Cupe

Denon (Kabushiki Kaisha Denon) is a Japanese electronics company that was involved in the early stages of development of digital audio technology, while specializing in the manufacture of high-fidelity professional and consumer audio equipment. For many decades, Denon was a brand name of Nippon-Columbia, including the Nippon Columbia record label. In 2001 Denon was spun off as a separate company with 98% held by Ripplewood Holdings and 2% by Hitachi. In 2002 Denon merged with Marantz to form D&M Holdings. The Denon brand came from a merger of Denki Onkyo and others in 1939. 1910 Manufacturer of single-sided disc records and gramophones. 1939 Launched first professional-use disc recorder for broadcast industry and disk cutting lathe. 1951 Commenced sales of Japan’s 1st LP records. 1953 Launched professional-use tape recorder for broadcast industry. 1958 Introduced sales of stereo records. 1959 Commenced production of open-reel audio tapes. 1962 Introduced Elepian series of electronic pianos. 1963 Developed the DL-103 phono cartridge. 1964 Started sales of audio cassette tapes. 1971 Started producing hi-fi audio components, including turntables, amplifiers, tuners and speakers. 1972 Introduced the world’s first viable 8 channel digital recorder. 1977 Awarded US Billboard magazine's "Trend-Setter Award for outstanding contribution to the industry". 1980 Awarded the 13th Montreux International Diplome d’honneur technique award. 1981 Developed a professional-use CD player. 1982 Industry leader in the introduction of consumer-use CD players. 1988 Introduced range of AV amplifiers to product range. 1990 Awarded three component awards at Paris hi-fi show. 1993 Developed the twin deck DJ CD player DN-200F. Other early models are the DN1000F, DN2000F and the DN2500F. Denon also made the world's only twin MiniDisc player designed for DJ use. 1994 Awarded European Audio Innovation of the Year. 1995 World's first Dolby AC-3 and THX 5.1 certified home theater system. 1997 Introduced DVD player into product range. 1999 World's first THX-EX home theater system (THX Extended to provide fuller surround sound). 2001 Produced first Mini system with 5.1 surround sound. 2002 Denon link technology developed for improved digital connectivity. 2004 Launch of world's first consumer product featuring HQV (Hollywood Quality Video). 2006 Denon introduces the AK-DL1 CAT5 Ethernet cable. It wasn't until mid-2008 that it caused controversy because of its high price ($499) and the company's claims that the cable is "designed for the audio enthusiast," and would "bring out all the nuances" in digital audio signals transmitted over it. 2007 Denon releases the AVP-A1HDCI Pre-Amplifier and matching POA-A1HDCI Power Amplifier set which marks the company's first additions to a new line of high-performance custom-focused components. 2008 Denon announces the world's first Universal Blu-ray player capable of DVD-Audio and SA-CD playback

Written by Muxx for beginnerdj Every DJ needs a starting point and that often begins with choosing your first set of equipment. You’re already comfortable with the thought of DJing and you know your tracks, now you’re eager to get right into the mix. But hold up for a second because if you jump in too quickly, you could end up spending a ton of money on worthless gear. What is the best DJ equipment? To begin, I want to empasize there is no best DJ gear, it’s all in your mind. Allow me to explain: Much like a car, you are show dozens of options. They are always flashy and the salesman leads you to believe you need all of them but in the back of your mind you know something is up. This is how DJ equipment works. A business is a business, large companies and retailers need to make their bottom line which means they’ll push DJ equipment on you which you don’t really need. My best advice is to ask a friend or visit your local DJ shop, they usually don’t intend to sway your decision or push you to buy any DJ equipment you don’t need (usually). Okay so are you ready to jump in and figure out what basic DJ equipment you will need? At this point you nod and say yes. A Short History Of DJ Equipment Back in the old days, DJs were really limited. I mean…really limited. Modern DJs don’t know how well off they are compared to some of the originators but do consider that technology has to change, we all benefit from it. Early DJ equipment comprised of basic turntables and don’t even think about a mixer because that would take a while to show up. DJs of yesteryear literally would just mix records back to back until Francis Grasso begins the craze that is slip-cueing (which later becomes beatmatching). Not to bore you entirely about the history, I suggest you go take a look at The History Of DJing I wrote on BoyInABand.com. So fast forward to today where we have a vast variety of choices when it comes to our DJ equipment. I know, it’s a bit of a mind boggling experience when you first set out to buy your first DJ setup but stick with me here cause Muxx’ll fix you up. Basic DJ Equipment: What You’ll Need Every DJ setup comprises of just a few key elements: 2 turntables 1 mixer 1 pair of headphones 2 speakers to listen Your most important element are your two turntables (and a microphone!). These are what play your music and can be many different formats. Today, the most common turntable varieties are: Vinyl CD Digital All 3 of these types have begun to blend with advances in technology. The MP3 you downloaded (ha, I caught you!) can be burned to a CD to play on a pair of CD decks. Likewise, you could just load them into a program and mix them with a digital controller. There is even time-coded vinyl which gives you that vinyl feel but digital music format. For a beginner DJ, I suggest you scope out sites like: Amazon MusiciansFriend PlanetDJ These websites have great deals on all kinds of DJ equipment, just be sure to shop around because where one will list a turntable at $500, another may have it at $400. As far as my opinion goes, the 3 sets of turntables you should keep an eye out for are: Technics 1210′s (for vinyl DJs) CDJ-800′s or 1000′s (for CD DJs) Vestax VCI-300 (for digital DJs) Expensive? Yes. But like many hobbies or careers, you need to invest in a proper set of turntables so you don’t burn through cheapo sets. These 3 types of turntables are tried and true but remember that these are my personal opinions, make sure you ask your friends or other DJs before you make a purchase. Okay, so let’s move onto the mixer. The mixer is what bridges the sound from both turntables and allows you to hook up your headphones, control the sound and route it to your speakers. In short, it’s what holds everything together. The mixer allows you to control the sound however you see fit. You can craft the music to sound completely different, add cool effects, create a better mix and remix any song you want. A mixer doesn’t have to be your most expensive piece of basic DJ equipment but you should invest in one that will last you. I would suggest: Pioneer DJM-800 (expensive!) Numark DXM09 (affordable) Behringer DX626 (basic) Just make sure the mixer allows you to hook up your equipment, control the sound and has a slider (now that’s basic!). Next up is my favorite topic of discussion: headphones! Headphones are like some kind of sacred ritual, you know those movies where some old guy hands a kid the family weapon or something along those lines? That’s what finding a great pair of headphones is like. Headphones really depend on your own personal preference, you just need to make sure they fit you, give you great sound and are sturdy enough. I suggest you read through “how to choose a great pair of DJ headphones“, it’s a bit long winded but should get you right up to speed on picking out a great pair. Lastly, we need to run through speakers. Speakers make the sound, durr. There are lengthy articles all over the net that will be more than happy to explain to you the full workings of every electrical part of a speaker but we’re running through this quick. For now, you could use your computer speakers. You may need a cable adapter to hook it up to your mixer but they’re really cheap, you can find them at any store (hint: try Radioshack – they could probably use some business anyway). If you want to step up and buy a better pair, I suggest grabbing a set by M-Audio, they’re cheap and sound great. And, if you wanna drop some big money, go check out some DJ/PA speakers but try to stick to brands you know and trust like JBL. All-In-One Packages: A Quick Look All in one DJ packages are about as basic as you can get. These “DJ in a box” sets give you turntables, a mixer, headphones and that’s about it – basic. The main appeal many people have with these are their costs, they’re cheap as hell. For a little over $300, you can begin DJing without that expensive overhead. If you take a look at this beginner DJ equipment setup by Numark, you can see it gives you what you need. The only problem is these pieces of equipment are a bit cheap and may break easily which is why I suggested the quality equipment above. Don’t let this deter you however, these packages are fairly decent overall if you don’t want to invest a ton of money up front or you’re not entirely sure if you want to progress pass the bedroom. Wrap It Up Already! I Thought You Said This Was Short! Okay okay, sorry for dragging on a bit but I hope you enjoyed this quick run through of the basic DJ equipment you’d need to learn how to DJ. Take some time to decided if you’re really passionate about DJing, if you didn’t hesitate to say YES! I say go for it and start picking up some gear.

1964 1st stereophonic disco system debuts at the 1964-1965 World’s Fair in New York. 1970 David Mancuso starts throwing after-hours parties in New York City that became known as “The Loft.” 1971 First DJ mixer is designed for the Haven club by Alex Rosner, and nicknamed “Rosie” for its inventor and red color. 1971 First commercially available DJ mixer, the Bozak CMA-10-2DL rotary club mixer. 1974 Grandmaster Flash develops his “Quick Mix Theory” for cutting and mixing records. 1975 GrandWizzard Theodore invents the scratch. 1976 First 12-inch single pressed, titled “So Much for Love” by Moment of Truth, mixed by Tom Moulton. 1977 Citronic SMP101 mixer. First British mixer with a horizontal crossfader. 1977 GLI PMX 7000 Mixer. First U.S. mixer to incorporate a horizontal crossfader labeled “Transition Control.” 1977 Paradise Garage opens in New York City featuring Larry Levan as DJ using Richard Long’s First big sound system. 1977 Saturday Night Fever movie debuts December 16. 1977 Studio 54 opens in New York City with RLA’s famous sound system based on the Paradise Garage design. 1978 Technics SL-1200 Mark2 turntable (beefed-up version of the original SL-1200 home hi-fi model released in 1972). 1980 Richard Long & Alan Fierstein’s paper, “State-of-the-Art Discotheque Sound Systems,” presented at AES, New York. 1982 UREI 1620 Music Mixer, the first Bozak mixer clone. 1982 Roland TB-303 Synthesizer/Sequencer released, finds later fame in acid house music. 1984 Rane AC 22 and AC 23 Active Crossovers. First commercially available Linkwitz-Riley crossovers. 1984 Richard Long contracts Rane to build the X3000A, Q5000 & M3000. 1984 Richard Long redesigns his disco systems to use Rane AC 22 and AC 23 crossovers to replace his original crossovers. 1985 Rane ships 1st RLA X3000A (January) and Q5000 (June). 1986 Rane MP 24 Club Mixer: • Cleanest and quietest DJ mixer to date. • First assignable crossfader with defeat switch. • First “split cue” headphone cueing: stereo program or stereo cue or mono program to right and mono cue to left. • First transformer coupled light controller output. • First use of studio-grade faders. 1991 Rane develops and receives patent on Accelerated Slope™ EQ, used in many of Rane’s DJ mixers since. 1997 Rane releases the MM 8x Mojo Club / Mobile Mixer. 1998 Pioneer EFX-500 Effector. First DJ effects box adding echo, ranging and altering to the performing DJ’s repertoire. 1998 Vestax PMC-06 ProA. First use of “Hamster” reversal switch on crossfader and switchable crossfader curve. 1998 Rane TTM 52 and TTM 54 Turntablist Mixers: • First use of VCA fader system. • First use of continuous crossfader contour control. • First use of reverse (hamster) and contour controls on channel faders. • First use of assignable effects loop. • First use of Rane’s patented 4th-order full-kill EQ. 1998 Mark-Jan Bastian invents and sells through his Netherlands company, N2IT, “FinalScratch” 1999 Rane filles patent on 4th-order Accelerated Slope™ EQ first used on the TTM 54 Performance Mixer (granted 2006). 1999 Rane MP 2016 & XP2016 Rotary Mixers developed from a modernized Bozak design. 1999 Korg KP1 KAOSS Pad Dynamic Effect/Controller. 2000 Rane MP 44 Club Mixer: • First DJ mixer to feature automatic emergency paging. • First DJ mixer with built-in limiters. • 3-band full-kill EQ for each of four input channels and both mics. 2001 Pioneer CDJ-1000 Digital Vinyl Turntable. First CD “turntable” using a platter accurately emulating a vinyl turntable. 2001 Rane develops and receives patent (2004) on magnetic fader. 2001 Rane TTM 56 Performance Mixer: • First appearance of digital control of non-contact magnetic faders. 2001 Rane MP 2 Compact DJ Mixer. First single rack space DJ mixer. 2002 Rane Empath Touring/Club Mixer, combining the vision of Grandmaster Flash with Rane technology: • First use of automatic level control for inputs. 2002 EJ MIDI Turntable. Allows standard MIDI messages from turntables. 2004 Numark CDX Turntable. First standard 12" motorized platter with vinyl record and slipmat for controlling CD play. 2004 Rane partners with Serato Audio Research, a New Zealand company, to produce Scratch LIVE: • First digital music file mixing system to work exactly like real vinyl, with none of the limitations of previous attempts. 2004 Pioneer DVJ-X1 DVD VJ player. First DVD/CD turntable. 2005 Rane MP 4 DJ Mixer for all analog and digital music sources. First mixer designed for use with PCs for MP3 playback. 2006 Rane-Serato TTM 57 Performance Mixer: • First DJ Mixer to incorporate built-in functions for Scratch LIVE, as well as downloadable internal effects.

hahahaha Fab never fails to deliver

Armin van Buuren

teh innarnets

Joel Zimmerman

fucken wicked

Armand van Helden

Tiësto with some moles (i think one is a dude)

Borgore

Skream

Just a thread to post a decent shot of a known DJ so every cunt knows what they loook like. 1 picture per post, no fucking around, no hijacking, no fuckoff giant pictures etc. Rubbish gets deleted. Start a new thread and repost the pic if you wanna talk about it. [b][size=18]Name goes here[/size][/b] [img=www.website.com/image.jpg]

The earliest dubstep releases, which date back to 1998, were darker, more experimental, instrumental dub remixes of 2-step garage tracks attempting to incorporate the funky elements of breakbeat, or the dark elements of drum and bass into 2-step, which featured as B-sides of single releases. In 2001, this and other strains of dark garage music began to be showcased and promoted at London's club night Forward (sometimes also referred to as FWD>>), which went on to be considerably influential to the development of dubstep. The term "dubstep" in reference to a genre of music began to be used by around 2002, by which time stylistic trends used in creating these remixes started to become more noticeable and distinct from 2-step and grime. While dubstep is its own distinct form of electronic music, its roots are surely located within Jamaican dub music and soundsystem cultures. Jamaican soundsystems were "large mobile hi-fi or disco...[with] an emphasis on the reproduction of bass frequencies, its own aesthetics and a unique mode of consumption". These soundsystems represented the appearance of records (dub plates) as modes of legitimate artistic creation. This was an integral moment in the evolution of electronic musics, both in Britain and worldwide. Jamaican soundsystem culture gave birth to the dub variety of reggae music, which itself originated many of dubstep's characteristic sounds and sonic techniques. Features like sub-bass (bass less than 100 Hz), skittering and jittery drums (which would later be termed '2-step'), distortive echo and reverberation effects were all used prominently. These features, along with held over soundsystem techniques, went on to form the crux of numerous electronic musics which emerged from Britain, including jungle, garage, and eventually dubstep. Sub-bass, however, has also been present in British dance music since the early 1990s - LFO by LFO on the Warp Records label, released in 1990 features sub-bass throughout, as does the B-side mix of Charly by The Prodigy (1991). Altern 8's early breakbeat house/techno release Infiltrate 202 - also from 1991 - begins with the phrase, "watch yer bassbins" referring to the heavy sub-bass running throughout the track. Another early sub-bass tune is Some Justice by Urban Shakedown, made in 1992 entirely on two Commodore Amiga 500 computers, achieved some chart success upon its release. The sub-bass in this track also rises and falls initially in a rather slow, then later speeding-up, oscillation pattern similar to a dubstep bassline.

just upload them to www.tinypic.com and paste the forum code

Borgore, what exactly is “Gorestep”? Who the fuck knows, yo. There is no such thing. But it is your own original sound right? I guess so, it is just what it is. I don’t know. It’s like a Saturday night that is much more to the metal than any other dubstep sound. I didn’t want to call it metaldub or whatever, So I just used Gore. In Israel we called death metal Gore, so I just called it Gorestep. Dubstep is a huge movement in the electronic music scene in Canada, What is the dubstep scene like in Israel? It’s huge, it has always been huge. It is like the second biggest scene compared to like England and England is getting tired. It has been big since 2006, 2007. Anyway, like 2007 we already had Skream twice, Caspa and Rusko twice. Benga, Caspa then Rusko in 2006. The heavy headliners keep coming since 2007. Canadians were only listening to country music then. How has your tour been so far? What was your favourite show? Any highlights? Tour has been great. Best place so far was Toronto. I played at Wrongbar, it has been the best show in Canada. I like Canada, it’s great. But Montreal is weird, it is hard to communicate with anyone there, they don’t speak english! What was the best show you have ever played? I cannot name one. I really cant. There are so many good shows. Usually my crowd isn’t a dubstep crowd, it is more like metal oriented. They are much more rowdy and much more into it. Much more like a live show vibe. I don’t like festivals, I’ve got to be honest, I prefer to play a show with 50 people. I like to feel everyone in front of me and in my face. I like people around me to fucking pump it up and get rowdy! A lot of dubstep DJ's in Canada work with each other on mixes and inspire each other's sound, do you work closely with any other DJ's or have any that inspire you and your sound? There is a lot of music that inspires me, I am inspired by everything. It is hard to point to one person, you know? Anything that sounds good. What got you into producing? My girlfriend at the time broke up with me. I was so mad I had to fucking write something. And i played it for my metal band and they loved it. I love (being a producer), because I can be independent. As a DJ/producer I can do what I want. It’s just no boundaries these days, you know? You can be everything and anything you want. I can change my sound. I don’t feel guilty about anything. If I want to play Lady Gaga, I’ll play Lady Gaga, yo. When did you first get into dubstep? Uh, when? Like 2006! It was Benga and Skream and all the old tunes. And mostly dub, like reggae-dub. I kind of miss those days, you know? Everything is so heavy now, there used to be lighter vibes. Have you thought about progressing your sound to get more of that in your music? Yeah, now I am trying to get more melodic. Who are some of your favourite DJ's and Canadian DJ’s? Ok. It’s like cars right. I love the Beamer, it is a great car. But then comes the Lambourghini and then the Range Rover. There is so many cars I like. It’s different and it depends on the mood. It is the same for me with music. What do you think about the Canadian scene? Oh, the Canadian scene. A place with such great fucking producers, man. Seriously, I don’t want to say it out loud, but the US has no DJ’s. Vaski is good, but I consider him Canadian, he has a dirty Canadian sound. I really like Canada’s scene. But Canada, like you guys are so bored and frozen and nothing happens. So you like to take drugs and fucking party! Tell us more about the Israeli scene, is there a lot of energy? Yes, a lot of energy. The thing about the Israeli scene, music wise, is we have no strings attached to anything. We take inspiration from the US, the UK, Spain. So basically, whatever is new and good, we take it. Israel is the first gig that Tiesto ever played. Everything starts there, because everyone is so tired of war, you know? So, did you fight in the Israeli Defense Forces? Yes, I spent 3 years in the IDF. What is the inspiration behind your ep titled "Borgore Ruined Dubstep"? Well, umm it is nothing that I am upset about. I didn’t give it the title, people gave it the title. But I am not insulted, its just a fucking title, right? What do you like more, being a DJ/producer or a metal drummer? I don’t drum much anymore, really I am dead and tired. The scene is exploding right now, with new sounds like thug step, drumstep and your unique 'gorestep', what do you think the future of dubstep will sound like? I cannot predict the future darling. I don’t even know. But I am inspired by what is happening right now. I am just going with the flow and good vibes of good music. If you could make a mix for the end of the world, what would it be? That all depends on how the world will end. If it is going to end tragically with destruction, then some massacre breakdown hard shit. But if it will end in peace, then some Digital Mystix. If you could make a dub step playlist for getting your sex on, what would it consist of? For something calmn and tranquil, maybe some Digital Mystix. Joker can be nice. But for my music, then (the song) Nympho, it is for the sexy girls who go down and put it in in the back room, then that is just something else. How was your show last night in Edmonton? Edmonton was weird and kind of dodgey. The crowd wasn’t into the dubstep, but they did like the hard metal. What does your mom think about your music and dirty lyrics? She doesn’t care, dude, when I was 11 she came home and saw I was surfing porn. She said she would prefer me to go watch lesbians over drumming. My family is super liberal. They even tried to encourage me to open my own porn industry. What is the best club in Tel-Aviv, Israel? Barz Ilay! But it got closed down.

how fucken good is that borgore remix

got any more info on this? I wouldn't mind having my business up much higher in google. My industry is fairly competitive, but not so much in the technology department. So i'm hoping to get to be better friends with google

link in first post

bump

wazza is always on about mixvibes

I didn't read this Or check it for quality I just rewrote it so it'd work here Hope it's useful, if you find something shit or wrong let me know and I'll edit it.

How did I get into this nutshell? What kind of nut has a shell like this? Great for noobs or veterans. This info also includes terminology DJ’s use other than the original words (i.e. – Records = wax). Also, following each article of information are general recommendations on “quality” equipment, etc. Remember the phrase, “You get what you pay for.”… especially with DJ equipment. DJ’ing! What is a DJ (disc jockey)? - A DJ is a person who selects and plays prerecorded music for an audience, either on radio, online content in the form of podcasts or web-based radio shows (see websites), or at a club. There are several types of DJs: radio DJs play music that is broadcast on AM, FM, shortwave or digital radio stations; club DJs select and play/mix music in a club, disco, a rave, or even a stadium; and mobile disc jockeys travel with mobile sound systems and play from an extensive collection of pre-recorded music. (Including but not limited to: weddings, private parties, etc) Equipment: TURNTABLES (decks, tt’s)- A turntable (known to many as a record player) has a constant speed. The motor or belt driven “platter” revolves part of the turntable on which the record rests while it is being played. The increasingly skillful use of turntables by DJs to mix and scratch records has given rise to the term turntablism. In all turntables a motor spins a metal disk at a constant speed. On top of the rotating disk (platter) is a mat and on top of the mat records are placed to be played. In the past rubber mats were used to hold the record in place so that it would not rotate independently of the platter. Nowadays slipmats are used to reduce the friction between the spinning platter and record, and is often made of a felt like material. This way a DJ can scratch the record while the platter continues to spin underneath. In direct drive turntables the slipmat also helps isolate the record from motor vibrations that would be picked up by the stylus. Many turntables also include a pitch control, which allows a DJ to mix using a technique known as beatmatching. From the late 1990s onwards manufacturers such as Vestax started to include other electronic controls such as reverse, and "nudge". DJs and Turntablists have learned to use all the above functions assist them in musical performances. Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using turntables and a DJ mixer. The term was created in 1994 by DJ Supreme to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who actually performs, by touching and moving the records to manipulate sound. The word was never meant to be the actual title of the art form. It was regularly stated as an example, while explaining the need for a new word to describe a newly emerging and totally unique instrumental art form. The intention was for the original creators of the art form to brainstorm and decide on a title. While the idea of the need for a new word spread, some DJs just began to use the example word "turntablist" before the originators had a chance to proclaim an actual title. DJ Babu has defined a turntablist as "One who has the ability to improvise on a phonograph turntable. One who uses the turntable in the spirit of a musical instrument;" while the Battlesounds documentary film suggests a definition of:"A musician, a disc jockey who in a live/spontaneous situation can manipulate or restructure an existing phonograph recording (in combination with an audio mixer) to produce or express a new composition that is unrecognizable from its original ingredients." Turntablist DJs use turntable techniques like beat mixing/matching, scratching, and beat juggling. Turntablism is generally focused more on turntable technique and less on mixing. Some turntablists seek to have themselves recognized as legitimate musicians capable of interacting and improvising with other performers. All of which rose from the phonograph, or gramophone, which was the most common device for playing recorded sound from the 1870s through the 1980s. (Google it) Types of Turntables: - Belt Drive: In a belt drive turntable the motor is located under and to the side of the platter and is connected to the platter by an elastometric belt. The design of the belt drive turntable allows the use of a less expensive motor than the direct-drive turntable. Pros: The elastometric belt absorbs motor vibrations which would otherwise be picked up by the stylus. Problems with belt instability and deterioration in the past have largely been solved by use of modern elastic polymers. Cons: Over time the drive belt can wear or lose elasticity, and begin to slip, causing variations in the platter speed. In addition, belt drive turntables have much lower torque; the belt can also slip off the motor and/or platter spindle, and are thus not suitable for turntablism. DJs who scratch or mix generally prefer to use direct-drive turntable. - Direct Drive: In a direct drive turntable the motor is located directly under the center of the platter and is connected to the platter directly. The first commercially available direct-drive turntable, the model SP-10, was introduced by the Technics division of Matsushita in 1969. Cons: The sole disadvantage to direct drive turntables over belt-drive turntables is vibration from the motor. Pros: Shock-absorbing (less dense) material, placed between the motor and platter, has been used to cut back on vibrations. Since the motor is directly connected to the platter, the torque is usually much higher than in the belt drive models (stronger motor). Higher torque means the platter speed is less susceptible to outside forces (stylus, hand). Higher torque also means the platter will accelerate to its proper speed faster so less distortion is heard when the record begins to play. Each turntable brand has a different turntable model with different specifications. (Technics, Numark, Vestax, Gemini, etc.) Research before you buy and look at specifications of whatever TT you’re interested in. Technics have been around for a long time and are trusted by DJ’s across the world. Numark’s however picked up Tech’s patent and added on with their TTx1 model, however they haven’t been around as long therefore, haven’t “proven” themselves to some DJ’s. In the end, it’s up to what you’re comfortable with. Let nobody tell you otherwise. * Recommended: (direct drive) Technics, Numark, Vestax RECORDS (vinyl, wax) - Records are the analogue sound recording medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove starting near the periphery and ending near the center of the disc. Early disc records were made of various materials including hard rubber. From 1897 onwards, earlier materials were largely replaced by a rather brittle formula of 25% "shellac" (a material obtained from the excretion of a Southeast Asian beetle), a filler of a cotton compound similar to manila paper, powdered slate, and a small amount of a wax lubricant. The mass production of shellac records began in 1898 in Hanover, Germany. Shellac records were the most common until the 1950s. Unbreakable records, usually of celluloid (an early form of plastic) on a pasteboard base, were made from 1904 onwards, but they suffered from an exceptionally high level of surface noise The terms LP and EP are acronyms of Long Play and Extended Play respectively, these type designations refer to their rotational speeds in revolutions per minute (RPM). Records nowadays are usually made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and hence may be referred to as vinyl records or simply vinyl. MIXERS (board) - A DJ mixer is a type of audio mixing console used by DJ. The key features that differentiate a DJ mixer from other types of audio mixers are the ability to redirect (cue) a non-playing source to headphones and the presence of a crossfader, which allows for an easier transition between two sources. A typical modern DJ mixer generally has between two and six stereo channels for connecting and mixing audio sources. Each channel usually has a phono input with RIAA* equalization for turntables and one or two line level inputs for sources such as CD players. Controls for individual channels are arranged in vertical columns (channel strips), starting with a switch or a knob selecting between the inputs. *specification for the correct playback of vinyl records, established by the Recording Industry Association of America Phono level is a signal produced at a very low level by a magnetic phono cartridge which must be amplified and equalized. Phonograph recordings are made with high frequencies boosted. This reduces background noise, including clicks or pops, and also conserves the amount of physical space needed for each groove, by reducing the size of the larger low-frequency undulations. During playback the high frequencies are rescaled to their original level. This is accomplished in the amplifier with a "PHONO" input that incorporates standardized RIAA equalization circuitry. Line level is a term used to denote the strength of an audio signal used to transmit analog sound information between audio components such as CD and DVD players, TVs, audio amplifiers, and mixing consoles. The strength of the various signals does not necessarily correlate with the output voltage of a device; it also depends on the source's output impedance, or the amount of current available to drive different loads. Recommended: Rane, Allen & Heath, Xone HEADPHONES (cans)- Headphones let the DJ listen to any channel in the headphones independently of what is playing on the speakers, allowing the DJ to beatmatch the records by ear; this became the defining feature of DJ mixers. Recommended: Sennheiser HD-25's, Technics RPDJ1000’s, Sony MDR-V700 CARTRIDGE, HEADSHELL, NEEDLE, TONEARM A cartridge is a transducer used for the playback of records on a turntable or phonograph. It converts mechanical vibrational energy from a stylus (needle) riding in a spiral record groove into an electrical signal that is subsequently amplified and then converted back to sound by a speaker system. The stylus fits into the cartridge, which is bolted to the Headshell. The headshell holds the cartridge, and includes the proper weight, height, and wiring to transfer the signal of the media source. This all leads to the tonearm. The tonearm holds the pickup cartridge over the groove, the stylus tracking the groove with the desired force to give the optimal compromise between good tracking and minimizing wear of the stylus and record groove. At its simplest, a tone arm is a pivoted lever, free to move in two axes (vertical and horizontal) with a counterbalance to maintain tracking pressure. Normally turntables come with a headshell to fit into the tonearm. Recommendations (cartridge): Shure M447 (scratching), Ortofon Nightclubs (mixing) SPEAKERS (Passive & Active) - A passive speaker (or unpowered speaker) is a speaker which does not have its own power source and has to draw power from somewhere else, opposed to an active speaker which has a built-in amplifier. Active speakers have a short run of cable between the amplifier and the speaker, which prevents signal and power loss. The amplifier can also be matched to the speaker more exactly. Passive speakers are lighter and cheaper however, but require longer lengths of cable to run to a separate amplifier. This can be desirable if you have amplifiers that can run multiple speakers. Passive are easier to come by, and unless you’re gigging a club or need a really nice sound system for events, most people use passive speakers. Recommendations: KRK’s, JBL’s, B-52 SLIPMATS - A slipmat is a circular piece of slippery cloth or synthetic materials used by disk jockeys instead of the traditional rubber mat. Unlike the rubber mat which is made to keep hold the record firmly in sync with the rotating platter, slipmats are designed to slip on the platter, allowing the DJ to manipulate a record on a turntable while the platter continues to rotate underneath. This is useful for holding a record still for slip-cueing, making minute adjustments during beatmatching and mixing and pulling the record back and forth for scratching. Audio Formats .Mp3’s and .Wav’s (popular digital formats) Mp3: MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a popular audio encoding format. It uses a lossy compression algorithm that is designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent the audio recording (unlike .wav’s), yet still sound like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio to most listeners. It was invented by a team of European engineers at Philips, CCETT (Centre commun d'études de télévision et télécommunications), IRT and Fraunhofer Society, who worked in the framework of the EUREKA 147 DAB digital radio research program, and it became an ISO/IEC standard in 1991. MP3 is an audio-specific format. The compression takes off certain sounds that cannot be heard by the listener, i.e. outside the normal human hearing range. It provides a representation of pulse-code modulation–encoded audio in much less space than straightforward methods, by using psychoacoustic models to discard components less audible to human hearing, and recording the remaining information in an efficient manner. .Wav: (or WAVE), short for Waveform audio format, is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing audio on PCs. It is a variant of the RIFF bitstream format method for storing data in "chunks", and thus also close to the IFF and the AIFF format used on Amiga and Macintosh computers, respectively. It is the main format used on Windows systems for raw audio. Though a WAV file can hold compressed audio, the most common WAV format contains uncompressed audio in the pulse-code modulation (PCM) format. PCM audio is the standard audio file format for CDs at 44,100 samples per second, 16 bits per sample. Since PCM uses an uncompressed, lossless storage method, which keeps all the samples of an audio track, professional users or audio experts may use the WAV format for maximum audio quality. WAV audio can also be edited and manipulated with relative ease using software. Vinyl Emulation DVS / Digital Systems (digital) Digital DJ systems / programs allow manipulation and playback of digital audio files (mp3, wav, aiff, ogg) using traditional vinyl turntables or CD players via special timecode vinyl records or CDs. It seeks to cross the divide between the versatility of digital audio and the tactile control of vinyl turntablism. Concept: Special vinyl records (or cd’s) pressed with a digital timecode are played on normal turntables. The timecode signal is interpreted by a computer, connected to the turntables through an interface (soundcard or some sort usually.) The signal represents where the stylus is on the record, in which direction it is traveling, and at what speed. This information is interpreted by the computer and used to play back a digital audio file which has been 'mapped' to the turntable. In practical terms, this means that any audio file can be manipulated as though it were pressed on vinyl. This has a great many advantages for DJs, not least that a laptop computer can often hold tens of thousands of audio files, whilst a record box has a decidedly smaller capacity and is much heavier. Recommendations: Serato Scratch Live, M-Audio Torq MIDI MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) & MIDI Controllers – MIDI is an industry-standard electronic communications protocol that enables electronic musical instruments, computers and other equipment to communicate, control and synchronize with each other in real time. MIDI does not transmit an audio signal or media — it simply transmits digital data "event messages" such as the pitch and intensity of musical notes to play, control signals for parameters such as volume, vibrato and panning, cues and clock signals to set the tempo. As an electronic protocol, it is notable for its success, both in its widespread adoption throughout the industry, and in remaining essentially unchanged in the face of technological developments since its introduction in 1983. MIDI controller is used in two senses. • In one sense, a controller is hardware or software which generates and transmits MIDI data to MIDI-enabled devices. • In the other more technical sense, a MIDI controller is an abstraction of the hardware used to control a performance, but which is not directly related to note-on/note off events. A slider assigned to open and close a low-pass filter on a synthesizer may be assigned to controller 18, for example. Changes in the position of the slider are transmitted along with "18" so that they are distinguished from changes in the value of other controllers. MIDI controllers which are hardware and software The following are classes of MIDI controller: • The human interface component of a traditional instrument redesigned as a MIDI control device. The most common type of device in this class is the keyboard controller. Such a device provides a musical keyboard and perhaps other actuators (pitch bend and modulation wheels, for example) but produces no sound on its own. It is intended only to drive other MIDI devices. Percussion controllers such as the Roland Octapad fall into this class, as do guitar-like controllers such as the SynthAxe and a variety of wind controllers. • Electronic musical instruments, including synthesizers, samplers, drum machines, and electronic drums, which are used to perform music in real time and are inherently able to transmit a MIDI data stream of the performance. • Pitch-to-MIDI converters including guitar/synthesizers analyze a pitch and convert it into a MIDI signal. There are several devices which do this for the human voice and for monophonic instruments such as flutes, for example. • Traditional instruments such as drums, pianos, and accordions which are outfitted with sensors and a computer which accepts input from the sensors and transmits real-time performance information as MIDI data. • Sequencers, which store and retrieve MIDI data and send the data to MIDI enabled instruments in order to reproduce a performance. • MIDI Machine Control (MMC) devices such as recording equipment, which transmit messages to aid in the synchronization of MIDI-enabled devices. For example, a recorder may have a feature to index a recording by measure and beat. The sequencer that it controls would stay synchronized with it as the recorder's transport controls are pushed and corresponding MIDI messages transmitted. • MIDI Show Control (MSC) devices such as show controllers, which transmit messages to aid in the operation and cueing of live theatrical and themed entertainment productions. For example, a variety of show control sub systems such as sound consoles, sound playback controllers, virtual audio matrices and switchers, video playback systems, rigging controllers, pyro and lighting control systems directly respond to MSC commands. However, most standalone generic MSC controllers are intended to actuate a generic computerised show control system which has been carefully programmed to produce the complex desired results that the show demands at each moment of the production. For more MIDI basics, try visiting here: MIDI Basics @ TweakHeadz Lab Effects (FX) EFFECTS (fx) - Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of movies, video games, music, or other media. In music, typical effects used in recording and amplified performances are: • Echo - one or several delayed signals are added to the original signal. To be perceived as echo, the delay has to be of order 50 milliseconds or above. Short of actually playing a sound in the desired environment, the effect of echo can be implemented using either digital or analog methods. Analog echo effects are implemented using tape delays and/or spring reverbs. When large numbers of delayed signals are mixed over several seconds, the resulting sound has the effect of being presented in a large room, and it is more commonly called reverberation or reverb for short. • Flanger - a delayed signal is added to the original signal with a continuously-variable delay (usually smaller than 10 ms). This effect is now done electronically using DSP, but originally the effect was created by playing the same recording on two synchronized tape players, and then mixing the signals together. As long as the machines were synchronized, the mix would sound more-or-less normal, but if the operator placed his finger on the flange of one of the players (hence "flanger"), that machine would slow down and its signal would fall out-of-phase with its partner, producing a phasing effect. Once the operator took his finger off, the player would speed up until its tachometer was back in phase with the master, and as this happened, the phasing effect would appear to slide up the frequency spectrum. This phasing up-and-down the register can be performed rhythmically. • Phaser - the signal is split, a portion is filtered with an all-pass filter to produce a phase-shift, and then the unfiltered and filtered signals are mixed. The phaser effect was originally a simpler implementation of the flanger effect since delays were difficult to implement with analog equipment. Phasers are often used to give a "synthesized" or electronic effect to natural sounds, such as human speech. The voice of C-3PO from Star Wars was created by taking the actor's voice and treating it with a phaser. • Chorus - a delayed signal is added to the original signal with a constant delay. The delay has to be short in order not to be perceived as echo, but above 5 ms to be audible. If the delay is too short, it will destructively interfere with the un-delayed signal and create a flanging effect. Often, the delayed signals will be slightly pitch shifted to more realistically convey the effect of multiple voices. • Equalization - different frequency bands are attenuated or amplified to produce desired spectral characteristics. Abbreviated EQ. • Filtering - Equalization is a form of filtering. In the general sense, frequency ranges can be emphasized or attenuated using low-pass, high-pass, band-pass or band-stop filters. Band-pass filtering of voice can simulate the effect of a telephone because telephones use band-pass filters. • Overdrive effects such as the use of a fuzz box can be used to produce distorted sounds, such as for imitating robotic voices or radiotelephone traffic. The most basic overdrive effect involves clipping the signal when its absolute value exceeds a certain threshold. • Pitch shift - similar to pitch correction, this effect shifts a signal up or down in pitch. For example, a signal may be shifted an octave up or down. This is usually applied to the entire signal and not to each note separately. One application of pitch shifting is pitch correction. Here a musical signal is tuned to the correct pitch using digital signal processing techniques. This effect is ubiquitous in karaoke machines and is often used to assist pop singers who sing out of tune. It is also used intentionally for aesthetic effect in such pop songs as Cher's Believe and Madonna's Die Another Day. • Time stretching - the opposite of pitch shift, that is, the process of changing the speed of an audio signal without affecting its pitch. • Resonators - emphasize harmonic frequency content on specified frequencies. • Synthesizer - generate artificially almost any sound by either imitating natural sounds or creating completely new sounds. • Modulation - to change the frequency or amplitude of a carrier signal in relation to a predefined signal. Ring modulation, also known as amplitude modulation, is an effect made famous by Doctor Who's Daleks and commonly used throughout sci-fi. • Compression - the reduction of the dynamic range of a sound to avoid unintentional fluctuation in the dynamics. Level compression is not to be confused with audio data compression, where the amount of data is reduced without affecting the amplitude of the sound it represents. • 3D audio effects - place sounds outside the stereo basis • Reverse echo - a swelling effect created by reversing an audio signal and recording echo and/or delay whilst the signal runs in reverse. When played back forward the last echos are heard before the effected sound creating a rush like swell preceding and during playback. Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin claims to be the inventor of this effect which can be heard in the bridge of Whole Lotta Love. Foley is the art of sound effects. Genres of Music Genre: a class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique, or the like. In all art forms, genres are vague categories with no fixed boundaries. Genres are formed by sets of conventions, and many works cross into multiple genres by way of borrowing and recombining these conventions. The scope of the word "genre" is usually confined to art and culture, particularly literature. In genre studies the concept of genre is not compared to originality. Rather, all works are recognized as either reflecting on or participating in the conventions of genre. Following this definition, think of the many MANY combinations that are possible within EDM / Electronic music. Bellow are many genres of EDM in no specific order. Breaks: Breakbeat (sometimes breakbeats or breaks) is a term used to describe a collection of sub-genres of electronic music, usually characterized by the use of a non-straightened 4/4 drum pattern (as opposed to the steady beat of house or trance). These rhythms may be characterized by their intensive use of syncopation and polyrhythms, which are prominent in all music of African origin, including African American music although the actual instruments used in breakbeat music makes it more closely related to techno and other forms of electronic music than African or African-American genres. Chill Out: A number of compilations with "Chill Out" in their titles were released in the mid-1990s and beyond, helping to establish the genre as being very closely related to downtempo and trip hop but also incorporating, especially in the early 2000s, slower varieties of house music, nu-jazz, psybient, and lounge music. The genre also includes some forms of trance music, ambient music, and IDM, and it has entirely subsumed the older genre Balearic Beat, although that term is still used interchangeably with chill out. Chill out (sometimes called "soft techno") is generally tonal, relaxing (or at least not as "intense" as other music from the styles it draws from), and generally does not incorporate music that emphasizes "hard," "deep," or particularly hypnotic rhythms, although when used to describe the music played in chillout rooms at raves, it can also encompass extremely psychedelic experimental sounds of great variety. Deep House: a style of house music. It is defined by several characteristics that distinguish it from most other forms of house music. These include calmer percussion, achieved by less compressed kick drums and softer hihats, as well as gentler transitions and simpler drum programming. The tempo of tracks is also relatively slower, ranging from around 110 to 128 bpm). The Jazz influences of deep house are most frequently brought out by sustained augmented or diminished chords which span several bars, which give the tracks a slightly dissonant feel. The use of vocals is also more common in deep house than in other forms of house music. Drum & Bass / Jungle: Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated to d&b, DnB, dnb, drum n bass and drum & bass) is a type of electronic dance music also known as jungle. Emerging in the early 1990s, the genre is characterized by fast tempo broken beat drums (generally between 160–180 beats per minute) with heavy, often intricate basslines. Today, drum and bass is still considered an underground musical style, but its currents of influence run throughout popular music and culture. Drum and bass began as an offshoot of the United Kingdom breakbeat hardcore and rave scene of the late 1980s, and over the first decade of its existence there have been many permutations in its style, incorporating elements from ragga, dancehall, electro, funk, hip hop, house, jazz, heavy metal, reggae, rock, techno and trance. Dubstep & Grime: The genre typically uses dark, minor key sounds, but the major distinguishing elements of dubstep are an almost omnipresent subbass, use of samples, the fact it is largely instrumental, and a characteristic propulsive, sparse rhythm. Dubstep rhythms are usually syncopated, and often shuffled or incorporating triplets. The tempo is nearly always in the range of 138-142bpm. Dubstep rhythms typically do not follow a four-to-the-floor pattern similar to many other styles of electronic dance music, but instead tend to miss out beats and repeat sets of two bars rather than single bars. Often, the rhythm will follow a pattern which when played alone will appear to be playing at half the tempo of the track, but the double-time feel is achieved by other elements, usually the bassline (a prime example being Skream's Rottan, which features a very sparse rhythm, comprised almost entirely of kick drum, snare drum, and very occasional hi-hat, with a distinctly half time feel implying a 69bpm tempo; the track is propelled by a constant subbass following a four to the floor 138bpm pattern) House: House music is a style of electronic dance music that was developed by dance club DJs in the midwestern United States city of Chicago in the early to mid-1980s. House music is strongly influenced by elements of the late 1970s soul- and funk-infused dance music style of disco. House music takes disco's use of a prominent bass drum on every beat and developed a new style by mixing in a heavy electronic synthesizer bassline, electronic drums, electronic effects, funk and pop samples, and reverb (or delay)-enhanced vocals. Electro House: Electro house (also known as dirty house, electrotech, and often shortened to electro) is a subgenre of house music that rose to become one of the most prominent genres of electronic dance music in 2004-06. Stylistically, it combines the four to the floor beats commonly found in House music with harmonically rich analogue basslines, abrasive high-pitched leads and the occasional piano or string riff. The tempo of electro house ranges approximately from 125 to 135 bpm. Electronica: A style of music which allows easy focus on rhythmic elements that seem to be made of the most necessary sounds in order to create momentum that flows with long tonal passages. Every element of sound in electronica is usually very clear, and therefore works in this genre are usually very well crafted with great attention to detail. Hard Dance: The tempo within Hard Dance usually ranges from 135 BPM (Techno) to 180 BPM (Freeform Hardcore). Hard Dance is an umbrella term that refers to the grouping of modern electronic dance music genres including Hard House, Nu-NRG, Hard-NRG, Hard Trance, Hardstyle, Jumpstyle & Freeform Hardcore. UK Hardcore & UK Techno is often included in this capacity. the style of music is one where the lines between some of the above mentioned genres are so blurred that it becomes near impossible to attribute it to one genre. A common example would be a Hard House / Hard Trance cross-over. Hardcore: Hardcore is a style of electronic music that originated in the early-to-mid-1990s in multiple locations including Rotterdam, New York City and Newcastle, Australia. The style is typified by a fast tempo (160-240 beats per minute is common, and the rhythmic use of distorted and atonal industrial-like beats and samples. Hip-Hop: Typically, hip hop music consists of rhythmic lyrics making use of techniques like assonance, alliteration, and rhyme. The rapper is accompanied by an instrumental track, usually referred to as a "beat", performed by a DJ, created by a producer, or one or more instrumentalists. Historically, this beat has often been created using a sample of the percussion break of another song: usually funk and soul recordings have been utilized. However, in recent years, it has become more common for the beat to be built up from individual drum samples. In addition to the beat, other sounds are often sampled, synthesized, or performed. Sometimes a track can be instrumental, as a showcase of the skills of the DJ or producer. Minimal Techno: A minimalist sub-genre of Techno music, is characterized by a stripped-down, glitchy sound, simple 4/4 beats (usually around 120-135 BPM), repetition of short loops, and subtle changes. Related styles include Detroit techno, ambient techno, microhouse and tech house. Minimal techno features consonant harmony, but most tracks lack functional chord progression, sometimes to the point of seeming atonal. Melodies, when present, are usually short loops of one or two bars, and emphasis is put on creating layers of unique sounds. Musical development is achieved mostly by adding or removing instruments (sounds) on eight-bar phrase boundaries and adjusting sound effects. Music created under this genre can range from melodic beautiful harmonies with a prominent bass line, to glitchy, unstructured, disjointed sounds which are unified to create an organized new track. Progressive House: Consists of the 4-to-4 beat of house music with deeper, dub-influenced basslines and a more melancholic, emotional edge. Often, it featured elements from many different genres mixed together. Song of Life, for instance, has a trip-hop like down-pitched breakbeat and a high-energy Roland TB-303 riff at various stages. Psy-Trance: Psychedelic trance generally has a fast tempo, in the range 135 to 150 BPM. The emphasis in psychedelic trance is placed strongly on purely synthesized timbres for programming and lead melodies. This form of electronic music developed from Goa trance in the early 1990s when it first began hitting the mainstream. Tech House: As a musical (as opposed to a mixing) style, tech-house uses the same basic structure as house; however, elements of the house 'sound' such as realistic jazz sounds (in deephouse) and booming kick drums are replaced with elements from techno such as shorter, deeper, darker and often distorted kicks, smaller, quicker hi-hats, noisier snares and more synthetic or acid sounding synth melodies including raw electronic noises from distorted sawtooth and square wave oscillators. Techno: Techno is a form of electronic dance music that became prominent in Detroit, Michigan during the mid-1980s with influences from Chicago house, electro, New Wave, funk and futuristic fiction themes that were prevalent and relative to modern culture during the end of the Cold War. "Techno" is commonly confused with general terms such as electronic music and dance music. Techno features an overwhelming feeling of percussive, synthetic sounds, studio effects used as principal instrumentation, and, usually, a regular, 4/4 beat usually with a tempo of 130–140, sometimes faster, but rarely slower. Some techno compositions have strong melodies and bass lines, but these features are not as essential to techno as they are to other dance genres, and it is not uncommon for techno compositions to deemphasize or omit them. Trance: A style of electronic music that developed in the 1990s. Trance music is generally characterized by a tempo of between 130 and 150 bpm, featuring repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and down throughout a track, often crescendoing or featuring a breakdown. Sometimes vocals are also utilized. The style is arguably derived from a combination of largely electronic music such as ambient music, techno, and house. 'Trance' received its name from the repetitious morphing beats, and the throbbing melodies which would presumably put the listener into a trance-like state. Written by Coffey

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(Quick Note: This tutorial assumes you have a basic knowledge of DJing and Music Theory) [Loops] The most basic beat juggle, the loop, is just the repetition of several beats, bars, or measures of a song. Regardless of the loop length, the technique is the same: - Get two copies of the same record, and que them up to the start of the same phrase. The easiest thing to do is start with the first beat of a song, usually a kick drum. - Release your first record and let it play out. When it reaches the end of the phrase (usually 4 or 8 beats), simultaneously release your second record and cut the crossfader over allowing the second record to play out. - As the second record plays out, rewind your first record back to that loop start point – the beginning of your phrase. - When the second record reaches the end of the phrase, once again cut over the crossfader and release the first record letting it play out. Keep repeating that process, and you’re all set! Listen to the 4 Beat Loop, 2 Beat Loop, and 1 Beat Loop [Replace] A Replace is essentially a Loop, but instead of always ‘rewinding’ back to the same start point, you move the start point forward or back to get a different sounding loop. From a music theory standpoint, you do this by ‘replacing’ a beat in your loop with a beat on the other record thereby shifting the downbeat to another spot. Here’s how to do a basic 2-beat loop snare ‘Replace’: - Get two copies of the same record, que the first one to the start of the phrase (usually a kick drum), but que the other one to the first snare drum in the phrase on beat two. - Release the first record and let first 3 beats play out (in rough terms -a kick, a snare, and another kick). - Just as you arrive at the *last* snare drum on beat 4, cut your crossfader over, and release your second record which again you have qued up to the first snare of the phrase. You thereby ‘replace’ the snare that should have played out on beat 4 on the first record with your snare on the second record. - Now as your second record plays out, rewind the first record, but this time to that first snare – not the beginning of the phrase. - Once again, right as you reach that last snare on beat four on record two, release that ‘first snare’ on record one and repeat the process. - That was the first two plays of the ‘loop’. Generally you’d do a set of four loops to form a larger phrase. To make that work however, when you get to the 4th and ‘last’ loop in your larger phrase, you now need to rewind your last record all the way back to the first beat of the phrase to re-establish the downbeat. It's a lot simpler to listen to the Replace [Triple Hit] The triple hit is named as such because you ‘drop’ the beginning of the loop three times in the same phrase. My crew learned it in a private lesson with Neil Armstrong of the Fifth Platoon. The sound this produces brings the energy up a notch and provides a great transition to a faster loop or different juggle. To get your head around this technique you need to be acutely aware of the location of the first kick and first snare of your loop on both records one and two, and be able to hit those marks with both hands pretty darn quickly. You have one kick drum and one snare on each side - that's four points. You need to own those points. To perform the triple hit you: - Let kick and snare play out on first record, but *immediately* after the snare hits, cut the cross fader and drop record two at the beginning of the loop. - In a single beat, very quickly rewind your first record to the beginning of the loop, and on the next beat cut the cross fader and drop it on that first kick drum. - Let that first record play just that first kick drum – a single sound - and on the next beat cut over to your second record again to play the snare. *However* when you get back to that second record it's already going to be half a beat too far ahead, so you will need to super-quickly pull it back a tad before cutting over so that you hit your mark. Simple right? Listen to the Triple Hit [Off Rocking] Offrocking (named because you're rocking the offbeats) is pretty easy, lots of fun, challenges you to make quicker and more accurate rewinds, and is the gateway to really advanced beat juggles (the ones too advanced for this author). Basically you let the first record play out, and on the second record you hang out on the first snare drum, and 'stab' it (quickly open up the cross fader and let it play, close the xfder, rewind, repeat) to layer extra snare hits on top of the beat. This allows you to "swing" the beat, double it up, and rework the rhythm to your liking. In the simple version of this juggle, you let one record one play all the way out, and just rock a snare on record two on top of it. Just ‘stabbing’ that snare, especially before and after the snare playing out on the other record, sounds cool. If you do full crossfader cuts to ‘your snare’ or sometimes ‘drag’ the snare you can make it sound even more interesting. The more advanced off rocking comes when you do it in a loop. Here’s an attempted explanation of the audio sample below: - Que record 1 to the beginning of your phrase. Que record 2 to the first snare in the phrase. That snare is the one you’re going to offrock. - Drop record 1 and let the loop play out. Offrock your snare on record 2 and jazz up the beat, but don’t do it for too long because…. - As you near the end of the loop on record 1, stop messing around with that snare on record 2, and quickly rewind it a couple of beats back to the beginning of the loop. - When you DO reach the end of the loop on record 1, cut over and drop record 2, and quickly rewind record 1 back to that first snare in the phrase. - Now that you’ve got that snare, offrock away. Spice up the beat, but hurry up because you need to repeat this mad dash again and do it on the other side, repeat, etc. Listen to some Off Rocking [skip Step] The Skip Step is basically a fast version of the more advanced Off Rocking example above. What that off rock example does over the course of an entire phrase, the Skip Step does in only 4 beats. Essentially you Off Rock the snare on record one, repeat the same pattern immediately on record two, but need to throw a well placed drag in there to keep it on tempo. It's hard to explain, but I’ll try – however keep in mind this happens *quick* - almost every beat is manipulated. - Drop record one at the beginning of the phrase, and *immediately* offrock the snare on record two both before and after the snare playing out on the record one. To say it more clearly - there will be three snare notes. The first will be your off rock snare from record two. The second will be the snare playing out on record one. The third snare will be another off rock from you. If you do it correctly you'll hear a ba-da-bum like the cheesy drum fill you hear after an old-time joke. - Immediately after you rock the bad-da-dum using the snare on record two, grab the snare on record one, and repeat that bad-da-dum sound using only that single snare on record one. How?: First sound (bad): Forward stab the snare Second sound (da): Drag the snare back Third Sound (dum): Stab the snare again and let it play out Then repeat the whole thing J Good lucking trying to decipher the Skip Step [slow Rocking] Nothing is more ill than when a battle DJ breaks his routine down to half-tempo and slow rocks the beat. Slow rocking is both very simple and very difficult. There are more than one ways to do it, but in the basic version all you're doing is playing out each and every single kick and snare one by one. For instance: Record 1: Kick Record 2: Kick Record 1: Kick Record 2: Snare In theory it’s easy, but to get it smooth and even, you need to be very fast and have lots of speed and positioning control. Listen to some Slow Rocking [Chase] The Chase is a combination of slow rocking and doubles. My crew ‘learned’ it in a private lesson with Mr. Sinister from the X-ecutioners, which is to say he showed us how to do it. I still can’t do it myself for more than a second. Basically you're slow rocking in that you're manually dropping each beat, but you do so while alternating between two records offset by one beat. For example say you're trying to "Chase" an MC rhyming "I love hip hop", it would break down like this: Record 1: I Record 2: I Record 1: love Record 2: love Record 1: hip Record 2: hip Record 1: hop Record 2: hop If you're incredibly dope, you can also do -three- back and forths for each beat and create a triplet feel. Listen to a weakly executed Chase