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A blog exploring and debating the world of DJing, written for DJs and music fans.

Thursday 31 March 2011

Digital DJing: The Future?

Technology is advancing all the time. Digital DJing software has gone from strength to strength, introducing some amazing new features and endless possibilities.


Yet many DJs in the industry are hesitant; CDJs (decks that use CDs to DJ) are still the most common decks used. Why are people hesitant to make the switch? Has the increasingly clever DJing software set a death date for CDJs?


With the release of the new version of industry leading Traktor software tomorrow, digital DJing has once again entered the fray. The ability to DJ songs direct from your computer, as well as have decks, mixer, effects, wavelength, BPM counter and many other features all in one space has revolutionised DJing.


Yet people are hesitant to use it, CDJs still seem to be the most common. Why is this?


I think there are a variety of reasons why DJs are refusing to make the switch.


Firstly, it could just be a case of money. If I'd spent £3000+ on CDJ decks and mixer, I wouldn't want to throw the lot in just to download some software on my laptop.


This also ties in with the fact that, using software on a laptop has no 'visual flair'. As John Stevenson wrote in his book 'DJing for Dummies', 'For all I know you're doing an excel spreadsheet'.


This issue has tried to be addressed however, with something called Digital Vinyl System (DVS), whereby specially made vinyls will be used on special vinyl decks, which can function with the software.


Despite there is an increasing amount of people using DVS, CDJs still remain prevalent.


The issue may also be with the idea of DJ integrity, as I partly addressed in a previous post 'Syncing Your Way to Success'.


Whilst some people consider the sync button cheating, some people even go as far as thinking the wave form display and BPM counters are also cheating. 


Despite some top of the range CDJs offer these features, most don't. Therefore DJs may feel that using CDJs is the better and more honest way to DJ.


Despite this, I believe digital DJing will eventually take over. The ability to store all your songs on a hard drive, instead of hundreds of CDs, is too useful for people to ignore. Add to this the ability of effects processors, loop samplers, and much, much more integrated into software, all of which would have previously required external, expensive hardware.


However, I do think that DVS will play a major part in the digital take over. DJs still want that visual flair, as well as the physical feel of scratching a deck, or turning a knob on a mixer; it's something that no software could ever replace.

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