Sounds Better on CDJs?

K

Kevdino

Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2008
Hey all,

Recently I got into a conversation with the dnb sales head at my local record shop regarding the "crispness" of CDJ's in regards to more 'minimal' sounding dnb, (INstra:mental, D-bridge, Alix Perez, Sabre, Bop).

We were both kind of agreement over the notion that some tunes seem to sound a bit better on cdjs rather than vinyl, and we both agreed this may have something to do with the larger amount of 'space' in between the hits of this more stripped down, yet still complex sub genre of dnb.

This because on vinyl I find with more 'dead air' theres a greater chance for the analogue to show its skin, that is, faint hissing and/or crackles.


I could ofcourse be very wrong, as I just rented a cdj 800 for the first time, coming from vinyl, so maybe im just in the midset that since its new to me, Im looking to justify the rental.

Dont take this the wrong, its not supposed to be a Vinyl Vs.CDJ debate in anyway, I just want to get some feedback and see if Im coming from a valid point.

Thanks!
 
valid point about the digital vs analog side of things regarding silence in parts of the tracks. very valid point.

but the wav gets burnt to vinyl so essentially it's the same thing getting play.

just with the lazer reading the data off the cd you'll never get and snap, crackle or pop.

or cornflakes.
 
Has the crispness of the beats got anything to do with it? As we all know, the cartridge produces an electrical signal through the movement of the stylus. To accurately trace this movement from the record groove would require the cartridge to be held rigidly in space. Of course, in the real world this is impossible. The tonearm pivot, the headshell/tonearm connection and the arm construction itself all allow the tonearm to flex and vibrate, which in turn corrupts the stylus' vibration. Modern DnB vinyl tends to be pressed very loud which only exagerates the problem. Then there's distortion created through the cartridge alignment. Couple this with the average poor setup of a DJ's deck, and it can have the effect of blurring the sound.

Just a thought, lol
 
Definitely agree with Minimal type tracks sounding better on cdjs as they often used sharp and solid tones as mentioned which suits digital technology better than analog due its wide spectrum of frequencies which can become unwanted.

But at the end of the day, no format is better than the other really.
 
riisu said:
valid point about the digital vs analog side of things regarding silence in parts of the tracks. very valid point.

but the wav gets burnt to vinyl so essentially it's the same thing getting play.

just with the lazer reading the data off the cd you'll never get and snap, crackle or pop.

or cornflakes.
Click to expand...

You dont 'burn' vinyl and as a medium it has physical limitations as to what can be pressed on it and still keep the quality or play at all.

Low bass has to be in mono or the needle wouldn't track, it can't reach extreme high frequencies that digital can either. Technically vinyl is higher quality due to it being analog and the way it works vs cd's I cant explain it particularly well but if anyone's that bothered i'll draw a picture :P

The fact that vinyl has its limitations can make a huge difference to the sound. We're the CDJ's playing tunes that were mastered to be on cd's/digital. They well generally be mastered in a different way possibly by a different engineer for a vinyl press. I've had friends complain about digital tunes they have bought and the quality and some of it seems to be lazy mastering as it can just be released straight away where as if you tried pressing a vinyl without a proper mastering job it might not even play or just sound terrible.

Playing a vinyl vs a cd also raises the issue of what needles you were using. £40 a pair needles will sound gash. Only gonna get great quality out of high end ortofons or shure white (not the M series scratch needles ;) ) labels or an equivalent needle.
 
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