In response to the handy feedback icon you see on your left hand side of this site I will be starting a “FX Fundamentals” series and go through many different uses of FX that you can use inside Traktor or any other software. First on the list is filters, the work horse of a dj’s effects arsenal. Along with a basic overview of the different filter options, I will go into multi mapping a single knob to many parts of a filter and layering 2 filters for even more effective results. Check out the video bellow for the scoop.
Archive for the 'Digital Dj Tips- Basic' Category
The moment frequently pops up when you must come up with the next song in a hurry. The clock is ticking backwards and you find your self with only 1 minute left in a track and then you think of the perfect song, but wait- what was it called again? This is one area where 12″ records offered a serious advantage, instead of requiring the memorization of 4000 song names- you became emotionally attached the the visual image of the cover.
Many djs could NEVER remember the name of their go-to record but instantly pull up the most minuscule details about a cover. “Yeah- its the purple one with the little orange dot on the corner and Erika’s phone number scrawled on the back”. Hey we are artists people, and artists are a visual group of folks.
So, how to work this problem out in the digital age? Well, there are a few tricks up my sleeve that I can share with you. Next week we will expand this concept into a full blown I tunes management class but first I want to share one simple little trick that will go a long way.
Here is my method to easily beat grid your tracks by setting up a set of simple hot-keys. The best way to figure out the precise BPM of a song and ensure that any loop you drop is perfectly in time is by using beat-grids. When Traktor first analyzes a new song in your collection it determines the peaks of the wave form. 9 times out of ten these peaks are also the down beats, which means the BPM accuracy and auto loop features should work fairly well most of the time. When you get to a breakdown or start dealing with rhythmically complex material though, only beat grids will insure consistently accurate mixes. Setting beat grids and cue points can be a cumbersome process though so I will show you how I blow through 10 tracks in less time than it takes to brew a cup of coffee.
Many of you out there are new to the game and starting to get gigs with your digital dj equipment. As a few readers have pointed out, frequently that gear does not really mesh well with the bread and butter setups clubs have installed. Showing up and plugging in equipment can be a nerve racking affair to begin with but if there is one thing MORE scary- its your first 30 dj gigs. So, if you want calm nerves and smooth sets with digital dj gear your going to need a game plan.
For the past 5 years I have setup my laptop, sound card and midi gear in hundreds upon hundreds of clubs around the world. From a traditional Tico dance hall in Costa Rica to techno clubs in Berlin, there was always a way to make it work. Here are a few helpful things I have learned upon the way.
A few months ago I wrote a piece on the term “Microwave dj”. This negative description is used by a lot of different people to easily identify their personal interpretation of a push-play Dj. I expected the piece to be controversial but is was more miss-understood than anything else. A regular reader and fellow blogger put it best: “I sort of took offense to the article at first, but when I saw one of your youtube videos I totally understood where you are coming from - your motivation for the article is: if you’re going to be using a laptop to dj you better be putting it to good use… I think people who don’t understand that about you will think that you’re trying to defend that traditional dj culture but you’re really advocating change in a weird way.”
Until people really get the creative potential and intention behind this new digital movement they are not going to see how its can easily co-exist with the old traditions of djing. The German philosopher Hegel is thought to have presented the idea that everything begins as a conflict between two opposing ideas , the thesis and the antithesis and is ultimately resolved by the synthesis - the superior resolution that includes the best of both ideas. We are trying to find the synthesis around here at Dj tech tools.
Two noteworthy dj stories popped up on the BBC radar today. In the first, English drum and bass dj Grooverider was arrested on his way to a gig in Dubai. Apparently carrying any marijuana into the the United Arab Emirates qualifies as smuggling drugs and will result in a 4 year mandatory sentence. Note to self, international djing is not all champagne and limo rides to clubs overflowing with models. It also includes, among many other things, the following risks:
1) getting charged 1.4 million Euros for playing “pirated” mp3s.
2) having the Brazilian police switch off the lights, pull a world famous dj out of the dj booth and put another one in his place because the club did not pay taxes on his dj fee.
3) getting 4 years in a middle eastern prison for carrying a joint.
After many questions and some confusion about how I actually set up my gear and play in clubs I put together this video to show you a typical gig. I recorded an explanation of the gear and connections while setting up in a San Francisco club and then demonstrate some of the ways you could map the Novation SL25 to Traktor 3 after the show was over.
This is the first of many posts that will go into all aspects of djing. Techniques, theories and applications that will take you from your first mix to playing in front of thousands. They are grouped according to what might interest you:
dj 101: just getting started
dj 202: starting to get the hang of things here
dj 303: yeah, I built my own mixer from car parts, it was easy.
The market is flooded with all types of bags that may or may not work to carry your digital dj gear. Rather than gamble with $80, I turn it over to you, the readers, to share with others what your favorite dj back back has been. Please specify what gear you carry in it and where some one can buy it.To get us started, Here is one of my recommendation’s:
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