Archive for August, 2008
Aug
21
A Short Discourse on Music
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Ashutosh Ghildiyal asked:
"Music – everybody listens to music these days. Is there anything surprising in that? If we look backwards in time, we will see that it was not always so. Music then was music – not the good music-bad music, rock music-classical music, this music and that music. Music can only be music – neither good nor bad – whatever else there is, is non-music. Music in the past was not merely a form of entertainment but something more. Moreover, only the few used to listen to music, as was the case with all art. There were few pretences in this regard and it was not a means of achieving fame or success. It was life for some, means of worship for some, and for some it was a means of great expression, beyond words and images. The tones, the sounds employed, the instruments were all a very personal medium for the musician to reach into himself and go beyond it,” I said to my friend Jitendra, one day after listening to Bach.It had been a year since I started taking music seriously and found great pleasure in doing so. Earlier, all I used to listen to was some Hindi film music and some of the latest, most popular English and Hindi pop music. It was always a means of entertainment for me, a means of passing time, a means of having some activity in the background while doing something else so that I didn’t get bored. I had never actually paid attention to it before.Jitendra said, “Like all other arts, music has declined in the last 30 or so years. Music has now become associated with images, ideas and for entertainment, partying and all the rest. Most so-called music these days is nothing but empty sounds, put together by a lot of people, using all kinds of artificial means to manipulate the sounds to achieve one end – popularity. That is what popular music is. Moreover, a division has been created, probably on the basis of outward form – between classical and popular music. But if one listens, actually listens, what one hears is only music. If one simply listens, without comparing what one hears to his or her idea of music, only then one can see what music is.”I was new to Mumbai and Jitendra was my only friend here, so usually on weekends and whenever I had a day off, I went to his place to stay over. He was an old friend of mine, from the time when I was in Delhi. We used to stay together at a paying guest hostel. Our rooms were close by and we often used to spend time together.I said, “In India, only classical forms of music have survived, probably because it has been not popular and most of its exponents have not succumbed to the motives of personal ambition or fame. In the West, the same is the case with classical music, though there the quality depends upon the interpretation of the performer or the conductor. In popular music, several good attempts were made, in rock, punk, and jazz in the years before the 80s. Since then, there has been a gradual decline in popular music. In India, Bollywood music, except in a few cases, has been melodramatic, sensational and mediocre. The decades of the 60s and 70s were especially productive for music in many ways – there was a regeneration, a breaking from the traditional forms, but soon afterwards, it collapsed again.”I had been finding myself becoming more and more intimate with music lately. I saw the beauty, the importance of music as a part of human existence. At first, I used to resist anything new, since it was not already known to me. I used to remain content with what was familiar since it gave me a certain degree of comfort. Now I was realizing how small my world was and how vast were the unexplored territories. Music was what helped me realize this more than anything else. I started listening to it openly, afresh, with no expectations whatsoever and found that by listening without an idea, I could listen so well. Music was teaching me how to listen.“One can’t define what music is – any attempt to define music physically does not suffice. One has to hear, with clear senses, untainted by expectation or comparison to see the beauty of music,” he said, as if reading my thoughts. “Music is always out of time. If you are actually, attentively listening, there will be no sense of time. It is this quality of music that has made so many of the great composers exalt it as a divine virtue. Music has an effect on the body and the mind – not as two distinct effects but as one total effect. It affects the senses in various ways, and when one is in harmony with the music, then it ceases to be something separate, something outside of oneself – you become the music. Music is harmony and music is beauty. Music has the quality of expressing the inexpressible. One can’t approach music with one’s own peculiar likes or dislikes and tastes, which are all a part of one’s own conditioning. Music is something both extraordinarily complex and simple at the same time. We are not used to listening to anything except our own thoughts, therefore we can’t sense the beauty of music. Because we are always trying to do things according to our own peculiar tastes and likes and dislikes that we have built up, we become deaf to all other sounds. But when we drop all that and simply listen, then sound becomes a most wonderful thing – the complexity of it, the depth, the clearness, the penetration, the opening of many doors it leads towards, is inexpressible and beyond words.”How well he could put it all into words! The things that I had faintly realized and which were not so clear to me became clear as light on hearing him.____________________________________________________________________________The above extract has been taken from the short story, Music and Intelligence, featured in the book - To Think or Not to Think and Other Stories, by Ashutosh Ghildiyal
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"Music – everybody listens to music these days. Is there anything surprising in that? If we look backwards in time, we will see that it was not always so. Music then was music – not the good music-bad music, rock music-classical music, this music and that music. Music can only be music – neither good nor bad – whatever else there is, is non-music. Music in the past was not merely a form of entertainment but something more. Moreover, only the few used to listen to music, as was the case with all art. There were few pretences in this regard and it was not a means of achieving fame or success. It was life for some, means of worship for some, and for some it was a means of great expression, beyond words and images. The tones, the sounds employed, the instruments were all a very personal medium for the musician to reach into himself and go beyond it,” I said to my friend Jitendra, one day after listening to Bach.It had been a year since I started taking music seriously and found great pleasure in doing so. Earlier, all I used to listen to was some Hindi film music and some of the latest, most popular English and Hindi pop music. It was always a means of entertainment for me, a means of passing time, a means of having some activity in the background while doing something else so that I didn’t get bored. I had never actually paid attention to it before.Jitendra said, “Like all other arts, music has declined in the last 30 or so years. Music has now become associated with images, ideas and for entertainment, partying and all the rest. Most so-called music these days is nothing but empty sounds, put together by a lot of people, using all kinds of artificial means to manipulate the sounds to achieve one end – popularity. That is what popular music is. Moreover, a division has been created, probably on the basis of outward form – between classical and popular music. But if one listens, actually listens, what one hears is only music. If one simply listens, without comparing what one hears to his or her idea of music, only then one can see what music is.”I was new to Mumbai and Jitendra was my only friend here, so usually on weekends and whenever I had a day off, I went to his place to stay over. He was an old friend of mine, from the time when I was in Delhi. We used to stay together at a paying guest hostel. Our rooms were close by and we often used to spend time together.I said, “In India, only classical forms of music have survived, probably because it has been not popular and most of its exponents have not succumbed to the motives of personal ambition or fame. In the West, the same is the case with classical music, though there the quality depends upon the interpretation of the performer or the conductor. In popular music, several good attempts were made, in rock, punk, and jazz in the years before the 80s. Since then, there has been a gradual decline in popular music. In India, Bollywood music, except in a few cases, has been melodramatic, sensational and mediocre. The decades of the 60s and 70s were especially productive for music in many ways – there was a regeneration, a breaking from the traditional forms, but soon afterwards, it collapsed again.”I had been finding myself becoming more and more intimate with music lately. I saw the beauty, the importance of music as a part of human existence. At first, I used to resist anything new, since it was not already known to me. I used to remain content with what was familiar since it gave me a certain degree of comfort. Now I was realizing how small my world was and how vast were the unexplored territories. Music was what helped me realize this more than anything else. I started listening to it openly, afresh, with no expectations whatsoever and found that by listening without an idea, I could listen so well. Music was teaching me how to listen.“One can’t define what music is – any attempt to define music physically does not suffice. One has to hear, with clear senses, untainted by expectation or comparison to see the beauty of music,” he said, as if reading my thoughts. “Music is always out of time. If you are actually, attentively listening, there will be no sense of time. It is this quality of music that has made so many of the great composers exalt it as a divine virtue. Music has an effect on the body and the mind – not as two distinct effects but as one total effect. It affects the senses in various ways, and when one is in harmony with the music, then it ceases to be something separate, something outside of oneself – you become the music. Music is harmony and music is beauty. Music has the quality of expressing the inexpressible. One can’t approach music with one’s own peculiar likes or dislikes and tastes, which are all a part of one’s own conditioning. Music is something both extraordinarily complex and simple at the same time. We are not used to listening to anything except our own thoughts, therefore we can’t sense the beauty of music. Because we are always trying to do things according to our own peculiar tastes and likes and dislikes that we have built up, we become deaf to all other sounds. But when we drop all that and simply listen, then sound becomes a most wonderful thing – the complexity of it, the depth, the clearness, the penetration, the opening of many doors it leads towards, is inexpressible and beyond words.”How well he could put it all into words! The things that I had faintly realized and which were not so clear to me became clear as light on hearing him.____________________________________________________________________________The above extract has been taken from the short story, Music and Intelligence, featured in the book - To Think or Not to Think and Other Stories, by Ashutosh Ghildiyal
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Aug
21
House Music and the Digital Age
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Dj Pezz asked:
House music has always been pushed forward by DJ's wanting and craving new music. Music that their peer's haven't yet heard let alone had the ability to own. Music that is upfront and rare. As the volume of dance labels and artists increased towards the end of the last millennium, mainly due to the ability to produce very highly polished music on a simple pc, the sales quantity of each release decreased as the market did not increase with amount of new music flooding in. With this change record companies needed to address costs to reflect these lower sales. Label's looked to technology to help cut the costs of running their business. One major area where this came to fruition was promotions. For years the DJ's choice and only option was vinyl, clubs only had vinyl turntables and in the odd instance where they did have CD turntables they were very poor. This changed with the launch of the pioneer CDJ series. DJ's were suddenly able to do everything they could on vinyl turntables and more but using CD's. Labels had previously had only one option to press a run of promotional records to send out to DJ's. The cost of manufacture and shipping to DJ's was huge. Overnight DJ's could use CD's. It's much cheaper to manufacture and half the price to ship, an added bonus was that music could be burnt straight from a pc where the track had been written and in a DJ's hands the following day being played to a packed club that evening. For labels and producers this was a fantastic way to promote new music and for the DJ this was bliss new music really quickly - fresh and exclusive! All went well with this new format until the mp3 came along. Suddenly promotional music was finding its way onto the file sharing sites like Limewire and Soulseek. DJ's who had been sent music on CD or even emailed as mp3's began sharing this music. The thought process behind people doing this went against all that had gone before as most DJ's hide their secret weapons rather than sharing with anyone at all. This had a knock on by taking the control the labels had of who had their product when and where away. Also potential revenue began being lost and to a section of the music industry where every sale counts this was frustrating and hugely detrimental. Dance music releases usually only have a shelf life of around 8 weeks. There are obvious exceptions to this rule but 95% of releases are played in clubs and sell for this length of time and that's it. File sharing screwed this up by both the sales and also the structure of the chosen few influencing bigger DJ's not having something they can fully get behind during the promotional stage of a release. Therefore less people got to hear it, less are influenced and less potentially buy it. The industry has never really recovered from file sharing but more recently the sale of mp3's and specifically dance music mp3's has boomed and this has helped to a certain extent slow the decline and with time the scene could once again flourish. The one problem dance music has encountered with sales of mp3's is price but that is another story.
Beer Bottle Openers
House music has always been pushed forward by DJ's wanting and craving new music. Music that their peer's haven't yet heard let alone had the ability to own. Music that is upfront and rare. As the volume of dance labels and artists increased towards the end of the last millennium, mainly due to the ability to produce very highly polished music on a simple pc, the sales quantity of each release decreased as the market did not increase with amount of new music flooding in. With this change record companies needed to address costs to reflect these lower sales. Label's looked to technology to help cut the costs of running their business. One major area where this came to fruition was promotions. For years the DJ's choice and only option was vinyl, clubs only had vinyl turntables and in the odd instance where they did have CD turntables they were very poor. This changed with the launch of the pioneer CDJ series. DJ's were suddenly able to do everything they could on vinyl turntables and more but using CD's. Labels had previously had only one option to press a run of promotional records to send out to DJ's. The cost of manufacture and shipping to DJ's was huge. Overnight DJ's could use CD's. It's much cheaper to manufacture and half the price to ship, an added bonus was that music could be burnt straight from a pc where the track had been written and in a DJ's hands the following day being played to a packed club that evening. For labels and producers this was a fantastic way to promote new music and for the DJ this was bliss new music really quickly - fresh and exclusive! All went well with this new format until the mp3 came along. Suddenly promotional music was finding its way onto the file sharing sites like Limewire and Soulseek. DJ's who had been sent music on CD or even emailed as mp3's began sharing this music. The thought process behind people doing this went against all that had gone before as most DJ's hide their secret weapons rather than sharing with anyone at all. This had a knock on by taking the control the labels had of who had their product when and where away. Also potential revenue began being lost and to a section of the music industry where every sale counts this was frustrating and hugely detrimental. Dance music releases usually only have a shelf life of around 8 weeks. There are obvious exceptions to this rule but 95% of releases are played in clubs and sell for this length of time and that's it. File sharing screwed this up by both the sales and also the structure of the chosen few influencing bigger DJ's not having something they can fully get behind during the promotional stage of a release. Therefore less people got to hear it, less are influenced and less potentially buy it. The industry has never really recovered from file sharing but more recently the sale of mp3's and specifically dance music mp3's has boomed and this has helped to a certain extent slow the decline and with time the scene could once again flourish. The one problem dance music has encountered with sales of mp3's is price but that is another story.
Beer Bottle Openers
Aug
20
Amazing Prague: in the Heart of Europe
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Ismail Popov asked:
Prague is ranking among the most beautiful and charismatic capitals in Europe. Right after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Czech capital became a preferred tourist destination for many tourists. Prague is divided into five districts, Castle being the historic area surrounded by Lesser Town, an Old Town and a New Town, as well as the old Jewish Town. All these districts have plenty of attractions, historical places and cultural monuments, magical bridges above Vltava River, pleasant parks and recreation zones. The places of interest that should be seen are so many that they make tourists hungry and thirsty. That is why in our first press release on Prague we will present the Prague tradition of drinking beer and trying traditional Czech dishes. Lunch is the favourite time to eat out for the Prague people and the tourists alike. That is why the typical Czech beer-halls named pivnice, the pubs and restaurants could be quite crowdy at that time and a previous reservation is required. The tourists spots for eating out are along the river and the places wherefrom the castle could be seen. Another nice place to have quick lunch and watch how life in Prague goes by is the Old Town Square. The cuisine of Czechs is characterized with influences from the Hungarian and Polish, German and Austrian cuisines and is not diet-like. It is based on meat with vegetables, potatoes or rice in heavy sauces. The most typical dish the tourist could try is knedlo, which comes with bread, roast pork and sauerkraut and is usually ordered with beer. Beer is the national drink in Czech Republic and thus the tourists will find many places to try the local beer varieties. The most famous Czech beers are Plzen, Staropramen, Starobrno, Budvar, however locals and tourists love to try various types of beer like light and dark, with different strength this being 10%, 12%, etc. There is also draught beer that comes unpasteurised and unfiltered yeast beer. The tip ranges from ten to fifteen per cent of the bill and is ok if the client leaves one or two euros. Besides pivnice, Prague has many night clubs where could be enjoyed live music of various kinds, trend clubs with DJs performances and stylish Jazz Clubs for the music connoisseurs. The nightlife is further spiced up with strip clubs and casinos. Thanks to the many low-cost flights available, today Prague welcomes a growing number of tourists. The city is a delightful destination for long-weekends, romantic holidays, stag and hen parties, etc. Now that the city has become such a major tourist hotspot, accommodation services are better than ever. The hotel we have picked today for the tourists is Hotels Prague. Welcome to Prague!
Outdoor Living
Prague is ranking among the most beautiful and charismatic capitals in Europe. Right after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Czech capital became a preferred tourist destination for many tourists. Prague is divided into five districts, Castle being the historic area surrounded by Lesser Town, an Old Town and a New Town, as well as the old Jewish Town. All these districts have plenty of attractions, historical places and cultural monuments, magical bridges above Vltava River, pleasant parks and recreation zones. The places of interest that should be seen are so many that they make tourists hungry and thirsty. That is why in our first press release on Prague we will present the Prague tradition of drinking beer and trying traditional Czech dishes. Lunch is the favourite time to eat out for the Prague people and the tourists alike. That is why the typical Czech beer-halls named pivnice, the pubs and restaurants could be quite crowdy at that time and a previous reservation is required. The tourists spots for eating out are along the river and the places wherefrom the castle could be seen. Another nice place to have quick lunch and watch how life in Prague goes by is the Old Town Square. The cuisine of Czechs is characterized with influences from the Hungarian and Polish, German and Austrian cuisines and is not diet-like. It is based on meat with vegetables, potatoes or rice in heavy sauces. The most typical dish the tourist could try is knedlo, which comes with bread, roast pork and sauerkraut and is usually ordered with beer. Beer is the national drink in Czech Republic and thus the tourists will find many places to try the local beer varieties. The most famous Czech beers are Plzen, Staropramen, Starobrno, Budvar, however locals and tourists love to try various types of beer like light and dark, with different strength this being 10%, 12%, etc. There is also draught beer that comes unpasteurised and unfiltered yeast beer. The tip ranges from ten to fifteen per cent of the bill and is ok if the client leaves one or two euros. Besides pivnice, Prague has many night clubs where could be enjoyed live music of various kinds, trend clubs with DJs performances and stylish Jazz Clubs for the music connoisseurs. The nightlife is further spiced up with strip clubs and casinos. Thanks to the many low-cost flights available, today Prague welcomes a growing number of tourists. The city is a delightful destination for long-weekends, romantic holidays, stag and hen parties, etc. Now that the city has become such a major tourist hotspot, accommodation services are better than ever. The hotel we have picked today for the tourists is Hotels Prague. Welcome to Prague!
Outdoor Living
Aug
19
Hiring A Bar Mitzvah DJ: Questions to Ask and Opinions To Offer
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Joe Pachino asked:
Regardless of market size, how do you know who's the cream of the Disc Jockey crop? As you speak with DJs, pay particular attention to their professionalism on the phone. It often tends to spill over into their DJ style. A strained conversation doesn't bode well for your piece of mind. Mobile Disc Jockey publications and trade groups exist. Does your DJ subscribe? Is he a participating member? Ask. And ask about a request policy. A good DJ should work some guest requests into his routine. However, don't expect him to play them all. They may be inappropriate for the mood of the event. A DJ isn't just a record changer. He wants to motivate the crowd. The art of DJing is timing, and forcing him to ignore his instincts by playing every request will result in an "uneven" (and less fun) party. But DJs aim to please and anticipate requests. (I receive, in large part, the same ones at every affair!) It's OK to provide a list of a few songs and tell your DJ that they're "Must Have." But don't make a list pages long. Also remember, given the opportunity to make that list, the "nature of the beast" is that 13-year olds are self-centered. They'll always list their favorite tunes, giving no thought to adult preferences or DJ leeway. They won't notice, nor care about, the adults who are sitting there gritting their teeth to the Top 10 on MTV. Beats Per Minute should remain constant throughout a "dance" song. Slow dances have 60-80 BPM and up-tempo numbers have twice as many. If a tune goes through several rhythm changes, it's quite difficult to dance to. And occasionally, adults won't consider "danceability," either. I recently played a party where a gentleman requested "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" by Crosby, Stills and Nash. We all grew up listening to this tune and, while I carry the song, I didn't want to play it because you simply can't dance to it. I knew that if I played it, it would clear the dance floor! Not only that, but the song is over seven minutes long. An empty floor for SEVEN MINUTES...watch the DJ start to schvitz! He'll need a bath towel for the perspiration. Your child will also give no thought to song lyrics. Unless you're on top of today's CDs (many have Parental Advisories), you may be shocked at some lyrics. And even if you happen to enjoy those songs yourself, Aunt Tilly might faint! Your DJ should be aware of the lyrics, but you can still supply him with a "Don't Play" list. Lyric issues aside, some other songs are silly, but they're fun. And that's really all you want your affair to be, right? So welcome those novelty dances and interactive songs (which don't require a dance partner) like The Hokey Pokey, Macarena, Hands Up, Bunny Hop, The Electric Slide or Cha-Cha Slide. If your DJ plays one or two, or three or four, it'll motivate your guests and occupy the dancefloor. (Your DJ will suck in his breath and play them all. He may be weary of these tunes, but they're his bread and butter songs.) Variety in music is essential and your DJ will bring a much larger assortment, but time only allows for 60-70 songs in a typical 4-hour show. Having the proper 65 is what's important. DJs won't track through all of Engelbert Humperdinck's Greatest Hits at your Mitzvah, just as they won't play Heavy Metal or Rap music at a Class of '60 Reunion. A Bar/Bat Mitzvah party range duration is 3 to 5 hours. How long should yours be? If your function is for adults as well as children, plan 3 or 4 hours for a luncheon and 4 or 5 for an evening affair. NOTE: If your party is for your child's friends only, 3 hours is sufficient. That fourth hour at a kids-only party seems to last much longer than 60 minutes! Are you planning a luncheon or an evening reception? There are pros and cons to both. Either way, you have plenty of company. It doesn't mean a thing one way or the other but, for the past several years, the percentage of my clients having luncheons has been increasing. Last year, it was just about a draw. But the time of day is irrelevant. Your guests and your child's friends expect two things: food and fun. You take care of the food. Your DJ will handle the rest.
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Regardless of market size, how do you know who's the cream of the Disc Jockey crop? As you speak with DJs, pay particular attention to their professionalism on the phone. It often tends to spill over into their DJ style. A strained conversation doesn't bode well for your piece of mind. Mobile Disc Jockey publications and trade groups exist. Does your DJ subscribe? Is he a participating member? Ask. And ask about a request policy. A good DJ should work some guest requests into his routine. However, don't expect him to play them all. They may be inappropriate for the mood of the event. A DJ isn't just a record changer. He wants to motivate the crowd. The art of DJing is timing, and forcing him to ignore his instincts by playing every request will result in an "uneven" (and less fun) party. But DJs aim to please and anticipate requests. (I receive, in large part, the same ones at every affair!) It's OK to provide a list of a few songs and tell your DJ that they're "Must Have." But don't make a list pages long. Also remember, given the opportunity to make that list, the "nature of the beast" is that 13-year olds are self-centered. They'll always list their favorite tunes, giving no thought to adult preferences or DJ leeway. They won't notice, nor care about, the adults who are sitting there gritting their teeth to the Top 10 on MTV. Beats Per Minute should remain constant throughout a "dance" song. Slow dances have 60-80 BPM and up-tempo numbers have twice as many. If a tune goes through several rhythm changes, it's quite difficult to dance to. And occasionally, adults won't consider "danceability," either. I recently played a party where a gentleman requested "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" by Crosby, Stills and Nash. We all grew up listening to this tune and, while I carry the song, I didn't want to play it because you simply can't dance to it. I knew that if I played it, it would clear the dance floor! Not only that, but the song is over seven minutes long. An empty floor for SEVEN MINUTES...watch the DJ start to schvitz! He'll need a bath towel for the perspiration. Your child will also give no thought to song lyrics. Unless you're on top of today's CDs (many have Parental Advisories), you may be shocked at some lyrics. And even if you happen to enjoy those songs yourself, Aunt Tilly might faint! Your DJ should be aware of the lyrics, but you can still supply him with a "Don't Play" list. Lyric issues aside, some other songs are silly, but they're fun. And that's really all you want your affair to be, right? So welcome those novelty dances and interactive songs (which don't require a dance partner) like The Hokey Pokey, Macarena, Hands Up, Bunny Hop, The Electric Slide or Cha-Cha Slide. If your DJ plays one or two, or three or four, it'll motivate your guests and occupy the dancefloor. (Your DJ will suck in his breath and play them all. He may be weary of these tunes, but they're his bread and butter songs.) Variety in music is essential and your DJ will bring a much larger assortment, but time only allows for 60-70 songs in a typical 4-hour show. Having the proper 65 is what's important. DJs won't track through all of Engelbert Humperdinck's Greatest Hits at your Mitzvah, just as they won't play Heavy Metal or Rap music at a Class of '60 Reunion. A Bar/Bat Mitzvah party range duration is 3 to 5 hours. How long should yours be? If your function is for adults as well as children, plan 3 or 4 hours for a luncheon and 4 or 5 for an evening affair. NOTE: If your party is for your child's friends only, 3 hours is sufficient. That fourth hour at a kids-only party seems to last much longer than 60 minutes! Are you planning a luncheon or an evening reception? There are pros and cons to both. Either way, you have plenty of company. It doesn't mean a thing one way or the other but, for the past several years, the percentage of my clients having luncheons has been increasing. Last year, it was just about a draw. But the time of day is irrelevant. Your guests and your child's friends expect two things: food and fun. You take care of the food. Your DJ will handle the rest.
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Aug
16
Keeping Up With The Times – Digital DJ Equipment
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Shaun Parker asked:
The dj world is a fast moving industry. I personally have been making the transition towards new technology of late, the recent addition of disc jockey cd and mp3 players that emulate vinyl I find incredibly efficient and useful. In previous years djs have been restricted to having to press their own vinyl records to play un-released music, but now there are several options. CD based vinyl emulators such as the excellent numark cdx & cdj800 by pioneer enable djs to play their own music or any un-released tracks and still have the full control offered by vinyl and more. Some digital software and hardware combination packages are used to play mp3s straight from a computer, such as final scratch by stanton or serato scratch by rane and are extremely useful. Often I see club djs using such software, the advantages are so great that many people are switching over from classic vinyl. What does this mean for the average clubber? Well expect to hear more variation in music selection across all fields of music. I upgraded my dj Gear about 6 months ago and haven never looked back. Whereas in the past I was using just a pair of technics sl1210 decks and a two-channel dj mixer a djm400, now I have implemented much more into my set-up, at a very affordable price. Now I have several choices on how I wish to play. I have serato scratch which enables me to play and mix any mp3 file I want as vinyl. I also bought a korg kaos pad 3 for advanced effects. For nightclub use I always carry my numark axis 9 cd player so I can play my own productions, but for a more live feel I use the amazing new ableton live software. This powerful new tool enables producers and djs to remix, loop and generally modify their tracks on-the-fly for a complete new music experience. As opposed to the old way of having to carry large amounts of vinyl in your swan flight record cases to a club (or paying someone to carry it for you!) nowadays a cd wallet or even a usb memory stick enables your entire music collection to be easily carried and played as vinyl. One of the most recent additions to this world is mixing in a pure digital way with ipod music players. New hardware such as the numark idj2 mixing console looks like it will end up being a extremely popular method for djs. The capacity of some ipods is absolutely enormous, no longer is there a need to carry 100 vinyl records around everywhere, now I can carry 100 times as much music in my pocket! Another great addition are digital audio recorders such as the ikey and ikey plus. Rather than having to record directly to pc or using cassette tapes, audio runs directly into the unit and can be saved as mp3 or WAV files. These are amazingly useful to record live sets and are a very welcome addition indeed.
Disc Jockey Equipment
The dj world is a fast moving industry. I personally have been making the transition towards new technology of late, the recent addition of disc jockey cd and mp3 players that emulate vinyl I find incredibly efficient and useful. In previous years djs have been restricted to having to press their own vinyl records to play un-released music, but now there are several options. CD based vinyl emulators such as the excellent numark cdx & cdj800 by pioneer enable djs to play their own music or any un-released tracks and still have the full control offered by vinyl and more. Some digital software and hardware combination packages are used to play mp3s straight from a computer, such as final scratch by stanton or serato scratch by rane and are extremely useful. Often I see club djs using such software, the advantages are so great that many people are switching over from classic vinyl. What does this mean for the average clubber? Well expect to hear more variation in music selection across all fields of music. I upgraded my dj Gear about 6 months ago and haven never looked back. Whereas in the past I was using just a pair of technics sl1210 decks and a two-channel dj mixer a djm400, now I have implemented much more into my set-up, at a very affordable price. Now I have several choices on how I wish to play. I have serato scratch which enables me to play and mix any mp3 file I want as vinyl. I also bought a korg kaos pad 3 for advanced effects. For nightclub use I always carry my numark axis 9 cd player so I can play my own productions, but for a more live feel I use the amazing new ableton live software. This powerful new tool enables producers and djs to remix, loop and generally modify their tracks on-the-fly for a complete new music experience. As opposed to the old way of having to carry large amounts of vinyl in your swan flight record cases to a club (or paying someone to carry it for you!) nowadays a cd wallet or even a usb memory stick enables your entire music collection to be easily carried and played as vinyl. One of the most recent additions to this world is mixing in a pure digital way with ipod music players. New hardware such as the numark idj2 mixing console looks like it will end up being a extremely popular method for djs. The capacity of some ipods is absolutely enormous, no longer is there a need to carry 100 vinyl records around everywhere, now I can carry 100 times as much music in my pocket! Another great addition are digital audio recorders such as the ikey and ikey plus. Rather than having to record directly to pc or using cassette tapes, audio runs directly into the unit and can be saved as mp3 or WAV files. These are amazingly useful to record live sets and are a very welcome addition indeed.
Disc Jockey Equipment
Aug
15
The Pros and Cons of Becoming a Disc Jockey
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Sarika Kabra asked:
Want to be a disc jockey? Learn a few details about the life of a disc jockey before you try your luck in this field. This article will give you a glimpse into the actual job of disc jockeys. Their lives may seem to be full of fun but they also need to work very hard. If you really love music and want to be surrounded with music all your life, you may fare well in this job, but even then you may have to make many tough choices. For one, the money may not be that great in the beginning. Since, this is such a niche profession, there are certain known names in this field that are requested for time and again. Thus, to make your own mark, you have to be creative and different. Disc Jockeys can play for clubs or for radio stations. Disc Jockeys not only need to be aware of music software to carry out music mixing but also must be able to interest the audience with their small talk. This is particularly true for radio disc jockeys. They have to be able to hold the listener’s interest by interspersing good music with smart one-liners or other interesting programs. They have to not only carry out music recording but also be good talkers. The specialty of disc jockeys in night club is that they must be able to download music that is trendy and then present in a way that gets the crowd grooving. They need to play the latest and most happening music and do it in a way that is sensitive to the dancers’ requirements. The job is certainly not an easy one as most disc jockeys have to work very late hours and may have to face a lot of isolation due to the nature of their job. Moreover, there is not a very huge market in small towns and to be successful; they have to move to urban areas for more options. The job of disc jockeys is often considered to be very lonely. They have to be all by themselves, mixing music in small sound proof rooms. When working for radio stations, radio jockeys may not only have to be involved in music but also in keeping the listener’s interest alive by interviewing the public and hosting other talk shows. They have to be very highly in tune to the latest issues to be able to chat while playing music. They have to keep track of the time and co ordinate music, talk show, requests and commercial breaks. They have to be well prepared with spicy and interesting tidbits and organize the whole program. Moreover, disc jockeys needs to be able to work with all the recording software and even learn something about studio equipment. They have to adjust sound and music and have erratic working hours. Since the radio stations are on air 24 hours in a day, the radio jockeys need to be called anytime of the day and must be always prepared. They must have good speaking voices and good grasp of the language in which they broadcast. So choose this profession only if your passion for music is strong enough to overcome all odds that you may have to face as a disc jockey.
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Want to be a disc jockey? Learn a few details about the life of a disc jockey before you try your luck in this field. This article will give you a glimpse into the actual job of disc jockeys. Their lives may seem to be full of fun but they also need to work very hard. If you really love music and want to be surrounded with music all your life, you may fare well in this job, but even then you may have to make many tough choices. For one, the money may not be that great in the beginning. Since, this is such a niche profession, there are certain known names in this field that are requested for time and again. Thus, to make your own mark, you have to be creative and different. Disc Jockeys can play for clubs or for radio stations. Disc Jockeys not only need to be aware of music software to carry out music mixing but also must be able to interest the audience with their small talk. This is particularly true for radio disc jockeys. They have to be able to hold the listener’s interest by interspersing good music with smart one-liners or other interesting programs. They have to not only carry out music recording but also be good talkers. The specialty of disc jockeys in night club is that they must be able to download music that is trendy and then present in a way that gets the crowd grooving. They need to play the latest and most happening music and do it in a way that is sensitive to the dancers’ requirements. The job is certainly not an easy one as most disc jockeys have to work very late hours and may have to face a lot of isolation due to the nature of their job. Moreover, there is not a very huge market in small towns and to be successful; they have to move to urban areas for more options. The job of disc jockeys is often considered to be very lonely. They have to be all by themselves, mixing music in small sound proof rooms. When working for radio stations, radio jockeys may not only have to be involved in music but also in keeping the listener’s interest alive by interviewing the public and hosting other talk shows. They have to be very highly in tune to the latest issues to be able to chat while playing music. They have to keep track of the time and co ordinate music, talk show, requests and commercial breaks. They have to be well prepared with spicy and interesting tidbits and organize the whole program. Moreover, disc jockeys needs to be able to work with all the recording software and even learn something about studio equipment. They have to adjust sound and music and have erratic working hours. Since the radio stations are on air 24 hours in a day, the radio jockeys need to be called anytime of the day and must be always prepared. They must have good speaking voices and good grasp of the language in which they broadcast. So choose this profession only if your passion for music is strong enough to overcome all odds that you may have to face as a disc jockey.
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