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Brent Silby (2007)
“New Day of Disco” - Brent “Maestro B” (running time 63 minutes)
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Brent Silby (2007)
“therobsta’s house” - “therobsta” (running time 60 minutes)
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“Maestro B’s house” - “Maestro B” (running time 45 minutes)
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On another note, we are currently planning the next Audiodreams event, so watch out for more details coming soon. There’s quite a lot happening in the event scene here in Christchurch over the next couple of months, so we’ll no doubt all be having a few late nights 
Brent Silby (2007)
“Disco to Electro-House” - Brent “Maestro B” (running time 57 minutes)
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Last year I wrote some thoughts about DJ’ing with mp3s. I concluded that DJ’ing with a computer does not feel as good as using vinyl. Now, with the cost of vinyl and the difficulty in getting the variety of tracks I want, I decided to run a digital experiment…
Last night I DJ’d with a Laptop
Over the last few weeks I digitized a selection of my records and purchased the Traktor DJ package. Last night I took my laptop (and vinyl for a backup) to a gig at which I was to DJ an hour long set. I set the computer up so that the “decks” were plugged into 2 separate channels on the Pioneer DJM mixer. The alternative would have been to use the faders on the screen with a mouse, which I didn’t want to do. I used hotkeys to CUE/PLAY tracks and for pitch bending. I also had a hotkey for SYNC, which synchronizes tracks. Let me say now that no matter how good Traktor is, DJs should not rely on SYNC. The tracks do drift, and sometimes the sync function leaves a fraction of a second between each track so you hear a double beat. You will often need to use the pitch bend to align tracks perfectly.
So I did my set and I think it sounded really nice. I did find that using the laptop lacked the tactile appeal of turntables. There’s something nice about picking up a record, putting it on a turntable and manipulating it. I also found it more difficult to select songs. Usually I select tracks by flicking through my record collection, and I recognize certain record sleeves visually. With Traktor its just words, so its actually harder to find the songs. But that’s just a matter of getting used to reading rather than looking.
For my next Digital experiment, I plan to use the Vestax VCI-100 midi controller plugged in to the laptop. This controller has jog dials, pitch control sliders, play/cue buttons, and a range of assignable controls. DJ’ing with this controller would be very similar to using CDJs or Denon type setups. I think it will provide a more tactile interface than simply hitting keyboard buttons, and thus it may bridge the gap between mp3s and the enjoyment of working with turntables/CDJs.
As soon as I get the recording from last night, I’ll post it here.
Brent Silby (2007)
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Next week we are launching the first of the Friday Sound Sessions. This is an R18 club night, the first of which will be hosted at the FOAM bar here in Christchurch city. We will feature a multi-genre lineup. I’ll post more details in the next couple of days.
Brent Silby (2007)
Live @ “Continuance” - Brent “Maestro B” (running time 59 minutes)
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