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Author Topic: What are the popular systems?  (Read 11676 times)

Rob Spence

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What are the popular systems?
« on: May 14, 2012, 05:33:39 PM »

I am a live sound and lights provider. Sometimes I get hired to bring a PA and lights for a DJ event. I don't know much about DJ gear. I know some names (Traktor, Serato, Virtual DJ, Pioneer) but.... I have a box (virtual cd spinners and mixer) that works with Virtual DJ and I have cross rented Pioneer and Rane mixers and turntables and CD players along with a Serato box but all I had to do was take an output and run it into the PA.

So, what are the popular systems? Why?

I have a DJ event soon and his rider asks for something no one around here seems to have so...

Thanks for the education.
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Steve Kendrick

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2012, 03:56:51 PM »

Pioneer cdj 1000 /2000, Pioneer djm800 or Allen and Heath xone mixers, with
Serato  scratch live software / hardware.
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Marlow Wilson

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2012, 10:59:15 AM »

Pioneer cdj 1000 /2000, Pioneer djm800 or Allen and Heath xone mixers, with
Serato  scratch live software / hardware.

+1 on the above for most EDM.  Technics and Rane would be common (essential) for hip-hop and occasionally are requested more widely.

If someone insists on something other than a DJM 900/800 or Rane TTM they are probably full of shit.  There are touring acts who insist on Xone, Urei, or some wild vintage rotary mixers, but these guys play night clubs, 95% of which have Pioneer mixers and CDJ's and or Rane/technics.  When it comes down to it if they refused to work on either, much of their work opportunities would disappear.  Unless you're actually a big deal AND headlining whatever show is being booked, most promoters who know what they are doing are happy to TELL the DJ that a standard kit is being provided and whatever else they want they can bring.  Like anything, there are exceptions.  Booking artists from the UK sometimes requires a bit of flexibility for example.

Providing a Pioneer mixer is like providing a Yamaha console.  The 800 might be analogous to a M7, or even 5d.  I've provided DJ backline for many large scale DJ events (dozens of units) and it's very unusual to get asked for the bigger brother DJM 2000 (which might be analogous to a PM1D).

The CDJ 1000 is on its way out.  Many riders now ask for either, but because some insist on the new CDJ 2000 it's a safer option unless the rental prices are really far apart.  Most CDJ 1000's will also be a good bit older.

To answer the why question.  Pioneer has become the standard.  There are other good products, but if you're a nightclub or you want to buy what the DJ's are using. If you're a DJ you want to buy what the nightclubs are using (and so on). 
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Rob Spence

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2012, 03:27:00 PM »

Thanks Marlow. It is an education I need so I can negotiate for substitutions when the direct unit is not available.
I didn't know that a DJM1000 might not be ok to sub for an 800 or a 900 (Hey, it is a bigger number, must be better, right?).

I find out this morning that one thing on his rider (that I can't get clarification on), he brings. Sigh... why put it on the rider?
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rob at lynxaudioservices dot com

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Marlow Wilson

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2012, 03:33:03 PM »

Thanks Marlow. It is an education I need so I can negotiate for substitutions when the direct unit is not available.
I didn't know that a DJM1000 might not be ok to sub for an 800 or a 900 (Hey, it is a bigger number, must be better, right?).

I find out this morning that one thing on his rider (that I can't get clarification on), he brings. Sigh... why put it on the rider?

You have no idea what I've been through!  1000 would be a fine substitution for an 800, but maybe not a 900 as it is a newer model.  The 900 is really the new standard but there are so many 800's and they work fine that they'll be acceptable for a while.  It's hard to say for certain.
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Tracy Garner

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #5 on: May 18, 2012, 08:20:24 PM »

I am a live sound and lights provider. Sometimes I get hired to bring a PA and lights for a DJ event. I don't know much about DJ gear. I know some names (Traktor, Serato, Virtual DJ, Pioneer) but.... I have a box (virtual cd spinners and mixer) that works with Virtual DJ and I have cross rented Pioneer and Rane mixers and turntables and CD players along with a Serato box but all I had to do was take an output and run it into the PA.

So, what are the popular systems? Why?

I have a DJ event soon and his rider asks for something no one around here seems to have so...

Thanks for the education.

DJ mixer doesn't seem to be as important as having CDJ1000 and a monitor. I've done a bunch of mid-level gigs and the guys without riders generally care more about getting a decent monitor than anything else.
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Chris Chambers

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2012, 09:27:31 AM »

Most places I'm seeing are going technics 1200's and CDJ2000's with the 900. I've seen very few with Rane mixers and even fewer running a full digital setup however 5 years from now, I bet we'll see an increase in things like the NI S4. People don't want to have to cart around entire crates of vinyl or their entire CD library. It's much easier for them to just carry a USB, that's why clubs are having so much success with players like the 2000's.

I'd just settle for 1200's, CDJ2000's and a DJM900 and a few years from now look into what the clubs are using.

Tracy Garner

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2012, 12:00:34 PM »

Most places I'm seeing are going technics 1200's and CDJ2000's with the 900. I've seen very few with Rane mixers and even fewer running a full digital setup however 5 years from now, I bet we'll see an increase in things like the NI S4. People don't want to have to cart around entire crates of vinyl or their entire CD library. It's much easier for them to just carry a USB, that's why clubs are having so much success with players like the 2000's.

I'd just settle for 1200's, CDJ2000's and a DJM900 and a few years from now look into what the clubs are using.


Yep - you will find that 90% of the people actually using the 1200s are using them as a controller for their Serato box.
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Jason Boyer

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2012, 02:38:37 AM »

I am a live sound and lights provider. Sometimes I get hired to bring a PA and lights for a DJ event. I don't know much about DJ gear. I know some names (Traktor, Serato, Virtual DJ, Pioneer) but.... I have a box (virtual cd spinners and mixer) that works with Virtual DJ and I have cross rented Pioneer and Rane mixers and turntables and CD players along with a Serato box but all I had to do was take an output and run it into the PA.

So, what are the popular systems? Why?
it depends on the type of dj
hip hop needs techs with rane serato mixer
most house needs cdj 1000,900, or 2000 with pioneer 800. or 900
it depends what they want, and we give it to them
ie like a band ryder
I have a DJ event soon and his rider asks for something no one around here seems to have so...

Thanks for the education.
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Brandon Bejarano

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #9 on: June 08, 2012, 01:12:07 AM »

I'm a DJ in Las Vegas and in all the clubs I've spun here, all have Pioneer DJM 800-900's for mixers, serato scratch live, Technics 1200's and CDJ's (1000, 2000). I've seen one allen and heath mixer and 1 rane 57, but that was 2 out of a few dozen venues I've played in. Any DJ in the  usa should have no problem with that set up.
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Josh Billings

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2012, 07:03:36 AM »

First a DJM-1000 is not a comparable replacement for a DJM-900/800.

If you want to future proof yourself, get CDJ-2000s (2-4) and a DJM-900 + a cheap router and ethernet cables.

Don't waste your money on the DJM-700 / 850 / etc. Either DJM-900 (new standard) / DJM-800 (old standard).

I RARELY see people ask for CDJ-1000s anymore, and the CDJ-2000s are ALWAYS acceptable if they want 1ks. For the USB dj (like myself) the 2,000s are a necessity

Josh Billings
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Rob Spence

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #11 on: August 15, 2012, 02:38:24 PM »

Been away from here a while...

So, the gig goes fine.
He brings a MacBook Pro, a touchpad and a NI Traktor Control.

I give him a pair of texas headphones - QSC K12s at head height about 5' to either side of him.

I give him the "stay out of the red" lecture and point out that this is a high school gig and they are not old enough to decide to go deaf. They can choose that after they are 18.

Then I have him bring up some tunes and invite him out front to listen (I had 6 JTR Growlers in a cardioid array on a PL6.0) and he and his "guy" dropped jaws when they heard it :-)

Had a good night after that.

Thanks for the education. I will be back I am sure.
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rob at lynxaudioservices dot com

Dealer for: AKG, Allen & Heath, Ashley, Astatic, Audix, Blue Microphones, CAD, Chauvet, Community, Countryman, Crown, DBX, Electro-Voice, FBT, Furman, Heil, Horizon, Intellistage, JBL, Lab Gruppen, Mid Atlantic, On Stage Stands, Pelican, Peterson Tuners, Presonus, ProCo, QSC, Radial, RCF, Sennheiser, Shure, SKB, Soundcraft, TC Electronics, Telex, Whirlwind and others

Dennis Wiggins

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #12 on: September 26, 2012, 09:25:14 AM »

Hi Rob,

Start at about 3:37 for discussion of controller software and players.

-Wigs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIC6NgFeDW8&feature=endscreen&NR=1
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Dan Tartol

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #13 on: November 16, 2012, 01:41:09 PM »

Just to reiterate what everyone else said, The pioneer CDJ-2000 decks and DJM-900 will be the new standard. Most touring DJs that use serato will bring their own box, but it doesn't hurt to have an extra one just in case.

I personally use CDJs with a Rane TTM57SL, but when I do out of town gigs I bring my own TTM because I never know if the gig will be able to rent one (and what shape its in). Its not a big deal for me to bring one road case with a 10" mixer.
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Marlow Wilson

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #14 on: January 17, 2013, 02:07:07 AM »

Most touring DJs that use serato will bring their own box, but it doesn't hurt to have an extra one just in case.

Touring 'club' DJ's may bring Serato.  A real touring DJ will expect it to be waiting for them when they arrive as per their rider.  If it's not there, the TM will lose his (or her) shit, and you'll look like an ass, even if they have it in their bag (or hotel room, etc.)

FYI - have extra CD's and records on hand, provide a professional service and charge accordingly.
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Kevin McDonough

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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2013, 05:12:12 PM »

hey

yeah I'd agree with a lot of the above. Pioneer are like the apple of the DJ world. Aggressive marketing and the promotion of the idea that more expensive = better has meant that the have become the de-facto standard for the rather easily lead and dim DJ fraternity, even though in many cases there are far better products. 

(LOL i'm also a DJ as well as sound engineer so my ribbing is good natured and not intended to cause offence!  :))

For a long time the standard setup was CDJ1000's and DJM-800 mixer.

CD's:  The CDJ's are solid work horses, although almost all DJ's actually use about 10% of the functions and would be fine with a CDJ-100 or 200 but they demanded a 1000 anyway! Now that things have moved on, the 900 and the 2000 are the newest models so again, while most CD playing DJ's will use a fraction of the features they demand the top models because they can. Dennon is really the only other brand of note you may get asked for.

Mixer: Pioneer mixers sound pants, especially so when clipped and as most DJ's seem to think that making the metres light up like a christmas tree is part of the job, this happens a lot. But again you need to supply them with what they ask and pioneer mixers are in vogue. Things have moved on and now the 900 is the new model and hence standard.  You may also get asked for an Alan & Heath Zone as people have said (or possibly Rane, Ecler or Formula Sound but much more popular/well known in Europe).

Laptops However the addition of laptops has brought back the vinyl player from almost retirement. Serato caught hold in the US quickly because it was initially geared for vinyl control and scratching, and uses a fairly standard setup of turntables which will almost be technics, and a Rane mixer with built in sound card, plus some CDJ's as backup in case the laptop dies or for in between act music. Vestax mixers are also popular and again, from a technical viewpoint better than Technics,  but 1200s/1210s have the recognition and brand name.

However Traktor (the other big, professional software) is catching on because although it was originally more designed for electronic/dance music and beat matching (and so much more popular in the UK/Europe than Serato) it introduced vinyl control as well and the system they use is, on a technical level, a better, more responsive system. People like q-bert are pushing the adoption across the US in ever more numbers. If they use it in a serato-like fashion with the vinyl control then it'll be pretty much the same, two technics record players, mixer and CDJ's as back up (though the DJ will probably bring his own sound card there's a much wider variety available for Traktor).

However Traktor's original advantage was customisability and midi-controllability and there is a subset of these DJ's called controllerists. Rather than use traditional vinyl or CDJ players they use midi controller(s) that are custom mapped with all their own layout/controls/set up. However the good news here is because of the very personal nature of the set up they will almost always bring their own gear and all you need to supply is the audio input to your system and maybe an analogue mixer at most (plus always good to have good old dependable CDJ's as backup!  :D) .

k

« Last Edit: January 20, 2013, 05:19:47 PM by Kevin McDonough »
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Re: What are the popular systems?
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2013, 05:12:12 PM »


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