longdog
What is it you can't face?
Oh dear. This from the man who claimed that certain pieces of kit sound the same!!
Deaf sausage!
Are you saying they don't?
A short message to DJs
- Thread starter beesonthewhatnow
- Start date
Are you saying they don't?
Fictionist
Serving Eargasms....
longdog
What is it you can't face?
sherriff rosco
Mostly harmless unless catering is shut.
Well I`m going to take you up on this. I have done " umpteen" gigs with name DJ`s. I`ve provided as per spec exactly what they want.
Let`s take Andy C for example. 2 x Res 2`s and 2 x 218`s about 2 ft either side of him. He still redlines the booth output and the limiters are in red on the booth amp racks all during his set. He wears 20db attenuation ear plugs ( or similiar ) so it`s not deafening to him but he want to " feel" the sound. He also sometimes lights up the desk a bit at first but like all " pro" dj`s once I`ve told him the limit on the masters he sticks to it. Best DJ for levels is Roni Size...flawless level throughout his set, booth mons not banging of the limiters and he uses...god forbid ...his headfones to get where he wants to be...
Now let`s take the "upcoming" dj`s....
booth output maxxed out...check
masters in the red...check
complaining to mate / girlfriend that the P.A. is shit...check
split drink over cdj`s .... check
fag burns in the desk.....check
Now I know where you sit...
You`ll get the contempt from me you deserve if you
a) don`t provide a "rider" or request in front of the gig
b) moan or cuss about the system at the gig if you`ve never bothered asking if you can get something sorted before you step up for your set.
c) don`t bring your own fucking monitors that you use as you are supposed to be a talent ( last time I checked most talent uses kit that enhances their performance to a paying crowd?)
I can normally juggle kit at a gig to help dj`s , an extra sub under the booth etc etc. But it`s sounds to me that you never ask for anything and as per most blinkered "dj"`s you`ll blame the sound boy first and yourself afterwards..
Can`t wait.....
.p.
clandestino
no llevar papel
Playing the drums, in theory, is a piece of piss too. All you have to do is hit a drum with a stick - anyone can do that, in the same way that anyone can pick a song and press go on a CD player. But loads of people manage to be terrible drummers and even more manage to be dreadful DJs. Just because anyone can do it technically, it doesn't mean that they're necessarily any good at it. And I agree that a good DJ isn't just about the right sequence of songs and being able to read the crowd and react to what they want, but also being able to maintain an equal level of sound throughout. As was mentioned before, if you're DJ-ing from CDs and vinyl, then the level can vary (CDs loudest, sevens next loudest, albums quietest, usually), and it's just as important to keep the sound level equal throughout. So using the gain to get a bit of extra volume when you're playing a track from a vinyl album isn't necessarily a bad thing - but forgetting to turn the gain back down when you play the next track is. It sounds so simple, but I'm amazed at how many DJs just don't realise that the sound level is leaping about from song to song. And they wonder why no-one's dancing. But something like that will affect the atmosphere and the night as a whole.
Fictionist
Serving Eargasms....
Is that a yesor a no
I suppose I will have to make this clear - kit can and does sound different.
longdog
What is it you can't face?
Can... Yes.
Does... Not necessarily.
Taken at the extremes it might be possible to discern a difference between various turntables, cartridges, mixers, PA amps and speakers but most combinations of good quality gear should be able to give a good quality sound.
The same applies to all electronic gear. Anybody who says they can tell the difference between Fender Jazz and Fender Precision basses every time regardless of the amp they are played trough is a fucking liar. There's more difference in sound between bass turned up to 11 and bass turned down to 1 than any difference between manufacturer.
ETA: ...And anybody who thinks £100 OFC interconnects with 24k gold plugs sound any different to £5 ones from Maplin is a fool who deserves to be parted from their money
Fictionist
Serving Eargasms....
Can... Yes.
Does... Not necessarily.
Taken at the extremes it might be possible to discern a difference between various turntables, cartridges, mixers, PA amps and speakers but most combinations of good quality gear should be able to give a good quality sound.
The same applies to all electronic gear. Anybody who says they can tell the difference between Fender Jazz and Fender Precision basses every time regardless of the amp they are played trough is a fucking liar. There's more difference in sound between bass turned up to 11 and bass turned down to 1 than any difference between manufacturer.
ETA: ...And anybody who thinks £100 OFC interconnects with 24k gold plugs sound any different to £5 ones from Maplin is a fool who deserves to be parted from their money
Another deaf sausage.
damnhippie
shark sandwich
i reckon i could tell a Jazz from a Precision 9 times out of 10.
a £200 Squier Precision vs a £20,000 vintage one, that's a different story...
[/bass nerd]
um, as you were.
Not soon enough though. Sometimes a length of rope around the neck helps. Either the kids or your own!
Giles..
longdog
What is it you can't face?
i reckon i could tell a Jazz from a Precision 9 times out of 10.
So could I but not every time.
A £200 Squire through a 400 watt Trace Elliott stack vs a £20,000 vintage one through a Peavey 10 watt practice amp?
Not so clear cut
That's sort of my point. Is there £19,000 worth of better between an antique Precision and one hot off the production line or more to the point a difference which disappears in to irrelevance when compared to the price of a new set of strings or maybe a new set of pickups? Even then is there a difference which can't be made up by a few subtle tweeks on the EQ?
I refuse to believe there's anybody who can when blindfolded say "A-ha, that's a '64 Precision" without knowing what amp it's being played through or at all come to that.
longdog
What is it you can't face?
Fictionist
Serving Eargasms....
Cloth ears? Me?
damnhippie
shark sandwich
So could I but not every time.
A £200 Squire through a 400 watt Trace Elliott stack vs a £20,000 vintage one through a Peavey 10 watt practice amp?
Not so clear cut
That's sort of my point. Is there £19,000 worth of better between an antique Precision and one hot off the production line or more to the point a difference which disappears in to irrelevance when compared to the price of a new set of strings or maybe a new set of pickups? Even then is there a difference which can't be made up by a few subtle tweeks on the EQ?
I refuse to believe there's anybody who can when blindfolded say "A-ha, that's a '64 Precision" without knowing what amp it's being played through or at all come to that.
fair enough
the nerd in me - who is mainly calling the shots these days, unfortunately - just had to jump on that 'cause the P and J are so different in my book.*and yes i'm with you on the 64 P thing!
back on topic, i reckon the differences in equipment won't affect the quality of someone's night out, unless that person is looking to find faults in the PA/DJ setup/whatever. right tool, right job etc.
longdog
What is it you can't face?
Or the DJ has clipped everything to fuck and it sounds like it's being played on one of these...
And so the thread comes full circle
longdog
What is it you can't face?
fair enough
Obviously there are huge differences between Precisions and Jazzes....
Precisions are shite.
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Imagine a nice smooth sine wave getting to the speaker driver. The cone can move in and out to follow the level/pattern of the waveform nicely.
Now imagine a clipped square wave, it's effectively asking the speaker driver to instantly jump from one level to another, it can't do this...
beesonthewhatnow
going deaf for a living
Of course. But not all kit will make a difference.
ouchmonkey
Singe Gainsbourg
so to recap,
the more red lights the better yes?
the more red lights the better yes?
Boycey
juvenile rave slut
el-ahrairah
forward communism, forward gerbils!
The red lights make me feel naughty. This thread will only help that. ORANGE-ORANGE-ORANGE-RED! ORANGE-ORANGE-ORANGE-RED!
Gromit
International Man of Misery
Thankfully the world contains people like Zane Lowe (sp?) to prove to people like you that not any old person can be a good DJ.
Went to a MixMag tent at a concert in the summer and this DJ was rocking the tent. Next DJ came on and she was crap and emptied the tent.
I believe that you need the same musical ear that a musician needs if you are going to be a good DJ even if you don't have a musician's dexterity. Also you need to be more creative than muscians who can play another person's music really well but couldn't compose or improvise to save their lives.
haha
Gromit
International Man of Misery
You don't think mixing is creative then?
I'd like to see you try.
Went to a liquid a couple of weeks ago. Two DJ's and neither could mix to save their lives. You'd think a chain like liquid could employ better.
Mooncat
Hug me - I'm vaccinated
Decent engineers put limiters in
I've jumped into this thread late so appols if this has been mentioned before but I find a short lenght of gaffer tape on the up faders works quite well
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