This is going to be a big year for the DJ. As technology progresses, DJs of all kinds get access to better and better tools for performance. With that in mind, we polled some Sweetwater Sales Engineers who are experts in DJ culture, and asked them two simple questions.
- What’s a mainstay of your rig that you couldn’t imagine DJing without — a classic?
- What’s something really new and exciting entering the DJ space this year?
The Classic
The Technics 1200 has been a DJ staple since the very beginning of modern DJ culture. I got my first set almost 20 years ago. When record scratching came along, Technics solidified its name as a totally reliable road-ready industry standard. The thing is, the 1200 is no longer available. Even when Technics gets around to shipping a new version, the Reloop RP-8000 mkii will give it a run for its money. It has the classic layout we know and love as DJs but adds 21st-century features like detachable cables, line outputs (no need for a phono amp or DJ-specific interface), USB connectivity, and MIDI buttons for rapidly firing off cues, loops, or one-shots during a performance.
The Cool New Thing
The Rane Twelve brings the classic vinyl feel to turntablists, without classic vinyl instability. I own a set myself and was sold on them when I felt them. I’ve come to realize that the reliability I get without having to worry about keeping a needle locked on to the record is a game changer. In some situations, vibrations from subs can make it impossible for software like Serato to track off a time-code vinyl. Recently I was playing a gig, battling against a vinyl-based DJ, and his audio just suddenly stopped. He had to take off his cartridge and mess with it to get his DVS software to track again! Huge party foul. With my Twelves, I never have to worry about that — ever.
The Classic
Serato DJ Pro has been my partner in crime since I started DJing. The software is so simple yet so powerful. Getting the software to play nicely with your existing song library is as simple as plug-and-play, and the details I get from Serato after it analyzes the song — things like BPM, key signature, and the visual waveform of the track — give me a great platform for mixing things together. Additionally, the effects, sampling, and loop capabilities make a huge difference in my DJ experience. The best thing about it is that Serato keeps innovating and adding new tricks to their software. It currently supports DVS (Digital Vinyl System) and video capabilities, which really enhance my performance and set me apart in my clients’ eyes. I’ll never rely on any other software.
The Cool New Thing
Denon DJ has really come through with their new Prime 4. It’s a 4-deck DJ system that operates without a computer, even though it provides the awesome user interface you would expect from a computer-based rig, all by employing a huge 10″ touchscreen. It’s fast, very slick looking, and much more portable than any other 4-deck standalone system. It even has audio outputs for multiple zones (think “dance floor” and “bar,” for instance), but the coolest thing to me is that you can actually install a SATA SSD inside the controller, giving you access to a massive library without having to carry extra gear. All you need to do is show up, plug in, and start mixing.
The Classic
Pioneer CDJs have been and continue to be the gold standard for touring and performing DJs. Whether you’re playing a club or a festival, you can pretty much guarantee that a CDJ is going to be on hand, so you should know those things inside and out. The ability on the newer generations of CDJs to use either a thumb drive, an actual CD, or a computerized library via rekordbox, Serato, or Traktor is huge, and a rig built around a couple of CDJ-2000s is widely recognized as “the pro setup.” You just can’t kill these things. You can depend on them.
The Cool New Thing
Believe it or not, lots of high-end clubs from Ministry of Sound in London to Sound-Bar in Chicago are integrating Dolby Atmos surround sound into their PAs, which makes for an incredibly immersive and sometimes psychedelic experience. It’s pretty awesome. You can’t produce tracks that play well in that kind of room without a surround rig in your studio, though. You also can’t practice your surround set without a surround rig, so if a club DJ wants to play with the big boys and girls, that DJ’s gotta have a great surround controller like the Grace m908, a rig with plenty of audio outputs, a DAW like Pro Tools Ultimate or Nuendo with built-in multi-speaker mixing utilities, and a full surround set of studio monitors (or PA speakers). The m908 is brand-new and gives a producer amazing control, amazing sound quality, and the ability to interface with Pro Tools HDX rigs via DigiLink and networked audio via Dante (using optional cards), as well as the more traditional analog signal path, and we’re starting to install m908s in more and more high-end electronic music studios.
