It Doesn't Take Rocket Science.....Or Does It?

This post won't be about any particular piece of equippment that I'm showcaseing, Instead, I'd like to introduce another outstanding DJ who's doing more than just making a name for himself in the DJ business. He's making world news because of the fact that he is also an engineer for N.A.S.A.

I learned about D.J. Scientific while surfing through blogs one day on Google. As soon as I read his blog page and story I sent him a friend invite on Facebook which he accepted. When you go to his link at http://scientificbeats.com you will learn all there is to know about the man "D.J. Scientific" here is a short excerpt from his profile.

THE DJ
DJ Scientific is a truly unique individual. He is a powerful young man in that he has craftily combined street knowledge and book smarts in order to achieve the success that he envisions for himself and in order to give back to his community. He has sharpened his DJ skills for the past 20+ years (since Jr. High school) and is arguably one of the best DJs in the game. He is also one of the smartest players in the business.

Not only has Scientific flexed on the 1-and-2 at places like the NFL Super Bowl for the past five years, as a guest DJ in the “Bassment” with Big Tigger on BET’s “Rap City” on four separate occasions, and weekly at the #1 nightclub in the nation (Dream nightclub in DC); he continues to hold down his career as an Aerospace Engineer (aka “Rocket Scientist”) at the world’s premiere space agency, NASA!!


So that's it for now! and as Always, "Stay In The Mix"

Dance or Watch? What Do You Do At The Party ?

When It comes to DeeJaying a party, some DeeJays seem to want to see you dance and some seem to make you want to watch what they are doing. I prefer to make my audience want to dance. But, as I mentioned in my blog on "Love It Or Leave It Alone" any properly recorded mix can make a crowd want to dance, but what does that say for the raw talent of the DeeJay?

Here I have given you a brief glimps of five time world champion D.J.Craze using the Traktor Kontrol X1 with his mixer and turntables. A very impressive demonstration (if I have to say so myself) but as you listen, you have to ask yourself will this kind of performance rock a party? or will it just make people look on in awesome wonder? Can anyone dance to this? I don't think so.
Don't get me wrong, I think talent like this is essential to keeping the art of DeeJaying alive and worth paying for, but we also need to remain focused on what the people want which is a rhythm that will make you move. I love the talent that both D.J. Craze and D.J. Rafik display on the turntables and it's this kind of talent that made them both world champion DeeJays I just love it more when this kind of talent is also used to make a crowd wanna dance!

With all that being said, I'd like to point out the controller being used which is by Native Instruments. It's the Traktor Kontrol X1 which is a very verstile piece of equipment for DeeJays It has all the control capabilities found in the Stanton SCS.3 "DaScratch" and then some. Both will require some dedicated hours of practice before you can produce anything even close to what these guys are doing with it.

The price for this unit is also comparable to the Stanton controller so it becomes just a matter of preference between the touch pad or actual nobs and buttons. They both make an excellent addition to any DeeJay set up.

So that's about it for now, but as always, "Stay In The Mix"

The Turntable...Reborn

The Turntable, Evolved

V7 is the turntable for today’s DJ. V7 delivers outstanding feel and unprecedented power in a single-platter digital DJ controller. V7 is based around the acclaimed adjustable torque, motorized-platter design from Numark's NS7 and delivers a host of professional features including real vinyl and a slipmat that analog turntablists will love, plus turntable control at ten times the resolution of standard MIDI, mouse-less library navigation, and Strip Search virtual-needle drop. V7’s link function enables you to combine two V7s with your choice of any mixer and your Mac or PC for a completely customizable, totally seamless performance environment.

V7 includes a professional 24-bit audio interface and contains premium faders, knobs, and buttons including controls for selecting tracks and blending audio effects in the included Serato ITCH software.

SERATO ITCH SOFTWARE
V7 comes with Serato ITCH. For one-to-one communication, each knob, button, and control on V7 corresponds exactly to that function in the software. Serato ITCH is already familiar if you use Scratch LIVE. ITCH builds on Scratch LIVE and adds some key, new features. ITCH makes timecode a thing of the past, so you won’t need to worry about needles skipping or vinyl wearing out. You can load your Scratch LIVE crates, loops, presets, and cue points seamlessly in ITCH. V7 also works with most other compatible MIDI DJ software and supports your iTunes library.

With natural vinyl feel, precise control, pristine sound, custom flexibility, advanced performance, and rock solid design, the turntable has evolved. Meet V7.

For those of you that may have been thinking the Numark NS7 was a bit too pricey, this is the answer. Just one of these digital turntables works like two and you can use your own mixer! You save hundreds of dollars by going this route and you can achieve the same result you get with the NS7.

You gotta love Numark for doing this one. Write to me and let me know what you think.
And that's it for now so as always "Stay In The Mix"

Love it or Leave it Alone...Is this the end of DJaying as we know it?

Philips Executive 30-Watt Micro Speaker System with iPod Dock (Black/Silver)
I never would have thought that I would be saying this, especially since my newsletter is centered around introducing the latest audio equipment being used today by D-Jays and anyone who's into music. But I can't help but wonder is technology moving so fast that it's wiping out the need for our profession as D.Js? I have to admit that I'm impressed with some of the things they're doing with MP3s and the new docking stations that are being made for them, but I'm not sure if this is helping my profession or hurting it!

Case in point, you have the new Phillips Stereo System (shown above) for iPods and the iPhone. This unit combines a docking station for your MP3 player, has a built-in CD player and has a sound that can easily fill a small room (and the room doesn't have to be that small). Now you might ask, why would a D.J.show up at a party with something that looks like this? Well the answer is, with something that sounds like this... Who needs a D.J? and yes, I have seen systems like this, (some even smaller)sitting on a table over in a corner somewhere at parties I've been to. And believe me, when I first walked in, I thought they had a D.J.

Over the years I've seen the transition from 8-tracks, to cassettes, to CDs and now to MP3s and I already know it's not gonna stop there! Bringing music to a venue has now become as easy as plugging in a simple hand held device into a broadcasting system that your 3 year old son can fetch for you! I'm just totally outdone! So I guess I could climb on board with everyone else and start using this sort of thing myself, but if everyone has some form of this technology, why would they want to pay me for using it?

I suppose the talent and showmanship that some D.Js put into their performance is still something that can't be replaced with an iPod (so far) and people still want more than just the music for certain types of affairs. So I guess we'll be hanging around for a little bit longer (whew!! I hope!) But I'll continue to look into the products being made just for D.Js and I will continue to share with you how that's working for us.

So until next time, As Always - Stay-In-The-Mix!

DJ Fly DMC World Champion Turntabalist

When ever I run across a video of what I think is an outstanding performance by a DJ, I try to share it with my readers. This is one that I found to be very interesting not only because of the skillful use of the turntables, but the fact that this guy is not using any headphones or software and he still seems to know where every beat is on the two records he's mixing. This looks like it took some long hours of practice but the result was well worth it. So sit back and enjoy the awesome skill of World Champion D.J. Fly!



The gold set up he's using made it all the more fascinating! I hope you enjoyed watching. So until next time, Stay In The Mix!

Stanton's DaScratch Controller - Technology from the Future

For anyone who has never seen this product being used, I tell you this is some major "Star Wars" s""t happening here. Stanton has really left our galaxy when they came up with this one. It's completly touch sensitive and does things you would not believe. Here's a bit of background info.

A totally different way to DJ at your fingertips.
Revolutionary and compact, DaScratch, a.k.a. the SCS.3d, is an innovative controller that is an excellent solution for any digital DJ looking for ultimate control over their software of choice. Part of the Stanton SC System control surface line, DaScratch's small footprint and sleek profile makes it a space-friendly addition to any existing DJ gear setup or can stand on its own as a complete controller solution.

Stanton's StanTouch technology allows you to use traditional DJ-style motions and gestures on a touch-pad style surface> This allows full control over music and software applications such as Traktor DJ Studio, Traktor Scratch, Ableton Live, Serato Scratch Live, or any other MIDI compatible software. Minimal moving parts ensure durability from gig to gig.

Now Stanton has gone another step even further into the future with the SCS3PAK Complete System. This is too spaced out for me to even begin to explain so I'll leave it to the experts to tell you what it does.

With intuitive, touch-sensitive controllers, the SCS3PAK DJ system is finger-clicking good.
Featuring two completely touch-sensitive control surfaces, the SCS.3d and the SCS.3m, the Stanton SCS3PAK complete system brings you intuitive, completely customizable software control without sacrificing any of the features of your traditional DJ rig. The SCS.3m ships with a new version of Native Instruments' Traktor LE that is based on the latest TRAKTOR PRO software platform, allowing the SCS3PAK products to be used together to create a full DJ system with intuitive control over the robust software features introduced with Traktor LE. Using only the SCS.3m, the two SCS.3d controllers, and Traktor LE, the Stanton SCS3PAK gives you a complete DJ rig with performance control features that surpass the capabilities of traditional mixer/deck equipment can be setup anywhere in the world within minutes.

SCS.3m Controller

The latest innovation in Stanton's award-winning SC System MIDI controller line, the SCS.3m translates the DJ-friendly design philosophy of a traditional DJ mixer into a portable, easy-to-use control surface built with the acclaimed StanTouch touch-sensitive technology introduced in its deck controller counterpart, the SCS.3d.

The SCS.3m incorporates all of the functions of a two-channel DJ mixer, plus a host of innovative new performance features made possible by Stanton's unique touch-sensitive control surface. The touch-sensitive sliders can be used to tweak EQs, allowing you to bring in different elements of a song during a mix, or instantly switch them to control FX parameters—all in one surface. The wide, touch-sensitive crossfader not only allows for seamless slow blends between decks, but is also able to detect (like the rest of the sliders) multiple finger presses, allowing for quick transform effects all in one control. The multicolor buttons can easily perform transport controls for starting and stopping playback, setting loops, doing EQ kills, or engaging effects without requiring a separate trigger controller. All of the visual indicators stay 100% in sync with applications supporting MIDI feedback, allowing for clear indication of the software settings and positions in low-light situations. Additionally, the unique touch-sensitive surface provides a new level of durability, since there are no moving parts to wear or break.

The SCS.3m controller and the SCS.3d (DaScratch) unit each sell for about $199.00 however the complete system can be purchased for about $499.00 saving you about $100.00 opposed to buying each piece separately. A pretty good bargain considering what you're getting and what it can do.

As I mentioned in my blog (From Vinyl to Plastic) it's amazing how far the art of D.Jaying has come along and this is by far as spacey as anything I've ever seen when it comes to D.J equipment. Even George Jetson would be intrigued.

So until next time, as always "Stay In The Mix!"

Don't Fret, Just Fade. . . Again

I'm often amazed at the left field thinking that comes out of the addled minds of DJs. And while manufacturers often cater to the lowest common denominator in a bid to make money, the cleverest ideas often remain in the realm of ultra niche. Here's the latest video for JohnBeez's fretless fader - the device that lets you play notes via MIDI with your fader - and cut at the same time.

Taken from the Youtube page:

What up... I'm working on the actual design of the Fretless Fader that will be for sale later on. I don't have a specific timeline for when that will happen, but I'll let y'all know when I know. This will not be a modified mixer, but a standalone product that you can use with or without your regular DJ mixer. I'm trying to include as many features that have been suggested as possible.

As I said before, this is ultra niche. I don't see mix DJs flocking towards it in a bid to enhance their sets, but for more creative scratchers, this is a viable and in many ways better alternative to the Vestax Controller One shown in the clip. While it is harder to perfect the technique, at least vinyl movement, fader movement and note change can be achieved with 2 hands. And you'll only need a PDX-3000 to achieve the same thing as well. Perhaps if any manufacturer decides to give a deck a revamp, they might consider adding MIDI as well - God knows it's trendy enough these days.

Obviously, this isn't for everyone, but you have to admire the tenacity of a guy who will firstly come up with such an idea, but also have the skills to take it to such a finished level. Double thumbs up from me, and I hope this homebrew does make it to a finished commercial product.

Once again thanks Scratchworx for the post and video. And as always,"Stay In The Mix"