DJ ing with laptops

[Der geile Ami]

Yes, the music itself comes first, but some of the best events I've been to are ones where the setup is pretty simple, and the mixer and DJ's hands are in plain view. When one track transitions into another, people can get a sense for how it is happening...they might see the work with the faders, the pitch adjustments, all the tricks, etc. It does help.

If you're just sitting behind a laptop, all that is lost. No one knows what the hell you're doing back there, and you might as well just be playing the latest mix from the "dj & livesets" forum. Yes, the set may sound good...but there is really no connection between it and your performance as a DJ.

I'm not saying that vinyl DJing offers some sort of superior performance aesthetic; i'm just saying that the good DJ should consider how his/her setup translates into the audience perception.

nobody could see what larry levan was doing and he is regarded as one of the best djs ever to live.

half the crowds think that hte music is coming from the lighting guy, anyway.

[Shepherd_of_Anu]

People should never be afraid to embrace new technologies in music. If being a purist was in our nature then we would have never have gotten past banging on a log drum. Not that there is anything wrong with banging on a log drum but its good to expand your horizions.

What matters in the end is the final product. Its really a matter of personal choice what you choose to use because your probably the only one that is going to lose any sleep over it. I don't think anyone is going to wake up in the night screaming because they saw someone using some new fandangled device to create or play music.

The technology used is unimportant compared to the result that is produced by the interaction between the human and the machine. Its just a new medium of expression.

[Ruso]

Djing with a laptop(or computer) is something that is fishy and has a very very large amount of flexibillity and also levels of complexity.

Depending on levels of complexity mixing with a lap top is either completely pathetic or absolutly wonderful.

If you use a lap top and have two tracks with eq's and a sound card with two output channels and prewarp all your tracks and simply trigger them, and use the eq and crossfader to mix then it's pretty damn pathetic. Anyone can do this and anyone can become a dj. It takes ALL skill out of djing(I don't care if you say beat matchign is half of it... that's true but it makes the whole process about 90% faster and easier)....

On the other hand, if you got your stuff together and you understand ableton and have a complex set then it is wonderful. If you remix tracks live, strip drums and replace them, mix four tracks at the same time... sample, resample, stretch and rearrange stuff on the fly it makes a wonderful show. It becomes a live performance instead of a traditional dj with two decks.

Also you could take ableton as far as running two separate copies of it simotanously on one machine running to two separate outputs to a real mixer, and you can use something like the m-audio dj interface and you can make them act like real decks.... to a point where you don't even need the screen and all of a sudden you find yourself breaking free from software and being completely hardware and it becomes a real dj experience. All this would require is some advanced midi knowledge to modify the message the wheels send.


Anyways, like I said, I have zero respect for people who jump on a set with a lap top and an m-audio xsession(pro) and does what I mention in the very beginning to get easy fame and easy recognition without having any skill at all when it comes to production or real djing.

On the other hand, if you use it to really manipulate sound(which is what live is for anyways) then big props to you.

I'll stick to full live performance of my tracks though thank you very much


[edit]Oh one thing I fogot to mention.... LOSE THE DAMN MONITOR/SCREEN... you can't perform and hide behind it, it looks VERY bad!!!!![/edit]

[G3rard]

If you use a lap top and have two tracks with eq's and a sound card with two output channels and prewarp all your tracks and simply trigger them, and use the eq and crossfader to mix then it's pretty damn pathetic. Anyone can do this and anyone can become a dj. It takes ALL skill out of djing(I don't care if you say beat matchign is half of it... that's true but it makes the whole process about 90% faster and easier)....

I think that track selection and knowledge of music is the greatest skill a dj can have. I know its a pretty boring set up considering the capabilities of most programmes but whats wrong with using 2 channels and a simple setup if your track selection is impeccable and your aim as a DJ is to showcase the best music available?

Not everyone DJs to put on a live performance creating new tracks from other people, some DJs just enjoy sharing the music they love, one track after the other.

[Ruso]

I'm not saying literally remixing tracks on the fly. I'm talking about using live like it's supposed to. At least use effects and other great stuff it has to offer...

If you play tracks you like one after another that are prebeatmatched and all you do is literally fade from one to another, you should not deserve a slot as a dj at a club instead of someone who is truly tallented with live. It seems as though this is a major side effect of ableton, it's so simple anyone can do it and the sideffect is that more and more of laptop dj's like this are taking over and I don't think they deserve the fame they get. (This coming from a live performance artist who spends at least 20 hours working on music per week to put together a real live performance).

If you do it for personal enjoyment, or to play at a wedding or something, that's totally fine.

But anyways, just personal opinion.

[G3rard]

I was actually being a bit of a devils advocate because I do agree with a lot of your points

Saying that I do think that there is a place in the world for laptop djs who just want a simple setup, so long as they make up for using a simple 2 channel set up by being creative in their track selection.

[Klopgeest]

Laptops
+ you can do much more with your tracks, faster
+ it's easy to take with you
+ few kg's

- Less 'contakt' with your audience
- less expressions with your tracks than vinyl



i prefer vinyl to watch( i'm not a dj ) because then the DJ is much more performing his set, more feelin' in the mixes, more expressions, ...

I'm not agreeing on that one. I often see vinyl dj's with their head down their vinyl box/case/bag longer time than laptop dj's use to find the next track on the screen....

Fact, but what's the advantage for the audience at this one? Staring at the screen or staring at the vinyl bags, not a big difference for making contakt

[ao]

As both a dj and a promoter, it comes down to who puts on a good show. Some people can do wonders with the traditional two-channel set up, be it w/ vinyl, cd, or laptop, it comes through in their selection, timing, and mixing.

It's been said before, but sometimes 4+ channels and efx and loops can be boring if not done properly; but on the other hand it can be really great, too.

I think it's the performer and the product and whether the crowd digs it or not . . . Yeah, there are laptop dj's that don't need to beatmatch and just fade from one track to another, but if they don't do an entertaining job of it, why book them?