Carl Cox video

**16b441khz** · 10-26-2011, 09:32 PM

Anyone else notice the DJM lit up like a christmas tree? seriously, im always hearing don't go into the red, but then you see someone like Cox who has been around longer than anyone in the game and he does it?...

**DarioJ** · 10-26-2011, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by Dustin V

Nice vid Chris!

You know I've been watching a few vids from him recently and I've noticed that he's not using Traktor anymore?

I've noticed that most of the time he's using the DJM 2000 and 4 DJM 2000's, but no Traktor?

I remember not too long ago he was using Traktor with Maschine, and 2 X's. Why would he stop using Traktor?

Probably cause the hes Carl Cox and the endorsement has been fulfilled

**keithace** · 10-26-2011, 10:03 PM

i'll see him tomorrow night in the city of angels...

who cares what he plays on...did you only buy traktor cause he used it?

weak...

**mostapha** · 10-27-2011, 01:23 AM

Originally Posted by 16b441khz

Anyone else notice the DJM lit up like a christmas tree? seriously, im always hearing don't go into the red, but then you see someone like Cox who has been around longer than anyone in the game and he does it?...

The DJM-2000 has a variable master attenuator on the back that applies negative gain to the output signal after the master level meter but before the digital to analog converters. If they set it aggressively to try and keep moronic DJs from clipping the DJM's converters, then there's no harm done, and it's actually the right way to play to maximize dynamic range.
Running the channel meters hot on a digital mixer usually doesn't cause clipping. Traktor's internal mixer is a good example of it. Want to try something weird? Load a track and turn everything up…turn your master down to compensate and I'd bet money you're not clipping. Digital mixers have an insane amount of headroom…as long as you're not clipping the final DAC, you're fine.
He might be a moron. The reason that people slam that lesson so hard is that the vast majority of DJs have no idea what those meters mean. I had a long conversation with a promoter a little while ago because he thought his subs were broken because they made a boom instead of a crunch, filthy, garbage honky woof. Apparently in 15 years of running nights and DJing in New York and Atlanta, he'd never heard a DJ mixer not run into distortion before. That being said, I'd bet he knew exactly what he was doing…he used to use Vestax mixers, and they sound like garbage when they distort. Fortunately, their meters are accurate.

And to prove my point, here's–in order–the DJs on DJ Mag's top 100 for this year that I have seen more than once from the booth, behind it, or above it that I have never seen peak the mixer below the clip light except during breakdowns:

David Guetta
Armin van Buuren
Tiesto
Markus Schultz
Gareth Emery
ATB
Sander van Doorn
Ferry Corsten
Laidback Luke
Carl Cox
Steve Aoki
John Digweed
Sasha
Paul Oakenfold
Nero

For comparison, here's the ones off that list that I have seen from in/behind/above a booth that were running a mixer correctly:

Just kidding…there isn't one.

Everyone else off the list I've seen, I haven't watched mix. I'd bet money that James Zabiela does it right, but for reasons I'll discuss below, I'd bet money Ritchie Hawtin runs his mixers so they look hot (for those who don't know, he uses xones).

I also left off Porter Robinson because, well, he is new to DJing and he uses an S4. I'd bet my mixer that his meters are lit up like a christmas tree, but those meters don't mean anything, and I haven't heard him except on youtube because I don't like his music enough to pay to see him, so I don't know whether or not he's clipping his sound card outputs.

I'd also like to point out that Sasha and Ferry were on xone:92s or db4s when I saw them, and a&h marks the xone meters wrong. The clip light is actually at ~0dB instead of the +12 or whatever it says, and there's a little headroom over that…so they weren't distorting (according to my ears while wearing musician's plugs), but they were only relying on their ears to know that.

But, yeah, one of the most respected DJ mixer makers in the world marks their meters wrong to try and trick DJs into not clipping their mixers. The problem is that pervasive. Go talk to a sound guy about how annoying it is for them.

**Liambo** · 10-27-2011, 03:42 AM

Originally Posted by Dustin V

Nice vid Chris!

You know I've been watching a few vids from him recently and I've noticed that he's not using Traktor anymore?

I've noticed that most of the time he's using the DJM 2000 and 4 DJM 2000's, but no Traktor?

I remember not too long ago he was using Traktor with Maschine, and 2 X's. Why would he stop using Traktor?

I watched a interview a while back of him and he was saying that he still likes Traktor and what it does but due to Rekordbox being on the go and the simplicity of a single pen drive being linked he finds it much easier to use. He can also prepare his sets on the go just like Traktor.. So its a win win situation for him.

**sarasin** · 10-27-2011, 04:07 AM

I LOVE Carl Cox.

Has always been a big inspiration to me.

**16b441khz** · 10-27-2011, 04:51 AM

Originally Posted by mostapha

The DJM-2000 has a variable master attenuator on the back that applies negative gain to the output signal after the master level meter but before the digital to analog converters. If they set it aggressively to try and keep moronic DJs from clipping the DJM's converters, then there's no harm done, and it's actually the right way to play to maximize dynamic range.
Running the channel meters hot on a digital mixer usually doesn't cause clipping. Traktor's internal mixer is a good example of it. Want to try something weird? Load a track and turn everything up…turn your master down to compensate and I'd bet money you're not clipping. Digital mixers have an insane amount of headroom…as long as you're not clipping the final DAC, you're fine.
He might be a moron. The reason that people slam that lesson so hard is that the vast majority of DJs have no idea what those meters mean. I had a long conversation with a promoter a little while ago because he thought his subs were broken because they made a boom instead of a crunch, filthy, garbage honky woof. Apparently in 15 years of running nights and DJing in New York and Atlanta, he'd never heard a DJ mixer not run into distortion before. That being said, I'd bet he knew exactly what he was doing…he used to use Vestax mixers, and they sound like garbage when they distort. Fortunately, their meters are accurate.

And to prove my point, here's–in order–the DJs on DJ Mag's top 100 for this year that I have seen more than once from the booth, behind it, or above it that I have never seen peak the mixer below the clip light except during breakdowns:

David Guetta
Armin van Buuren
Tiesto
Markus Schultz
Gareth Emery
ATB
Sander van Doorn
Ferry Corsten
Laidback Luke
Carl Cox
Steve Aoki
John Digweed
Sasha
Paul Oakenfold
Nero

For comparison, here's the ones off that list that I have seen from in/behind/above a booth that were running a mixer correctly:

Just kidding…there isn't one.

Everyone else off the list I've seen, I haven't watched mix. I'd bet money that James Zabiela does it right, but for reasons I'll discuss below, I'd bet money Ritchie Hawtin runs his mixers so they look hot (for those who don't know, he uses xones).

I also left off Porter Robinson because, well, he is new to DJing and he uses an S4. I'd bet my mixer that his meters are lit up like a christmas tree, but those meters don't mean anything, and I haven't heard him except on youtube because I don't like his music enough to pay to see him, so I don't know whether or not he's clipping his sound card outputs.

I'd also like to point out that Sasha and Ferry were on xone:92s or db4s when I saw them, and a&h marks the xone meters wrong. The clip light is actually at ~0dB instead of the +12 or whatever it says, and there's a little headroom over that…so they weren't distorting (according to my ears while wearing musician's plugs), but they were only relying on their ears to know that.

But, yeah, one of the most respected DJ mixer makers in the world marks their meters wrong to try and trick DJs into not clipping their mixers. The problem is that pervasive. Go talk to a sound guy about how annoying it is for them.

Thank you so much for your response. Made alot of sense to other questions i needed answers for. This attenuator that is on the back of the DJM-2000, is it also on the back of the other DJM series? Last time i was out I noticed the headline act running a DJM-800 way into the red and it sounded like absolute balls. I left because i felt worried about my hearing.