Turntable DJs vs. CD DJs...

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DeejayNME

New DJ
Oct 27, 2011
20
0
41
NYC
I know im new here and im not trying to start anything...i've been lurking and searching for something like this.

I just wanted to know what your thoughts are as far as tables vs cds... I currently use turntables, they're heavy, the have that classic look for the old school hip hop and i love em.... I've seen a bunch of different setups on this site and the majority seems to be cdjs...are turntables going out of style or is it just me?
 
It's all a matter of preference I can mix with LP's and turntables, CD's or mp3's with a controller. My music collection is in a safe place and my back thanks me for not lugging everything around.
 
but do you think turntables set the standard and should be held at a higher level than everything else?
 
I mix on these.....

original
 
CDJs are patterned after turntables so of course the turntables sets the standards.
 
DeejayNME said:
but do you think turntables set the standard and should be held at a higher level than everything else?
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99.somthing percent of the people your going to play for could care less what device delivers the music.

Use what makes you happy. I use a computer/controller these days and leave the 1200s at home. Wouldnt even think of lugging all that around.
 
As you get older you start thinking about how to lighten the load. So you will start to see if it is worth it or not to use tables or not as your back will start to go. Tables or no tables as long as you provide the service that you are suppose to deliver, who the heck cares what I use.
 
NME, I know what you mean, and yes, Turntables will always be the iconic system for the "DJ", but most of these guys are Mobile DJ's... you have to think, do I want to carry a 200lb coffin, or a 7lb laptop and a 3lb controller?
I personally roll with technology. There have been gigs where 1 or 2 guys would scoff that I was using Denon CDTT's rather than Technics or something, but they can kiss my ass when I can do the same as TT's with the flexability of CD's.
NOW... I use a Denon controller, and I can tell you that I wish I could have done this years ago. I went back to TT's shortly after Serato came out, but when I saw Denon make a controller like the 6000, I had to get on it.
Dude.
MIDI is the shiz-nittle-bang-snap-snap-snap. Imagine your perfect DJ setup.... any EFX you want, and sounds you want, any samples you want... the ability to mix with videos JUST like mixing with audio. Now picture being able to assign any of those in any way you want. A MIDI controller is like a blank slate. Sure, it has everything programmed into it... LOAD buttons, Skip buttons, Sync buttons... but the beauty is that you can CHANGE THEM to whatever you want them to be!

Like I said, I roll with technology, and I can say with certainty that this is the next step for DJs. It's already happening. It has no moving internal parts, so there is no decks to break down, it is light, and super compact. I rock 4 decks with my MC6000, and can do mashups and blendz on the fly instead of having to use premade ones like most people do.

The only problem I see for YOU personally is the small ass wheels. They take some getting used to for sure. I still can't scratch on them very well, but then again I never could scratch well on Pioneer CDJs either. My platter had to be moving like a TT, thats why I went with the denon CDTTs. But you get used to it, and the fader is sick. Cuts super nice, and has just the right amount of feedback. You may not be into it right away, but you should at least hit up your local spot and check one out.

Like I said, this is definitely the way DJing is going. The evolution is obvious. Mobile DJs have been using controllers for years, now the club DJ is catching up. It is no longer a Turntable vs CD event, it is now a Turntable vs CD vs Controller event.
I have said it before and I stand by it... CDJ's will be damn near gone within 2-5 years.
 
I feel sad knowing this...i thought i was already bracing technology when serato came out, i was never a fan of controllers, it seemes unreliable to me, like cheaply made.... I understand lightening the load for everyone, it makes sense, i just feel like the day technics aren't use anymore is the day the zombie apocalypse is happening...
 
It seems like you like the feel of real Vinyl more than anything else. NOthing wrong with that.
Numark NS7/V7 or Denon DNS3700 - They are still not your Tech 1200's but give you the clsosest feel to Vinyl and moving platters. Numark platters are a bit smaller than the Denons, These suckers are heavy as heck. I wouldnt even think they are cheaply made. Embrace technology. MIDI has been around forever even before there was a DJ application . Its come a long way.
Thats why car guys save their restored 65 Mustang for weekend drives and drive a 4 cylinder Toyota daily.
 
Like I have always said its not what you use its how well you use it and at what time to make the crowd dance all night that makes a great dj
 
I have a neural net wetware jack interface at the base of my skull. I can carry up to 40 gigabytes, 80 if i use a doubler. Dunno what you olds use, time to get with the new.
 
NME I can tell you how my controller is built... pretty much exactly the same as a DJM or DN-X mixer. It's a 4 channel mixer basically, with 4 built in midi decks added along for the ride. The thing is built like a tank, metal all the way around. It's made better than 75% of the CDTT's out now, I will tell you that much. Most of those are plastic, or a hybrid of metal and plastic.
Don't be sad... Turntables will always be there. It's the records themselves that will die off I think. Album companies are more about money than music, so when they are losing money to fill a niche group like DJ's, they will ax it quickly. As more and more DJs move away from Vinyl and onto DVS, it will only hasten it.
I don't want to sound like the movie "Freaks" (one of us... one of us... lol), but embracing technology isn't always a bad thing, but it's also not for everyone. I am primarily an old-school hip-hop DJ, yet I am spinning on some of the latest gear. A contradiction if I ever saw one lol. But I LOVE technology, especially when it makes it so that I can build my own DJ system the way *I* want it made. It's like some Jetson's type ish for DJ's!
 
DJ Jynxx said:
NME I can tell you how my controller is built... pretty much exactly the same as a DJM or DN-X mixer. It's a 4 channel mixer basically, with 4 built in midi decks added along for the ride. The thing is built like a tank, metal all the way around. It's made better than 75% of the CDTT's out now, I will tell you that much. Most of those are plastic, or a hybrid of metal and plastic.
Don't be sad... Turntables will always be there. It's the records themselves that will die off I think. Album companies are more about money than music, so when they are losing money to fill a niche group like DJ's, they will ax it quickly. As more and more DJs move away from Vinyl and onto DVS, it will only hasten it.
I don't want to sound like the movie "Freaks" (one of us... one of us... lol), but embracing technology isn't always a bad thing, but it's also not for everyone. I am primarily an old-school hip-hop DJ, yet I am spinning on some of the latest gear. A contradiction if I ever saw one lol. But I LOVE technology, especially when it makes it so that I can build my own DJ system the way *I* want it made. It's like some Jetson's type ish for DJ's!
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i suppose you are right, for now im just gonna stick to my 1200s which i know best. they're gonna have to pry it from my kung fu grip. i was looking into the ddj s1...looks crazy and seems like my boys have moved to in that direction...i'll stick with serato/itch too, it seems the easiest to use based on what i do. its like the industry standard...
 
yep, but just because it is the standard doesn't make it the best. The Denon DN-S players were easily better than the CDJ series, but they were the "standard" so everyone automatically just assumed they were better. Industry Standards bug the hell out of me when it comes to DJing. The only one I have agreed with is the 1200MKII, and only because it is the best turntable I have ever used.
But for me, VDJ is waaayyy better than Serato and/or ITCH. You can do everything they can do PLUS more. Even Traktor Pro 2 is better than SSL now. Sometimes being the industry standard really just holds you back from being innovative.
 
DeejayNME said:
I feel sad knowing this...i thought i was already bracing technology when serato came out, i was never a fan of controllers, it seemes unreliable to me, like cheaply made.... I understand lightening the load for everyone, it makes sense, i just feel like the day technics aren't use anymore is the day the zombie apocalypse is happening...
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If you really like vinyl so much, then make that your "thing". The good news for you is that vinyl is so rare, it can help you stand out. The hard part may be finding some music.

Use what works for you and what you like to use. Any success I've had as a DJ is because I've found equipment that I really like that helps me be a better DJ. Don't use equipment you don't like just because everyone else is using it.

Personally, I haven't used a record player or a cd player in a long time. I started using computers around 2000. But I was hungry for a better way for me and eager to change.

The crowd wont care what tools you use. What they will care about is you entertaining them. Use the tools you are most comfortable with to do that.
 
Scott Hanna said:
If you really like vinyl so much, then make that your "thing". The good news for you is that vinyl is so rare, it can help you stand out.
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Actually, it's not so rare in clubs. Wait, I take that back... TURNTABLES (not vinyl) is not so rare. Most clubs still have a turntable setup but now they usually have them with Serato, and they just have DJ's bring in their own laptop and their own needles, sometimes their own control vinyls. I would say a good 95% of the club DJ's I know still use turntables, or a combo of both CD and TT.

The crowd wont care what tools you use. What they will care about is you entertaining them. Use the tools you are most comfortable with to do that.
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That's also not totally accurate for the club scene... if you are mainly a hip-hop DJ, there are a lot of people that will get on you for not using turntables. It's a big part of the culture, as much as breakdancing and tagging is. I embrace technology, but there is no way I would do some of the events I used to do with my Denon MC6000. There is no way I would open for Nas or Jay-Z with anything but turntables. That's just how it is as a hip-hop DJ.
I think that is going to be the slowest part of the DJ industry to evolve. They barely recognize CD Turntables right now as it is, and the controller market is pretty much going to go bananas in the next few years, so I wonder how it's going to be then? Like I said before, Tec's will never get out of style, but I think there will always be that section of DJing that requires turntables.
 
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