Tag: pioneer

Which Software?

Everybody thinks theirs is the best

So now that we have gone through your equipment, we must talk about software. These days you will hear people tell you that they prefer Serato over Traktor, or Traktor over Rekord Box, but you must remember that ultimately it’s what you feel most confident with using

It may seem complicated at first, but their is a method to the madness

Most will stick with their first software they use, yet it’s important to know the differences in them as well. Being knowledgable in more than one could give you an advantage, especially when you might use them in any event. There is no ultimate or perfect one but all come close these days.

They all work the same

There may be a lot of choices but all work essentially the same. So what they all have in common?

  • First and foremost you will always see a visual of two decks with the waveforms of the songs being played in the middle or top. 
  • The waveforms will always have some type of marker indicating 4 beats and 16 beats, which is important for visualizing the part in which the song is at in any given moment. Some include color schemes that help with mixing vocals or knowing where the bass is.
  • The visual for your decks will have a BPM counter, and to the bottom or side you will have a sampler, hot cue, and loop options. 
  • The software will analyze the songs you play and tell you around the top section somewhere the key or chord you are playing at.
  • Bottom half will have a library with search functions, and the ability to sub divide your music into catagories of choosing. This becomes very important when organizing your library.

What does it do exactly?

In short it augments the skills of a DJ. Having all the visual information and the ability to sort through your music faster, allows someone to better play with techniques like splicing, adding instrumentals, scratching, acapellas, and changing music on the fly.

Right hand of picture shows us the BPM of a track which at the moment is synced with another song.

Features they have while sometimes controversial also help with beat-matching with sync buttons, and slow automated tempo changes. Advanced DJ’s also use other software in conjunction with these DJ software to create new music mash-ups while doing shows live, but of course with pre-recorded samples.

Old school vs. New school

With the rise of the digital age and new DJ’s that have come out with it, the older generations will discount the skill of the current popular DJ’s due to the fact that software helps with what was once a more manual intensive skill one had to learn in order to DJ. While we must show respect for those that came before us, it’s important to remember that with the changing landscape new skills and techniques are emerging, replacing older ones that are now automated.

Equipment

What do they all have?

Their are many different companies like Pioneer or Tracktor producing controllers these days. Big and small all of them include the same basic features:

  • Volume / equalizer knobs
  • Play / cue buttons
  • Turn tables / jog wheel
  • Crossfader
  • Tempo sliders
  • FX and filter knobs
  • Sampler and loop pads
Learn the layout as it stays mostly the same

Most can also easily be connected with laptops using USB ports, and come with accompanying software. The scheme usually stays the same with the equalizer and crossfader functions staying in the middle and the turn tables to the left and right with their respective play/cue buttons and tempo sliders.

Moving images convey what your reading better. So check out this video by crossfader

What do they do?

Alright now that we know what most controllers include it’s time to learn what they do. Remember these are the basic functions, and all buttons, and knobs can be used for various techniques.

  • Equalizer / volume controls : These come in the form of knobs and sliders. They control the highs, mids, lows, and the master volume of the channels being used.
  • Play / cue buttons : Stops and plays the tracks being used, while allowing for cueing of certain parts of the track.
  • Turn Table / Jog wheel : Allows for scratching and manual rewinds of the tracks being played, and the sides of the jog wheel slow or speed up the track temporarily
  • Crossfader : Brings you from channel A to channel B for transitions of 2 separate tracks
  • Tempo Sliders : Increase the tempo or BPM of the track, with the accompanying number being displayed on laptop or controller depending on the type.
  • FX and filter knobs : Allow for effects to be placed on individual tracks, and filters which come in high pass or low pass
  • Sampler and loop pads : Allow for sample voice or instrumental loops which are usually saved beforehand to be played on top of your tracks, and the same pads work as loop adjusters for repeating certain part of the track again at 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, and so on.

All have variations

It’s important to remember that with all the variations in controllers, their are many more functions, sliders, knobs included in whatever you decide to DJ with. Knowing these distinctions is up to you in order to ensure you are using your equipment to it’s maximum potential.