The Future Of DJing

A lot of noise has been made in the last 2 or 3 years regarding the rise of MP3/digital mixing. Billed in some quarters as being the format that will kill off vinyl, how true are these rumours of the death of vinyl, and how good is the software available?

Comprising of 2 players, a mixer and monitor section, plus a "record case", PCDJ takes a fairly simple and standard approach to the task of playing and mixing MP3 files. I'm not going to go into a theory of mixing tutorial here (I can point you in the right direction if you want - just ask), but I will discuss some of the main features.

Of these features, the most important are pitch control/pitch bend and instant start. The pitch control allows the speeding up/slowing down of a tune by up to 24%. This allows songs to be beatmatched, and thus mixed together, creating a continuous mix of music, as heard in clubs etc. The instant start means there is no lag (in theory) between pressing play and the track starting from the desired cue point. The cue point can be set using the software, and is where you will start playing a song from (for example, this is usually the first beat or drum kick in a dance tune).

As I've mentioned the PCDJ/Numark control units are available to accompany the software, and work with the Blue and Red versions. These are 19" rack mountable units which replicate the controls found on a set of dual DJ CD Decks. The PCDJ DAC-2 is the newest of the control units, and retails for around £249. This is probably more suited to clubs/working DJ's considering the package, but allows a reasonably priced way in for the bedroom/beginner DJ. All the PCDJ functions can be controlled via the units, and they allow more tactile control for the DJ. For anyone used to using dual CD Decks, the control units also offer a degree of familiarity, and make the transition to using PC-based DJing equipment that bit easier. The DAC-2 connects via a USB port for fast communication with the PCDJ software. It also has a jog dial for skipping through tracks (instead of using the software or arrow keys etc) and as an alternative to the pitch bend buttons.

As a DJ myself, I've tried the PCDJ software, mainly out of curiosity. I can firmly say that at present, it is not going to take over from vinyl or CD's as the preferred medium for top DJ's, or indeed, the majority of those in clubs. Neither will it appeal to the vinyl purists. However, mobile DJ's doing parties/functions etc, and those doing bar work may well find it a useful tool. I've seen several DJ's around my area using MP3 based solutions, and the amount of people using such kit seems to be rising. The main advantages the PCDJ software offers is that it is incredibly portable - you can take the software and as many tracks as your hard drive can hold to a gig on nothing but a laptop. This is certainly something that would appeal to those mobile DJ's who may carry several record/CD boxes to gigs, and those DJ's working abroad (losing record boxes in transit is a common occurence). It's also something those with an interest in clubbing/music etc can try without breaking the bank for a set of decks to see if they like DJing.