Subtractive synthesis is a fairly complex subject, yet one that is important to master if you really want to rule at producing.
You could just sit there for hours with you synth twiddling all the knobs, seeing what sounds cool, or you could actually learn what they all do, and then be the master of your music. It's a no brainer really.
What is 'a 'brainer' though is actually learning it, no matter how I approach it, it all makes sense for about 5 seconds, then I've forgotten which thing effects the other all over again.
Below is a fairly no frills, yet informative introduction to Modulation, which is 'affecting sound over time' more or less. But as always with subtractive synthesis... also not that at all. Yeah exactly.
After beat matching, I would say this is one of the most important/effective things I learnt about DJing. Seems so simple when you think about it, but using kills to drop out conflicting parts of the tunes you are mixing can really make a massive difference.
Once I understood thins my mixing definitely went to the next level, and you suddenly start to have more control over your mixes, and become more creative with them. Once you got this licked, plus beat matching, and know your bars and phrases, you've got the solid foundation you need. Get these right before anything else, it really is worth it.
I've struggled with Dubstep for years. Which for a DnB loving Bristolian is a hard thing to understand.
I love fat basslines, and moody music... so why not Dub Step? Who knows. Well keeping it cutting edge as I do. Here is a documentary from THREE years ago about the blossoming scene in Bristol.
Even from just watching the first few minutes I already get it a lot more, and now am left with a regrettable sense of 'missing the boatedness' Ah well next time maybe. 2/365
That's HardWARE by the way, nothing funky going on here. Just s short video clips highlighting some of the new DJ kit and controllers that are being demo'd at this years Musikmesse.
Some nifty looking kit, however the problem is, unless you make it as a market leader (like 1210s or CDJ1000s it makes it hard for this stuff to make it any further than hardware freaks toy, or bedroom DJ.
As no DJ wants to roll up and find some spanky looking controller, that needs tunes on a Compact Flash card do they.
Bang the DJ... remember him? There was a time when this blog was just about him, before it started taking itself all seriously, and having actual 'content'.
Right, so a little update. The CDs are back from the printers, and, I have to say... they are looking pretty smart. I managed to get em done on blanks, which means I can whack what I like on em as and when I need to.
Already copied a few up, and given out a couple to peeps that know some people in local clubs. I'll get on the mail out serious this week, probably over the Easter weekend.
In other news I have something else possibly coming up on the cards too. One of the original plans has always been to put a night on, and this could be becoming a reality, though I will wait until I know more about that for sure.
The more I do on the self promotion side, the more I realise there is to do, seemingly never ending.
One thing I decided might be cool/useful is to make videos to accompany the tracks I am working on. Sticking these up on youtube may serve to bring more people in to the blog, or check the mixes, you never know. Over all just completes a more rounded on-line exposure.
So without further a do... here we are, the first ever Bang the DJ music video:
Once again, slipping in, just under the wire. The march minimix.
Breaks (remember them) are the order of the day. Track list followed by the direct link then player as always.
After that is the video for Warp by the Bloody Beetroots. Every time I hear it, I do a small wee. best of all I got sent a 320k full release version from the label, so expect it to be all over the April mix. WOOP WOOP!
Miles Dyson - Intro Ashton - Shuffle for Everyone Muza yakuza - Blow Dylan Rhymes - I'm Sweet Groove Diggaz - get Fresh (Sam Hell Rmx) Splitloop - Hot Rock Boy Sonic Weapon - 10 Rapid DJ Icey - Bassline Hookers Aquasky - Another Dimension Napt - The Rollers Ft Skibadee
'Whaaaaaaaaat' I hear you say. Abletons not Djing... blah blah blah.
OK, this is a hot potato in DJing circles I guess. I obviously have my own views on it. Seriously though, in this case, I really can see both sides of the story, to the point where it seems insane that people can't see it my way (I get that a lot, but this time I reeeally mean it :)
Back in the 70s/80s DJing was a pioneering art form. Two records, beat matched? WTF!!! Then it went mental with all the scratch hip hop DJs etc. Then Acid house and rave bought its tricks to the table, making beat matching a fine art and pushing things even further.
Then it seemed like Vinyl would rule for ever, never would technology achieve what you could do with Vinyl. Seems laughable now really as clearly Vinyl is seriously licking it's wounds right now.
Anyways, the point is... at what point did DJs go from pioneers, to beardy retro ass holes. Seriously, nothing more annoying than scouring some forum to see some bile spouting from some 17 year old knob end who probably doesn't even DJ whinging that if you use software you're a fraud etc.
Don't get me wrong, I think ALL DJs should have to be able to beat match. It's essential. And it is a fine pleasure to create a wonderful blend using just your hands and ears. Very satisfying indeed.
Two things tho:
Once you see what you can achieve with an Ableton DJ set up, you might want to rethink your stance.
Anyone who has tried DJing with Ableton will know right now that it actually DOESN'T do it all for you. At best, it tries. But almost always gets it wrong, or slightly off. So you still have to correct it anyway. So really you still need to know how to beat match, what a bar is, what a phrase is, and what kills are, and why you might want them.
Some vinyl boys don't even know that.
To sum up... and this is what I don't understand that other people can't see as being so obvious... why are they exclusive? Isn't the best thing to use them both... combine them. Explore the possibilities, mash everything up.
Make a session, remix on the fly, jam for a section, then drop back in to the mix. NOW who's the daddy. Not you you beardy nostalgia junky still trying to blend that outtro with that intro...
Anyway, here is everything you could possibly ever want to know about DJing in Ableton live
iPhones, you either love em or hate em. Originally I hated them. Seemed like lots of money for old rope. Not just any rope either, rope that didn't do what less expensive rope did, but just looked nice.
Since they made the 3g version though my interest was piqued a little bit more. I saw some youtube videos of people making beats with them, and using them as midi controllers etc and this made me love them:
Tho by this time, even the iPhone 3g was kinda getting old. So I started thinking no point getting one, cos they'll just replace it straight away, and I'll be stuffed/gutted. However there is stills some interesting news.
Apparently they are releasing version 3.0 of the firmware, and with this comes a whole bunch of functionality that makes it much more appealing as a music device.
The most significant of these (for me) is the access to the music library, thus opening up all sorts of possibilities for DJing software etc. Also audio pairing with bluetooth devices and audio recording... it wouldn't take much to come up with some fairly interesting software using that combination.
More wicked awesome video today. Thanks to Martin for this one, it's a cracking piece, that kinda speaks for itself. But because I want to include it in today's post, and the original link has a bit more info, here's the background:
What you are about to see is a mix of unrelated YouTube videos/clips edited together to create ThruYou. In other words, what you see is what you hear.
Great huh. This is what I like to see. Good old fashioned DJ principles, applied in a new and relevant manner. The argument about technology/ability rumbles on (else where, here) yet this just goes to show that both the spirit of DJing, and new technology/ideas can and DO co-exist.
What a difference a lovely bit of sun makes. The weather was glorious today, and it seems to bring out the best in everyone.
A friend of mine on facebook posted a link to a classic old skool house tune, that definitely has a summer vibe too, and this got me thinking. I love a good old piano tune, and this is a great example. Seeing as it is so old, I decided to have a go at updating it.
The tune is K-klass 'Let me Show you' from 1993 apparently. Seems like yesterday. First here's the original, then after that is the measly couple of bars that I was meddling with today.
OK, So the whole 8-bit scene isn't new. But it is still alive and well that's for sure. I've not really meddled with it myself, until I discovered this cool little 8-bit VST synth. Best of all its totally free.
As you can imagine, largely things sound like this:
However as you'll agree that does bring back a whole new nostalgia. Who'd have thought back then that these chunky sounds would be making a legitimate revival.
Some Boy 8-bit here to provide a better example than mine:
Again, time (and the need for a beer betrays my ability to post properly. If it wasn't for the hardcore coding I did today, I might be more inclined to include some kick ass links to tunes. But my OCDdetermines that each one I do must be included with an in line flash media player etc yaddayadda.
Maybe a cool video then... that's not too much to ask, and it's only really a cut and paste away. Oh go one then.
Here's some Don Rimini for you (Really am loving his work):
Oh ok... one more, how about some Audio Bullys:
Have a great weekend (though see you back here tomorrow obviously!)
OK, Cherish this as it might be the only one ever... but an actual interesting Monday post.
My desire to pursue the Bang the DJ project is probably at an all time high. I think about it nearly all the time. And I mean really think about it. What can I do next is always on my mind...
The whole point of this was to see what can be done when you really want to. The freaky shit is, that it works. Insignificant as it maybe already I have made 2 great full length mixes, and two mini mixes, and started on a remix. None of this would have happened.
That's fairly minor I admit, but the point being is its not really, when I compare it with doing nothing.. which is what would have happened if I hadn't decided to do this. Having a solid goal truly rocks. I really can feel myself gravitating towards it, even if it's small things, but it just seems like something cool is happening more and more often.
Last night I featured on Showland FM. A web radio station run by a good friend of mine. What's that? This is a scoring event I hear you say. True it is. If you look at the scores, it's technically a 5 pointer. However, in the interest of fairness, this is fairly a humble set up, and a contact through a mate. However it IS exposure, and people do listen, so I am awarding myself ONE point. Fair enough I reckon.
Right, now the cool stuff. (I know... you mean that wasn't it already!!). I could have saved all these goodies up and spread them over the week... but that's not the kinda guy I am. I like to splurge it all in one go (read in to that what you will).
First up check this awesome tour promo video from Don Rimini. I love his tunes, and he's a great DJ too, a style I really enjoy.
Next is something a little different, those who already check out the brilliant RCRDLBLmight have heard this already... It's Icelandic Indie band Mammú, and I think this song is amazing. Very fresh, pure, and sexy. In many ways reminds me of a lot of the good alternative stuff from the early nineties, early Sonic Youth etc.
Weekend time bangers, and just over 24 hours left to get the Feb mini mix in. Leaving it til the last minute for a change.
I have been having a few ideas on the production front too, and have decided to have a stab at a remix. I figured this frees up the frustrating part of trying to write music while still learning new software etc. Meaning I have less to worry about on the tune creation part as such for now.
However it does also pose it's own problems. But what the heck I decided to give it a punt. I am not giving myself a time limit for this though, but I am hoping in a week or two to at least have something half formed.
Now obviously to decide on which tune... easy. There are a million tunes I could choose from, but on a personal note there has been one tune I always wanted to pay homage too, and it's quite possibly one of the best Drum & Bass tunes of all time, and if you don't know it, it means you weren't there.
If there is one thing everyone enjoys, it's getting naked. So imagine my joy when I discovered this wicked awesome video:
In BTDJ related news, not a lot gone on since yesterday's triumphant mix. I have added a soundcloud widget to the bangthedj.com site, and a new link to the download area.
I've also madly tarted up the said download area, in as much as, that before it was just a blank directory. Now I've suped it up with some images and all that.
Once I get paid, am gonna get some CDs done up, print some labels, and start firing this puppy out.
All good in the hood.
Right, spose I might get dressed and have a cup of tea...
Man I can get wound up pretty easy by some things. Over all I would say I am one of the most laid back people of all time. Heck I can watch a VHS rip of something downloaded from the internet, and not get really annoyed about the aspect ratio either.
But somethings really push my buttons. Unnecessary wankerism is one of them. Sometime it makes me so mad I can literally feel the years melting off of my life expectancy from the stress. Especially as the case in question today is wankerism of the worst kind. Sadly the details end there.
On a much lighter note, we haven't had anything wicked awesome for a little while, so here is something wicked awesome:
P.S. Yes I am brutally aware that I am madly behind with the Phase 2 mix, and therefore the Feb mini mix too, this weekend looks to be fairly chokka too so god knows how it's gonna pan out.
Posts
