You have quickly become my favorite DJ channel. Super under rated and I cant wait for the algorithm to treat you correctly. The dry humor is so on point and well balanced. And the information is actually valuable and not overly nuanced. Even though I already know most of what you teach, I still watch your videos 2 or 3 times just to appreciate the editing and humor. Please dont stop. Ive seen channels completely explode after an extended underrated period. Your content is so good and I can totally see every video blowing up all at once. I'm gonna keep commenting and liking and do my part to help.
You spit out straight facts. I started DJing about 20 years ago. We had no anything, No Key no grid no nothing. Everything by ear. I use whatever tech I have available in order to get more creative and everyone should do so. Love the vid!!!!
@@marcobarbaro9493 what does that have to do with sync 🤦♂️ I was actually amazing. If you really believe in what your saying you should still be using vinyl no BPM no nothing. Or when you produce music don’t use digital plugins use only analog and don’t use midi. 😂 and if you use a computer you are contradicting everything you say.
@@shlomishanti weak people... not to mention that with Spotify you can have any suggestion about tracks and productions, while we had to go to the record shop and search, search constantly. do you want to win easy?
To answer the question, i started DJing in 1981 with those old disco records that were really a pain in the butt to think up because some of them were played by real drummers instead of drum machines. So you learned to keep your finger on the record and keep it in sync. My middle finger was my beat sing finger. But if I have a sync button then why not use it?
huge vid, earned a sub, and agree with pretty much every point. I do the ol' manual beat match by looking at the designated tempo my CDJ's or Traktor tells me, then quickly go by ear, but mostly only because I find it easier and fast to beat match the way I enjoy. The actual beat sync button seems to be fairly off a LOT of the time, so I just don't bother with it haha.
Learned on vinyl, and switch to Traktor Scratch on day 1, and to this day I have never used sync. The issue with it's introduction, was for companies to make more profit by selling gear that anyone can use. We used to joke about Auto-tune being directly in the microphone, 20 years ago. However, using Sync not only removes one of the "hands on" elements of the art of DJing, but it closed the gap on who was more talented, while ruining the crowds ability to pick up on what makes a talented DJ special. Nowadays, programs can select you a DJ set, and put it in key, where if you haven't had the privilege of training your ears to recognize this, then you are limiting yourself and your abilities right off the start. This is why I can personally walk up to anyone's laptop or record bin, and jam out with their music with no audible errors beyond the human element. Many, many people who rely on sync could not do the same. When you buy a sports car and it's an automatic, it's because it's for everybody to drive, where a manual transmission is for the elitist.
Im still pretty new to Dj'ing and I found it odd that established DJ friends of mine gave me a hard time for NOT using beat sync. I just told them the two main reasons I didnt like using beat sync is that I tend to use a wide range of styles when practicing at home from Punk/ska, metal, house, DnB, indie rock, etc, so beat sync is more of a choir at that point than it is helpful. And the second reason is I wanted to learn to really beat match on my own before using a tool made to do it. Its the same approach I use when learning any new skill like when I taught myself SQL, I did it in a terminal window and not a IDE. But once I did move to the IDE it was so easy to build a database and filter records it was almost laughable
Sync was how I got into DJing in the first place using a computer and Virtual DJ. It's easy to recognize the importance of being able to beat match when things don't work out perfectly. But since I got into DJing years ago with the advent of sync and computer analyzed beat grids, I view it as a tool that, when appropriately used, gives you creative freedom to do more interesting things with your mixes. Cheers, and great video m8
I’ve changed the settings in Rekordbox to BPM Sync. It doesn’t match up the beat grids and I still have to beat match manually. I find this allows me to have a lot more time on the mixer using all 4 decks on my DDJ-RZ, instead of having to fiddle with those notoriously difficult pitch sliders!
I tried that approach for a while, the only thing was that if I wanted to change BPM manually it was a pain to turn it on and off on that deck. I just do it with the BPM counter with the pitch setting at +/- 6% and so long as it's within 0.1 it should be fine with relatively little adjustment. I also think those slight adjustments make a mix feel more alive, but maybe that's just me being old.
Hi Chris, I'm in the sync cru. Having heard this controversy since the rise of CDJ/controllers, it's great to see more and more dj's doing their “coming out” on this topic. What amazes me the most is the fact that on both sides everyone agrees that djing is all about music selection and making people dance, but some still act like there is only one way to do it properly... It sounds like having a washing machine but forcing everyone in the house to wash their clothes by hand just because "real dudes do it"! It all sounds like a conservative vs progressive debate, driven by fearing the former being replaced by the latter. Also there are a hell of a lot of myths about DJs using sync and not being able to hear music drift or even recognize a proper beat match... I do 4 deck old school drum & bass mixes only with sync, any anti-sync can give it a listen and see for themselves that the only problem with sync guys is in their heads not in the mix!( ruclips.net/video/Fvus8Z1TjYc/видео.html )
i seriously wanna see those "purists" ATTEMPT playing my bass house set with no sync on. I´d eat my hat if they can do that set on vinyl. They need to accept electronic music today is more about being a Prod/DJ, and about making some type of live performance, mashup, live remix, dope transitions. It´s different times, vinyl is cool, turntablism is cool, but the newest James Hype/Yamato/Fred Again sets are just as impressive in their own way.
@@gozutheDJ did you watch my mix before writing that? I looked you up mate. If i´m so full of it, let´s go do a battle. I´ll devour your whole mix with 1 transition
Yeah, I hate the whole argument against Sync. One thing I really value in my sets is having amazing energy that infects the crowd, and so the less time I spend preparing my next track, the more time I can spend interacting and giving off my energy to the listener.
The sauce and rice analogy is great. There's so much stuff you can do to elevate your set and connect with the audience, it just feels so wasteful to spend your precious time on something like this. Plus, sending your BPM readout to your light technician/VJ turns them from a tap-tempo-pressing monkey to a performer who now suddenly has time and attention to make the visuals pop just that much better. Love the clarity you've brought to the discussion. Cheers!
I have been DJ'ing for 20+ years, when I was younger in clubs in London on vinyl, now just a home with a vinyl set up and a more modern set up with a controller. I get the argument from both sides. I beat match because I enjoy it and enjoy the challenge of it and it makes it more interesting. Ultimately if someone wants to DJ with sync I don't see the big deal. Times have changed, DJing is not the same as it used to be like many other things. Everyone should be free to choose without the feel that they are cheating the system or inferior in someway. Some people enjoy the transition side more than the beat matching. Plus like you say with sync it does give you more time to work on some of the more complex transitions. I would probably do the same if I was working in the club scene today.
I started DJing 25 years ago, I'm so glad that I learned to beat match manually and learned the structure of the music to know where to start the next track so the track build up and die down at the same point. but having just got back into DJing with all the fancy features to speed up the beatmatching and make it perfect means that I can spend more time on transitions and have more fun with that that spending all the track beatmatching. I haven't used the the beatsync button yet but not totally opposed to it to save a car crash mix from happening
What an amazing take on this. I love how it's so controversial; I have many DJ friends who refuse to use it. But mostly they are ex-vinyl DJs who use the CDJs purely as a replacement for a turntable - they don't use any of the additional features that modern equipment gives you; and they haven't bothered to spend any time learning either! I actually spend a lot of time in Rekordbox getting the grids spot on, and then I find I can actually mix without sync and without headphones (provided I know the track) most of the time. But it is sometimes handy to flick the sync button on and off just to be sure they're exactly lined up. However, if another DJ comes into the booth I am always sure to check that it's off before they see it!
Well I'm mixing more over 20 years since 1999. Before the sync times. Back then we only had vinyl and cd simple units. And i learn on ear (the hard way) but it's incredibly rewarding when you do a great gig on ear talent.... Today currently I use sync technology and i personally think its a great tool that allows you to be more creative with other stuff.... I think i use a combination of sync and ear because for me personally the sync element its not 100% accurate. But thats the only reason i find. In conclusion i think that anybody that wants to call themselves a truly good DJ has to know how to match tracks also by ear...
Great points, and correct opinion. Ppl busy arguing about what "real DJs" do meanwhile there are ppl on youtube making sick mixes and plugging in modular synths and ableton setups and drum machines and guitars plugged into loop pedals and doing whatever sounds fun and cool. And on the other end we have double vinyl bois who have to do crazy stuff on the fly when people are jumping too hard and the head jumps/skips. What even is a "DJ?" I don't know, and may we never define it or put it in a box. Beatmatching is a tool, sync button is a tool. Use the tool you want to get the effect and the experience you want to have.
The best video I have seen on this topic. There was about 0.5 seconds that were the most important : You need to know when to jog the track because it just sounds better slightly off the grid or if the grids are not set right. That is the killer on it.
It's crazy that there is still controversy around Sync. Was there this same level of hysteria when those little Pads got released that you plugged into and sat on the corner of your Turntables giving you Hotcues? Did people still get all high and mighty when looping first got added to CDJs, and insist unless you only Beat Juggled your Loops your not really DJing LOL. Jazzy Jeff likes making use of all the DJ tech he can get his hands on if it lets him be more creative.
Well said sir! I can manually beat match ( serato dj pro ) using the beat grid, tempo slider , jog adjust......however, I spend hours setting beat grids & setting my cue points in my music library. I do that so that as I'm in the mix, I can use sync to its fullest extent. I love having a harmoinc , flowing mix that keeps the "crowd " engaged . They are who maters..... Cheers mate
Basically it all comes down to passion and good choice of music. I use SYNC on house music but even then, some songs don’t even match up well so you gotta have some talent to match up or simply bring in another track. Disco is the hardest to mix , it doesn’t go well in SYNC mode , and it’s very difficult to mix. Thank you for the good Advices. Love this channel😊
Use sync whenever i want. Proud not ashamed.Can manually mix since 1996 anyway if needed. Totally agree with all your points. Even the using sync then dragging it slightly out or into a nice phase is an important point.
Learned to beat match from DJing on vinyl late 80s to mid 90s and made the transition to CD around then, with my CDs in blank card sleeves with mix and cue points written on them, so yes, I can do it, but recently got into digital DJing and for some reason the headphones don't work with my PC soundcard, so I'm totally having to rely on what I see, the grid, the numbers, but I can see/hear my mixes getting noticeably better each week through having to embrace the new skills. If prepared, I can get a dozen tracks into a 20 minute mix knowing that if I've tried it before, they are going to drop perfectly as long as I don't miss the cue. Thanks for another great video, Chris!
Greetings from an Aussie in Japan! I must say i do enjoy your dry sense of humour chris, also as a DJ with over 48 years of experience I worked with music that was recorded live in a studio and not created with a syncopated drum track. This meant that there was vast differences at times in the beat grids due to human error (and most of the artists were probably stoned). Beat gridding can itself cause major problems due to the artist not keeping in time so gridding tracks and playing them back can cause some crazy anomolies like the track speeding up where it has been put correctly on a grid formation at the recorded tempo. Playing these tracks using SYNC has major advantages (and disadvantages as above) because unlike current music the sync function is a tremendous feature for old school like i play (disco,funk). I learn't to play music on 7" 45's with no pitch control and have moved with technology and utilized it to better perform live, does this make me a 'bad' dj? I think not because my main concern was to keep a dance floor, and we all know no-one gives a fuck about how good your mixing was as long as the punter gets to hear their favourite banger and the set is put together with some form of continuity and musical flow. I sometimes practice mixing on my controller without using the sync feature just to keep in touch with the skills i grew up with mixing by ear. Thanks for your content, keep up the wit.
I manually beatmatch (with help of the visuals) for these reasons: 1. It's good to have the skill, and maintain it. 2. It keeps you more active and alert 3. I don't have all my grids aligned perfectly 4. A little bit of social pressure The times I do use sync: 1. When I'm in a hurry 2. When I want to gradually change BPM with multiple decks playing 3. When I've had some drinks and can't properly beatmatch anymore
Great video. I love playing LPs live cause of the adrenaline rush. However, a lot of clubs are building smaller, DJ booth with less room and I’ve been stuck in a situation where there are no monitors. Sometimes that sync button is a Hail Mary.
I'll tell you, I dont use sync because that makes djing boring for me. I actually like matching the beats together myself. I feel more connected to the music I play.
I learnt on turntables so beatmatching by ear but I now use a controller soI use it when trying quick transitions like you said it frees me up to do other things, but personally if its there then its there to be used as frequently or as infrequently as you so choose.
Syncs for amateurs who can't mix, it's simple and that you can't argue with, you can do 3 deck mixes without using it. It's called practice, unless of course you want to be just a button pusher. I mean where does it stop.... Auto pilot DJing next🤦 That's why Andy C has been the number one DJ in his genre for 20 years....
...Im a pro deejay for 30 years playing and mixing from a cassette deck to turntables to cd's and now on a controller and I often use sync..?why?because its 2023, the technology is allowing me to be focused on more important things than sync, like choosing a next good song, making a good drop or transition....the technology today is just amazing...I wish we had this 30 years ago...
You’re not doing yourself any favors by practicing with sync. If you’re comfortable beat matching, by all means use it, but I’ve found that younger DJs using sync as a crutch tend to suffer from other issues, like mixing in key, track selection, and building a strong foundation of tension and release. But what do I know. So much of what’s out there now is just bro step with drop after drop after drop after drop as loud as possible.
Started in the 90s with vinyl playing, so of course had to beat sync myself by ear, however with the possibilities nowadays, I don't mind using sync and queue points, basically it allows you to completely mess around with the way a song has been arranged and will also make you mix tracks that otherwise wouldn't be a fit. So yeah, no shame in using it, as long as you can also do it by ear.
Loved the video, loved the essay, delivery, and editing- you missed a bleep there towards the end but hopefully they won't demonetize you over it. Great vid!
I try not to use sync unless I'm flowing and realize I don't have enough milliseconds to make a change before transitioning. Better than hard-cutting a trainwreck and leaving the room wondering what kind of drugs you took. (Also when there's a lot of tail in an intro and it messes with my ability to gauge the beatgrid.)
I’m always shocked how many gatekeepers there are around the sync button. Over 20 years as a dj, half of which was all vinyl, I love and embrace sync. It truly frees me up to do three and four deck mixing mixing cleanly and really allows me to get super creative on my eqs. The funny thing is that the gatekeepers who criticize the sync button do exactly what you mentioned in this video. They look at the beats per minute and then move the pitch control to match. That’s not even true beat matching. The sync button has opened up DJing to a lot more people since you don’t have the frustrating first two years simply trying to get the beats to not train wreck, which may be another point of frustration for those who learned how to beat match by ear. All in all, we got to adapt the times, leverage the tools that we have at our disposal and find new ways to create.
Well said. VInyl DJ for into three decades, just switched over to digital. Absolutely an ace beat matcher. All this technology. BPM readouts. Cues. Key compatibility AI and yes, even a tap of the beat sync now and then. All these things allow you to get in the mix quicker, and to stay in longer. Memory Cues I sprinkle liberally. Hot cues if I am planning a set are my flags for In and Out on every track. Then mix as close as possible and transition, or lock the two and mix in on a third deck. Use the gear. You can either mix faster or deeper but make it interesting. A vinyl purist would say the second you see the BPM you are already cheating. So use the technology to the max, and deliver the best set you can. See you on the floor.
Started learning to mix recently. Was given a ddj200 as a present. Absolutely loving your channel. Very informative... You deserve much more than 3000 subscribers 💪🏿
I tottally agree that is the same result, but, when beatmatching manually you can have a little bit more of versatility, since there is no lock. Im not against sync, i use it too, it could be very helpful for bpm rises on transitions, so i think its a tool that we have to know how to use and when
Thanks for your video,,, im using only sync because im playing progressive house music, my friends told me that i can actually play am not really dj, if i see few videos ,,everyone is playing today, not in beat, no transitions, bad key conections or the most boaring house sets with same bpm key vocals and same vibe long boaring sets without emotion !!! If i play i use emotional vocal passages to mix it together to make emotion and its not possible to make it throw the beatmatching in time! And if,, than no time for effects,, djing is not about the beatmatching its about to play good music, set with story, emotion, the most important its passing songs together and get out of you the feeling and enotion throw the maschine!!!!!!
I often use sync in my sets for transitions where I am changing the tempo but I obviously don't want to loose the match while doing that transition. I also play around 60 to 70 tracks per hour in average using four decks. I want to have the people have a great time and me also and I don't want to fall in stress. That's why I use sync. Creative mixing, having a good time, the crowd having a good time and more ways to do cool transitions. I have 9 years of experience and I could also do the same thing without sync, but why should I stress myself this much.
I introduced beat-mixing DJ software and used it to produce mix-sets for two programs a week on community radio station back in 2003. I was the one they turned to, to produce a days worth of mixsets for new years day for multiple years - this is so correct.
A good DJ is always looking to make the experience for the crowd the best there is. If something eats away at your time consistently, whether it's beat matching, taking too much time for song selection, or making up for phasing mistakes, that per definition gives you less time to listen to the crowd / build sicker drops / make nastier transitions. If the crowd doesn't care (they really don't), it seems its a pure ego thing to not beat match whenever you could use it. If you respect your crowd, you have prepared your set, you know what's gonna sound juicy and you can perform the required technicalities as flawlessly and effortlessly as possible. I've learned beat matching when i started DJing, took a good look at all the arguments and couldn't figure out why anyone would still defend manual beat matching. I've had some more experiences DJ friends taking a piss on it, but now i hear the promoter side of the story, it makes more sense in the larger 'cultural' frame. Thanks for this awesome video! Liked and subscribed!
Interesting discussion. I sometimes have the feeling that there is a weird phasing going on, when the kicks are matched 100% computer perfect with beat sync and that a mix sounds more organic, when the grid is manually to just 99.76% perfection. Similar to when you turn up the swing in a drum computer to give your beat a more humanized feeling
As a turntable dj for 10+ years who "retired" before digital, and have since returned to play 100% digital, this arguement has been pretty silly to watch. THANK YOU for mentioning the obvious "you're matching the BPM digitally regardless" thing. It drives me batty to see djs puff up like they are some god and yet this is the first thing they do when queueing a track. We don't have 7 min long intros to help you blend and fade gradually these days, you have shorter songs and are basically mixing in the breakdowns half the time anyway. As someone who has been around DJ culture about half my life now... there is nothing wrong with tapping that Sync now and again if it means you're going to have a smoother experience for those punters in the crowd.
Iam a hobby dj now. was a Club DJ for some years. I did learn on vinyl and cd and still use dated hardware. like an old pioneer djm 600 and cdj850. Thank god for USB! I have to say with how the music changed i can really feel how dated my hardware is and iam looking for modern hardware. example: hardstyle tracks were way longer back in the days, giving you enough time and options to align your tracks with a basic vinyl setup. but nowadays these tracks have become so short that iam often limited to the basic transition during the last 25ish seconds of a track and the first 25ish seconds of a track. so what would the solution be for me? looping. yeah good luck looping with cdjs 850 or even the djm 600. basically where i want to go is to get a good console or other tools that give me the option to sample and loop freely and i wish i had a sync button now. what iam trying to tell here is what chris said in the video. i have learned to mix by ear, but of course i use the visual indicators of my cdjs that show me the bpm or the bpm counter of my mixer. see where the "loud" parts are or where i am in the track with the help of a counter. so i can mix a set with vinyl perfectly fine BUT iam limited. IF i had more advanced technology i could focus on other stuff. so yeah i will definitely use beatsync as soon is a get the chance to do it. And to all the beginners. Learn by ear but don't feel ashamed to use the sync button if it helps you to train your ear to hear how it (most of the time) should sound if the beat is synced but more importantly train your ears to hear the loudness difference for each audio channel. music can have different loudness. if you get that bit right you are good to go. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY! HAVE FUN! Great video!
I used to DJ in the early 2000's and lug around heavy ass crates of records, now I can carry 10 crates of records around on flash drives on my key chain. I think the argument for beat sync is the same. It is a tool that makes a djs life easier. You still have to be able to beat match and think fast if the train starts going off the tracks.
I don't use the button much and opt to use the visual bpm aid with the manual movement of the pitch fader. For me sync isn't a big deal. I personally enjoy using the various components of the gear, whether its turning the EQs, using the pitch, using the jog wheels, and utilizing the different available features in general. Using the pitch adjust instead of sync also has given me a better feel for the pitch fader. I can quickly and intuitively bring the bpm up or down to the exact number. (Going from 130 to 126 swiftly, vrs from 130 down to 126.4, then over adjust to 125.8, then finally get it to 126 on the dot.
I'm learning to DJ, mostly with darkprog/zenonesque tracks... at the beginning i used sync, also because i didnt have a cable headphone... but for some time now I've been beatmatching to learn and get a good ear feeling, but it makes me unable to use some intros (that is, no kick yet) between tracks, which many times fit so perfectly in transitions of this genre
Respect the changes and going with the changes is nothing like wrong, changes are natural process and upgrading into new technologies is no wrong. i do sync and i can do djing even without sync its up to me, in the end the game is delivering what my crowd whats and they are happy'' is all i want.
The same people who complain about sync have no problem using quantize to sync their loops. Why is one okay and not the other? I enjoy beatmatching manually, but I'll use sync, too, if I need a break, or if I need both hands to execute a transition. It's there to be used.
I hardly never press the ''beat sync'' button but i do use the beat grid to make sure i'm on track. The only time i use this button is when 2 songs are so far out of beat and still want to have snippets from the song, they i press it.
Does it matter if a DJ uses a pitch slider to match the tempo vs a button? If you can visually see what the tempo is and verify your songs are in sync by the waveform that’s the same as using sync. I’ve done my time on vinyl and there has to be to a reason to use modern tech for DJing. That reason for me is syncing drum loops over a track which is only possible with a sequencer meaning everything is perfectly in sync. It’s a tool that I use 75% of my set and I’ve learned it can screw me up the other 25% of the time.
I've found the Sync button doesn't always do a good job of beat matching, but as far as setting the tempos the same, I find very useful, and saves the most time consuming part of beat matching. Actually lining up beats is the quick bit. It's a similar argument so using vinyl vs USB, based on experience of having to lug two boxes of vinyl on a train I'd rather rock up to a venue with a pair of USB drives and a pair of headphones. Vinyl is fine for appreciating at home, but in terms of practicality, I'd rather save my back and be a USB-using heathen 😆
I do not use Sync but I do use the beat grid to align my tracks. It is true that some mixes/transitions do sound better with tunes out of sync a bit due to the note of the song. Digital had made it easier to mix as you can set what note is that song in. Before you would have to make an educated guess.
Hey, mate! I've been DJing for two years now. At the beginning, I was primarily line matching. After a year, I was able to beatmatch by looking at the beatgrid and the waveforms of the unlinked players. Now I can beatmatch while in the browser menu, so I just look at the bpms, and I do not even need queuing points. In the end, I still think it does not matter because the most important thing is reading the crowd and your song selection. I learned this the hard way. A few weeks ago, I had my first gig, and it was not good. I was beat matching really well; I was not making mistakes, and I played my DJ set just like I played it at home. But overall it was not good because I did not want to diverge from my predetermined playlist and I was not reacting to the crowd because I did not want to trainwreck the mix, so in the end I think the experience of the crowd suffered. Meanwhile, the DJ after me played off his laptop and was primarily using RUclips, and he killed it. He had a great song selection and, in general, was really prepared for what the crowd would like. I would summarize this in the following way: Feel free to DJ by the book as long as it does not take away from the crowd's experience.
I use sync when I'm playing with Traktor, since I often use the remix decks and step sequencer, however when I get to play in a "traditional" format I enjoy beatmatching manually. No reason to not have fun with both styles. I have personally learned a lot by focusing more on the mix and song selection with the time I save beatmatching.
When I mix hip hop/dancehall/reggaeton, using Sync allows me to get creative with Serato stems, live mashups, quick transitions and 3-deck mixing. I’d need a 3rd arm to do this if the sync didn’t exist. When I mix techno/house however, I enjoy beatmatching manually. I don’t understand the taboo behind a button that was created to elevate your creative possibilities. It allows for even better mixes. Isn’t that what the craft is all about?
I g.a.f about know how to beatmatch manually for myself. I do not care if anyone else does or does not. For me its a useful tool to have because sometimes you will be put in front of equipment without sync as an option. Some turntablism tricks need beat matching ability so sync is unreliable when pulling them off.
Spot on video Chris. Don't know why some dj's make such a big deal about this. If you wanna use it...use it. As long as the crowd is loving your selection and style...who cares.
Thank you for the clarification in this video. I’ve always wondered why it was so frowned upon and this explained perfectly. Loving the vids mate and keep up the witty humour 😂
I'm too lazy to setup the beatgrid since most of the tunes I play are vinyl rips and it always takes a lot of time to fine tune the stupid grid to match.
Ima experienced dj I been doing it for 21 years & idgaf what djs or promoters think, I use it mostly to set bpms because I tend to mix fast & it’s great for when beat grids are set properly,imo it’s the djs who aren’t gettin booked tend to shit on the sync feature..the technology is there,why not use it to push boundaries..
i don’t use sync and dgaf about those who use it, unless it sounds good, why even bother about this? i personally care about crowd response much more than what peer djs think about me. in the end - we are all playing for other people and if the music sucks, mixing skills won’t compensate that, and can clearly see that people can get away with shitty mixing (meaning that they do not care about what you do behind the decks, using sync included), but not with shitty selection, dancefloor would be just simply empty.
I have switched mine over to ‘BPM synch mode’ and use it all the time because I can’t be arsed fiddling around with the pitch faders constantly (I have a lot of vinyl rips of old tracks and the BPM fluctuates a lot throughout the tracks) Originally owned & played on vinyl 20yrs and had a 15yr break. I bought a controller last year and have been teaching myself again. If the technology is there to make life easier, why not use it 🤷♀️
Hey Chris, Playing from 20 years, Nowadays technology is a game changer. Beat sync, I use it last time. It by you time to do more and make your set more more colorful. Crowd like it. And you can easy to mix 3 4 song at the time to make something special. A real game changer.... Not controversial. When you from vinyls and now go to this technology well .... a good option
Ucio sam na gramofonima u vreme kada nisu postojali kontroleri i softveri , samo mikser sa dva kanala i dva gramofona. Sad koristim traktor i nemam problem sa bpm, jednostavno stedi vreme. Za dobar set je potrebno osetiti publiku i uz pravi izbor traka, udahnuti svoju energiju i pustiti masti na volju. Rezultat je neizbezan. Bez bpm bi bilo mnogo manje vremena za sve gore navedeno. A poenta je zadovoljiti masu a ne dj koji su protiv bpm. 😎
Depends what decks I'm using, I have the ddj flx4 and XDJRX2. The DDJ FLX4 it is really annoying to get the slider to match with the slightest movement changing the bpm a lot so I use sync. But when I use XDJ RX2 I I won't use sync.
Agreed on all points. its a skill u must have if u r ever going to be in the private event space, coz things like weddings require u to mix music from the pre machine era, and that human drummer is never gonna be perfect, for all other purposes use sync if you must and use the time u usually waste to add some energy, do a sick transition, scratch, so many things u can be doing. to me since i don't want to be totally bored, i usually don't set cues, which means i have to scrub through the track to find the cue, this usually gives me the feel of the old skool times :).. also if u really wanna be amazed, tell a new DJ how stutter cue used to work.. lol
I use sync just to match the bpm to the master track and then switch off immediately, because in some situations it's just mathematically impossible to match the bpm the tracks manually 100%
Started doing back in 84 obviously on vinyl,, Used to really love the challenge of beat matching manually,, Transitioned to digital around 7 yrs ago with a basic Numark controller,, it took me around a yr to work out what beat grids and sync did as I used to manually beat match just like I did with vinyl, albeit with the help of being able to see the BPM on the screen, but still used that as a guide as even then the tracks could drift.. Watched a few RUclips videos about Beatgrid and learnt how to use Sync,, it was weird as it was almost like learning how to beat match as I didn’t know anything about beat grids or cue points. Now I strictly only use sync,I don’t give a crap what others think as I only care what the crowd thinks of my music selection.. We used to wash clothes by hand once upon a time.. Washing machines aren’t considered as cheating..
But i have a question because i thimk theres a way to use the sync but not at his full capacity, what i mean with this is for example, just using the button sync to copy the bpm of the song im about to mix, and then turn off the sync button and manually drop the song and syncronize it with the jog, its still "wrong" or can Dj´s think youre a "not too good" Dj? Please drop your opinion cause i think maybe thats a "fair" way to use the sync button
You can change the settings so that it syncs the BPM only and doesn’t lock to the beat grid. This way, you don’t have to fiddle around surf getting the BPM perfect, and you can still move it to where you need in the even your beat grids are off a little and you need to move the track a tiny bit to get the beats aligned perfectly
Why is nobody talking about using sync to do a crazy tempo transition. One track is for example in a short loop, you mix the other track in and higher or lower the bpm. This is such a creative way of using it!
Beatsync has it's condition of existance, because if you want to change the BPM of two songs at the same time while mixing you have to use it. I in most cases just press play at the right moment or tap with the cue button along to the beat. Often I control the beatmatching by using the CUE button over the faders. In most cases I look at the beatgrid. But the SYNC Button I rearly use, only in emergency situation where don't have any time left
haven't watched a RUclips vid i genuinely wanted to like more than this one. Epic bits of comedy and info. If you keep this up this is guaranteed a top channel! Keep it up
Use the technology at hand to it's fullest ability while having the skills to survive if something goes wrong. Simple.
Like it 💪
Right on.
fully agree.
@@luckyluk2864 50% skills thats me screwed.😮💨
You have quickly become my favorite DJ channel. Super under rated and I cant wait for the algorithm to treat you correctly. The dry humor is so on point and well balanced. And the information is actually valuable and not overly nuanced. Even though I already know most of what you teach, I still watch your videos 2 or 3 times just to appreciate the editing and humor. Please dont stop. Ive seen channels completely explode after an extended underrated period. Your content is so good and I can totally see every video blowing up all at once. I'm gonna keep commenting and liking and do my part to help.
Thank you so much ❤️
"The dry humor is so on point and well balanced" +10
You spit out straight facts. I started DJing about 20 years ago.
We had no anything, No Key no grid no nothing. Everything by ear. I use whatever tech I have available in order to get more creative and everyone should do so. Love the vid!!!!
an excess of helping tools actually tends to hurt creativity
@@gozutheDJ all depends on how u use it.
It seems you were a bad dj with no synch tools. What if guitarists start to move randomly their fingers while their guitars play authomatic
@@marcobarbaro9493 what does that have to do with sync 🤦♂️ I was actually amazing. If you really believe in what your saying you should still be using vinyl no BPM no nothing. Or when you produce music don’t use digital plugins use only analog and don’t use midi. 😂 and if you use a computer you are contradicting everything you say.
@@shlomishanti weak people... not to mention that with Spotify you can have any suggestion about tracks and productions, while we had to go to the record shop and search, search constantly. do you want to win easy?
To answer the question, i started DJing in 1981 with those old disco records that were really a pain in the butt to think up because some of them were played by real drummers instead of drum machines. So you learned to keep your finger on the record and keep it in sync. My middle finger was my beat sing finger. But if I have a sync button then why not use it?
I think I’m so efficient at beat matching I really never have to use sync 🤷🏽♂️ but big up you who do ✌🏼
huge vid, earned a sub, and agree with pretty much every point. I do the ol' manual beat match by looking at the designated tempo my CDJ's or Traktor tells me, then quickly go by ear, but mostly only because I find it easier and fast to beat match the way I enjoy. The actual beat sync button seems to be fairly off a LOT of the time, so I just don't bother with it haha.
Learned on vinyl, and switch to Traktor Scratch on day 1, and to this day I have never used sync. The issue with it's introduction, was for companies to make more profit by selling gear that anyone can use. We used to joke about Auto-tune being directly in the microphone, 20 years ago. However, using Sync not only removes one of the "hands on" elements of the art of DJing, but it closed the gap on who was more talented, while ruining the crowds ability to pick up on what makes a talented DJ special.
Nowadays, programs can select you a DJ set, and put it in key, where if you haven't had the privilege of training your ears to recognize this, then you are limiting yourself and your abilities right off the start.
This is why I can personally walk up to anyone's laptop or record bin, and jam out with their music with no audible errors beyond the human element. Many, many people who rely on sync could not do the same.
When you buy a sports car and it's an automatic, it's because it's for everybody to drive, where a manual transmission is for the elitist.
Im still pretty new to Dj'ing and I found it odd that established DJ friends of mine gave me a hard time for NOT using beat sync. I just told them the two main reasons I didnt like using beat sync is that I tend to use a wide range of styles when practicing at home from Punk/ska, metal, house, DnB, indie rock, etc, so beat sync is more of a choir at that point than it is helpful. And the second reason is I wanted to learn to really beat match on my own before using a tool made to do it. Its the same approach I use when learning any new skill like when I taught myself SQL, I did it in a terminal window and not a IDE. But once I did move to the IDE it was so easy to build a database and filter records it was almost laughable
Thanks for sharing!
Sync was how I got into DJing in the first place using a computer and Virtual DJ. It's easy to recognize the importance of being able to beat match when things don't work out perfectly. But since I got into DJing years ago with the advent of sync and computer analyzed beat grids, I view it as a tool that, when appropriately used, gives you creative freedom to do more interesting things with your mixes.
Cheers, and great video m8
I’ve changed the settings in Rekordbox to BPM Sync. It doesn’t match up the beat grids and I still have to beat match manually. I find this allows me to have a lot more time on the mixer using all 4 decks on my DDJ-RZ, instead of having to fiddle with those notoriously difficult pitch sliders!
That’s a great way to approach it!
I tried that approach for a while, the only thing was that if I wanted to change BPM manually it was a pain to turn it on and off on that deck. I just do it with the BPM counter with the pitch setting at +/- 6% and so long as it's within 0.1 it should be fine with relatively little adjustment. I also think those slight adjustments make a mix feel more alive, but maybe that's just me being old.
Hi Chris, I'm in the sync cru. Having heard this controversy since the rise of CDJ/controllers, it's great to see more and more dj's doing their “coming out” on this topic. What amazes me the most is the fact that on both sides everyone agrees that djing is all about music selection and making people dance, but some still act like there is only one way to do it properly... It sounds like having a washing machine but forcing everyone in the house to wash their clothes by hand just because "real dudes do it"! It all sounds like a conservative vs progressive debate, driven by fearing the former being replaced by the latter.
Also there are a hell of a lot of myths about DJs using sync and not being able to hear music drift or even recognize a proper beat match... I do 4 deck old school drum & bass mixes only with sync, any anti-sync can give it a listen and see for themselves that the only problem with sync guys is in their heads not in the mix!( ruclips.net/video/Fvus8Z1TjYc/видео.html )
Thanks for your perspective! Definitely a good amount of gate keeping thrown into the mix
nope. most people don't act like this
i seriously wanna see those "purists" ATTEMPT playing my bass house set with no sync on. I´d eat my hat if they can do that set on vinyl. They need to accept electronic music today is more about being a Prod/DJ, and about making some type of live performance, mashup, live remix, dope transitions. It´s different times, vinyl is cool, turntablism is cool, but the newest James Hype/Yamato/Fred Again sets are just as impressive in their own way.
@@TheRealDJ-NEO you're full of it
@@gozutheDJ did you watch my mix before writing that? I looked you up mate. If i´m so full of it, let´s go do a battle. I´ll devour your whole mix with 1 transition
Yeah, I hate the whole argument against Sync. One thing I really value in my sets is having amazing energy that infects the crowd, and so the less time I spend preparing my next track, the more time I can spend interacting and giving off my energy to the listener.
lmao, this is an example of delusion.
@@gozutheDJ 🦕
The sauce and rice analogy is great. There's so much stuff you can do to elevate your set and connect with the audience, it just feels so wasteful to spend your precious time on something like this. Plus, sending your BPM readout to your light technician/VJ turns them from a tap-tempo-pressing monkey to a performer who now suddenly has time and attention to make the visuals pop just that much better. Love the clarity you've brought to the discussion. Cheers!
I have been DJ'ing for 20+ years, when I was younger in clubs in London on vinyl, now just a home with a vinyl set up and a more modern set up with a controller. I get the argument from both sides. I beat match because I enjoy it and enjoy the challenge of it and it makes it more interesting. Ultimately if someone wants to DJ with sync I don't see the big deal. Times have changed, DJing is not the same as it used to be like many other things. Everyone should be free to choose without the feel that they are cheating the system or inferior in someway. Some people enjoy the transition side more than the beat matching. Plus like you say with sync it does give you more time to work on some of the more complex transitions. I would probably do the same if I was working in the club scene today.
I learn beatmatching by ear because of b2b sessions with two systems, when sync is not an option and i dont want to f#!k it up completely.
I started DJing 25 years ago, I'm so glad that I learned to beat match manually and learned the structure of the music to know where to start the next track so the track build up and die down at the same point. but having just got back into DJing with all the fancy features to speed up the beatmatching and make it perfect means that I can spend more time on transitions and have more fun with that that spending all the track beatmatching. I haven't used the the beatsync button yet but not totally opposed to it to save a car crash mix from happening
What an amazing take on this. I love how it's so controversial; I have many DJ friends who refuse to use it. But mostly they are ex-vinyl DJs who use the CDJs purely as a replacement for a turntable - they don't use any of the additional features that modern equipment gives you; and they haven't bothered to spend any time learning either! I actually spend a lot of time in Rekordbox getting the grids spot on, and then I find I can actually mix without sync and without headphones (provided I know the track) most of the time. But it is sometimes handy to flick the sync button on and off just to be sure they're exactly lined up. However, if another DJ comes into the booth I am always sure to check that it's off before they see it!
When I started I wouldn’t use it but two of the guys helping me out both said “learn to use everything on the deck”
Well I'm mixing more over 20 years since 1999. Before the sync times. Back then we only had vinyl and cd simple units. And i learn on ear (the hard way) but it's incredibly rewarding when you do a great gig on ear talent....
Today currently I use sync technology and i personally think its a great tool that allows you to be more creative with other stuff.... I think i use a combination of sync and ear because for me personally the sync element its not 100% accurate. But thats the only reason i find.
In conclusion i think that anybody that wants to call themselves a truly good DJ has to know how to match tracks also by ear...
I dont use sync, and learnt the old skool way on vinyl. However if other people want to use it then fine no problem.
Great points, and correct opinion. Ppl busy arguing about what "real DJs" do meanwhile there are ppl on youtube making sick mixes and plugging in modular synths and ableton setups and drum machines and guitars plugged into loop pedals and doing whatever sounds fun and cool. And on the other end we have double vinyl bois who have to do crazy stuff on the fly when people are jumping too hard and the head jumps/skips. What even is a "DJ?" I don't know, and may we never define it or put it in a box. Beatmatching is a tool, sync button is a tool. Use the tool you want to get the effect and the experience you want to have.
The best video I have seen on this topic. There was about 0.5 seconds that were the most important : You need to know when to jog the track because it just sounds better slightly off the grid or if the grids are not set right. That is the killer on it.
Anyone complaining about the sync button probably hasn’t mixed music for the last 15 years
It's crazy that there is still controversy around Sync. Was there this same level of hysteria when those little Pads got released that you plugged into and sat on the corner of your Turntables giving you Hotcues? Did people still get all high and mighty when looping first got added to CDJs, and insist unless you only Beat Juggled your Loops your not really DJing LOL. Jazzy Jeff likes making use of all the DJ tech he can get his hands on if it lets him be more creative.
Well said sir! I can manually beat match ( serato dj pro ) using the beat grid, tempo slider , jog adjust......however, I spend hours setting beat grids & setting my cue points in my music library. I do that so that as I'm in the mix, I can use sync to its fullest extent. I love having a harmoinc , flowing mix that keeps the "crowd " engaged . They are who maters..... Cheers mate
Basically it all
comes down to passion and good choice of music. I use SYNC on house music but even then, some songs don’t even match up well so you gotta have some talent to match up or simply bring in another track. Disco is the hardest to mix , it doesn’t go well in SYNC mode , and it’s very difficult to mix. Thank you for the good
Advices. Love this channel😊
🪩🕺🏻
Use sync whenever i want. Proud not ashamed.Can manually mix since 1996 anyway if needed. Totally agree with all your points. Even the using sync then dragging it slightly out or into a nice phase is an important point.
Learned to beat match from DJing on vinyl late 80s to mid 90s and made the transition to CD around then, with my CDs in blank card sleeves with mix and cue points written on them, so yes, I can do it, but recently got into digital DJing and for some reason the headphones don't work with my PC soundcard, so I'm totally having to rely on what I see, the grid, the numbers, but I can see/hear my mixes getting noticeably better each week through having to embrace the new skills. If prepared, I can get a dozen tracks into a 20 minute mix knowing that if I've tried it before, they are going to drop perfectly as long as I don't miss the cue. Thanks for another great video, Chris!
I Never Touch sync!! thats my Passion. ❤❤❤
Greetings from an Aussie in Japan! I must say i do enjoy your dry sense of humour chris, also as a DJ with over 48 years of experience I worked with music that was recorded live in a studio and not created with a syncopated drum track. This meant that there was vast differences at times in the beat grids due to human error (and most of the artists were probably stoned). Beat gridding can itself cause major problems due to the artist not keeping in time so gridding tracks and playing them back can cause some crazy anomolies like the track speeding up where it has been put correctly on a grid formation at the recorded tempo. Playing these tracks using SYNC has major advantages (and disadvantages as above) because unlike current music the sync function is a tremendous feature for old school like i play (disco,funk). I learn't to play music on 7" 45's with no pitch control and have moved with technology and utilized it to better perform live, does this make me a 'bad' dj? I think not because my main concern was to keep a dance floor, and we all know no-one gives a fuck about how good your mixing was as long as the punter gets to hear their favourite banger and the set is put together with some form of continuity and musical flow. I sometimes practice mixing on my controller without using the sync feature just to keep in touch with the skills i grew up with mixing by ear. Thanks for your content, keep up the wit.
Thanks for sharing your story! Great point about older tracks and grids
I manually beatmatch (with help of the visuals) for these reasons:
1. It's good to have the skill, and maintain it.
2. It keeps you more active and alert
3. I don't have all my grids aligned perfectly
4. A little bit of social pressure
The times I do use sync:
1. When I'm in a hurry
2. When I want to gradually change BPM with multiple decks playing
3. When I've had some drinks and can't properly beatmatch anymore
Great video. I love playing LPs live cause of the adrenaline rush. However, a lot of clubs are building smaller, DJ booth with less room and I’ve been stuck in a situation where there are no monitors. Sometimes that sync button is a Hail Mary.
I'll tell you, I dont use sync because that makes djing boring for me. I actually like matching the beats together myself. I feel more connected to the music I play.
I learnt on turntables so beatmatching by ear but I now use a controller soI use it when trying quick transitions like you said it frees me up to do other things, but personally if its there then its there to be used as frequently or as infrequently as you so choose.
Syncs for amateurs who can't mix, it's simple and that you can't argue with, you can do 3 deck mixes without using it. It's called practice, unless of course you want to be just a button pusher. I mean where does it stop.... Auto pilot DJing next🤦 That's why Andy C has been the number one DJ in his genre for 20 years....
Excellent content my friend, keep it up - Lots of Love from Canada
I agree on your arguments but mostly I don’t use sync since most of my songs I play are not 100 percent on the grid so sync wouldn’t align it
...Im a pro deejay for 30 years playing and mixing from a cassette deck to turntables to cd's and now on a controller and I often use sync..?why?because its 2023, the technology is allowing me to be focused on more important things than sync, like choosing a next good song, making a good drop or transition....the technology today is just amazing...I wish we had this 30 years ago...
Things have moved fast! (ish)
@@ReallyChrisM yes, and your generation don't have a clue how much lucky they are to be a deejay today..regards😃
You’re not doing yourself any favors by practicing with sync. If you’re comfortable beat matching, by all means use it, but I’ve found that younger DJs using sync as a crutch tend to suffer from other issues, like mixing in key, track selection, and building a strong foundation of tension and release. But what do I know. So much of what’s out there now is just bro step with drop after drop after drop after drop as loud as possible.
Started in the 90s with vinyl playing, so of course had to beat sync myself by ear, however with the possibilities nowadays, I don't mind using sync and queue points, basically it allows you to completely mess around with the way a song has been arranged and will also make you mix tracks that otherwise wouldn't be a fit. So yeah, no shame in using it, as long as you can also do it by ear.
Loved the video, loved the essay, delivery, and editing- you missed a bleep there towards the end but hopefully they won't demonetize you over it. Great vid!
It depends on what type of music you're play. Life is not black & white. Every situation has it's only particular solution.
I try not to use sync unless I'm flowing and realize I don't have enough milliseconds to make a change before transitioning.
Better than hard-cutting a trainwreck and leaving the room wondering what kind of drugs you took.
(Also when there's a lot of tail in an intro and it messes with my ability to gauge the beatgrid.)
I’m always shocked how many gatekeepers there are around the sync button. Over 20 years as a dj, half of which was all vinyl, I love and embrace sync. It truly frees me up to do three and four deck mixing mixing cleanly and really allows me to get super creative on my eqs. The funny thing is that the gatekeepers who criticize the sync button do exactly what you mentioned in this video. They look at the beats per minute and then move the pitch control to match. That’s not even true beat matching. The sync button has opened up DJing to a lot more people since you don’t have the frustrating first two years simply trying to get the beats to not train wreck, which may be another point of frustration for those who learned how to beat match by ear. All in all, we got to adapt the times, leverage the tools that we have at our disposal and find new ways to create.
Well said. VInyl DJ for into three decades, just switched over to digital. Absolutely an ace beat matcher.
All this technology. BPM readouts. Cues. Key compatibility AI and yes, even a tap of the beat sync now and then. All these things allow you to get in the mix quicker, and to stay in longer. Memory Cues I sprinkle liberally. Hot cues if I am planning a set are my flags for In and Out on every track. Then mix as close as possible and transition, or lock the two and mix in on a third deck. Use the gear. You can either mix faster or deeper but make it interesting.
A vinyl purist would say the second you see the BPM you are already cheating. So use the technology to the max, and deliver the best set you can.
See you on the floor.
Started learning to mix recently. Was given a ddj200 as a present. Absolutely loving your channel. Very informative... You deserve much more than 3000 subscribers 💪🏿
Big ups! Enjoy the journey :)
I tottally agree that is the same result, but, when beatmatching manually you can have a little bit more of versatility, since there is no lock. Im not against sync, i use it too, it could be very helpful for bpm rises on transitions, so i think its a tool that we have to know how to use and when
Well said 🔥
Thanks for your video,,, im using only sync because im playing progressive house music, my friends told me that i can actually play am not really dj, if i see few videos ,,everyone is playing today, not in beat, no transitions, bad key conections or the most boaring house sets with same bpm key vocals and same vibe long boaring sets without emotion !!! If i play i use emotional vocal passages to mix it together to make emotion and its not possible to make it throw the beatmatching in time! And if,, than no time for effects,, djing is not about the beatmatching its about to play good music, set with story, emotion, the most important its passing songs together and get out of you the feeling and enotion throw the maschine!!!!!!
I often use sync in my sets for transitions where I am changing the tempo but I obviously don't want to loose the match while doing that transition. I also play around 60 to 70 tracks per hour in average using four decks. I want to have the people have a great time and me also and I don't want to fall in stress. That's why I use sync. Creative mixing, having a good time, the crowd having a good time and more ways to do cool transitions. I have 9 years of experience and I could also do the same thing without sync, but why should I stress myself this much.
Vinyl DJ here with 3 1200s for the past 40 years. 👋🏼
LMAO at your video. Great content. I sub’d. Cheers from a Yank in East Anglia. 🇺🇸🏴
I introduced beat-mixing DJ software and used it to produce mix-sets for two programs a week on community radio station back in 2003. I was the one they turned to, to produce a days worth of mixsets for new years day for multiple years - this is so correct.
A good DJ is always looking to make the experience for the crowd the best there is. If something eats away at your time consistently, whether it's beat matching, taking too much time for song selection, or making up for phasing mistakes, that per definition gives you less time to listen to the crowd / build sicker drops / make nastier transitions. If the crowd doesn't care (they really don't), it seems its a pure ego thing to not beat match whenever you could use it. If you respect your crowd, you have prepared your set, you know what's gonna sound juicy and you can perform the required technicalities as flawlessly and effortlessly as possible.
I've learned beat matching when i started DJing, took a good look at all the arguments and couldn't figure out why anyone would still defend manual beat matching. I've had some more experiences DJ friends taking a piss on it, but now i hear the promoter side of the story, it makes more sense in the larger 'cultural' frame. Thanks for this awesome video! Liked and subscribed!
Interesting discussion. I sometimes have the feeling that there is a weird phasing going on, when the kicks are matched 100% computer perfect with beat sync and that a mix sounds more organic, when the grid is manually to just 99.76% perfection. Similar to when you turn up the swing in a drum computer to give your beat a more humanized feeling
Bless the algorithm for recommending you
2:07 didn't see that coming 😂😂
I dont use cars I still go by bike
Technology scares me
You so full of shit
Great arguments and analogy!
As a turntable dj for 10+ years who "retired" before digital, and have since returned to play 100% digital, this arguement has been pretty silly to watch. THANK YOU for mentioning the obvious "you're matching the BPM digitally regardless" thing. It drives me batty to see djs puff up like they are some god and yet this is the first thing they do when queueing a track. We don't have 7 min long intros to help you blend and fade gradually these days, you have shorter songs and are basically mixing in the breakdowns half the time anyway. As someone who has been around DJ culture about half my life now... there is nothing wrong with tapping that Sync now and again if it means you're going to have a smoother experience for those punters in the crowd.
your channel should have wayy more followers. Very precise teaching and explaining!
I appreciate that!
Iam a hobby dj now. was a Club DJ for some years. I did learn on vinyl and cd and still use dated hardware. like an old pioneer djm 600 and cdj850. Thank god for USB! I have to say with how the music changed i can really feel how dated my hardware is and iam looking for modern hardware. example: hardstyle tracks were way longer back in the days, giving you enough time and options to align your tracks with a basic vinyl setup. but nowadays these tracks have become so short that iam often limited to the basic transition during the last 25ish seconds of a track and the first 25ish seconds of a track. so what would the solution be for me? looping. yeah good luck looping with cdjs 850 or even the djm 600. basically where i want to go is to get a good console or other tools that give me the option to sample and loop freely and i wish i had a sync button now.
what iam trying to tell here is what chris said in the video. i have learned to mix by ear, but of course i use the visual indicators of my cdjs that show me the bpm or the bpm counter of my mixer. see where the "loud" parts are or where i am in the track with the help of a counter. so i can mix a set with vinyl perfectly fine BUT iam limited. IF i had more advanced technology i could focus on other stuff. so yeah i will definitely use beatsync as soon is a get the chance to do it.
And to all the beginners. Learn by ear but don't feel ashamed to use the sync button if it helps you to train your ear to hear how it (most of the time) should sound if the beat is synced but more importantly train your ears to hear the loudness difference for each audio channel. music can have different loudness. if you get that bit right you are good to go.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY! HAVE FUN!
Great video!
I used to DJ in the early 2000's and lug around heavy ass crates of records, now I can carry 10 crates of records around on flash drives on my key chain. I think the argument for beat sync is the same. It is a tool that makes a djs life easier. You still have to be able to beat match and think fast if the train starts going off the tracks.
sometimes when you're working as a DJ, MC, and lightman at the same time. even if you still have to search for numbers, it is quite handy
I don't use the button much and opt to use the visual bpm aid with the manual movement of the pitch fader.
For me sync isn't a big deal. I personally enjoy using the various components of the gear, whether its turning the EQs, using the pitch, using the jog wheels, and utilizing the different available features in general.
Using the pitch adjust instead of sync also has given me a better feel for the pitch fader. I can quickly and intuitively bring the bpm up or down to the exact number. (Going from 130 to 126 swiftly, vrs from 130 down to 126.4, then over adjust to 125.8, then finally get it to 126 on the dot.
I'm learning to DJ, mostly with darkprog/zenonesque tracks... at the beginning i used sync, also because i didnt have a cable headphone... but for some time now I've been beatmatching to learn and get a good ear feeling, but it makes me unable to use some intros (that is, no kick yet) between tracks, which many times fit so perfectly in transitions of this genre
Respect the changes and going with the changes is nothing like wrong, changes are natural process and upgrading into new technologies is no wrong. i do sync and i can do djing even without sync its up to me, in the end the game is delivering what my crowd whats and they are happy'' is all i want.
The same people who complain about sync have no problem using quantize to sync their loops. Why is one okay and not the other? I enjoy beatmatching manually, but I'll use sync, too, if I need a break, or if I need both hands to execute a transition. It's there to be used.
I hardly never press the ''beat sync'' button but i do use the beat grid to make sure i'm on track. The only time i use this button is when 2 songs are so far out of beat and still want to have snippets from the song, they i press it.
Does it matter if a DJ uses a pitch slider to match the tempo vs a button? If you can visually see what the tempo is and verify your songs are in sync by the waveform that’s the same as using sync.
I’ve done my time on vinyl and there has to be to a reason to use modern tech for DJing. That reason for me is syncing drum loops over a track which is only possible with a sequencer meaning everything is perfectly in sync. It’s a tool that I use 75% of my set and I’ve learned it can screw me up the other 25% of the time.
My audience cares about keeping the mix tight with songs they like!
Sounds like you got the key stuff down 💪
@@ReallyChrisM sync or not they wanna hear those hits and dance
I've found the Sync button doesn't always do a good job of beat matching, but as far as setting the tempos the same, I find very useful, and saves the most time consuming part of beat matching. Actually lining up beats is the quick bit. It's a similar argument so using vinyl vs USB, based on experience of having to lug two boxes of vinyl on a train I'd rather rock up to a venue with a pair of USB drives and a pair of headphones. Vinyl is fine for appreciating at home, but in terms of practicality, I'd rather save my back and be a USB-using heathen 😆
I do not use Sync but I do use the beat grid to align my tracks. It is true that some mixes/transitions do sound better with tunes out of sync a bit due to the note of the song. Digital had made it easier to mix as you can set what note is that song in. Before you would have to make an educated guess.
Hey, mate! I've been DJing for two years now. At the beginning, I was primarily line matching. After a year, I was able to beatmatch by looking at the beatgrid and the waveforms of the unlinked players. Now I can beatmatch while in the browser menu, so I just look at the bpms, and I do not even need queuing points. In the end, I still think it does not matter because the most important thing is reading the crowd and your song selection. I learned this the hard way. A few weeks ago, I had my first gig, and it was not good. I was beat matching really well; I was not making mistakes, and I played my DJ set just like I played it at home. But overall it was not good because I did not want to diverge from my predetermined playlist and I was not reacting to the crowd because I did not want to trainwreck the mix, so in the end I think the experience of the crowd suffered. Meanwhile, the DJ after me played off his laptop and was primarily using RUclips, and he killed it. He had a great song selection and, in general, was really prepared for what the crowd would like. I would summarize this in the following way: Feel free to DJ by the book as long as it does not take away from the crowd's experience.
Thanks for sharing! It takes a while to get the confidence to go off script and react to the dance floor, keep at it :)
Actually a brilliant accurate video big props
I use sync when I'm playing with Traktor, since I often use the remix decks and step sequencer, however when I get to play in a "traditional" format I enjoy beatmatching manually. No reason to not have fun with both styles.
I have personally learned a lot by focusing more on the mix and song selection with the time I save beatmatching.
When I mix hip hop/dancehall/reggaeton, using Sync allows me to get creative with Serato stems, live mashups, quick transitions and 3-deck mixing. I’d need a 3rd arm to do this if the sync didn’t exist. When I mix techno/house however, I enjoy beatmatching manually. I don’t understand the taboo behind a button that was created to elevate your creative possibilities. It allows for even better mixes. Isn’t that what the craft is all about?
I g.a.f about know how to beatmatch manually for myself. I do not care if anyone else does or does not. For me its a useful tool to have because sometimes you will be put in front of equipment without sync as an option.
Some turntablism tricks need beat matching ability so sync is unreliable when pulling them off.
Spot on video Chris. Don't know why some dj's make such a big deal about this. If you wanna use it...use it. As long as the crowd is loving your selection and style...who cares.
They are the important ones to keep happy!
Thank you for the clarification in this video. I’ve always wondered why it was so frowned upon and this explained perfectly. Loving the vids mate and keep up the witty humour 😂
Cheers!
I'm too lazy to setup the beatgrid since most of the tunes I play are vinyl rips and it always takes a lot of time to fine tune the stupid grid to match.
Ima experienced dj I been doing it for 21 years & idgaf what djs or promoters think, I use it mostly to set bpms because I tend to mix fast & it’s great for when beat grids are set properly,imo it’s the djs who aren’t gettin booked tend to shit on the sync feature..the technology is there,why not use it to push boundaries..
i don’t use sync and dgaf about those who use it, unless it sounds good, why even bother about this?
i personally care about crowd response much more than what peer djs think about me.
in the end - we are all playing for other people and if the music sucks, mixing skills won’t compensate that, and can clearly see that people can get away with shitty mixing (meaning that they do not care about what you do behind the decks, using sync included), but not with shitty selection, dancefloor would be just simply empty.
Great points!
Is it ok to do both?
"the photons from the bpm reader on your your decks... have ever entered your retinas?" 😆🤣
Off topic but, use your instant pot to do the rice :) 1.5 DL jasmine rice, 2 DL water. Pressure cook for 4 minutes and wait 10 minutes before release
BTW I don't care if the DJ use sync or not. But if you do, make damn sure that the grid is correct before playing it to a crowd!!!!
I’ll give that a try!
I have switched mine over to ‘BPM synch mode’ and use it all the time because I can’t be arsed fiddling around with the pitch faders constantly (I have a lot of vinyl rips of old tracks and the BPM fluctuates a lot throughout the tracks)
Originally owned & played on vinyl 20yrs and had a 15yr break. I bought a controller last year and have been teaching myself again.
If the technology is there to make life easier, why not use it 🤷♀️
Hey Chris, Playing from 20 years, Nowadays technology is a game changer. Beat sync, I use it last time. It by you time to do more and make your set more more colorful. Crowd like it. And you can easy to mix 3 4 song at the time to make something special. A real game changer.... Not controversial. When you from vinyls and now go to this technology well .... a good option
Then what about the key detection ? Why is it not taboo?
Ucio sam na gramofonima u vreme kada nisu postojali kontroleri i softveri , samo mikser sa dva kanala i dva gramofona. Sad koristim traktor i nemam problem sa bpm, jednostavno stedi vreme. Za dobar set je potrebno osetiti publiku i uz pravi izbor traka, udahnuti svoju energiju i pustiti masti na volju. Rezultat je neizbezan. Bez bpm bi bilo mnogo manje vremena za sve gore navedeno. A poenta je zadovoljiti masu a ne dj koji su protiv bpm. 😎
Depends what decks I'm using, I have the ddj flx4 and XDJRX2. The DDJ FLX4 it is really annoying to get the slider to match with the slightest movement changing the bpm a lot so I use sync. But when I use XDJ RX2 I I won't use sync.
I never use Sync / Beat Sync button mode on my decks. it is so much easier and better to manually adjust it by using the sides of the jog-wheels.
Petrified anus line had me dead
our Numark NDX500s dont have a sync option D:
Agreed on all points. its a skill u must have if u r ever going to be in the private event space, coz things like weddings require u to mix music from the pre machine era, and that human drummer is never gonna be perfect, for all other purposes use sync if you must and use the time u usually waste to add some energy, do a sick transition, scratch, so many things u can be doing. to me since i don't want to be totally bored, i usually don't set cues, which means i have to scrub through the track to find the cue, this usually gives me the feel of the old skool times :).. also if u really wanna be amazed, tell a new DJ how stutter cue used to work.. lol
I use sync just to match the bpm to the master track and then switch off immediately, because in some situations it's just mathematically impossible to match the bpm the tracks manually 100%
very well articulated!
Started doing back in 84 obviously on vinyl,, Used to really love the challenge of beat matching manually,,
Transitioned to digital around 7 yrs ago with a basic Numark controller,, it took me around a yr to work out what beat grids and sync did as I used to manually beat match just like I did with vinyl, albeit with the help of being able to see the BPM on the screen, but still used that as a guide as even then the tracks could drift..
Watched a few RUclips videos about Beatgrid and learnt how to use Sync,, it was weird as it was almost like learning how to beat match as I didn’t know anything about beat grids or cue points.
Now I strictly only use sync,I don’t give a crap what others think as I only care what the crowd thinks of my music selection..
We used to wash clothes by hand once upon a time..
Washing machines aren’t considered as cheating..
But i have a question because i thimk theres a way to use the sync but not at his full capacity, what i mean with this is for example, just using the button sync to copy the bpm of the song im about to mix, and then turn off the sync button and manually drop the song and syncronize it with the jog, its still "wrong" or can Dj´s think youre a "not too good" Dj? Please drop your opinion cause i think maybe thats a "fair" way to use the sync button
You can change the settings so that it syncs the BPM only and doesn’t lock to the beat grid.
This way, you don’t have to fiddle around surf getting the BPM perfect, and you can still move it to where you need in the even your beat grids are off a little and you need to move the track a tiny bit to get the beats aligned perfectly
Why is nobody talking about using sync to do a crazy tempo transition. One track is for example in a short loop, you mix the other track in and higher or lower the bpm. This is such a creative way of using it!
Beatsync has it's condition of existance, because if you want to change the BPM of two songs at the same time while mixing you have to use it. I in most cases just press play at the right moment or tap with the cue button along to the beat. Often I control the beatmatching by using the CUE button over the faders. In most cases I look at the beatgrid. But the SYNC Button I rearly use, only in emergency situation where don't have any time left
It can certainly help when you don't have enough hands to do everything at once! And I agree, it's great in an emergency 🚨
haven't watched a RUclips vid i genuinely wanted to like more than this one. Epic bits of comedy and info. If you keep this up this is guaranteed a top channel! Keep it up
Appreciate that! 🙏