Archive for 2010
Will DJing be lost without the 1200?
It's been over a month since the announcement of the discontinuation of the Technics SL-1200 analog turntables. We've seen practically every DJ-oriented web site spread the word, but we held back. The main reason is when the first word came out, it was yet again speculation...rumor. We've seen these types of reports about as much as we hear of a Verizon iPhone, but apparently this time there is real truth, and a letter dispatched from Panasonic thus shows that they will discontinue the production of analog turntables. Now one could speculate that they are simply discontinuing the MK6, but not the MK5 and MK2, but the letter more or less taken at word means the 1200 is now history.
Perfect Shooting VS Post Production
Ever since I got into photography I've been blessed to meet and network with many professionals in the field. In my exploration, I've come to find two circles of reasoning in how they look at it all. Circle A is of the mind that one should shoot perfectly right from the start. Lighting, white balance, etc. all set and repeatedly tested so you do your shoot and the resulting files are ready to go. Circle B is of the mind that while good shooting skills are a must, post-production is now a vital necessity in modern photography. Often times I see the two circles of thought clash, as old school film shooters think software has now cheapened and made a fakery of the art, while others believe software and even digital has taken photography to new levels one could only dream of in the past.
Who's right? Has the realm of digital, Photoshop, Lightroom, and all the added tools made the basic photo skills "optional"? Or are the old ways antiquated? Let's explore.
Review: Midi Fighter
Midi controls are becoming more and more popular in the DJ spectrum with their compact size and creative dimensions, and San Francisco-based company DJTechTools is taking it one step further with the Midi-Fighter.
The Midi-Fighter is a very simple midi control consisting of sixteen arcade-style buttons on it. Yes, the very same kind of buttons you might have used to blast aliens in Space Invaders or hurl fireballs at M. Bison in Street Fighter. One might wonder why they would obtain such a control for DJ functions, but I say "why not?"
Review: Platinum Notes
Any DJ who has dealt with MP3s has seen this happen. You get some new promo, a freebie from someone, or even purchase a track off a web site, and you find out it sounds terrible. No, not the idea that the track itself is bad, but more the sound quality. Too low, too high (with distortion), badly EQed, flat sound, bad mastering basically.
We are in the age of the bedroom producer. Millions of kids out there are cranking out electronic music at a record pace in their bedrooms, and we as DJs have to sift through the loads of great ideas that come out, but were badly executed.
Thankfully, the gang at Mixed In Key came up with a solution - Platinum Notes.
Review: Mixed In Key
Every year, technology makes the world of the DJ far more outgrow the simpler days of two turntables and a mixer. The quest for perfect sound in a mix has lead to what is seen as a new trend in Harmonic Mixing. The idea of not just matching beats or even phrases of music, but now making your mixes harmonically sound.
This idea is not new though. Back in the day many DJs would mark on their records or put labels on the sleeves telling of what key their tracks were in. I still see some do it even today. Some remix services even provided this information for club DJs in order to maintain a good sound.
Review: X-Session Pro and Torq LE
OK, it might seem silly that after I've owned the M-Audio Connectiv with Torq and an Xponent that I'd go out and buy what many DJs see as a "toy", but I'll admit the X-Session Pro became a temptation when I had need of a simple, small, and inexpensive midi control. Seeing as there wasn't a lot of competition at the time for the needs this controller fulfills, it was a steal.
