from a showmanship perspective I may agree, theres just something more tangible there. Which is why I never adopted CD's or straight up laptop DJ'ing
Do you still hold the same opinion about time coded vinyl solutions like Final Scratch/Traktor/Serato/Torq?
Now I'm sure you know the EDM scene reeks of elitism as it is. Ever try to preach new technology to a Technics fanboy? (hell for all I know, you're one of THEM hehe)
It's like a fucking mac vs PC argument.
You can sit there and smack them in the face with the features, the ability to do things that you can't do with your current limitations and they just have their eyes glaze over as they stopped caring the minute they heard you drop a brand name that wasn't technics.
Don't be one of those guys. I'll quote a few choice things that push forward my belief in digital audio....
Quote:
We lost two more major record distribution companies in 2007. This certainly indicates where things are heading and what format people are now buying their music. This only reassures me that I made the right decision a few years back to drop selling vinyl at JOOF recordings. At the time of the announcement it was taken with raised eyebrows and disgust that one of their favourite labels was no longer releasing on vinyl, but now people get my point.... I'm trying not to say I told you so  So now we must face it, digital is the way forward and the future, I think the year 2007 firmly stamped that in place.
|
John "00" Fleming
Quote:
The perception of mp3 (or laptop) DJs is evolving. With many superstar DJs (Paul Van Dyk, BT and Sasha) using laptops for their gigs, the medium is gaining acceptance. When I started DJing with CDs, I got a lot of crap from people who said real DJs use vinyl. Fast forward ten years and just about every DJ uses CDs in some way when spinning live. In 10 years, will laptop be the standard? Things are certainly heading that way but there are two things that must be addressed - entertainment value and sound quality.
Just like the acceptance of CD DJs, one must realize that its not the format of the music being played, but the music itself. If the DJ is playing a rocking set of music and packing the dancefloor, does it really matter if he/she is using vinyl, cd or mp3? With that said, there is an element of showmanship that comes with vinyl - cueing up the record, backspinning, scratching - an almost sensual feel that a great DJ exudes when working vinyl. With the advent of the CD turntable, the DJ has more control of the music and can manipulate the music in a manner that is more than just playing tracks off a CD.
Fastforward to laptop and the idea of watching a guy punch buttons can be quite boring. Even though the music is the highest priority, the showmanship and entertainment value of the DJ can be quite important as well. Who wants to watch someone who looks like they are checking their eMail for 2 hours? As the controllers advance and stabilize - FinalScratch, Sasha's Maven Controller, the Shuttle Pro - the laptop DJs show will increase as well. Add to that the ability to create music live with packages like Abelton Live and Logic, laptop DJs have even more creative control.
Just as sound quality on vinyl can be an issue, sound quality with mp3s can be a major issue. Not only are there source issues, there is compression and file format. While iTunes quality mp3s might sound good on an iPod or home stereo system, on a large club sound system, the disparity in sound quality is definitely perceptible. Among DJs who use laptops, 192 is considered the minimum bit rate for mp3s, while 256 or 320 is much more acceptable. Some will only use uncompressed WAV or AIFF files.
|
Some article on about.com
then there are the di's who take their mp3/laptop integration to this level
i'd much rather watch a dj do that than the typical "hey I played this one track beginning to end and mixed it to another track"