Where To Go From Here : CDJ's Vs IMac Pro

Dark_by_Dezign

First of im 17 years old been DJing sense i was 13
started of with 'stanton c303s' with not a clue how to play a tune never mind DJ
slowly and surly thought myself the basics

I quickly grew a love for the challenge of DJing and soon after got my first pair of CDJ's

I do a lot of mobile & club work but im seeing more and more DJs turning to computers
I hate the idea of this because the skills iv learned over the last 5 years would really be gone to waste with the aid of computers:mad:
Iv Always said i would never DJ with a laptop simply because its not DJing

A DJ in my local club uses an 'Akai APC40 Ableton' along with an 'IMac Pro'
the mixes he can do with it is unbelievable i have never used ether an APC40 or an Apple laptop
With collage coming closer im more leaning towards selling my kit and buying an IMac Pro with some sort of controller so less to keep in the house

Where should i go from here?

Anyone any ideas ?

Im 17 so to do this is a huge amount of money to gamble
I love my CDJ's makes DJing fun , but computer DJIng just looks so boring


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PS. i cant afford to have an IMac and keep the decks so ether-or :rolleyes:

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seannash

Dark_by_Dezign wrote: »

I love my CDJ's makes DJing fun ,

thats your answer right there

ED E

You wont be passed over because you use CDJs, you're more likely to get preferential treatment for it. There is still stigma against laptops in clubs(see your own post).

Also, you have a lot less to lug around, which as a student is massive.

What you could do is pre-mix/mash tracks with acapellas and stuff before burning and then build on it with live mixing and sampling to get some more advanced sounds without leaving CDJs.

HoggyRS

Stick with the cdjs i'd say, you could dj with ableton in your sleep. People point out all the wonderful stuff you can do with ableton but at mobile gigs etc your probably not going to be doing many live edits and the likes.

Dark_by_Dezign

Two good points , i think il stick with the CDJ's so

I really hate to see DJing going down the drain tho with all this computer aid

copeyhagen

Dark_by_Dezign wrote: »

Two good points , i think il stick with the CDJ's so

I really hate to see DJing going down the drain tho with all this computer aid

welcome to 2005.

things are possible with software that would never be possible with hardware alone. i can see your point though, theres probably thousands of people getting into djing via midi controller and software, that probabyl wouldnt have a clue how to mix on cdjs or vinyl.

i have no problem with someone that spend years on cdjs or vinyl and learned their trade on it moving to digital. it offers way more in return.

think personally a set of cdj350s controlling traktor is my next setup.

Dark_by_Dezign

copeyhagen wrote: »

welcome to 2005.

things are possible with software that would never be possible with hardware alone. i can see your point though, theres probably thousands of people getting into djing via midi controller and software, that probabyl wouldnt have a clue how to mix on cdjs or vinyl.

i have no problem with someone that spend years on cdjs or vinyl and learned their trade on it moving to digital. it offers way more in return.

think personally a set of cdj350s controlling traktor is my next setup.

I have no problem with djs that use midi but still keep the skill of djing , of course theres a whole new world of possibility's with computers ie back to the OP

what i hate to see is the modern mobile dj that comes in with virtual DJ running on a laptop and a pair of speakers plugged into the headphone socket and clicking play with no skill and still call themselves a dj , thats what sickens me

copeyhagen

AGREE 100%

Cormacp6

I think you should keep your cdjs because like you said yourself it makes djin more fun.

electrogrimey

I started on a laptop with a controller, and have now moved to using CDs full time, my Traktor set-up's just picking up dust. Pressing a little button to instantly cue a track just doesn't compare to using an actual deck and working the platter etc.

It's a ballache burning CDs before every gig, which is the main reason most DJs have started using laptops, but most I've seen are using Serato Scratch, which doesn't beatmatch for you. I don't see that as cheating, but I also don't see it as worth spending a load of money and having to bring loads of gear to a gig.

seannash

electrogrimey wrote: »

I started on a laptop with a controller, and have now moved to using CDs full time, my Traktor set-up's just picking up dust. Pressing a little button to instantly cue a track just doesn't compare to using an actual deck and working the platter etc.

It's a ballache burning CDs before every gig, which is the main reason most DJs have started using laptops, but most I've seen are using Serato Scratch, which doesn't beatmatch for you. I don't see that as cheating, but I also don't see it as worth spending a load of money and having to bring loads of gear to a gig.

also usb is gonna be fairly standard soon enough

electrogrimey

seannash wrote: »

also usb is gonna be fairly standard soon enough

With decks? I can't imagine scanning through 1000s of tracks on a deck though..

seannash

electrogrimey wrote: »

With decks? I can't imagine scanning through 1000s of tracks on a deck though..

New cdjs with the usb slots.just gotta organise the folders inside the usb harddrive.

You can just rock up with two usb memory sticks and a pair of headphones

Also thousands is a bit of an exaggeration.i did 6 hours slots with two bags of vinyl.didnt have thousands of tracks in them

electrogrimey

seannash wrote: »

New cdjs with the usb slots.just gotta organise the folders inside the usb harddrive.

You can just rock up with two usb memory sticks and a pair of headphones

Also thousands is a bit of an exaggeration.i did 6 hours slots with two bags of vinyl.didnt have thousands of tracks in them

I suppose, but I still don't it as the perfect solution.

ED E

seannash wrote: »

also usb is gonna be fairly standard soon enough

I dunno really:

PDR reports a 300 percent year-on-year increase in cases of USB drives that have "suddenly stopped working," as a result of "faults, misuse and an increasing number of poorly manufactured devices on the market."

"A limited number of write/erase cycles are possible before failure occurs..."

I cant find an exact number to hand but like SSDs, USB keys have a limited number of read/writes(MTTF). You could replace them regularly but few do. Also, I would be hesitant about using constantly for a few hours, they suffer quite a bit from heating(if you have a plastic one you wont, know, but get a metal one and touch after 15mins). If you buy from reliable manufacturers you're usually ok, but its not uncommon for a USB key to just die. At least with a HDD if it boots its usually ok if not you'll know before you start.

IMO, they also dont have a market. Newbies who want to save will go with a laptop setup and anyone in the game a while/with cash to burn will have a likely hood to choose timecode systems. There is a niche for it but I dont see it becoming mainstream until the next generation of flash memory is developed thats a little more stable.

seannash

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

I dunno really:





I cant find an exact number to hand but like SSDs, USB keys have a limited number of read/writes(MTTF). You could replace them regularly but few do. Also, I would be hesitant about using constantly for a few hours, they suffer quite a bit from heating(if you have a plastic one you wont, know, but get a metal one and touch after 15mins). If you buy from reliable manufacturers you're usually ok, but its not uncommon for a USB key to just die. At least with a HDD if it boots its usually ok if not you'll know before you start.

IMO, they also dont have a market. Newbies who want to save will go with a laptop setup and anyone in the game a while/with cash to burn will have a likely hood to choose timecode systems. There is a niche for it but I dont see it becoming mainstream until the next generation of flash memory is developed thats a little more stable.

its for people who do buy the cdj's(whch is a big market share) who dont want to burn cds,pretty simple.
Alot of people buy and use cdjs,i think timecodes is alot more niche than cdjs.usb on cdjs(all brands) is becoming increasingly popular and as its adopted into all future cd decks its popularity will increase.

Im sure the same stats could be looked at for laptops overheating with similarly worryingly comparisons.
There is no perfect system but for people who use cdjs and dont want to bring a laptop into the booth the usb is a good option.

I honestly think the days of the ableton dj are dying and arent too appealing anymore. i think many people might go back from traktor if it continues to develope towards a more automated process(hopefully not).

Of course all this on both sides is speculative.

seannash

Actually this thread is a perfect example of a dj who has all his choice laid out for him but returned to using cdjs purely for the enjoyment of playing.

Dark_by_Dezign

seannash wrote: »

Actually this thread is a perfect example of a dj who has all his choice laid out for him but returned to using cdjs purely for the enjoyment of playing.

Exactly , the CDJs im using are 400's I have 3 of them so its best of both worlds I suppose USBs are dead handy then use CDs for my older tracks

but i have totally crossed out going totally digital now

thanks for the feedback lads

ED E

I'm actually waiting for some CDJs 350 to come in that I'll have access to to buy a 2X in soundcard so I can start timecoding.