quoted 2 lines Some other DJs have told me that by buying CDs and DJing with them>Some other DJs have told me that by buying CDs and DJing with them
>I'm "contributing to the death of the industry."
i don't agree, actually. right now, DJ CD players are quite a bit
more expensive than buying two 1200's plus mixer. so the startup cost
for vinyl DJing is lower. i expect that maybe someday the prices will
come into line. at that point, i might start to get scared.
quoted 5 lines The only advantage that vinyl has over CD (imho) is that you have>The only advantage that vinyl has over CD (imho) is that you have
>"hands-on" control when matching beats. Functionally, I like using
>the Denon better than the 1200s simply because it's much more precise
>in queing and gives you an instant start (.01 second), compared to .7
>seconds for a turntable.
well, i don't believe that instant start stuff. admittedly, i haven't
played with the CD models enough to be an expert but so far I find it
*really* hard to start the CD accurately, whereas vinyl is simple.
besides, what if the point at which you want to start the song isn't
under the laser pickup at the moment you hit "play"... you have to
wait for the CD to rotate around to that point...
quoted 5 lines I realize that record companies have started to produce more and more>I realize that record companies have started to produce more and more
>releases on CD alone, and are starting to reduce and eliminate
>pressing vinyl of some titles, simply because CD appeals to the mass
>consumer market where vinyl is only purchased by DJs, but is this so
>bad?
depends. there are still plenty of people fucking up CD mastering big
time. i've heard some CDs that sounded like utter shit compared to
the vinyl.
but it's really not a question of quality or anything - it's purely
market driven. people just aren't buying turntables or vinyl in
quantities to support a mass industry. vinyl is effectively dead
RIGHT NOW as a mass consumer item. fortunately (or not, depending on
your viewpoint) the dance music market is not a mass consumer market.
it's a specialty (niche) market and can afford to be catered to in
that manner.
quoted 3 lines 1200s have been around since the 1970s, and haven't>1200s have been around since the 1970s, and haven't
>functionally changed one bit. Maybe it's time we moved on to better
>technology to produce better sounds.
see above - who says CDs sound better?
quoted 5 lines I know I've just opened myself up to the opportunity to be flamed>I know I've just opened myself up to the opportunity to be flamed
>left and right, but let's face it, digital audio and samplers are the
>wave of the future, and DJs that are stuck in the old analog vinyl
>world because they don't want to have to learn how to use any new
>equipment are going to eventually be out of business.
not any time in the near future.
quoted 2 lines The only reason why smaller recording artists use vinyl to start is>The only reason why smaller recording artists use vinyl to start is
>the price.
aha, now we get to an interesting point.
quoted 5 lines It's cheap to do a small pressing, get some DJs to play your work,>It's cheap to do a small pressing, get some DJs to play your work,
>and then eventually do a larger pressing and maybe get signed on with
>a record company that will advertise for you and probably put you on
>their compilations. CDs are becoming so cheap now that you can do a
>one-off for about $30.
WHERE!? Unless you know someone who owns a CD burner, it's more like
$50 or $60. The blanks alone are at least $22. This isn't too
attractive for a struggling artist looking to get some DJs to spin his
CD. It *is* attractive to musicians who want to archive their
material or musicians who also happen to be DJs who want to spin their
unreleased stuff.
quoted 4 lines If I just recorded a killer track off my sampling keyboard in my own>If I just recorded a killer track off my sampling keyboard in my own
>bedroom onto a DAT player and it costs me just as much to make a
>couple hundred CDs as it does to press a couple hundred vinyl, I can
>tell you which option I would go for.
Depends what market you're attempting to penetrate. If you want it
played in the rave scene, you'd better make the vinyl pressing. If
you want to sell it in Tower Records, you'd better make it on CD.
And anyway, the prices aren't nearly equal yet.
quoted 1 line Why take the huge loss in sound quality,>Why take the huge loss in sound quality,
again, not necessarily huge - see above.
quoted 1 line not to mention limiting yourself to such a small market?>not to mention limiting yourself to such a small market?
it may be small but it might also be critical if you want to become
successful. you can release a CD single as your first offering and i
guarantee you will not get famous from it. however, a few hundred
vinyl copies in the right places can work wonders.
you can talk about "sound quality" and "durability" all you want but
there are many more factors at work if you want to have a CAREER as a
"rave musician."
Jon Drukman jdrukman%dlsun87@oracle.com
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This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence.