Sync button... yes or no?
by FATmango
Seriously, in the 21st century, is there anyone who debates this?
For me the answer is obvious. The Sync button is there to be used, it's another of the many tools that DJs have thanks to technology. Now it's very easy to create loops, use sequences, trigger samples, load thousands of songs on a flash drive, know and visualize exactly the BPM, the pitch of each song and although my arguments might sound like millennial thinking, believe me I started DJing on the Stone age.
From time to time I get nostalgic and I enjoy DJing with vinyl, but I don't miss them at all. Technological tools, including the Sync button, allow DJs to save time, time that we can dedicate to making increasingly creative mixes.
Time is ticking, every moment a new device for DJs loaded with innovations comes onto the market. Any day now someone will create an artificial intelligence capable of mixing like the best of us and, although it sounds ironic, the best weapon that we DJs have to avoid going down in history is to use technology in our favor. Including the Sync button.
I would love to hear your comments.
Thanks for reading me.
Comments
I agree with you FATmango. I believe that the main function of DJs is to give the public good sensations and the desire to dance. So whoever is dancing (the most, I think) is not monitoring which buttons the DJ is pushing or not, as long as he is playing his role well. I confess that I try to use Sync only in emergency cases and thanks to it people don't realize what could be a technical failure.
Hey FATmango. Having started out on vinyl in the 90s, I find sync to be a great tool. I totally agree that using sync can allow more time for creativity, although I think everyone needs to know how to beat match manually to be able to correct things when it goes wrong! Personally, I play a lot of old skool jungle / hardcore and the bpm of many tracks changes considerably throughout the track (due to poor quality 90's vinyl pressings and recording methods), so syncing lets me focus on other aspects of my mix.
Hello.. DJ RetroFaze!
your story is quite similar to mine. Those of us who learned to play using vynilos of course have the ear and everything necessary to do beatmatching without using Sync, but having it and not using it just for the love of art seems silly to me. Everyone who works their sessions as they want, but don't say one dj is worse than another just for pressing a button.
Its all about the Music choice and understanding your clients how you get there is up to you, you wouldnt buy a Ferrari and only use 2 gears :)
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Who cares? :)
no one cares, but it's fun to hear what people think 🤣
I think that everyone should do what they want, how they want, when they want, and if someone doesn't like it, fuck them. I've seen top DJs use Sync and that doesn't make them any less of a dj... so the neighborhood DJ who delivers pizzas for a living when he gets to play in a seedy bar is required not to use Sync. Don't fuck with me!
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First of all I want to thank you for reading the post and also commenting. Entering the subject, I agree with you in everything you say. Each DJ works the way he feels most comfortable. As for the creativity point, what he meant to say is that I don't see the point in focusing attention and spending time on beatmatching when Sync solves it in a second. Although even so, the ear is necessary because the Sync is not always perfect. Also, the quality of the beatmatching will always depend on the equipment being used. It's not the same to do it on a CDJ-2000NXS2 that has a long and precise pitch as it is on a 200-buck controller with a shitty pitch. This is a problem especially for young DJs who are just starting out.
I can honestly see the arguements for both- for using, and not using. Personally, I use it. I've been doing this for less than a year, so it definitely helps me in that regard.
Hi Cephy
I'm glad to read you!
I understand that you use the Sync and I encourage you to continue doing so. Imagine that you play with a cheap controller where it is more difficult to achieve perfect beatmatching. Still, I advise you to practice until you master beatmatching. Let's say it's like a weapon stored in a drawer that you don't need to use, but if one day circumstances force you to use it, it's better to have it and know how to use it than not to have it.