Sync button, EQ transitioning, duplicate files, DJ lighting // Podcast
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 лип 2024
- Join Phil Morse of the Digital DJ Tips DJ school, as he answers another batch of student questions about their DJing. Listen and subscribe to the audio podcast here: digitaldjtips.com/podcast
EPISODE NOTES
In this month's show, we start by looking at the perennial debating point among the wider DJing community of whether or not it's acceptable to use the sync button. It's one of those topics that certain people never seem to be able to get past. But we take a different view, looking at it from a few angles to get you thinking about not only how you're using the sync button, but how other things you do in your DJing may or may not help you to do a better job.
Other topics covered this month include removing duplicate files from your library: how they get there, what's the best way of getting rid of them, and how to stop it happening in the future, in which we also touch on the difference between being a music hoarder and being a DJ collecting songs to use as tools.
When it comes to making DJ mixes, one question people ask is how many different musical genres should be featured in any given mix? And so we help one student to figure out the best way of approaching this in his regular Mixcloud mix series.
We also have a question on transitioning using EQs, and we talk about the best way to objectively figure out how good your DJ transitions sound (or otherwise). There are also questions on DJ lighting and how to build a great light show, including the technology to use, and the thorny issue of when DJ software updates stop working on your gear because your gear is not the most current.
Want to get your question answered on an episode of this podcast? Digital DJ Tips course owners get to ask questions in their student-only group. Your first step to getting involved is to buy a DJ course, so come and join our community at www.digitaldjtips.com
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro
0:14 Episode overview
1:57 Why do some DJs judge others for using the sync button?
8:49 Does the Engine DJ 3.4 update include the Denon DJ Prime 4?
14:10 What's the best way to clean up a messy DJ library?
21:00 How many genres should DJs include in a mixtape?
27:37 Tips for improving EQ blending between tracks?
38:22 Any advice for upgrading DJ lights?
42:25 How our DJ training works
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When it comes to using sync button or not - you nailed it. After 10 years of DJing I can tell you that 99,9% of people on the dancefloor don't know or care if you are using sync button or not, what kind of gear you use, what kind of file format you use when it comes to the music you play etc. The only thing that people on the dancefloor really care about is having good fun. Period. As long as you can provide them with it, you are good. The remaining 00,1% are other DJs who may be indeed "better" than you... but are not DJing on this event.
Also, after DJing on many events with other DJs (we actually have our DJ team what organizes events) I gotta say that I find it really disrespectful to tell other DJ what music to play, how to mix, how to make transitions etc. It's cool if you can give tips to other DJs if you have more experience but at the end of the day, you do you and let other people do their thing. Don't inject "you" to their mix, don't hijack their part of the fun on the event.
You're one of the "good ones"!
Beatmatching is not DJ’ing. It’s a chore. It’s something you have to do between DJ’ing. So the quicker you can get those tracks on sync, the more time you actually have to actually DJ.
Thank you!!! Using sync allows me to be so much more creative with my mixes!!! I CAN beatmatch, but why would I want to dj with ankle weights on???
Agreed I’ve know some exceedingly boring manual beat matching DJs in my time
@@digitaldjtips and they go all out of time quite often and have no idea where "1" is. They bang on and on about "using ears" and their ears d not even tell them they are out of time!!! They then proceed to play "show me love" a billion times on a scratched old record!
I enjoy manual pitching - but that's just because the genre I mostly play is arguably the easiest to pitch up by ear (Jungle).
But I have to agree - that sync button is there to be used. When I mix slower music(140 bpm and below) I use the sync button nowadays for sure.
Music under 140 bpm takes me ages(feels like ages) to manually pitch up so I press sync instead. I also got lazy 😂and now I use it for DnB too - I don't really need to but honestly - I enjoy mixing more now just because the one and only stressful thing isn't stressful anymore (i.e. not having to continuously monitor for drift and be ready to correct for it). I'm old too. Been doing this so long we deserve the sync button. It's like getting an automatic car when you retire. It lets you appreciate other sides to the same thing.
7:28 I just loved this segment. You are a great teacher.
Thanks!
Thank you Phil I couldn't agree with you more. I have always said that DJing is about the track selection (including playing the right tracks for the right crowd) and the journey, of the set, again playing the right tracks at the right time and taking the audience on an engaging journey, if you take 20 tracks from a great set and dj them in the same order synced and not synced does the synced version make the tracks sound different/worse no of course not sounds exactly the same and the quality of the finished product (ie the DJ set) is what matters not whether the DJ lined up the beats their self anything else is a ridiculous arguement. It's like saying the da Vinci 16th chapel is not a great painting because someone else carried the paint there. The crowd does not care if the DJ used sync or not. Thank you Phil for your enlighted comments and true words put eloquently.
I love your analogy with Da Vinci - thanks!
Love the new intro. Thanks for all the great info, Phil and everyone at DDJTs 🙌
Glad you like it!
Dj'ing is fundamentally playing music to people, who (hopefully) enjoy themselves. How you do that is totally up to you.
Agreed
@@digitaldjtipsI agree, as long as the people you are entertaing are enjoying themselves who cares how you achieve that !!
When I dj on 1200’s I beat match with obviously no sync button. When I dj on my prime 4 I typically use the sync button. Use the technology at hand. In your car do you use a map to be cool, or use gps? Not using tech that exists is a lacking mentality.
Agreed
Agree‐ Totes!
Hey Phil! Cool new thumbnail and intro, i love it :)
thanks!
Played a gig paddy's day. 99% people loved the dance music I was playing all up dancing. That 1%person came up and tells me and says this is like a rave with persons on drugs 😳. That 1%put a damper to me for the night, do I listen to him or ignore and focus on the 99%enjoying the music. Tia phil 😊. I'm guessing it's impossible to keep everyone happy
You can never keep everyone happy, all the time.
Great tips once again :D
Glad you like them!
Thank you for every video
Glad you like them!
I really liked you explanation to the question on how many Genres should a DJ include in a mix.
If i go purely off of Genre, not even "official" Genres because i mostly rename a Genre when i add it to my Library, i find that my mixes still span 4-8 ish Genres even then. Its way more for me about the Music that best represents the way i am feeling, the vibe or the feeling i want to share/express.
I have started tagging stuff with additions to the Genres, things like Jazzy, Funky, Lush, Balearic, Bliss, Psychedelic ect because these to me are feelings and span many Genres but to me when i listen give me a similar feeling :)
You're on the right track here Big Daz - genres are a guide at best.
Might have just picked that up from taking a few courses off your good selves xD
25:05 Just in case it helps the person who asked that question: In reggae, is not rare to find monographic mixes (i.e. female singers only), sometimes in the shape of a history lesson tracing the evolution of a genre (i.e. from Rub-a-Dub to early Dancehall). Perhaps it feels a little bit constraining, however, it is quite the opposite, like Phil said, as long as you combine more than one condition to make it more interesting or more challenging, like for instance: Female singers only, from Disco to early House. Or The Best of Daft Punk but instead of Daft Punk you play the songs that Daft Punk sampled.
Great tips!
Thanks @@digitaldjtips
Best of samples is an amazing idea!
I like using the sync button just to match bpm then i toggle it off again. I like getting that sweet spot myself. Even the sync can sound off a lot of the times anyway.
Do people forget about quantize, 🙄 now that's sync on steroids 😂
"Tempo sync", in other words. Yes, this feels natural to DJs who have beatmixed manually before.
I’m a full-time truck driver tankers to be exact. but I like entertaining. At the house and in my backyard. The only piece that was missing was a Dj . Now that I’m a student I’m definitely getting my moneys worth. My cousin owns a club in New Jersey. I think I’m gonna play back my recordings on that equipment to see how it sounds because I was thinking like that guy was but now did you explain it that way I’m going to try the That👍🏿
Wow what a chance. Do it!
I just say, as a time served hobbyist; once I began to match beats by sight I lost the love of mixing. Many a night with friends going b2b learning the ropes on vinyl - were always EPIC.
Something deep about getting inside your head, entirely mixing by ear.
…Utilising the digital as an efficient way to store and load tracks only is my advice for people wanting to enjoy the art by themselves or with friends. If non-professional try the absolute purist.
I do see the benefits of full tech assistance if you mix for professional purposes. Any other way would be absurd if that’s your thing.
Big up ✌️
They are only tools, as you say - you don't have to use them if you don't want.
"do you manually time your delay effects" ?
cheers!
You're welcome Mike
DJ’s are like Genders…there are so many types….it doesn’t matter anymore…there’s enough vibez in the world for everyone! ✌️ Dancing not required… great article 👌
Indeed! It's a broad church as we like to say
👍👍👍👍
hello, I like what you said 🥰
Thanks!
@@digitaldjtips
The sync button is quite literally the great equalizer.
Wouldn’t that be the EQ knobs? 😉
LOL!! But seriously, the sync button is a huge help in learning things manually. I do both on occasion when the slider doesn't reach the BPM I want. @@digitaldjtips
i use sync. its there on the controller so why not use it? it makes thing lil easier for me.
Agreed, why not?
2024, and DJs are still arguing over sync. smh.
Most of us aren't.
It's a wasted topic anymore. Use the sync or dont, who cares.....
I DJed in the 80s, and currently, I sync as much as I can, I don't care anymore, lol
Good, how it should be
Im not agree with you phil.
Suppose theres not a sync button there, what wil you dj ing??
You cant, thats not djing phil that butonpresser, everyone can dj these days,in the past you can or cant dijing because theres no sync button on a technics, and they wil keep the spirit alive,
But your right , there are 100000 dj s. And only 1 place to play.
Dj s .
But i hope in the future , they remove the sync button on every device , that wil bring a lot of new places in the dj world, i think 60 % will sell there dj gear.
Im also djing 1997 with technics 1210.
It’s not an either/or, you should learn to do both
I dont need it. And wil not learn it. The art is know your equipement.
And work with it.
Dj ing is a sort of art.
Like painting. Not everybody can paint?
Sync buttons are not Djing if you cannot match beats then learn
Yes good to learn. No, using a sync button does not mean you are not a DJ.
DJ SET: SUCESSFULLY CONVEY.
USE TECH AT YOUR DISPOSAL BECAUSE TWO YEARS FROM NOW. YES, 2 YEARS. WE'LL BE LAUGHING AT THE TECH WE ARE PRESENTLY USING. AND THE BOTTOM LINE IS: CREATE ART
😉
Trust me it's getting better.
THANKS PHIL YOU RULE!
Well said, tech is just the tool for the job.
Most people in these comments can’t beat match 😂😂
What's your point?
@@digitaldjtips Beat matching by ear is a fundamental skill of a DJ. Matching beats is essential for a nice, tight, and cohesive mix. Maybe not in all genres, but the genres that transcend age groups I personally think it is.
My point is new DJ’s shouldn’t skip learning beat matching by ear. Specially if you want to stand out. IMO.