basic organization that will keep your digital music collection in top shape and wont cost you a penny. After the jump I will discuss three methods in which we can better our music collection and the freeware available to do the job.
The Lemur- Not your normal Primate!
Have you been eyeballing some really expensive, possibly out-of-your-league gear? Ever wondered if you could actually afford a Lemur, what it would be like to use it? Try to imagine whats possible but be careful… this animal eyes you back!
Smart Mixing Explained
On Monday we published a article introducing Bento’s new smart mixing pack to the Dj TT community. The smart mixer is a very powerful tool that can make basic mixing very smooth and super easy. The concept of smart mixing may be easy to grasp but the actual mechanics behind this technique are a bit more complex. Dj TechTools prides itself on teaching your the fundamentals of new concepts so here is the 2nd half of that article where we will go into the nuts and bolts of creating and modifying a smart mixer on your own.
Practice makes Perfect
Any good musician will tell you that to truly get your timing tight, you need to sit down with a metronome for at least one hour per day. No amount of live performance or “jamming” will replace training against the clock. The same is true certainly true in controllerism, especially if your aim is to get really tight cue point juggling or button mashing. I can almost hear the groans all the way across the world now, “uhhh a metronome? what is this 1686?” Yeah, metronomes can get a little boring so I frequently employ the next best thing: Guitar Hero! Guitar hero trains the left hand, improves button timing and tracks your performance in a much more exciting way than a metronome. Plus- they have some pretty cool songs that some how never seem to get old.
