Digital mix setups Vs Analog Turntables.

Tonight I want to talk to y'all about the big to do over analog vs Digital setups and hopefully I can help shine some light on the subject and I want to start by making it clear: There is always going to be respect due on both sides of the fence on this issue. An analog setup has its feel by its nature and so does a digital one. But i feel like the blend of the two is where its at.

Just so y'all know I only mix on digital mixing units and I would strongly encourage you to do the same, even if your setup with a couple sweet Technic tables, I would look into getting a digital interface, some midi records and hooking your tables up to the laptop through Serato or Virtal DJ (my fav). If you're experienced behind tables already I feel ya on that and just want you to know you can transfer that vynl library over, search thru it faster and manipulate it more than before you ever went digital. Try it you'll like it and you're turntablisim skills will shine through backed by your new found digital bossness (bpms comparisons, quick locks, cue points jump to's lighting controls video out options just amazing control over elements you couldn't hold onto in the same way as before.)


Old school Vynl DJ's have earned their bragging rights by consistently being able to pull of pre-meditated mixes/Sets without ANY digital help what so ever.  I'm talking about no BPM info  front of you unless you wrote it down. No length of track, No waveforms that show where the build and breaks are. All of which are bonus' of course to mixing digitally. That's not to say that because you are behind a laptop that your job has been so incredibly simplified that you shouldn't be proud of your hard work.  The way I like to see it is if your not able to take those mix sessions to the next level having all of that informan in front of you then maybe you need to really practice using waht you have.  I feel like a lot of the arguing back and forth may stem from the idea that the hard part has been done for the digial mixer. Not so.  To earn your respects as a digital DJ you better be able to pull off some crazy mixes using every tool at your disposal (bpm, track length, genres, file organization, samples and cuts labeling, effect modulation etc.)

I don't ever like to think of the digital era as simplifying the old, if it doesn in fact do so it only provides an opportunity to accomplish the previously unthinkable. So take your digi gift and fly.

Turntables AND a Laptop wtf is that?!  

Haha yea, I had that same reaction when I first saW someone spinning with 2 turntable a laptop.  Jaw dropped I did a little research and found out you can actually sync your turntables to your laptop by getting special "midi" records, and the right audio interface (external sound card needed to make it all work). You can then manipulate your mixes on screen using the same turntables you've always had or maybe just decided to add to your setup. That being said it's possible to connect all kinds of things to you setup from Kaoss pads (effects modualtor by KORG) to Drum Machines of all kinds to Guitar Bass and Distortion Pedels. Don't ever get stuck in that mode where your creativity suffers from cultural norms, push those limits till they bend break and shatter. And let the bass kick.
Let. The. Bass. Kick.