IDM Mailing Archive

quoted 17 lines I agree with this completely. Right now, beat matching is a very

> > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > >I agree with this completely. Right now, beat matching is a very > >mechanical (humor me, if you will) skill. There's a lot more to it > >than just matching beats, but this is what must occupy most of your > >time while you're mixing. > > *derisive snort* not if you're a GOOD dj... > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<< > > Regardless of whether or not you're a good DJ, you must still spend > SOME amount of time concentrating on the mechanical aspects of DJing. > With better technology, this might not need be the case. I'm just > saying that this time could be spent on better things like putting > more planning into the layout of your music. > >

I'll have to disagree with your overall point. I'll agree with "you must still spend SOME amout of time," but this applies to both turntables AND CD mixers. No technology anytime soon will ever beat the ability to slap on a record, see where you want to start (grooves have shades), move the needle, find the beat and match it. Only on a Stanton can you slap on a CD; you can not see starting places and breaks on a CD; cueing on a CD player is painstakingly slow: first find the track you want to play, then find the place you want to start matching takes far longer than doing this with vinyl (unless you have the CD mixer/player preprogrammed! But where does preprogramming leave room for innovation and spur of the moment song playing...what about REQUESTS? where do you fit THOSE in?); once you found the first beat or starting place, you must cue it on the instant you want it to start, and you can't slide back-n-forth on a beat like you do on a record -- instead you have to play the CD till you hear the start-point, then reverse a bit, but sometimes you lose track of where the start-point comes in ("this bar, or the next?") then you PASS IT UP AGAIN and have to reverse AGAIN. I have never used a CD mixer and am just guessing with theory, so correct me if I'm wrong. And it does matter if you are a good DJ. Being a regular club DJ makes the ability second-nature, so s/he can do it without thinking, or while thinking of other things such as the "vibe" and thinking of stuff to play, or if he remembered to feed the cat. :) A DJ who can scratch well while scratching has ass has made DJ'ing instinct. -djkc