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Forum: General Discussion

Topic: Has Tehnology Taken The Skill Out Of DJIng - Page: 1

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Hay Guys.... and Girls (Coz Im Not Sexist)
I’m Currently Doing An ICT Diploma In The UK and We Have To Do A Project Were We Find Out If People Think That Advancements In Technology (COMPUTER SOFTWARE) Have Taken The Skill Out Of DJ, Admittedly I'll Probably Get A Rather One Sided Augment From This, But What Do You Think???
 
发表时间 Tue 27 Sep 11 @ 6:39 am
It has taken some of the skill out yes, but the computer can't pick the music and deal with the crowd.

It depends what type of DJ you are and where in the world you play.

Although some may disagree, I still prefer things the way they are now. If things stayed the same forever we'd still be lighting fires with sticks and riding horses to get to work.

Keith
 
[rant] for the new generation of dj's modern technology has completely eradicated the notion of skill in djing, it has gone from something that needed to be practiced, understood and executed... to a standard fomula that any old hack can do to a satisfactoy degee and because of the reliance on technology everything sounds the same.

now dj's create a set list without even listening to a song all because the key and bpm match, and the idea of listening to the music to beat match is gone and now done with a pre calculated beatgid and a sync button, which many new dj's will find impossible to correct because of their inability to hear what to do to correct the beat.

for this reason, many noobs who start will never leave the bedoom.

on the other side of that argument, if you have the skill technology can increase the ability of a dj to perform[/rant]
 
the absolute and most vital skills a dj can and must have is the ability to be able to read and entertain a group of people.

no bit of technology yet, that i know of, can read a crowd and in once glance determine what kind of music needs to be played by their dress, age, manner of behavior/state of mind, geographic location, or demographic breakdown.
and as far as entertaining a group of people i don't just mean playing music - dj's must interact to entertain even if they aren't required to talk to the crowd. the dj's mannerisms while performing are noticed by the crowd and they WILL interact - whether or not it is a positive or negative interaction.

no amount of technical skill with a computer, cd player, or turntable can teach that to a dj. and there will be many who argue that learning to use the equipment is a must have skill. i taught my son when he was 6 to use VDJ on a computer - it is a tool that can be used like any other. but dj'ing is an more of an art form than a skill that is learned.

taken the skill out of? no. but it has made life much easier and made us able to deliver a better product to our customers. vans that used to hold crates and crates of records that had to be hauled around and not much else except turntables and speakers, now hold a computer, a controller and or turntables for some, speakers, and a light show. all of which help give a better performance. better performance = more income from references or repeat bookings.
resident dj's too now have more time for customer interaction, planning sets, and controlling their crowds better.

in the future, who knows maybe there will be technology that replaces us - but for now, we're here.
 
Ok, so "wildcountryclub" you say that it hasn’t taken he skill out of DJing, which is fair enough, I get that a DJ has to interact with the crowd and technology cant do that for you. But what I meant was, has it taken the skill out of mixing itself, and surly you must admit that if you can teach a 6 year old to mix using computer software, that surely it must have?
 
LOL. never said he was good at it, but the point was that he, like most anyone, could learn to use a tool.

but i see what you mean - almost anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of the equipment and working ears can use it to mix two songs together. but the actual skill of mixing is still mental. you can proficiently use the best equipment in the world and still lose your crowds interest by mixing at the wrong place in the song, being off the beat, or even if not actually mixing and just playing them back to back.
the number one peice of equipment that gets the most use when dj'ing: the mark 1 mod 1 human brain. that is where the skill resides - not in some peice of kit.
 
minitufty wrote :
Hay Guys.... and Girls (Coz Im Not Sexist)
I’m Currently Doing An ICT Diploma In The UK and We Have To Do A Project Were We Find Out If People Think That Advancements In Technology (COMPUTER SOFTWARE) Have Taken The Skill Out Of DJ, Admittedly I'll Probably Get A Rather One Sided Augment From This, But What Do You Think???


To those starting out and depends on the software to do the job, yes, it has taken the skill out of it. Anyone can now dnld the Top50 songs from iTunes nowadays and DJ a party using the sync button. Hell you don't even need gear anymore, just a laptop.

To those that have learned the proper way of beat matching, phrasing, reading the crowd, and specializing in his craft and not just the whole "I will play any event and music for money" crap. Then technology enhances the learned skill.

It's a double edged sword. Technology can enhance or cripple depends on how you use it. Much like any tool out there. I can use a knife to cut my steak or stab and kill someone. It is up to the person to decide. If one is comfortable in using the sync button, or automix to do the party and not bother to learn the craft fully, then so be it. I feel sorry for the client who hires this guy, they could've just gotten a stereo and plug in an iPod. I have no respect for that guy nor do I consider him a DJ. I also have no respect for the jukebox DJ. The guy that has a PC and bunch of songs, sits there and just takes request all night and charges the client seen this at many wedding I have attended. I was really surprised to find out what they charge too. No mixing, playing crappy songs when no one requested anything, did not know handle the flow of music. One DJ at a 16th birthday party, using VDJ no less, would go from 80BPM to 130BPM, from hip-hop to rock to slow song. There was no structure to his playlist at all. He would even wait for the song to finish, a second of dead are and start the other one. But they are out there calling themselves "DJ" Anyone with an iTunes account and a PC/Mac can call themselves "DJ" now.
 
The main difference you'll find in my opinion, is what the word "DJ" means to people........ For me its someone who beat matches, scratches, breaks beats etc, etc. To me what Wild describes is nothing more then a juke box with a heart beat, although he's great at what he does! I do agree with Syn and have seen these new kids train wrecking and have no clue what to do to fix it. On the other hand technology has made things alot easier which in return should make the DJ more creative in his/her sets.

Huey
 
Has it made getting the bpm of two tracks the same to get them ready to mix? The answer to that has to be yes.

Has it taken the skill out of DJing? Definately no.

As others have said there is an awful amount more to DJing than simply mixing any old songs together. Playing the right songs at the right time, mixing in and out at the right time, reading the crowd, interacting with the crowd, etc... Matching BPMs is a tiny part of DJing.

Software is a tool that is used by a good DJ to enhance their performance and enable them to get so much more out of their work, ultimately giving a better night to the customers.

BPM reading equipment has been around for a long time, way before software was used as it is now. Plenty of CDJ's do this and have done for years. The skill of beat matching purely by ear was lost when we went away from vinyl.

I believe that software has made me a better DJ, not because I use it to mix (which I dont) but because it makes the job of mixing quicker, it gives instant searching for music and leaves me to use the time saved to give a better show and do stuff with music that I would never have been able to do with vinyl (loops etc).

Also with an internet connection you can get music on the fly so no more having to tell customers you dont have the song they want (unless its crap of course :p)
 
synthet1c wrote :


* The reliance on technology has made everything sounds the same.

* Many noobs who start will never leave the bedoom.

* On the other side of that argument, if you have the skill technology can increase the ability of a dj to perform.


Agreed, More people going know-where soon. I think it's harder for them as the never fully understand it as we did/do, I see people on here with exp or even VIP status that still have so much to learn.

I see in Leeds (UK) - city centre that most DJ's are either newish (post digital) and are in the "everything sounds the same" category where they just can't make a set come alive or they are old skool to the point that they started prior to pitch controls being introduced on turntables and althought they have updated their gear they haven't updated their mentality i.e. learnt to mix.

I think I'll do well in Leeds :)

I noticed that those DJ's that I knew that were crap pre digital are still crap post digital, a good set/mix especially with chart or party music is still a skill, I use technology to enhance my sets and to make my shows even better. Since I don't take creates along with me anymore I now find myself taking even more equipment with me to compensate which is great.

Remember know one likes a milliminist.

Another thing to take into account is that reputation still plays the biggest part in this game, I charge twice as much as some do simply because those that are charging less are deemed not as skilful an know one whats them. Their nothing more than automix DJ's that don't speak and that don't know their way around the equipment, basically complete noobs and not even DJ's in my opinion. Some of these have been at it for 20 years but it really just wasnt the job for them.
 
Funny - Paul Dakeyne has just written an article on this very subject on the DV247 web site....

Has tech taken the skill out of DJing? Hmmm...

Has power steering taken the skill out of driving? Have nail guns taken the skill out of using a hammer?

First you have to ask - what is the "skill of DJing"? Is it being able to beat mix? Being able to scratch "aaaaaah!" in time to the music?

No, to me it's knowledge of music and love of music, and sharing that with people.
 
All great pieces of information above that you can work with and I think groovindj hit the mark for the foundation of your question ...

groovindj wrote :
First you have to ask - what is the "skill of DJing"?


Not to trust Wikipedia for a 100% definition, but the opening statement hits the mark exactly (IMO) on what is a DJ ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_jockey

"A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience."

So, if you ask your question again ... No, technology hasn't taken the skill out of being a DJ. What is has done is IMPROVED upon it by making more information available to the DJ and faster, so the DJ can select and play their music.

As mentioned there is an 'emotional' factor to the selection that technology is FAR from being able to do. And that SKILL is the DJ's ability to FEEL (READ) what the crowd is doing and select what is best suited for the next track.

Then you get from the FEEL or READING of the crowd to the next SKILL which is really an ART. That ART is how the next track will be played. Will it be using a Cut, Blend, Scratch, etc. on how you transition that selection in.

And then the process starts over with the last two statements above ... which technology can only assist the DJ with, but it will never replace it nor diminish the skill.
 
"all right, move along. move along, nothing more to see here."

and that was it in a nutshell from Cstoll. goonight folks, it's time for me to get ready to be a "jukebox with a heartbeat"
 
Whatever bro, don't take it out on context. I said what you described and in my opinion, never said that was you so i guess if you wanna wear the shoes feel free...........

Good Day
Huey
 
minitufty wrote :

TEHNOLOGY
TAKIN
Hay
Were
Augment


It certainly appears to have taken the skill out of spelling, grammar and punctuation!
 
wildcountryclub wrote :
"all right, move along. move along, nothing more to see here."


hmmm, not what I was trying to do at all ... was just giving my 2 cents.

Now if you want an answer or opinion to what technology has done to a particular DJ skill then you need to look at the 'cut-throat' attitude of DJs. But that is an entirely different topic ....

So, back on topic ... :)
 
Agree Totally cstoll, That Is the Primary "Skill Loss" that experienced DJ are experiencing to the Crumb Snatching Cheap-Jay's......Nothing else comes close...
 
Has the advancement of technology in the automobile taken the skill out of driving?
 
Was out driving today and the same people were out trying to hit me, they have newer cars. They still can't drive for $hit.
 
I tried Jason, your a tough driver to whack though. Where did you learn to drive like that? I mean the car on two wheels thing was AWESOME!!!
 
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