3 DECK DISASTERS

[Methodixxx]

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!

[Error#404]

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]

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]

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]

http://www.blackoutaudio.co.uk/phpBB...=3+deck+advice

[TRB]

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]

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]

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]

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)

[Dustin Zahn]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

adam beyer and marco carola on 4 decks in detroit!

[miromiric.]

so they can camouflage the emptines of the music they play.

[Sunil]

so they can camouflage the emptines of the music they play.

When was the last time you heard them play?

[miromiric.]

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]

i'm sorry beyer and carola don't have those lush pads that you like from oakenfold and paul van dyk miro! 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....