- 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.
Bookmarks