Do club DJs still use vinyl?
August 5, 2011 4:01 PM Subscribe
Do club DJs still use vinyl?
Or - more to the point - what percentage still do? What does the culture dictate and think of vinyl vs digital? What has become the predominant equipment for club DJs? Any information about DJ equipment, stats and culture greatly appreciated. THANK YOU
Or - more to the point - what percentage still do? What does the culture dictate and think of vinyl vs digital? What has become the predominant equipment for club DJs? Any information about DJ equipment, stats and culture greatly appreciated. THANK YOU
Some dj's still use vinyl, but the tide has definitely turned and digital is taking over in many, many genres. You will still see plenty of vinyl amongst turntablists and house djs, but techno, progressive, trance, mashups, glitchy stuff, those have all pretty much moved to digital.
Note that if you just look you may not be able to tell, cuz lots of folks use timecoded vinyl which is really just a technic 1200 interface to digital files on a laptop...
posted by rsanheim at 4:08 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Note that if you just look you may not be able to tell, cuz lots of folks use timecoded vinyl which is really just a technic 1200 interface to digital files on a laptop...
posted by rsanheim at 4:08 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
The super awesome ones still do.
posted by elizardbits at 4:16 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by elizardbits at 4:16 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
seconding the timecoded vinyl...i have a couple of dj friends who have this setup...it's pretty cool...you have 2 records that have 'tracks' on them that are little more than a series of pulses that they play on the turntables like standard records (step 2: ??? step 3: Profit!) that allow them to control mp3s on their laptops/ipods as you would standard vinyl records...beatmatching/crossfading/etc., plus, they can toss on standard vinyl records as well...
posted by sexyrobot at 4:21 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by sexyrobot at 4:21 PM on August 5, 2011
Heck yes! I'm going to be dancing tomorrow night in Portland with a great DJ spinning real vinyl for shizzle.
posted by Lutoslawski at 4:41 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Lutoslawski at 4:41 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
Depends a lot on the genre. For example, drum n bass, dubstep and house still almost solely use vinyl. Psytrance, tekno and chill almost entirely use CDs these days (psy has been released on DAT and vinyl before). In almost all genres, some producers play out from a laptop (often using turntable + mixer-style controllers).
posted by turkeyphant at 4:55 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by turkeyphant at 4:55 PM on August 5, 2011
My sister is a DJ (clubs, parties/raves, special events) and she uses a mix of viny, her laptops, and interfaces like the Ableton APC40 controller.
She's also a big fan of the timecoded control vinyl as mentioned above.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:17 PM on August 5, 2011
She's also a big fan of the timecoded control vinyl as mentioned above.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:17 PM on August 5, 2011
viny = vinyl
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:17 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:17 PM on August 5, 2011
I think it depends on the style/genre and scene. I can't imagine any 60s garage/soul DJ using anything but vinyl, but that's really part of the culture.
posted by kendrak at 5:53 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by kendrak at 5:53 PM on August 5, 2011
John Howard does, and from what I hear, he DJ's like a madcunt.
posted by WhitenoisE at 6:04 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by WhitenoisE at 6:04 PM on August 5, 2011 [1 favorite]
But where will we find a True Scotsman at this time of night?
Some DJs use vinyl. A lot use timecoded vinyl and Serato/Itch/Traktor. Some use hardware controllers like the APC40 with Ableton. Some use hardware controllers like the S4 with Traktor. Some use custom boutique controllers like Monome or Midifighter.
There are no "real" DJs that set the standard. What DJs use totally depends on genre, culture, and resources.
posted by Jairus at 6:11 PM on August 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
Some DJs use vinyl. A lot use timecoded vinyl and Serato/Itch/Traktor. Some use hardware controllers like the APC40 with Ableton. Some use hardware controllers like the S4 with Traktor. Some use custom boutique controllers like Monome or Midifighter.
There are no "real" DJs that set the standard. What DJs use totally depends on genre, culture, and resources.
posted by Jairus at 6:11 PM on August 5, 2011 [3 favorites]
And for the record: Most of the clubs I DJ at have CDJs and no turntables at all.
posted by Jairus at 6:12 PM on August 5, 2011
posted by Jairus at 6:12 PM on August 5, 2011
There are no "real" DJs that set the standard. What DJs use totally depends on genre, culture, and resources.
This is true.
I'm a DJ. I tend to use whatever a facility offers. If there's turntables on hand, I'll use them. I certainly have lots of vinyl. But if I have to supply my own gear, I usually just go with a mix of digital files off my laptop, and CDs ... though the CDs are being very quickly phased out of my set.
My guess is that the future will see less and less vinyl in club situations as the digital gear and the flexibility it gives you just keeps getting better and better. But that said, I don't think vinyl will ever completely go away ... kind of how people still go to horse races. As for CDs ... ?
posted by philip-random at 8:43 PM on August 5, 2011
This is true.
I'm a DJ. I tend to use whatever a facility offers. If there's turntables on hand, I'll use them. I certainly have lots of vinyl. But if I have to supply my own gear, I usually just go with a mix of digital files off my laptop, and CDs ... though the CDs are being very quickly phased out of my set.
My guess is that the future will see less and less vinyl in club situations as the digital gear and the flexibility it gives you just keeps getting better and better. But that said, I don't think vinyl will ever completely go away ... kind of how people still go to horse races. As for CDs ... ?
posted by philip-random at 8:43 PM on August 5, 2011
Best answer: At multiple clubs, even one set up for vinyl with an isolated booth, I've seen enthusiastic dancers get asked to move, because the vibration they were causing in the floor was interfering with the needle.
DJs have mixed views on taking requests, but it's another area where vinyl is typically pretty abysmal unless augmented by something else. Vinyl is also bulky which is a PITA when a club has more than one DJs scheduled for the booth.
These days, the vinyl sound is also less suitable for clubs, because when radio stopped using it and the only buyers were enthusiasts and audiophiles, vinyl mastering changed to aim to best serve ideal listening conditions, while a noisy club environment gets better results from the kind of mastering intended for radio - radio is likewise intended to still sound good despite a noisy environment.
As far as I can see, vinyl is an inferior tool that isn't really up to - nor mastered for - the job of providing nightclub DJ music. There appear to few or no advantages, and a lot of disadvantages, some of which are fairly serious.
However, many DJs have a personal love of vinyl, and it holds a deep nostalgic place in the hearts of many, so it generally gets excused.
Perversely perhaps, I think the poor suitability of vinyl is sometimes also seen as a sign of quality, eg the idea that if a DJ goes to such lengths to use it, when there is a better way, that means they must really be passionate about their craft right? (as opposed to, say, more interested in their own peccadilloes than in maxing the club-goer's experience).
A vinyl DJ who is under 40 years of age makes me think they're romantic or woolly-headed about their craft, or a hipster poser, rather than serious about being the best they can be, and delivering the best experience they can deliver.
posted by -harlequin- at 8:36 AM on August 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
DJs have mixed views on taking requests, but it's another area where vinyl is typically pretty abysmal unless augmented by something else. Vinyl is also bulky which is a PITA when a club has more than one DJs scheduled for the booth.
These days, the vinyl sound is also less suitable for clubs, because when radio stopped using it and the only buyers were enthusiasts and audiophiles, vinyl mastering changed to aim to best serve ideal listening conditions, while a noisy club environment gets better results from the kind of mastering intended for radio - radio is likewise intended to still sound good despite a noisy environment.
As far as I can see, vinyl is an inferior tool that isn't really up to - nor mastered for - the job of providing nightclub DJ music. There appear to few or no advantages, and a lot of disadvantages, some of which are fairly serious.
However, many DJs have a personal love of vinyl, and it holds a deep nostalgic place in the hearts of many, so it generally gets excused.
Perversely perhaps, I think the poor suitability of vinyl is sometimes also seen as a sign of quality, eg the idea that if a DJ goes to such lengths to use it, when there is a better way, that means they must really be passionate about their craft right? (as opposed to, say, more interested in their own peccadilloes than in maxing the club-goer's experience).
A vinyl DJ who is under 40 years of age makes me think they're romantic or woolly-headed about their craft, or a hipster poser, rather than serious about being the best they can be, and delivering the best experience they can deliver.
posted by -harlequin- at 8:36 AM on August 6, 2011 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks to everyone; some really interesting and valuable comments.
posted by rocco at 11:11 AM on August 6, 2011
posted by rocco at 11:11 AM on August 6, 2011
Yeah, some do. My husband did until 2007ish, then switched from an 80s/90s/00s format to straight 90's and moved to CDs. He is very stubborn and won't move to laptop-based DJing. I actually just moved all his dang vinyl up the stairs today, since it hasn't been touched in 4 years. If he is guesting anywhere (but he has a weekly so this never happens) he may do vinyl, and he does vinyl for weddings.
posted by kpht at 6:40 PM on August 6, 2011
posted by kpht at 6:40 PM on August 6, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
The average random dance club DJ (someone who's not doing it as an artform) uses a laptop/controller setup that uses WAVs or high-quality MP3s to play music.
posted by chrisfromthelc at 4:05 PM on August 5, 2011