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.
Continue reading ‘Find the next Tune’
A few years back getting onto the beta-test team of a new dj software meant some serious bragging rights. “Yeah, I got the advance copy of final scratch 1.1.3.5.6.7 , it only crashes about 5 times per hour now, I’m sooo cool.” Then everyone jumped on the open source Linux bandwagon basically saying, “hell, why not let everyone try the damn thing- then we can really find some bugs and not rely on a hand full of lazy beta testors” So lately many companies including Albleton and Serato have allowed users to downlaod new versions in advance. The only catch was they dont really advertise it and you have to know where to look. That trend continues today as at this very moment you can download 2 very cool beta’s including:
1} Serato Scratch Video
Thats right, for free you can get your hands on a demo version of what will be a very hot piece of $180 software. The only catch, you need to own the very expensive TTM-57SL or the software will not work at all. Just follow this link here to download the beta
2} DeckADance for MAC
After an unfortunate accident that left the company without its founder and creator, this new and exciting software has rebounded and is set to release the OSX version of its promising dj software. No hardware required just go here to download the public beta.
Let’s take a brief departure from the norm here in digital-DJ land and look at a very talented turntablist and a few of the techniques that make him great. The man I want to reintroduce to you is DJ Kentaro. Earning one of the highest scores in DMC history, Kentaro stole the show in 2002 with a creative musical take on turntablism. The previous year’s third-place performance included a trademark routine he calls “Jah-Jaka,” which can almost be described as heavy-metal turntablism. Creative use of tape to add rhythm to tone, meaty filter tricks with EQs and guitar riff-like playing of the record all contributed to a compelling musical performance that we will break down. Continue reading ‘How to scratch like a DMC champ’
No matter what DJ software you use, there is one common variable that vinyl-emulation systems all rely on: needles. Normally, needles are the last things on your mind. Fidelity and cartridge specs are sometimes thought to be a trivial factor in the performance of the software. The common opinion is that, “As long as you have a good strong signal, then it does not matter what needle you use.” Although that is partially true, any regular user of multiple DJ carts will tell you that they all seem to feel or respond differently. That is, of course, a subjective observation and is dependent on a lot of variables that are hard to nail down. Now to further confuse the ranks of DJs, Ortofon has released a new DJ cartridge specifically aimed at the digital DJ market called the DigiTrack, which Ortofon claims to be a superior cartridge designed specifically for the digital realm. But what exactly makes one DJ cartridge better than the other? And how can we get optimal performance out of the needles we already have? Continue reading ‘How to pick a dj needle for Serato’
The new remix article talks about techniques and possibilites using foot switches but I did not have the space to really go into detail. Here are some direct links and thoughts on some of the options you have for foot switches.
Continue reading ‘What foot switches should you buy for Serato?’
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