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Thread: is it me or has the controller market really slowed down?

  1. #11
    Moderator DJ Bobcat's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DJ Matt View Post
    I never took Controllers seriously for scratching or even manual beatmatching for that matter.
    I see it purely as a practical and portable option.
    I know plenty of DJs have managed to do good scratching on these, not saying it cant be done, but seems like a silly selling point to me. just get the real thing if you want to scratch
    Hmmm???... I can scratch with my Denon MC6000MK2 just fine, though it’s not something I do a lot of. Mostly I do it if I’m showing off, but since I play a lot of Country and Jazz, it feels out of place.😂 Likewise, I manually beat match almost exclusively. Maybe if you learned how to DJ without a controller, they seem a little awkward. But I started DJing on a controller, so I had to learn how to use it to its fullest.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  2. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by DJ Bobcat View Post
    But I started DJing on a controller, so I had to learn how to use it to its fullest.
    Here I always thought you were one of the (many) Boomers on this forum.
    But the number of US Supreme Court judges was always 6.
    Then it was 5, then 6, then 7, then 9, then 10, then 7, and then 9.

  3. #13
    Moderator DJ Bobcat's Avatar
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    is it me or has the controller market really slowed down?

    Quote Originally Posted by Windows 95 View Post
    Here I always thought you were one of the (many) Boomers on this forum.
    Oh, yeah... I’m old!😂 But I didn’t start up my DJ Business until I retired 5 1/2 years ago. I started buying gear 6 months or so before that. I bought an American Audio VMS 4.1 controller as a starter, learned on it, and used it for 3 years before buying a Pioneer DDJ-T1. The T1 was an upgrade in many respects, but it was BIG!!! So I bought the Denon MC6000MK2, and it’s a great controller. So I bought another one (backup).😊 It took me a while to get proficient, but for me it just takes practice... lots and lots of practice.😂

    Having been a computer geek even before the advent of personal computers, I digitized my music many years before most people, so I already had a huge digital music library of 100K plus tracks. A PC and a controller were a natural for me.😊 I can’t imagine how difficult (and cumbersome) it was to use vinyl, tapes, or CD’s, but I’m glad I never had to.
    Last edited by DJ Bobcat; 03-07-2020 at 06:24 AM.

  4. #14
    BanHammer™⚒️ Manu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Panotaker View Post
    I think the main problem is the DJ market dried up. A few years ago, everybody wanted to be a DJ, and people where buying controllers left and right because they wanted to be the next Qbert. .
    Panotaker is hitting the nail.

    A few years ago, you would have a ton of noobs registering in here right on 12 minutes past midnight on the 25th of December, asking questions directly related to not reading the manual.

    Usually the controller gets a permanent allocated space either on craigslist, or the nearest cupboard during the first week of January...

    I don't remember any of these people going as far as making one single good sounding mix, and a fair proportion of those did not have the knowledge to record one, let alone having the courage of going to the recording chapter of the manual™.


    DJ Bobcat


    I already had a huge digital music library of 100K plus tracks
    As opposed to those mentioned above who have 14 tracks, and no intention of buying any. So they rip on youtube or other places, then they come back asking why the sound quality is all over the place / rubbish.


    The old recipe:

    Omelette requires eggs.
    Last edited by Manu; 03-07-2020 at 06:55 AM.

  5. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Manu View Post
    Panotaker is hitting the nail.

    A few years ago, you would have a ton of noobs registering in here right on 12 minutes past midnight on the 25th of December, asking questions directly related to not reading the manual.

    Usually the controller gets a permanent allocated space either on craigslist, or the nearest cupboard during the first week of January...

    I don't remember any of these people going as far as making one single good sounding mix, and a fair proportion of those did not have the knowledge to record one, let alone having the courage of going to the recording chapter of the manual™.




    As opposed to those mentioned above who have 14 tracks, and no intention of buying any. So they rip on youtube or other places, then they come back asking why the sound quality is all over the place / rubbish.


    The old recipe:

    Omelette requires eggs.
    I thought those guys had just migrated over to Facebook, could be wrong

    but i agree that there was a massive rush into the DJ game from around the time when music piracy became a thing, up until a few years ago, but the tide does seem to have rolled back somewhat
    probably because DJing isnt bringing in the easy money and success that was expected.
    and the population has come to realize, through trial and error, that they need dependable DJs, not just anyone who says they will DJ. its a bit like the photography business.


    actually this is just a speculation, but the world (particularly younger generations) seems to have moved away from holding large collections of music on their computer, everything is streamed via youtube and spotify now, so perhaps there is a connection.
    Last edited by DJ Matt; 03-07-2020 at 08:03 AM.

  6. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by DJ Bobcat View Post
    Hmmm???... I can scratch with my Denon MC6000MK2 just fine, though it’s not something I do a lot of. Mostly I do it if I’m showing off, but since I play a lot of Country and Jazz, it feels out of place.�� Likewise, I manually beat match almost exclusively. Maybe if you learned how to DJ without a controller, they seem a little awkward. But I started DJing on a controller, so I had to learn how to use it to its fullest.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    you have a good point, a lot of it depends on your point of view.
    to me , having come from vinyl, scratching on a controller seemed a bit like playing guitar hero instead of playing an actual guitar. but hey, as with anything DJ related. its all about how it sounds, if you can do it and it sounds good then it doesnt matter how you got there.
    but my point is that controller manufacturers seemed to spend a long time trying to overcome that stigma, while i think they might be better off just focusing on their strengths, as in, looking for and embracing new ways of DJing intead of just trying to replicate the traditional ways.

  7. #17
    BanHammer™⚒️ Manu's Avatar
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    ^^^ I hate scratching on tiny jog wheels, but it's feasible. Just not as precise as when using a proper platter.

    Quote Originally Posted by DJ Matt View Post
    I thought those guys had just migrated over to Facebook, could be wrong

    but i agree that there was a massive rush into the DJ game from around the time when music piracy became a thing, up until a few years ago, but the tide does seem to have rolled back somewhat
    probably because DJing isnt bringing in the easy money and success that was expected.
    and the population has come to realize, through trial and error, that they need dependable DJs, not just anyone who says they will DJ. its a bit like the photography business.
    Facebook is an easy access for exposition, so plenty tried that thinking their first noob mix would get some attention in there. Breaking news, it doesn't.

    Some thought it attracts easy money, stardom and bishes. Most stop at page one of the manual and their skills stay limited to mixing instant coffee with boiling water.

    When Electro became popular, every other noob was playing the Beatport top ten. They all failed to gather attention because they all sounded the same.

    No effort made in understanding the gear. No effort made in finding music. No effort made in acquiring skills because automix/autogain and all that.


    Some of you may remember that noob (forgot his name) who barged in here one day claiming he could bury the best member DJs using only his automix Hercules MK2 or whatever bottom range controller he was using. The task ended up on me, score was 52 to 1, because he voted for himself.


    Fashion victims.
    Last edited by Manu; 03-07-2020 at 09:52 AM.

  8. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Manu View Post
    No effort made in understanding the gear. No effort made in finding music. No effort made in acquiring skills because automix/autogain and all that.
    .
    I agree with you in general.
    and Coming from over 15 years of DJing vinyl before I went to controllers I would have been a big advocate of learning traditional mixing skills

    However I do think the reality of DJing has moved on from this.
    I think we have new different challenges thatn we did back in the day.

    like, the technology does some of the work for you, thats not going back. and there is an over abundance of music now compared with before. So actually I think the new challenges in DJing involve being organised with your music. Knowing your music. and also finding new ways to be creative Using other media formats, such as video, maybe doing visuals, making your own remixes, running DMX etc etc......stuff you just wouldnt have time for back in the day.

    Like, to give one example, i have a friend who has been a couple of years DJing now, relative to me she is new to the game. we got together a few weeks back to talk about DJing, specifically so that she could jump on my equipment at my residency if i needed to take a quick break, and i could do the same for her.
    during the conversation she mentioned that she still does not use the sync button, and tries to mix manually, yet there was a lot of functions on her controler such as loops, cue points etc, which she said she just doesnt use at all.
    I gave her my opinion, which is, ok when you a re totally new you should try to learn to match manually, but once your professional, you are better of focusing on things that make a difference. all of the time spent manually beatmatching is time you could be spending thinking about other things that may actually improve your performance in a way that the crowd can actually see or hear it. the thing about digital DJing, is it is so customizable now that you never now what that thing might be.
    Last edited by DJ Matt; 03-07-2020 at 10:09 AM.

  9. #19
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    ^^^ It's all about how to use the whole "tool kit" of your skills.

    I'd love to come over there from the states and see what you do, where you do it and trade notes.

  10. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Manu View Post
    Some thought it attracts easy money, stardom and bishes.
    What's funny is when I was young DJing was considered nerdy like being in being in your school's AV club or owning a computer.
    Last edited by Windows 95; 03-07-2020 at 01:26 PM.
    But the number of US Supreme Court judges was always 6.
    Then it was 5, then 6, then 7, then 9, then 10, then 7, and then 9.

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