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John Vella
19-09-2003, 09:20 AM
Before I begin, I'm just gonna say that I am shall not mention names of any artists because it's not really my style to bash people in public. I don't think it's a very nice or fair thing to do. :dontevengothere:


But I have noticed alot more Techno Djs these days who wanna be known as a 3 DECK DJ.

It's almost as if they feel "techno purists" are more likely to fancy them if they see them up there using 3 decks. :eh:

Here's the fukkin' problem tho....

I'd estimate that 70% of sets I have witnessed on 3 decks have been about as tight as the town whore....

IN OTHER WORDS: DJS SHOULD STICK TO 2 UNLESS THEY CAN EFFECTIVELY PULL OF 3!!!!

Why go up there and bucther mix after mix on 3 decks???

What's the point??

Any thoughts on this?

-jOHNNY

dfndr
19-09-2003, 09:29 AM
yes i agree...
but i saw good techno djz pulling bad 3 deck sets because of
the bad monitoring in dj booth...i like playing on 3 decks...it
gives you more freedom to combine records ...but if you can
stand the heat GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THE KITCHEN!!! :rambo:

Esox Lucius
19-09-2003, 09:46 AM
I agree, although there are some DJs who can pull of 3 deck mixing superbly, ben sims & DJ Bone spring to mind.

John Vella
19-09-2003, 09:47 AM
Oh yeah guys I agree 100%!!!

I'm ALL FOR a 3 deck set if the DJ is proficient at it!!!

:clap: :clap: :clap:

But if they are just doing it for image then.... :nono: :nono: :nono:

-jOHNNY

Si the Sigh
19-09-2003, 10:03 AM
very true... :clap:

wenna
19-09-2003, 10:05 AM
...as tight as the town whore :lol:

T
19-09-2003, 10:17 AM
agreed, Never use anything for the sake of it....only if it improves the set.

dfndr
19-09-2003, 10:27 AM
im gona bitch slap those guys...making us hard working ones
look bad...but there is another thing...people on the floor
dont give a damn...as long as it goes boom boom boom....
only djz in there know whats going on...sometimes i want to go back
when i didnt know how to mix...going to warehouse partyes...screeming...
dancing...not knowing shit...just partying...

but that is the price of being a jedi knight...use the force luke...

Angrymann
19-09-2003, 11:03 AM
I agree , it doesn't matter how much equipment you've got up there , if you can't use it then what's the point. I am all for folk testing stuff out but if you are going to play out then it has to be up to that level before you attempt it.

Adverse
19-09-2003, 12:04 PM
Before I begin, I'm just gonna say that I am shall not mention names of any artists because it's not really my style to bash people in public. I don't think it's a very nice or fair thing to do. :dontevengothere:


But I have noticed alot more Techno Djs these days who wanna be known as a 3 DECK DJ.

It's almost as if they feel "techno purists" are more likely to fancy them if they see them up there using 3 decks. :eh:

Here's the fukkin' problem tho....

I'd estimate that 70% of sets I have witnessed on 3 decks have been about as tight as the town whore....

IN OTHER WORDS: DJS SHOULD STICK TO 2 UNLESS THEY CAN EFFECTIVELY PULL OF 3!!!!

Why go up there and bucther mix after mix on 3 decks???

What's the point??

Any thoughts on this?

-jOHNNY


who

gumpy green
19-09-2003, 01:25 PM
Before I begin, I'm just gonna say that I am shall not mention names of any artists because it's not really my style to bash people in public. I don't think it's a very nice or fair thing to do. :dontevengothere:


But I have noticed alot more Techno Djs these days who wanna be known as a 3 DECK DJ.

It's almost as if they feel "techno purists" are more likely to fancy them if they see them up there using 3 decks. :eh:

Here's the fukkin' problem tho....

I'd estimate that 70% of sets I have witnessed on 3 decks have been about as tight as the town whore....

IN OTHER WORDS: DJS SHOULD STICK TO 2 UNLESS THEY CAN EFFECTIVELY PULL OF 3!!!!

Why go up there and bucther mix after mix on 3 decks???

What's the point??

Any thoughts on this?

-jOHNNY

Yup i just tell em straight man....too many folk ive seen saying yeh playing with 3 deks, effects, bla bla, etc and do fuk all with it........I SWEAR ID TAKE EM ALL OUT WITH 2 DEKS AND MY BASIC SKRATCH MIXER.........DONT BELEIVE ME>>>>>> THEN CHCK MY SIGNATURE.........2 dek mixing with decent skratching and the kaoss pad.....boyakasha.

tioneb
19-09-2003, 01:45 PM
i thnik teh fake 3 decks djs are the ones who use three decks to spin records in the same way as 2 dacks ie start to beatmatch a record after having finished to mix the two previous ...

usually these are the promoters who say a dj spins on 3 to get more people in their party, but the djs dont really "overrate" themselves ... they dont care about this till they beleive in the musci thayre doing, at least thats what i do though i tend to be a bit bored on 2 =)

TripleX
19-09-2003, 02:20 PM
the thing with three decks is (to me):
once you started playing 3, you won´t be satified with playing two anymore, and that´s why you put to much pressure onto yourself (cause you think you have to use the 3deck) and mess everything up...
the other thing is it bores you to play 2 decks, cause you need to wait that long to make the next mix....

to be honest i don´t know any bad 3 deck dj´s, give some examples

krakp0t
19-09-2003, 06:25 PM
misjah tears it up on 3 tables but at the end of the day who cares if its 2, 3 or 4? i think it's almost more impressive to hear dave clarke on only 2 tables and destroy the fukking place NOT using a laptop, efx, sampler etc.

anx
19-09-2003, 06:43 PM
i prefer to play on 3 decks but i find alot of dj's who play on 3 think that they must have 2 records playing the entire time no matter what, or they think they are really special if they have 3 tracks going at the same time or whatnot. there are many ways to go about using the third deck but the whole "look Ma, 3 decks!" attitude is pretty lame.

also if a promoter asks me to play on 3 and then has crappy monitors i will completly ignore the 3rd decks because if you arent able to EQ your shit properly then what is the point of using the 3rd deck because it will sound like ass.

dcdn
19-09-2003, 06:59 PM
i think Jeff Mills is still the king on 3 decks!
what you reckon?

miles
19-09-2003, 09:04 PM
misjah tears it up on 3 tables but at the end of the day who cares if its 2, 3 or 4? i think it's almost more impressive to hear dave clarke on only 2 tables and destroy the fukking place NOT using a laptop, efx, sampler etc.

Exactly, if the dj plays decent records in the 1st place
then he only needs 2 decks.
Most of the time the dj is only spinning 2 anyway and
they just leave a 3rd deck running to
give the impression they are on 3.
Seen it loads of times, always makes me laugh
when punters say how amazing they were on 3 decks..joke!

davethedrummer
19-09-2003, 10:23 PM
i like three decks but only a few guys can pull it off musically.
i saw a "big " guy using 3 decks a few weeks ago and it was all effects and pretty dodgy mixes really.
but i must confess i've got the bug now
3 dex is a lot of fun and very challenging
but maybe best left until you really know what you are doing before you play it to the kids

ampassasinbirmingham
20-09-2003, 02:09 AM
jeff mills is excellent and pioneering but sometimes the three decks for him is not so good.

The Overfiend
20-09-2003, 02:35 AM
You Ruskin destroys 3 tables. :twisted:

Methodixxx
20-09-2003, 04:26 AM
3 decks is tops if done right and with the full effort put in.. if not you may as well play on 2...

Layer Layer Layer! :rambo:

Error#404
20-09-2003, 04:19 PM
Techno - What does this mean? In pursuit of technology, trying to keep up with it, trying to stay ahead of the game.

I've been playing 3 decks ever since i got bored on two. Its not that you're standing around waiting to mix, cos if you are, maybe hard-house is you thing.
There is infinitely more scope for mixing with 3 decks. You can really push a sound with 3, and EQing really comes into its own. You're extending the limits of what you can do in a set.
It was techno which pioneered 3 deck mixing, as a way of mixing quicker and manipulating what you're playing more into what you want. No matter how hard you try on 2 decks, you simply can't create as deeper sound as with 3.
Admittedly, there are people out there who think that just cos they can fudge a few tunes together on 3 decks, that makes them great. Bollocks.
But when you see someone trying to use the third deck to actually MIX tunes not just play them, then they deserve respect for it, cos at least they're trying to push the boundaries, and do something different.
The third deck, or fourth is just a tool, like an effects unit. Not there to be relied on, but there to be used when desired.

Epps
21-09-2003, 05:10 AM
I've just come in from a party last night, which included main drawcards such as Speedy J and The Hacker. I'd never seen Speedy live, and to say the least, I was most uninspired. FOr the first one he was way too minimal, with no stong bass line, and more so, no soul. THe Hacker, sorry Electro bores me.

Then I wondered to the hard trance room and playing, I hadn't realised, was Tom Wax.

TOM WAX;

**** me, this guy was amazing. Only on two decks, he cued up within 5 or so seconds, dropped the track and never touched it. He held for at least 3-4 minutes, EQd a bit and that was it. I was suprised, especially when he played Hydro 17, 18...Apex 1 and 2...Planet Rhythms you name it, hard tech and it was pretty intense in there too (I hadn't eatin anything so you could just imagine it on something).

Has anyone else here got thoughts on Wax?

A couple of his Puture Wax tracks were ok, nothing outstanding though...

MARKEG
21-09-2003, 10:26 AM
yeah nice bloke and a good clubby hard techno sound.

re: 3 decks - wasn't there also another post about three deck mixing somewhere else on this forum a while back? anyone got any links to it?? i can't find it.

TripleX
21-09-2003, 11:35 AM
http://www.blackoutaudio.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=235&highlight=3+deck+advice

TRB
22-09-2003, 07:41 AM
i prefer to play on 3 decks but i find alot of dj's who play on 3 think that they must have 2 records playing the entire time no matter what, or they think they are really special if they have 3 tracks going at the same time or whatnot. there are many ways to go about using the third deck but the whole "look Ma, 3 decks!" attitude is pretty lame.

also if a promoter asks me to play on 3 and then has crappy monitors i will completly ignore the 3rd decks because if you arent able to EQ your shit properly then what is the point of using the 3rd deck because it will sound like ass.

Yeah , I agree with you.

slacker
22-09-2003, 12:27 PM
the other thing is it bores you to play 2 decks, cause you need to wait that long to make the next mix....



no you don't. all you have to do is make the effort to piss about enough to make new ways of mixing to make it faster and buildier.

also, re the electro. electro is a bit boring when played on its own, but when combined effectively with other stuff it can be tops, and as with any genre there is shit and good dirty stuff.

now, what I find annoying is having my shitty sub-standard decks, because I've got stuck at 1 point passed which I do not seem to be able to progress. awww, using technics is soooo nice :love:

ps: "hard trance" eh? I've never heard hydraulix stuff in a "hard trance" room, or planet rhythm stuff mind you... good stuff!

serox
25-09-2003, 04:33 PM
dont see many people who can do a tight 3 dech mix. dont see many people who can do a constructed 2 dech set either. always see people just bringing records in anywhere once in time. sloppy.

DJPAUZE
30-09-2003, 04:42 AM
Hmm my opinion on 3 decks..... I have seen ALOT of big time djs play on three and not too many of them have impressed. Um carola was great, two decks final scractch and the other deck regular record.
I saw umek and valentino both play on three. Really impressed by both to be honest, didnt really like valentinos style though.
Um getting back to the point i will agree with Johnny, alot of guys say they are good on three or need to be known as a three deck dj. I think only VERY FEW gifted djs can mix three and do it well.
Hey any guys out there send me a link to there three deck mix, im curious to hear how good you guys are........

Pauze(I play on two and Im just happy with that) :twisted:

Dustin Zahn
30-09-2003, 06:42 AM
i thnik teh fake 3 decks djs are the ones who use three decks to spin records in the same way as 2 dacks ie start to beatmatch a record after having finished to mix the two previous ...

I don't see how this is cheating at all? I must haved missed the meeting where there are certain rules to be an official 3rd deck DJ. I would personally rather see any DJ use this technique as a means of faster cueing than adding in another shitty club record on top of 2 other shitty club records. I get very bored of a DJ who lets a 5 minute drum track play out nearly because he either sucks or is taking his sweet time looking through his crate. So if the DJ uses the 3rd deck to cue tracks up then thats fine by me. As long as it sounds good I'm happy. :)

Obviously, I'd like to say mixing just 2 records is easy and anyone can do it, but we all know thats a lie, some people just don't have it. But using the 3rd deck is a skill that definetely is a different ball game. To be perfectly honest, some days on 3 decks I am completely terrible and some days I can hold it down. Everyone has their bad days is my point. But I think people really just abuse the 3rd deck these days.

Back in the day, people like Mills would use 3 decks with 3 minimal records to get that tribal feel...they would practically construct songs on the fly with various records. I have a theory that a lot of the european producers picked up on this mills influence and made tribal records that sounded like 2 or 3 records worth of layers all in one song. The result is these days DJs clutter their mixes with waaay too much shit going on over the course of 3 tables.

I think the best 3 deck DJs know how to fill the gaps where they need to be filled and not clutter the mix with 3 drum tracks on top of each other. I used to do 3 deck mixing a bit more but lately I've started to play tracks that I feel are more evolved and can stand on their own. Tracks that have more than just drums and a vocal chop, so its not nessecary to use 3 decks because the tracks are so full already.

I guess the 3 decks thing is quite a debate...but probably the best answer is that like most things in life: theres a little bit of good in it, and a lot of bad.

Angrymann
30-09-2003, 12:19 PM
I have dabbled in it myself , but to be honest didn't manage to perfect it. I think with three deck mixing you have to be very particular about how and when to use the third deck. I did nail it a few times but not enough that I felt confident about doing it regualrly. Damm good fun to practise though.

I say do it if you can , practise it if you want , but don't play it out unless you are capable , cause that DOES mean it is just for show as opposed to adding to the performance.

Kangxi
03-10-2003, 11:54 PM
loads of good commentary in this thread an most has been said so I'll make this brief: another factor that needs to be considered when wondering to go with the third wheel is whether or not the house PA can handle it! It is laughable to see a booth set up with three only to hear a crap PA, usually improperly eq'ed, between the needle and one's ears

so even if the three decks are in place, you won't be any less a man (or woman!) if you opt out on the side of quality when the PA can't do its job.

JACKSTAR
13-10-2003, 12:31 PM
I was djing in Brazil last week and PetDuo was playing on 4 decks and I have to say they kicked it and everything was very tight. I have seen a few other djs play 3 and 60% of the time it don't work.

P.

yeswehavetheright
13-10-2003, 12:39 PM
Good subject this.
I think 3 decks has the potential to sound totally awesome - it's the way you can layer sounds, play hats or pads of one record with the bassline of another etc, and keep the texture of the sound consistent. It also means you can have a more individual sound as a DJ - which these days is pretty important seeing as every man and his dog is doing it. My favourite DJ's all play on 3 decks, I just prefer the way it sounds.

I'll contradict myself though by saying that the guys who play well on 3 decks generally sound totally amazing when on 2 (check out Ben Sims on 2 decks). And it's definately better to play a tight set on 2 decks than a wobbly one on 3 (if the DJ/PA/monitoring are not up to it).

Finally, I think practising on 3 steepens the learning curve sufficiently to make you much better when/if you go back to playing on 2. It's the way forward! At the end of the day, it's how it sounds that's important and not image/showing off etc. The punters on the dancefloor will always vote with their feet!!

scienceofuse
16-02-2004, 06:55 PM
As said, the third deck is just a tool. Even if you mix your records normally (meaning you beatmatch and mix one tune at a time), the mix will still sound better, because you can put your next record on before fading the track that is still playing out, which speeds up the process of mixing, 'cause you can look for your next record while listening to the mix on headphones, adjusting the pitch if necessary...

But I must agree that I've also seen many DJs fake it, leaving the third deck spinning. Why they do it, I don't know, you can't get a good rep by faking; if you don't have the skills, why bother faking it?

jake
16-02-2004, 10:19 PM
adam beyer and marco carola on 4 decks in detroit! :twisted:

miromiric.
16-02-2004, 10:29 PM
so they can camouflage the emptines of the music they play.

Sunil
16-02-2004, 10:30 PM
so they can camouflage the emptines of the music they play.

When was the last time you heard them play?

miromiric.
16-02-2004, 10:33 PM
dunno exactly last year some time.

i never liked carola s set and barely production, i was ok with beyer s sets till maybe 2 yrs ago.

jake
16-02-2004, 10:55 PM
i'm sorry beyer and carola don't have those lush pads that you like from oakenfold and paul van dyk miro! :cool: in all fairness though beyer and carola can mix like mother ****ers and they played off each other quite well.. they played like a team instead of a competition which was something i hadnt seen in a 2x4. carolas track selection can be straight up ass but ive seen him play one awesome set before....

miromiric.
16-02-2004, 11:02 PM
give me a break jake.
i just think carola and beyer play funky music and i really cant stand foney funky techno. you have a problem with that?

Sunil
16-02-2004, 11:08 PM
dunno exactly last year some time.

i never liked carola s set and barely production, i was ok with beyer s sets till maybe 2 yrs ago.

i've seen Carola a few times, first time he was ok, second time I was convinced he was technically as good as it gets.. that was nearly two years ago now though.

The first time I saw Beyer it was one of the best sets I've seen, I don't tend to dance a lot when I'm out but this time my body ached til the middle of the next week from going so mad. Last few times have been impressive although music wise it's not been all my bag... would be interested in seeing him or Carola again though.

massplanck
16-02-2004, 11:21 PM
give me a break jake.
i just think carola and beyer play funky music and i really cant stand foney funky techno. you have a problem with that?

Its a pity that you dont like music thats based around pentatonic riffs. Anyway you make him sound like the jackson five or something.

Carola is savage. He'd piss all over the lot of ye if he decided to make atmospheric type broken beat whatever..

Sunil
16-02-2004, 11:28 PM
Carola is savage. He'd piss all over the lot of ye if he decided to make atmospheric type broken beat whatever..

Ha ha, you're probably right! Carola in fairness to him has made an almighty amount of superb techno, a lot of which I wouldn't put in the 'funky' bracket.

JACKSTAR
17-02-2004, 12:03 AM
DJ Bam Bam & Alex Peace on 4 dex & 2 mixers totally kock it.

P.

tekboi
17-02-2004, 02:30 AM
I would have to agree with Dustin Zahn 100% - that using the 3rd deck to cue your tracks faster is definately what should be done if the DJ is only playing on 2 decks. As he also mentioned, there are no rules on what exacltly you need to do to use three decks.

In my opinion 3 or 2 decks, whatever, if you mix the tunes well in your own style then keep doing it, you do it the way you feel comfortable doing it.

BloodStar
17-02-2004, 09:14 AM
I agrre with Tekboi. Keepin your style is what it's all about.
It's about the story you're starting to talk with your tunes. 3rd deck is great as a tool for fullfill it. No needs to use it thru all set. But when yu're comfortable with monitors, and everything is fine, why don't use it?,.,While it's used at the right moments, crowds will go mad...

SlavikSvensk
18-02-2004, 08:31 AM
yeah, but what if a dj had 5 decks? then that would be, like, twice as good as 3 ;)

DROID
18-02-2004, 12:36 PM
misjah tears it up on 3 tables but at the end of the day who cares if its 2, 3 or 4? i think it's almost more impressive to hear dave clarke on only 2 tables and destroy the fukking place NOT using a laptop, efx, sampler etc.


ill destroy ur old low bag ass with a goddamn fruitloop BIATCH! :rambo:


aahahah

anx
18-02-2004, 03:12 PM
you should see my 1 turntable skills! i can stop the record and put another one back on the platter in under 3 seconds!

watch out varela.

:rambo:

Stuart
18-02-2004, 06:07 PM
Then again you get the people that ask for 3 decks but never actually play 3 decks the just end up with a record on it and mix 2 decks.

Stuart
18-02-2004, 06:09 PM
Then again you get the people that ask for 3 decks but never actually play 3 decks the just end up with a record on it and mix 2 decks.

massplanck
18-02-2004, 06:30 PM
Then again you get the people that ask for 3 decks but never actually play 3 decks the just end up with a record on it and mix 2 decks.

name and shame them!

SlavikSvensk
18-02-2004, 06:32 PM
you should see my 1 turntable skills! i can stop the record and put another one back on the platter in under 3 seconds!



i saw someone do that once. it was especially sweet 'cause the turntable was belt-drive, yo!

massplanck
18-02-2004, 06:37 PM
you should see my 1 turntable skills! i can stop the record and put another one back on the platter in under 3 seconds!



i saw someone do that once. it was especially sweet 'cause the turntable was belt-drive, yo!

I've seen DJ ASSAULT literally just throw the things onto to the decks mid set. He just span it up n the air and bullsye.

anx
18-02-2004, 06:41 PM
i have been in situations where i have been booked on 3 decks, only to have a booth with really horrible monitors. just 2 weeks ago actually, they setup 3 decks and gave me one bloody monitor that had blown and was all distorted..

i could barely mix on 2 let alone 3. so of course afterwords i had people assuming i cant mix on 3 decks or just have 3 there for show etc...

when really i saved myself from a "3 deck disaster" by not using the 3rd one.

now if people want me to play on 3 i make sure that they agree to having 2 good, working monitors on each side of the decks.

anx
18-02-2004, 06:43 PM
you should see my 1 turntable skills! i can stop the record and put another one back on the platter in under 3 seconds!



i saw someone do that once. it was especially sweet 'cause the turntable was belt-drive, yo!

I've seen DJ ASSAULT literally just throw the things onto to the decks mid set. He just span it up n the air and bullsye.

dj assault is crazy.

to think i was only kidding tho...im not that good on one turntable. it takes many many years of practice you must be like ninja. :rambo:
hehehe

tioneb
18-02-2004, 06:59 PM
i thnik teh fake 3 decks djs are the ones who use three decks to spin records in the same way as 2 dacks ie start to beatmatch a record after having finished to mix the two previous ...

I don't see how this is cheating at all? I must haved missed the meeting where there are certain rules to be an official 3rd deck DJ. I would personally rather see any DJ use this technique as a means of faster cueing than adding in another shitty club record on top of 2 other shitty club records. I get very bored of a DJ who lets a 5 minute drum track play out nearly because he either sucks or is taking his sweet time looking through his crate. So if the DJ uses the 3rd deck to cue tracks up then thats fine by me. As long as it sounds good I'm happy. :)

Obviously, I'd like to say mixing just 2 records is easy and anyone can do it, but we all know thats a lie, some people just don't have it. But using the 3rd deck is a skill that definetely is a different ball game. To be perfectly honest, some days on 3 decks I am completely terrible and some days I can hold it down. Everyone has their bad days is my point. But I think people really just abuse the 3rd deck these days.

Back in the day, people like Mills would use 3 decks with 3 minimal records to get that tribal feel...they would practically construct songs on the fly with various records. I have a theory that a lot of the european producers picked up on this mills influence and made tribal records that sounded like 2 or 3 records worth of layers all in one song. The result is these days DJs clutter their mixes with waaay too much shit going on over the course of 3 tables.

I think the best 3 deck DJs know how to fill the gaps where they need to be filled and not clutter the mix with 3 drum tracks on top of each other. I used to do 3 deck mixing a bit more but lately I've started to play tracks that I feel are more evolved and can stand on their own. Tracks that have more than just drums and a vocal chop, so its not nessecary to use 3 decks because the tracks are so full already.

I guess the 3 decks thing is quite a debate...but probably the best answer is that like most things in life: theres a little bit of good in it, and a lot of bad.

well to me whatever u do the third deck has to "sound" its used thats what i wanted to say about "fake 3 decks djs" ...

claude young does with two decks really more than most of the djs using three ive seen ... so i just think people pretending being "good" becasue thy use three decks should think first about the musical aspect and watching good 2 decks djs ...

totally agree with you about the drum tracks dustin ... playing 3 records at same time has to be done with a certain track selection thats why again i thnik people should morea bout the music rather than the number of decks ...

these 2*2 or 2*3 decks sets make me laugh so much, do you thnik it is really possible to make something hearable playing 4 records at same time ???

massplanck
18-02-2004, 07:21 PM
[quote=tioneb]i thnik teh fake 3 decks djs are the ones who use three decks to spin records in the same way as 2 dacks ie start to beatmatch a record after having finished to mix the two previous ...

these 2*2 or 2*3 decks sets make me laugh so much, do you thnik it is really possible to make something hearable playing 4 records at same time ???

Yeah it can all get too messy at times.

But at least they are trying.

anx
18-02-2004, 07:24 PM
i dont think playing 4 decks at the same time would sound good at all...but it does open alot of doors for more tricks, faster cutting, and more creativity.

never tried 4 decks before and i probably wont have the chance to try ever....but if i did i would totally mess around with locked grooves on the 4th deck...

1 thing with 3 decks it your timing has to be really well executed on every mix.

SlavikSvensk
18-02-2004, 09:55 PM
recently a friend of mine--whose musical taste and opinions i highly respect, i should note--said that he doesn't think people should do doubles unless they have 3 tables. i disagree strongly...i think all of us techno heads need to remember that it isn't how you do something, it's what you do. whether that means 2 tables, 3 tables or 4 tables, it's going to blow either way if the dj can't take advantage of the tools he or she decides to employ.

that said, i think the prupose of 3 turntables is to give skilled djs another outlet to improve their mixing. a lot of my favorite experiences have been seeing people like jeff mills and steve rachmad on 3 tables. others have been seeing claude young or derrick may on 2. but this idea that in order to be considered great, or to employ time-honored tricks, you have to spin on 3 tables? no way.

Sam_Horam
18-02-2004, 10:55 PM
I play on three for a couple of reasons:

1. Because I think that nearly all the records I play sound better mixed with another. So, if i'm playing on two it sounds great but then I have to take one out to get the next on...which isn't what I want to do.

2. When you first start mixing it's a challenge. And that, alongside playing music I like is the reason why I spent a lot of time doing it. Playing on two is no longer a challenge and is very routine. When I started to play on three it gave me that challenge back again.

As said before if you turn up for a gig and the monitoring is so shit that you can't hear anything then playing on three is pretty much pointless. Nothing is more annoying than that. I sometimes can't belive how little effort promoters put into getting the set up to a reasonable standard.

I would also agree with other posts saying that some djs do say they play on three but don't really (or at all). Maybe they think it will make people think they're better? Especially when you see flyers that say "on 3 decks" next to the djs name. Although that's usually down to the promoter.

tekku7181
18-02-2004, 11:54 PM
for me the first thing 3 decks does and what i find most valuable is being able to have the next record cued,,,,a lot of tracks that i play r short and sometimes if a mix is a bit long, by the time it is over there may be very little time to get the next record in( i dont mean getting it beatmatched),,,i mean mixing it in a way that i feel keeps the flow and say being able to have the next 2 tracks up for 90 secs as opposed to 30 secs or whatever...so it can enables me to mix shorter tracks longer bec i dont have to worry about spending any time beatmatching the next track...

i would have to feel quite comfortable w/the system to have 3 records up at once when playing out esp when playing really hard tekno....but i would always rather risk failure than not to take a chance but i wouldnt do it when the booth/system would be a sabotaging factor,,,,

Stuart
19-02-2004, 04:04 PM
Then again you get the people that ask for 3 decks but never actually play 3 decks the just end up with a record on it and mix 2 decks.

name and shame them!

I don't do that. But they know who they are.

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