Who on here dj's :D

[Ryanp]

Originally Posted by imydaking

i think like it or not digital djing is the future or already is.
theres lots of clubs tht have serato or traktor installed i think there are some even with virtual dj.

the downfall of all this is simple its that anyone can download it and then there all like 'im a dj'

personally i dont like it when people call me a dj and i wouldnt ever put my name as 'dj ....'
i see it more as an art and not just someone who plays other peoples music

Nah go high end and you find a lot of djs and clubs don't use software as much as they did even a year ago. There's a bit of a revolution as such at the moment where djs are going back to using the CDjs and showing they have the skills that a lot of the noobs don't who just use macs. Even sasha went back to CDs and was one of the early users of software (even taking a g5 to gigs).

Ive not worked in a venue with a laptop preinstalled though, a dj brings their own kit mostly, we just have different mixers and a few different interfaces for this in the store for when the system riders get sent over.

Originally Posted by Ryyy

On the pre-recorded set front, im sure SHM
are guilty of this..
Q
As are many other DJ's, but I mention them because I watched 'Take One'
lastnight (their film..) and they seem to always do last-minute edits before a
set, watch them at a gig and all they seem to do is EQ's, filter before a drop &
whistle lol!

Taking nothing away from them though, their productions are awesome, and they know how to rock a crowd.

Lol anyone watching radio1s live event recently may have seen a lot of funny mixer manipulation whenever a camera was on them.

[imydaking]

i think most big djs dont care as they have been there and done that and theyr just a name and a brand. thats what the crowd goes wild for also they just get paid for playing songs by labels songs they might not even like.

but not all of them just i think alot are like that, i got a cd from a club once by jaguar skills it was truly awesome!

on another note me and my friend just booked a venue to have our own night excited but nervous too hah any advice?

i agree in the ''djs should go back to cds '' even vinyl i think when you think dj u think 2 turntables and a mixer it is hard though i mean for a big club or smth in that scenario yes cds should be used then again for smaller places it is easier with a laptop+midi controller

i reckon we should all learn to beatmatch and get the basics of djing then move onto bigger and better things but the simple fact now is that not many are learning to beatmatch and understanding keys etc... and then later they wonder why they dont know how to do something or even set up there gear!

[Ryanp]

Originally Posted by imydaking

i think most big djs dont care as they have been there and done that and theyr just a name and a brand. thats what the crowd goes wild for also they just get paid for playing songs by labels songs they might not even like.

sorry but thats utter shite, I deal with the guys week in week out and would class some of them as friends, and would say you couldnt be further from the truth.

[imydaking]

Originally Posted by Ryan

sorry but thats utter shite, I deal with the guys week in week out and would class some of them as friends, and would say you couldnt be further from the truth.

i didnt mean all of them dude

[Ryanp]

Originally Posted by imydaking

i didnt mean all of them dude

You said most. I've dealt with most of the top djs in the world and as I say you couldn't be further from the truth about almost all of them.

[peebee]

I've been Dj'ing for over 10 years in and out of the bedroom, public and private nights and also been producing for about 6 years. Still perfecting my producing skills but I'm getting there!

[Ryyy]

Wouldn't mind getting into production in the near future..is it hard? Is Ableton the best software to use?

[Manu]

Actually it's better to have a combination of different daws, along with other editing, processing and mastering software. Then you need a proper computer (by that I mean a beefy one with sufficient processing power - not a laptop), soundcard, monitors. And a midi keyboard as drawing notes one by one is a major pain in the ass.

Then you will need to get some books about production, as I assume you do not have any production techniques or the technical knowledge.

To answer your question, Pro tools is more or less the best software out there. But then for a proper protools workstation, you're looking at spending about 5 grand. I'm not talking here about LE which is noob stuff.

[Ryyy]

Whoa ha, I think my heads just exploded.

I know nothing, and when I say nothing, I mean NOTHING about production.

I thought a laptop was probably the best bet with the fact you could edit shizzle on the move etc.

LE?

[Manu]

LE is a dumbed down version of the full protools. Cheaper but you don't get the real stuff. Though I don't like it too much (they fuck around with updates) and currently prefer Logic Pro.

And unfortunately no, laptops are not powerful enough. I even managed to crash some macbook pros and even some macpros on a few different occasions.

You can get some stuff done on laptops, but nothing that requires heavy processing.

[imydaking]

production it depends what you want to do as said there is no ''best software'' but there are soo many out there you can find one you like and can work with. But to get the best most people use a range of them.

Ableton might be the best for one person but another person might hate it. personally i think its pretty good and i find it easy to work but it is diffrent in the way you make a song than the usual such as Cubase or reason.

You can download functioning demos of all of them and also there is tons of youtube tutorials out there. Also you should probably read up on music theory and something else i found useful is opening midi files in fruityloops and seeing how they are put together

computer wise i'd recommend buying components and building your own then using something like nlite (iirc thats what its called) to cut down windows and install a version which doesnt include things you dont need so your not loosing valuable power and also lessen chances of problems.
use this as a dedicated music production pc.

[peebee]

I've used FL Studios for years, factory setting are poor along with it's samples but from using it for such a period of time I've learnt to upload my own sounds and even to take an average factory sound and f@%k it up turning it into something so much better!

[Manu]

I forgot to mention: there is a trial version for ableton, you could always try it.

[Ryyy]

So, I stumbled across this vid of Dave Spoon using Reason, and it looks more my cup of tea..so, has anyone had any experience with Propellerhead Reason? With LogicPro? How they compare?



Also, I seen Reason 4.0 in HTFR and it was £265, is like that the entry-level-type-version or is that the top-end? Because I really don't know what prices these software(s) can go upto.

[Manu]

^^^nice video

Logic Pro: pretty good, they finally sorted the time warping issues with LP9. Great editing tools, easy to use, excellent sound drivers, multichannel surround sound supported, etc... And it's fucking stable. I never had a single crash in years of using it, as opposed to cubase which I ditched because it was an unstable pain in the ass.

Reason:
It's average, and sounds a bit muddy in terms of sound quality. And it's not a DAW per se, as it does not have any live recording. Unless you buy the "Record" add on, which makes it more expensive than Logic. On the plus side, reason has some excellent subtractive synths and millions of patches available as soon as you register the product with propellerheads. A bit tricky to get used to but goes better after a few hours spent on it.

But you can Rewire Reason and Logic Pro together and end up with a killer combo. The reason average sound quality gets a real boost as soon as you send it to Logic Pro.


Default
So, I stumbled across this vid of Dave Spoon using Reason, and it looks more my cup of tea..so, has anyone had any experience with Propellerhead Reason? With LogicPro? How they compare?

YouTube - ‪Future Music In The Studio With Dave Spoon Part 2‬‏

Also, I seen Reason 4.0 in HTFR and it was £265, is like that the entry-level-type-version or is that the top-end?

shit price considering Reason 5 is out for 200 quid
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003ZUYAP...SIN=B003ZUYAPI

. Now the ouch part is: Logic 9 + Reason 5 + a apple computer (needed to run Logic) + MIDI keyboard (or spend hours drawing notes with your mouse/control automations))and you're looking at the best part of £3k

[imydaking]

I've used reason in the past i still have it on my pc. I think the prodigy made all there stuff using it. basically its a self contained system everything you use is within reason you cannot add vsts (virtual instruments) like you can in others like fl or ableton. But this has the advantage of it being more stable.

Also its pretty cool you can flip it and virtually wire things up like side chains etcc.
you can also of course use your own midi keyboard.

just try to get the demo if there is one or of course u can always get it from piratebay or the likes. And watch others using it on youtube

[Manu]

there isn't a demo.

of course u can always get it from piratebay or the likes.

...And then you can't get it registered, and get access to the additional patches, rex files etc

[Ryyy]

Originally Posted by Manu

^^^nice video


. Now the ouch part is: Logic 9 + Reason 5 + a apple computer (needed to run Logic) + MIDI keyboard (or spend hours drawing notes with your mouse/control automations))and you're looking at the best part of £3k

So, say I just wanted Reason 5 (which to start out with isnt bad) and a MIDI keyboard, would my normal everyday- Dell PC cope with that..lol? I know I haven't stated the specs but is it a 'must' that you have a reallllyyy expensive computer.. because paying out the ar$e for a Mac I really don't wanna do..

Like I said, I still know nothing about music production I'm just trying to fathom out what software would be easiest to use and ultimately best for me.

Also, in all these softwares, do you get to download packs of different sounds to add to your collection so to speak, so if you get bored of Reason/LogicPro default kick-drum, then can you add loads more?
If so, where from & how much?
I'm a dumbass, the price I just looked at was from an old HTFR catalogue I just picked up from under my bed, that would explain the shit-price.

[imydaking]

Originally Posted by Ryyy

So, say I just wanted Reason 5 (which to start out with isnt bad) and a MIDI keyboard, would my normal everyday- Dell PC cope with that..lol? I know I haven't stated the specs but is it a 'must' that you have a reallllyyy expensive computer.. because paying out the ar$e for a Mac I really don't wanna do..

Like I said, I still know nothing about music production I'm just trying to fathom out what software would be easiest to use and ultimately best for me.

Also, in all these softwares, do you get to download packs of different sounds to add to your collection so to speak, so if you get bored of Reason/LogicPro default kick-drum, then can you add loads more?
If so, where from & how much?
I'm a dumbass, the price I just looked at was from an old HTFR catalogue I just picked up from under my bed, that would explain the shit-price.

short answer NO you do not need a super expensive computer, i reckon if your dell has a dual core processor it wud be just fine, you can state your specs for a better answer. You don't even need a midi keyboard you can just drop notes using a mouse or in some software use a normal typing keyboard to play notes.

i reckon the most important thing is the soundcard with your built in soundcard you will most likely get high latency ( a delay in sound) and also pots and crackles with lots of sounds playing at once.
you will also be limited in quality and the ability to record in instruments/vocals well. You can easily get a decent enough soundcard for a beginner for about £100 or less.

i got a maya 44 usb it has 2 inputs and 2 outputs and that cost me £75 the latency is much better than built in soundcard and also the quality is much better.

[Manu]

Latency can be dealt with. There are latency settings built in the software.

Originally Posted by Ryyy

So, say I just wanted Reason 5 (which to start out with isnt bad) and a MIDI keyboard, would my normal everyday- Dell PC cope with that..lol? I know I haven't stated the specs but is it a 'must' that you have a reallllyyy expensive computer.. because paying out the ar$e for a Mac I really don't wanna do..

Forget about Logic pro for now, it is mac only. Your PC will cope with that easily. Reason is designed so you can pile up stuff of it until your PC crashes. Obviously, the bigger computer the better but you can get started on reason with as small as a pentium 4.

Like I said, I still know nothing about music production I'm just trying to fathom out what software would be easiest to use and ultimately best for me.

Also, in all these softwares, do you get to download packs of different sounds to add to your collection so to speak, so if you get bored of Reason/LogicPro default kick-drum, then can you add loads more?
If so, where from & how much?

As long you buy Reason (and not torrent it as suggested ), you can get it registered on the propellerhead website and then get instant access to tons of stuff. When you get the software, it comes with a bundle of sounds called the reason soundbank factory. It's not a matter of how much: pay for the software first, the rest comes free afterwards.