Vinyl or CD Decks?

Tom500

Member
Joined
May 8, 2005
Location
Birmingham UK
Alright peeps,

I've been thinking of getting some decks for a while and have decided now is the time to do it. However, I am usure whether to buy CD decks or Vinyl Decks? I was wondering what your opinion was and if there are advantages to either one. For eample is it easier to mix on one or the other, and is there a particular brand I should go for? I was looking at the Numark TTX for vinyl.

I have to say I own a lot of dnb MP3's so it would been an expense to start a collection from scratch on vinyl. Also, if i were to choose CD are there ways to overcome MP3s that have been ripped at different speeds?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

:rave:
 
Vinyl gets respect.

CDs don't.

But more & more djs are playing cds. Even the big boys. Its easier on the wallet, easier on the arm and easier to mix (if you have a quality cd player, like a Numark Axis, CDX or Technics).

If you go the vinyl route - you really have to buy a Technics 1210. 95% of clubs have Technics or a cheaper imitation. The other 5% have Vestax PDX - a dream to play on... but if you learn to play on them, then a Technics will fuck you up - totally different technique.
 
If you want cheap music thats easy to carry around go for the CD decks, as you say mp3s are free or cheap, and CDs are convenient.

Do you already know how to mix? assuming no ...
if you want to be a DJ who truly knows his craft, get decks and buy vinyl. It supports the music you love (granted so do CDs, but it doesnt sound like you buy them either :mrpanic: ) If you do that you can easily learn CD decks and buy them as well, cos they're great.

But if you already know mixings your thing, it is my advice to buy deks and play vinyl. People will disagree and argue their merits, its a bit personal taste and what you have discovered you can do with each. .
 
I am a complete begginer, I have played on the previously mentioned Technics 1210's at a mates.

I haven't purchased any vinyl mainly due to not owning the decks, as far a cd's go I do buy them but they tend to be mix cd's, and they have been in the deep progressive house vein. I have a lot of MP3's because you can get the complete unmixed track. It is also alot easier to find deleted, hard to find, and white label tunes.

I have noticed that a lot of DJ's are now using CD decks, in fact the clubs/bars around my area now seem to use them as a prefered choice.

I would like to stay true to the cause however, looking at the features of some of the new CD decks have and they are awesome. Also I want something that is relatively easy to learn on. That said vinyl is still industry standard.
 
Really is six of one and half-dozen of the other now.

If you're on a budget go for CD decks though because building a vinyl collection from scratch can get very expensive!

Personally I prefer vinyl though :)
 
Being out here has forced me into using CDs. I purchased a pair of Pioneer CD decks with the vinyl jogwheels (CDJ800's I think), and I have to say I'm very impressed with them. I'm always gonna love vinyl, but I think that cd are the future, and anyone in this day who says vinyl only is quickly gonna become a dinosaur.
 
this is really a touchy subject, as cd's are often looked down upon because they just don't have that feel that vinyl does .. ie. it's much more entertaining to see a dj hulking over some vinyl then it is to see a dj stand there and press buttons imo.. with that said, vinyl is definately the main platform .. but cdj's have become essential because, like tha' other guys say, it's much less expensive and easier to carry around.. in my opinion, mixing vinyl and mixing cd's are both quite different from each other.. but once u get used to either, it becomes just as easy to mix vinyl as cd! i personally like to mix cd's to play unreleased material as well as promotional tunes that i have not been able to get a vinyl copy of quick enuff for my show.. but i always try to mix my set's up w/ a healthy bit of both vinyl and cd! hope all this crap has been in some way helpful to ur choice!
 
you know you got markings on a vynll to show where the drop points and breaks are, how can you tell on a cd? do you have to memorize different times? how do you know how long there is till a break for a double drop after the break, i know alot of the time the tune tells you but just wondering how you do it?
 
popeye said:
you know you got markings on a vynll to show where the drop points and breaks are, how can you tell on a cd? do you have to memorize different times? how do you know how long there is till a break for a double drop after the break, i know alot of the time the tune tells you but just wondering how you do it?

With decent CD decks u can set cue points in a memory card, save all the time wasted "searching for the groove" :)
 
Go for Vinyl.
You'll have a hard job finding stuff to play out that's full quality on CDs as most are mixed already.

Also as an artist I'd obviously like people to buy tunes rather than take them off the net for free. CDs are fine when you get to the stage that you've got decent exclusive tracks and don't want to splash out on dubs all the time, but it'll be a while before that happens to you.
 
my cdj buggered up the other day :( all the lights work but the time and in the middle of the wheel jus suddenly went off :'(
 
mISHKA said:
With decent CD decks u can set cue points in a memory card, save all the time wasted "searching for the groove" :)

If I've heard a record a couple of times... then I know where the music changes. It all goes in loops of 4, 8, 16 bars anyway so you can pretty much predict what will happen even if you don't know the track.
 
Dustek said:
If I've heard a record a couple of times... then I know where the music changes. It all goes in loops of 4, 8, 16 bars anyway so you can pretty much predict what will happen even if you don't know the track.

Yeah true, Im saying when your going for a double drop or a really clinical piece of mixing it helps to know exactly where to start :)

That said, I done some banging double drops totally coincedentally by starting the new tune at the right time.

Thank god we don't have to deal with 3/4 most of the time :D
 
You dont wana be playing MP3's thru a big sound system, great for learning to mix of course, but somthing to think about if your gonna play out ;)

Pioneer CDj1000's are beautiful, but pricy, if your not bothered about scratching atm, CDj200's will keep you going for a long time, with some nice FX to mess around with and make your mix's more interesting

CDj's will get you started allot quicker, I dont really think they are much easier to learn tbh, but they are allot cheaper to run ie CD's

get what you feel comfortable with, its about the muzik, not the method of presentation ;) unless your a poser, in which case, get urself a pair of glass 1210s and some 2000£ sunglass's, dont even have to learn to mix maaaaann
 
miszt said:
You dont wana be playing MP3's thru a big sound system, great for learning to mix of course, but somthing to think about if your gonna play out ;)

Unless they're encoded at 320 - can't tell the difference then...

128 over a sound system is bollocks. 192 is very iffy... 256 gets good enough.
 
well itz very much a matter of opinion, I think they sound muddy personally, even at 320, but then I play mostly trance, which has a much fuller range than DnB (generalising of course!)
 
Thanks for the info guys. A lot of stuff to take in.

Still not 100% either way yet! As I say I have quite a few
MP3's which are encoded at various speeds. ranging from 192 to 526 or something like that. I would eventually like to take my Djing out.......thats if i'm any good of course!!! As previously mentioned my local clubs have both vinyl and CD decks. It is an advantage to have higher quality MP3's. However, I do agree with supporting the artists, and I have purchased MP3's from the HOSPITAL website. To replace those MP3s that have been gained by fair or foul means would cost an absolute fortune, something I sadly do not have! I do have to agree that you cant beat the sound quality of vinyl, but is there that much of a difference on the soundsystems of smaller scale clubs/bars?

With regards to scratching I am impressed by it but wouldn't be interested in doing it myself.

My prefered style for DnB would have to be liquid or atmospheric. I do enjoy jump up as well. I would probably also like to dabble in tech, tribal and progressive house. Anything really.
 
yep, pirating a couple mp3s is not something I have a huge problem with, but anyone who bases a DJ career on it needs to have a good hard think about themselves.
good luck mate :slayer:
 
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