Switch over to CDs?

[Jay Selway]

Just curious if any of you guys have made the switch over to mixing almost entirely on CDs?

I recently bought 2 cdj1000s and an Allen & Health xone:62. I don't even have my 1200s hooked up anymore.

:yikes:

[rajdeep]

I have my entire collection on CDs and prefer to use CDs, reduces wear on vinyls. But I do continue to practise with the tables since that's what parties typically have for the DJs.

[: ORI :]

I would if i had CDJs

[milo]

i actually taught myself to dj/beatmix with cd's first, nearly 10 years ago.
vinyl wasn't too hard to learn after that.

i was (and still am) pretty happy playing cd's in public,
provided good cdj decks are available.

i use both formats, but tend to stick to one or the other
for dj sets, depending on the style i'm playing.

not sure if i'll ever switch to cd's exclusively.
that would involve a bit too much time transferring vinyl to disc.

since most places still only have turntables, i'll still keep
buying a bit of vinyl (mostly tech house stuff)

[genna]

I mix both... but i can't switch completely for 2 reasons: 1 cddecks are not available all the time, so i need to have vinyl anyway... 2. I only have one CD deck at home... so i can only mix vinyl-cd-vinyl

I like records better, but CDs have many advantages... or you can just wait for MP4/WMA to come out and be cheap enough on CDJs.... then all you need is a pair of CDJs and 2 CDs filled with compressed audio.... :)

[Matt Sanborn]

I have cd decks but they only get used for promos or stuff I only have on CD.

I like vinyl too much to switch- and I play in many different clubs...only a portion of them have cd decks...and then only a portion of those have cd dex worth a shit

[uberclkgtr]

all the music i like is pressed to vinyl, not CDs. so i use vinyl. i like the feel of vinyl better than using CD decks, though some of the good CD decks have some nice effects.

[hue-e]

I'll take vinyl before cd, but will go either way... I have a lot of my friends dubz to spin and probably wont be seeing it out on vinyl for a while... either way, it's about the beatz anyway right?

[genna]

since this is going to detiriorate to "what's better argument" anyway i might as well start this, hehe

I don't have any attachment to either format, but both have advantages and disadvantages in current DJ culture... the way i see it is this

You can argue all you want about actual quality of music, but that's mostly personal preference

Vinyl Pros:
1. Cheap, simple, reliable equipment(pretty much the only thing that makes techs bad is stylus or records themselves... easy fix by a dj on the spot)
2. Common and consistant equimpment

Vinyl Conns
1. Expensive and hard to find music(records)
2. Unreliable and hard to maintain media

CD Pros:
1. Easy to find and cheap music
2. Much more consistent and reliable media(cds)

CD conns
1. Expensive, complex, and not as reliable equipment(you need to have a spare if you really want to be sure)
2. No guarantee CD player is available, and no guarantee it is good or familiar


Basically, they are nearly oposite... recs require little upfront costs, but get expensive soon... CDs are the other way around.

IT sort of depends what you value... and also reliablility and PRICE of CDDecks will be coming down more and more, making some of the cons of them irrelavant, while availability of records will get less and less, making pros of them irrelavant.... Progress, i guess

[technoticau]

switch over? no
integrate? y not?

[djinfuze]

I think the new thing is really going to be final scratch, since I really feel that cdjs don't feel natural. Final Scratch is the new shiz!

[DjAmP]

i don't see why dj's who like final scratch don't like cd players.. the only reson i don't like cd players, is because when it starts skipping, your pretty much fucked..

[neuroticinsight]

no, final scratch is a fart in the wind. no one uses it and most of the people i know who have used it hate it. every club these days should make at least one cdj available to djs imo. most djs outside of small time locals actually require them, usually at least two! people do not press that many vinyl promos these days, so most of the djs with upfront stuff get it all on cd. also, cdjs are much more feasable for less known djs now with online shops like beatport and edmdigital. you can find at least 50% of new releases online at digital stores these days, plus tons of exclusive stuff. and prices are good. usually 1.50 for cd quality and then you can pay two or three for better quality. check out www.beatport.com and www.edmdigital.com as well as digital download services on www.city16.com www.releaserecords.com ....a lot of record labels offer their back catelogues for digital dl on their websites as well.

[rajdeep]

the only reson i don't like cd players, is because when it starts skipping, your pretty much fucked..
That has never happened to me over the 3 years I've played on CD players.

[Elektronkind]

That has never happened to me over the 3 years I've played on CD players.

Me neither. I've had some CDs that the CDJ didnt recognise, but you know this right off the bat and it always has been due to using crappy CDRs or dust was on the blank when it was burned.

Problems with CDs are just as likely to happen as a vinyl record skips.

/dale

[Dread Grey]

I recently switched, here's my two cents.

CDJ are lighter, more portable equipment. They weigh about 1/4 of a pair of techs, and take up 1/2 the space (dust covers off). I can put em in a backpack or case and take em wherever. Never had a problem with reading CDs, skipping, or anything. No worries of shitty needles. It's great to be able to burn your own songs (if you produce) or samples to a CD and be able to use em fresh outta your CDR drive. Built in effects can really work for you. You can always back up your media, so god forbid the unthinkable happens to your latest single, you've got a spare. You can speed up songs without changing pitch/key. CDs are way more compact, and you don't have to carry around nearly so much shit for a long session.

However you feel less connected to the mix... I do miss the vinyl-ness a lot- but they're all around easier to work with. Most all I spin these days are CDs, out of sheer broke-itude.

[Busy Child]

Just curious if any of you guys have made the switch over to mixing almost entirely on CDs?

I recently bought 2 cdj1000s and an Allen & Health xone:62. I don't even have my 1200s hooked up anymore.

:yikes:


DAMMMMN dude, i say youre allowed to switch to cds with that setup.

[Elektronkind]

And I must say that one of the best, often unspoken advantages of CD decks is that, unlike turntables, you can mount them at angles.

My setup is the same as Cyzum's and it's all packed neatly into a RoadReady coffin. I put mine on a QuikLok stand and use the coffin lid to mount things on. The CD decks and mixer, being at the right height and angled towards me is TONS better than having your turntables and mixer sitting on a table top down by your jimmy. When you're tall like me, this really matters when you're mixing for a good long time. I don't get knots in my back from stooping over constantly.

And the coffin lid doubles as a good table to put your CD bag on. When it comes time to take your gear somewhere, it all breaks down into two neat pieces - the stand and the coffin.

Here's a pic of my setup to illustrate:

http://elektronkind.org/gallery/albums/studio/DSC00037.sized.jpg

/dale

[Sunspot8785]

I started with cd's and learned the basics. From there, learning vinyl was a snap... o actually think cd's are harder to use.

My promo mix was done using cd's, actually... most tracks on it i have on vinyl, but some i dont. I had to use cd's when i was recording cuz i couldnt fit my turntables on my desk by the computer.

I still have my cd players, they dont have jog wheels though, i learned pitchbending with simply the buttons... but if i use other cd players and i try to use the + or - buttons, they pitch the beat up/down way too fast for what im used to, and i never really learned how to use the jog wheel effectively so i dont use it. :inergy:

Vinyls i think are more fun to use- it's more intimate, you can touch the record. Thing is, i got tons of good music on cd's... stuff ive downloaded, and some of that shyt is hard to find on vinyl.

One of the most talented DJ's i know uses cd's, Kid Amiga... anyone ever heard his shyt?

[spinal cracka]

i would like to integrate a cdj with my 2 turntable setup but i will never turn my back on vinyl. you cant beat the hands on feel and manipuation. even in sound quality i think records are better, at least when they are new and not worn. the only advantages i see with cds is price and availability. :falatic:

[RAMIRO]

Talk to Joey Muniz... He uses it all the time and seems to love it !!... actualy i have quite a few friends that uses it and love it .. saves alot of space since you have all your mp3s on a laptop yet you still get to manipulate it like vinyl


no, final scratch is a fart in the wind. no one uses it and most of the people i know who have used it hate it.

[Echelon]

Ok, I started with vinyls, and about 3 years ago when I learned about what could be done digitally and what the advantages are and and would be in the future i switched without thinkning about it. It seemed to me like the progression of VHS to DVD. I would say that CDJ mixing is definately different and not just seperately from vinyl, but it differs from CDJ to CDJ. This is because the jog wheel changes size on various different CDJ tabels. They all seem to have a different touch to them. Some CDJ's you have to manipulate more than others to get a desired slow down or speed up effect. This makes it very hard because unlike turntables which are all uniform in thier design, CDJs are for the most part individually unique in thier interface design making you have to get a feel for whatever type of CDJ you are using. But once you have the hang, it's no biggie. One thing about mixing music is that the principal always remains the same. So essentially, if you can mix, then you can mix, simple as that. Also, everyone has thier own opinion and in mine I'd say it's actually harder to mix digitally than with vinyls. Although you can be more precise with CDJs as far as setting a cue point, it's much harder to set. With a vinyl all you must do is set the needle down. With CDJs you select a point to the millisecond. That's just my take on the issue. Peace.

[Jay Selway]

i would like to integrate a cdj with my 2 turntable setup but i will never turn my back on vinyl. you cant beat the hands on feel and manipuation. even in sound quality i think records are better, at least when they are new and not worn. the only advantages i see with cds is price and availability. :falatic:

I disagree. I'd rather use cdj1000s. I feel like its just accurate if not better than vinyl. The reason being, you don't have to compensate for a warn out motor on a turntable. One of my 1200 randomly loses pitch, and I've noticed alot of club tables do the same.

CDJs however never lose pitch. :daking:

[the sex molesters]

personally, i've made the decision to stick with vinyl until digital media improves greatly, in terms of reliability and ease of use. i've ruined a good number of sets because i've tried to integrate digital media in various forms.... my decision is that it's better to pay a little more and worry a little more about maintainance, and still play a good set than to try to skimp on costs and whatnot and have some equipment fuck up on you or have to play on something you are not used to playing on.

[Echelon]

to each his own my friend, to each his own