Laptop vs. traditional turntable djing.
- Thread starter Asger
- Start date
maybe I should get myself a second deckle and a mixer then 
But, following you guys on the discussion here, it can be (and usually is) a lot more exciting to watch a regular turnt. dj, and laptop ppl tend to be really boring (trust me inno, we've got 4 semi-large, on danish scale that is, clicks and cuts guys here in Aarhus, and they take themselves a lot too serious). But I've also seen exceptions, Shitmat is an obvious choice, rocking the lappy with a distorted mic and terrorist-skimask (and when thinking of it Drop the Lime I guess is another example of a hype and entertaining use of a laptop), contra a 2-step guy on decks I saw once who was fucking boring...
The reason laptop appeals to me is because i'm a wasteman on the decks, but I guess I "just" need to practice a bit (a whole lot) and then give it a go, but besides the lack of talent, there is also the lack of vinyl. Ive been buying a fair amount of mp3s on the net, 'cause its really hard to get a hold on the 12"s I want here in Denmark (unless im willing to pay 10 pounds per record, which ive done in some cases, and are going to do a bit in the future - for instance I have to get murkle man).
But, following you guys on the discussion here, it can be (and usually is) a lot more exciting to watch a regular turnt. dj, and laptop ppl tend to be really boring (trust me inno, we've got 4 semi-large, on danish scale that is, clicks and cuts guys here in Aarhus, and they take themselves a lot too serious). But I've also seen exceptions, Shitmat is an obvious choice, rocking the lappy with a distorted mic and terrorist-skimask (and when thinking of it Drop the Lime I guess is another example of a hype and entertaining use of a laptop), contra a 2-step guy on decks I saw once who was fucking boring...
The reason laptop appeals to me is because i'm a wasteman on the decks, but I guess I "just" need to practice a bit (a whole lot) and then give it a go, but besides the lack of talent, there is also the lack of vinyl. Ive been buying a fair amount of mp3s on the net, 'cause its really hard to get a hold on the 12"s I want here in Denmark (unless im willing to pay 10 pounds per record, which ive done in some cases, and are going to do a bit in the future - for instance I have to get murkle man).
A month or so back I did a temp contract with Serato, who made Scratch Live, a similar thing to Final Scratch and these others. Use special slabs of vinyl to cue and play files on a computer, basically.
Seemed pretty damn awesome, to me. If you'd grown up on vinyl it seemed like such a great way to go... and by assigning a whole bunch of tracks to different markers on the vinyl you minimise the amount of interaction with the computer, so there's not that staring at the screen business.
Plus it handles Ogg Vorbis files. Haha. I am such a nerd.
I tried DJing with Traktor once (at a cousin's wedding, admittedly - how careful do you need to make that mix from 'Flashdance' to 'Mamma Mia'?) and found that the physical interface of the computer is still quite a pain, regardless of what the software can do. That is, you're still typing and mousing.
Seemed pretty damn awesome, to me. If you'd grown up on vinyl it seemed like such a great way to go... and by assigning a whole bunch of tracks to different markers on the vinyl you minimise the amount of interaction with the computer, so there's not that staring at the screen business.
Plus it handles Ogg Vorbis files.
Haha. I am such a nerd.I tried DJing with Traktor once (at a cousin's wedding, admittedly - how careful do you need to make that mix from 'Flashdance' to 'Mamma Mia'?) and found that the physical interface of the computer is still quite a pain, regardless of what the software can do. That is, you're still typing and mousing.
mms said:
So far, the reasons people dislike DJs with laptops is;
1) sound quality - debatable, obviously, and more dependent on a decent sound system than the source perhaps?
2) the visual/skillful aspect of watching someone DJ. So presumably someone using Final Scratch or the Rane Serato system would have more "value" or be more "worthy" or whatever we want to call it because of the hands on skill required. The only difference with Final Scratch etc and ordinary DJing is that you never take the records off the decks - cueing and mixing is exactly the same.
But then, you've basically turned your turntables into very large and heavy MIDI controllers. Which seems a somewhat unncessary fetishising of old technology, when there are now whole ranges of complex multi-function controllers with jog wheels, buttons etc to control your music.
So, is Final Scract etc just as exciting to watch as DJing? If not, why not?
john eden
male pale and stale
spackb0y said:
No I don't think so. If I go and see Jah Shaka on his own soundsystem then half of the point is the craft he has put into it all over the years, making his own boxes, amps etc. And collecting his own records and dubplates.
Watching him wipe a priceless record on the back of his camo pants and then putting it on his own gerard deck on a plinth some way above his head would not be the same at all as if he had downloaded everything onto a laptop or final scratch and pressed "return" or whatever.
And here we are dealing with one deck only so it isn't even about turntablist skills...
Perhaps this is irrational vinyl fetishism, but performance is not something one reacts to in a rational way. If it's good.
Eh? I thought that the whole point of a DJ being "exciting" talked about upthread was that the DJ was using physical skill to mix. By that criteria, Jah Shaka sticking on a record on one deck would be even less exciting, surely. The reasons he is exciting to watch are more to do with the aesthetic criteria of the genre, which are different to those of "dance" music (ie for these purposes, where the music is mixed continously).
john eden
male pale and stale
spackb0y said:
Well I dunno, I can't be arsed with "dance music" for the most part!
But really what mms said.
Arsing about with records = cool
Arsing about with music computer files = fool
It's probably gross conservatism, but there it is!
Horses for courses and all that.
bassnation
the abyss
john eden said:
shaka is one of those djs who has made his own sound, cut his own tunes especially for playing out, has built everything to spec. these djs are few and far between but they are the ones that really turn it into an artform, instantly recognisable. this is what i mean about the technology - its unimportant - its the ideas, the soul, the love of what they are doing that matters.
i'd probably class fk up there with him too for the same kind of reasons. in fact fk in particular has embraced this technology because it enables him to take a much vaster collection of music out and about with him - at the end of the day thats all he cares about. this is the right attitude, its an enabler rather than a means to itself which many of the glitch-hop auter laptop djs are not seeing, imo.
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but just as Jah Shaka have built things from the ground up, some of the most interesting djs imho are those who are using digital mixing equipment to do redits on the fly. This provides the ability to recombine different elements in new forms in a way that would have been unimaginable with vinyl without the exception of dubplates (or i guess cds these days). can't say i get a whole lot out of what Hawtin and friends do over and above others but Optimo guys have put a smile on my face more than a few times with their fruity combinations
minikomi said:
i don't want to deal with guitars or djs at all when i play - i want to play my computer files at a whim or in an organised manner and piss about with it, not piss about with a guitar or turntables as it's rubbish.
right thats it i'm l
not listening to any music in any format ever again - i'm just gonna permanently damage my eardrums and sit in an empty quiet room listening to the titinnus.
bassnation
the abyss
mms said:right thats it i'm l not listening to any music in any format ever again - i'm just gonna permanently damage my eardrums and sit in an empty quiet room listening to the titinnus.
bit like listening to some of the more abstract basic channel tunes!
Freakaholic
not just an addiction
michael said:
Ive seen this page before. Is anyone using these things yet? They seem to be prohibitively expensive, but an amazingly cool-looking toy.
And, it utilizes as a control tool one of my favorite concepts of all interactive entertainment: Multiball.
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man and machine
Wild Horses
run_time said:
tim exile is an example of a performer pushing those particular boundaries. check him out: http://www.nativeinstruments.de/ind...r=1&l_src=tds3details_us&tsr_id=34002&flash=0
the video demo he gives is pretty pedestrian compared to his live sets. he's set at the last technicality allnighter was some of the most amazing shit i've heard in years. he took tunes everyone knew and fucked them up beyond all recognition.
Tweak Head
Well-known member
Asger said:
No, it's a special, not one of the regular monthly ones. Came out in December I think.
Did you try the lessons within Live?