DJ SuperJhaslanded Mix001
Artists included in this mix: Marvin Gaye, Rosie Lowe, Dam Funk, Roots Manuva, Chronixx, Grace Jones, Hans Zimmer, Special Request, Bop, Anthony Hamilton, Calibre, Seba, DJrum, deadmau5, Charles Bradley, Melissa Fortin.
I finally got around to figuring out how to use the software Djay Pro. Combined with purchasing music from Qoboz and Bandcamp, I was able to record a mix of my first attempt using the software.
It took me awhile to understand how I could use my iPhone to create a mix. First, one needs to own the music in order to record a mix. You can’t record mixes of songs using streaming services. If you ever cancel your streaming service, whether iTunes, Spotify, Tidal, etc - you will lose all your saved albums.
I realized that there are a few albums that I really like and will listen to again. So, I decided to buy those records and support the artists. This means I own the music and can load them into a DJ software and record mixes, something I find enjoyable to do.
I then started down the rabbit hole of digital file types. Should I own Hi-Res files, CD quality, compressed, uncompressed, lossless, etc. Well, I realized after listening to records on Qoboz that actually uncompressed files make a difference to the sound. After listening to records on my Bang and Olufsen headphones I noticed the difference between mp3 files and un compressed files like FLAC, WAV and AIFF.
It makes sense to own high quality digital files of records for number of reasons. Firstly, if you ever play these records on a large sound system the difference will be important, playing compressed files on a large stack will not be the same as playing a file with as much detail across the range as the artists in the studios designed them for. When you see people sampling off YouTube you soon realize that the quality of those digital files is going to be very poor.
Take the Hans Zimmer Bladerunner Soundtrack, which a few tracks are included in this mix, the sound is phenomenal and a Hi-Res files shows it to be. The reason why Mp3 files are popular is because they are so small, but this means so is the amount of information included. Mix001 in AIFF format is nearly 700MB, as an mp3 its only 88MB. This mix is the Mp3 file, so you won’t be getting all the sound, as Squarespace only allows up to 180MB files.
I use iTunes streaming to search for music, paying $10 a month to have access to a lot of new albums is enjoyable, but importing purchased music in uncompressed format such as WAV, FLAC and AIFF comes with some caveats. In order to keep the metadata, i.e the file name and album art, associated with the music you have to use AIFF. Some of the other files will not keep the metadata with the file and this is really annoying.
Going down this journey has led me to Qoboz and Bandcamp. If you join Qoboz, you get a discount on the Hi-Res albums, which are the biggest file size you can get of music. Not every album has been converted or recorded in Hi-Res format, but getting a 25-30% discount on albums I love, means the Qoboz subscription pays for itself. Bandcamp sometimes has deals and offers you can’t get anywhere else. I just purchased the whole Charles Bradley on Bandcamp for a very low price. Considering I saw this man in Vermont and really enjoy his sound this was a steal, to finally own all his records.
My first mix is really rough, there are lots of mistakes. I don’t have a controller or the ability to hear a premix of the incoming track, so I cannot hear the track coming in, that means some areas are messy, but there are moments I think turn out really well. With Djay Pro's Neural Mix, I start with isolating Marvin Gaye singing, use the FX pad filter, and bring in a track from one of the albums of the year, Rosie Lowe’s - Love, Other. It’s an experimental mix, some things just don’t work but then some do. I mixed in some tracks by an artist I really like, Bop, hailing from Russia but living in the UK, he makes DnB on the chill side, although I chose a few crazy almost squarepusher type tracks, which you may find grating. I end the mix with a track by Melissa Fortin, which was also one of the records of the year, just a beautiful combination of piano and electrification.
Djay Pro is a serious bit of software and compared to Traktor DJ that I tried before, the integration of the software into my phone and apple products is pretty seamless. I will be looking into getting some kind of midi controller because this will allow me to do a lot more. Djay Pro has features that make Djing a lot of fun, the looping feature, the FX pad, and the neural mix. The neural mix allows you to isolate drums, bass and vocals, I see the possibility of creating some really fun mixes, plus you can mix four tracks at once, this is way above my head at the moment but with time, maybe?!
I have decided to start posting mixes as I make them, Djing was always just something I did in my spare time, something fun to spend the evening doing, mixing tracks I enjoy together, matching beats. I sold an expensive camera so I could buy the music and the Dj software. I will also be looking into buying my first MPC so I can start making beats again. Maybe a few of you will enjoy this journey with me, if not, no worries, this is my website, so it’s a place to express myself, without an agenda.