Over the week end I finished a new promo for my DJ side. Find it here.
As such I thought I would write something in regeards to the most important issues currently effecting the world of the DJ.
Vinyl or CD.
There was an old saying “Real DJ’s use vinyl”. And to a degree, this was true for a long time.
But really, we always knew that vinyl’s days are numbered. Many expected vinyl to die of faster then it is. Following I will give you my perspective on what is happening in the world of the DJ.
Why Vinyl is still hanging in there
The main reason vinyl is still around is, from my perspective, because of the following;
- Being Elite; Vinyl is EXPENSIVE, so if your spending $20 per track, you better be making money out of it. Otherwise you will go broke quickly. As such, it helps keep the bedroom DJs out of the way.
- The Social Aspect; A major quality of any successful DJ is his ability to network. They are a close set group, and if you want to score a lot of gigs, you need to be connected. The weekly shop at the local vinyl store is a MAJOR networking event. As such, if your going to go there, you r going to keep purchasing vinyl.
- Many tracks are still being released on vinyl long before Digital (or before it can be pirated and released on P2P. ) This is a form of DRM or controlled release. However, I do not think it will last for much longer as online stores start to become more and more entrenched in a DJs habits.
Why Vinyl is likely to disappear in the near future;
- COST: I personally have left vinyl as I can get a track for $3 compared to $20. This is pretty much the main reason any REAL DJ is not using vinyl. As, if you are a DJ, you probably do this as a living, and if you can get your tracks much cheaper, and play them to the crowd without them knowing the difference. WHY ARE YOU USING VINYL!!!
- CDs are much easier to carry and organise.
- Online music stores are far more efficient in listening and selecting tracks. In my opinion, a good DJ will listen to a LOT of tracks when shopping. And with an online store, you have much more chose, can listen and flick through more tracks faster. I personally feel my DJing has improved greatly since this has happened as I am no longer fed tracks from the local vinyl stores. This also meaqns I no longer sound like the next DJ, who shops at the same store as I do.
- You Get the tracks MUCH faster; Having a track first, and making it yours is a big thing for many DJ’s. With digital releases, the tracks can make it into your box 2-3 weeks faster then the vinyl record can possibly reach the shops.
- With digital releases, the tracks are released to the world on release; Traditionally with vinyl, there was a lot of tracks that distributors would not bother releasing to other parts of the world unless it was proving to be a hit. Now, it no longer matter if a track works in the UK or not. You get it the same time the UK get it.
- CD player technology is now quite mature; What you can do with the latest CDJ players is quite amazing. It gives the DJ far more scope to be different or introduce a performance factor to his set.
- Vinyl is mastered from a digital source; When producing a track, most producers I have met do so to 44.1 HZ. This file is then recorded to a vinyl press master, which presses the tracks out. Many DJs proclaim that vinyl is a superior format. This is a very ill-informed comment to make. CD to Vinyl to Amp, cannot be superior to a straight digital download. Even at 320kbit MP3 is likely to equate to better quality.
- Vinyl sounds better; Again, this is an ill-informed point of view. How can it sound better considering item 7 above. I feel, many ignorant DJs simply do not understand that vinyl does have a analogue compression effect on the result. Add base line feed back to the needle etc. They think this sounds “better”. It amazes me how little many DJs know about what they do.
That about sums it up.
5 responses so far ↓
1 matt khadem // Apr 26, 2010 at 10:48 pm
I have a problem with item 7 & 8. With tyhe greatest respect in the world you clearly dont understand why dj’s say vinyl sounds better. We dont mean the quality of the track itself, of course, quality sounds better in a cd or on a digital basis rather than wax. But the reason vinyl sounds better is because it sounds WARMER. The poor sound quality of vinyl is what makes it so good to listen to! Warm, Crackly, Depth, Substance – This is the “sound quality” vinyl gives you and you simply cant get that with other formats.
2 JamieG // Apr 26, 2010 at 11:24 pm
Vinyle “Sounds better” is an excuse by those who don’t understand the technology they are using.
I encourage you to listen to “Home Theatre Geeks” podcast on the Twit network where thy interview the pinnacle of sound recording and reproduction.
They unfortunately really dump on vinyle. Yes it has a certain sound. Something that COULD be reproduced digitally if you really want it.
Also consider, what you are hearing is not what the Master was recorded to. It is that which came from a digital master, the way the producer wanted it, then altered by the vinyl process. Altered in a way that is of less quality then a digital master.
Those who hold onto the vinyl dream, apart from the scratchers and real DJ performers that use vinyl as a performance characteristic of the set.. Are just holding onto old habits and trying NOT to change with the times.
As an X DJ that is computer science based.. I just see it for what it is. Removing all emotion and legacy issues.
James
3 matt khadem // Apr 27, 2010 at 5:16 am
Ok you know my thoughts on the warm feeling of vinyl and i know yours. But what you dont know is that i use 2 turntables with Serato Scratch Live, time coded vinyl, mixer, and a laptop with nearly 15,000 mp3’s. I only throw and actual record on the deck when i’m scratching, other than that, i’m digital. I’m living proof that there are plenty of digital dj’s out there who have MOVED WITH THE TIMES but are still in love with vinyl for very valid reasons. The reason why i use serato instead of cdj’s is simple, people go nuts when they see a dj with two turntables rotating records (even if it is time coded). Why? because most young clubbers these days have never even seen a dj mixing with records/turntables. These days they go into a club and see loads of black boxes with buttons on and pioneer written in the corner, and they aint got a clue what the dj is doing other than pressing buttons, or in some horrible cases, using a mouse and keyboard. Lets not forget the visual stimulation/impression that vinyl and turntables offer the crowd, they can see the music, they can see the dj touch the music, they can see and in some cases understand what the dj is doing which sends an huge buzz through people in a rave and gets em going.
I’m sorry to say, if you look at dj’ing based on the fact/science, with no emotion, you must of been a pretty piss poor dj. I’m not the best dj in the world, but i love my music and people see that in me when i’m mixing, which means they love it to, and as far as they’re concerned at that moment, in that club, right there and then i’m the best fuc*in dj that ever lived!
I do agree with a lot things in your blog though dude, lol dont get it twisted, there is middle ground on this.
4 JamieG // Apr 27, 2010 at 8:21 am
Dude, maybe I should have said, People Use Digital Formats..
I am all for the performance. And I undertand what your on about. Tho I also do feel, you can perform on CDJ’s as well, and in some ways you get a more dynamic performance as you can do many more effects. (Apart fron scratching). Dropping in effect and other base lines. etc. All on the spot spontaneous stuff.
Stuff not possible in turntable world. (Well maybe with a sampler on the side)
Thats what I really appreciate in a DJ performer. Scratching is cool, but gets tired fast. Especially as its not the style I like. But I can appreciate it.
My beat mixing ability was very good and well, it was easy for me. So I don;t really see or appreciate simply beat mixing as a skill. When a DJ can keep everything tight in the beat mix AND also bring in other layers of beats. Now whats what I find amazing. Its super hard and only pure talent.
But at the end of the day, with the speed of internet distribution and easy to copy/pirate. Speed of getting tracks out and around the world. You cannot be playing anything super fresh on vinyl. And thats what a log of the top DJ’s are all about. So, apart from Final Scratch, turntables are out.
James
5 a4 // May 5, 2010 at 7:40 pm
You have many good points. But I partly disagree with 7&8.
With digital formats, the majority of labels today order masters that are dynamically squish-compressed to hell and back, because “the kids like it”, “the music’s gonna end up on ipods anyway” and “it’s how the market works now”. In other words, since the loudness war has pushed things way too far, let’s participate by making our records sound even worse! Everyone does it anyway…
As vinyl has its limitations on loudness, the mastering engineer is forced to keep the percieved volume below world-domination-metallica level. If he/she doesn’t, the record won’t be playable because the needle will jump with every big transient (if there are any notable ones left).
As for the formats themselves, PCM (CD) definitely has the cleanest reproduction of sound. The sound can also be as squished and fucked up as you like, as long as you keep it under zero dBFSD. What people seem to give a shit about, though, is that when the loudness is pushed too far, it sounds worse. Much worse. Depending on how much you messed up the sound, a listener can grow ear-fatigue after less than one minute. On the contrary, a more dynamic record can be turned up (using the knob labeled “volume”), and sound bigger, punchier, and detailed instead of flat and distorted.
Excess use of soft clipping and brickwall-compression has a lot more negative impact on the sound than the vinyl’s high presence-compression + clicks & pops. The engineers probably compress the waves way further than the vinyl does anyway.
That’s why I vinyl – in many cases – still sounds better. The majority of labels and artists don’t give a shit about quality as long as the record sounds louder than their reference. IF they do start to care, though, CD has an amazing potential.
Think about it – do you want your listeners to turn the music up, or down?
See http://www.dynamicrange.de and http://turnmeup.org for examples.
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