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View Poll Results: Which do you purchase?

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  • Vinyl all the way, baby!!!

    19 48.72%
  • Digital - I'm riding the wave of the future ;)

    2 5.13%
  • Both - I still like vinyl, but also use digital means for playing music

    18 46.15%
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  1. #1
    Junior Freak
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    Default Vinyl vs Digital - Which do you buy?

    I would like to keep this from turning into a heavy debate of vinyl vs digital, but more to find out what people's purchasing habits are at the present time.

    To begin:


    Of the people on this board purchasing electronic music:

    How many of you are djs?

    How many of you are purchasing vinyl?

    How many are purchasing music digitally (ie Beatport, DJ Download.com, etc)?

    How many are purchasing both?

    Next set of questions:

    How many of you are not djs, but purchase electronic music for your own listening pleasure?

    Of the non-djs, how many of you are purchasing vinyl?

    How many are purchasing music digitally (ie Beatport, DJ Download.com, etc)?

    How many are purchasing both?


    That's all for now - once I think of more questions, I will be posting them, but please, I would like serious responses here, not a pissing match over which format is better.

    Thanks :)

  2. #2
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    Only vinyl,as i don´t play in public i´d say non-DJ.I would buy digital releases if they were from one of my fav artists/labels and not available as vinyl!
    POLITICALLY INCORRECT AND DAMN PROUD OF IT!!

  3. #3
    Junior Freak
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    I believe people who play only one medium missing out...there is way too much good stuff on either domain exclusive

  4. #4
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    Buy very little vinyl these days, but where its not possible to get digital I will.
    Play out using digital and vinyl.

  5. #5
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    play both,a set usually consists of around 50% vinyl, 50% cd
    Everybody is in the place....! letz go...

  6. #6
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    about 6 months ago i forced myself to record all my vinyl into the computer and play a whole set of cd's. and then i suddenly realised holy shit, i'm not having to worry about that pissed up twat at the front bouncing too much. it was a revalation. since then i've played lots and lots of complete cd sets. that walking on eggshells feeling when the decks are badly set up completely goes and i'm alot less drained at the end of a set. more time for dancing and enjoying the music! also these days, lots of ppl play cd sets and they tend to put their cd case on the decks and i'm noticing they are sometimes pressing against the needle. ie more deck problems if you then play vinyl. not only that, sound crew just arent paying attention to setting up decks properly anymore (not that they always did), cause more and more ppl are on cd's.

    and that's only half the pluses of playing a set of cd's. sound wise (and believe me, i have analyzed this like a cunt on stick) the pitching up and down of cd's is much more digital and sounds more clinical than doing it via the analog medium of a vinyl and a technics 1210. so to get round this, i've been recording the vinyl onto cd at approxiamately the pitch i would be playing them at a club. this way, the clinic sound of cd pitching up is not there. ok, well to go one better i've now started remastering all the pitched up vinyls so the freq ranges are back in the correct places. phew, it's a damn hard job and it now takes me a full day longer to get ready for a set, but the result is entirely worth it. sound wise, my set is the shit, it can't be any better imho. i am super happy with the result. i could never have got this type of perfection with vinyl, plus i can do some nice sneaky edits in ableton and make some exclusive mixes of the tracks. i just feel more creative and focused than ever.

    ok so you might say that's that. good job! well actually it's not. and what's made it like that is the odd person coming up to me playing cd's and saying 'play vinyl, you cunt!'. to the point that even my own girlfriend chrissi tells me 'mark, it just looks shit, you wanna see someone playing vinyl'. so off i went on youtube armed with a glass of vino and sure enough, a dj playing vinyl looks damn good. cd's look awful. then there's the morality of the fact i've bought vinyl for the past 20 years and now, it looks like i'm not supporting it (when in fact i'm still buying as much vinyl as i ever did, only it's not looking that way cause i'm recording to cd). vinyl is such a special medium. without it, i would be screwed. i don't want it to disappear.

    so now, i'm onto another mission. in the next few weeks i'm going to start using a virtual turntable system with timecoded vinyl. now, if the decks are set up good (which is becoming less and less), i will force myself to play vinyl (or at least try to consider it more than i have been the last 6 months). if not, i will then set up this system. if it's too dangerous, gonna destroy my equipment or impractical, then we swap to cd's. that way, we get the best of both worlds, 66% of the time, the performance looks good, 66% of the time the sound quality is spot on, and 33% of the time i look shit playing cd's. Much better imho than the way I've been doing the last 6 months.

    Well this is just my thoughts and experiences. PS I voted option 3 ;)

  7. #7
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    Virtual turntables look the shit and sound ace if you do it properly

    Its also pretty nice to load up a track as soon as you think of it in a second, rather than furiously rummage through your bag looking for it.

    Much as I love vinyl, I'm not that arsed about paying £7 just to have it on a piece of plastic if all I really care about is the music that comes on it.

  8. #8
    Junior Freak
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    Quote Originally Posted by MARK EG View Post
    about 6 months ago i forced myself to record all my vinyl into the computer and play a whole set of cd's. and then i suddenly realised holy shit, i'm not having to worry about that pissed up twat at the front bouncing too much. it was a revalation. since then i've played lots and lots of complete cd sets. that walking on eggshells feeling when the decks are badly set up completely goes and i'm alot less drained at the end of a set. more time for dancing and enjoying the music! also these days, lots of ppl play cd sets and they tend to put their cd case on the decks and i'm noticing they are sometimes pressing against the needle. ie more deck problems if you then play vinyl. not only that, sound crew just arent paying attention to setting up decks properly anymore (not that they always did), cause more and more ppl are on cd's.

    and that's only half the pluses of playing a set of cd's. sound wise (and believe me, i have analyzed this like a cunt on stick) the pitching up and down of cd's is much more digital and sounds more clinical than doing it via the analog medium of a vinyl and a technics 1210. so to get round this, i've been recording the vinyl onto cd at approxiamately the pitch i would be playing them at a club. this way, the clinic sound of cd pitching up is not there. ok, well to go one better i've now started remastering all the pitched up vinyls so the freq ranges are back in the correct places. phew, it's a damn hard job and it now takes me a full day longer to get ready for a set, but the result is entirely worth it. sound wise, my set is the shit, it can't be any better imho. i am super happy with the result. i could never have got this type of perfection with vinyl, plus i can do some nice sneaky edits in ableton and make some exclusive mixes of the tracks. i just feel more creative and focused than ever.

    ok so you might say that's that. good job! well actually it's not. and what's made it like that is the odd person coming up to me playing cd's and saying 'play vinyl, you cunt!'. to the point that even my own girlfriend chrissi tells me 'mark, it just looks shit, you wanna see someone playing vinyl'. so off i went on youtube armed with a glass of vino and sure enough, a dj playing vinyl looks damn good. cd's look awful. then there's the morality of the fact i've bought vinyl for the past 20 years and now, it looks like i'm not supporting it (when in fact i'm still buying as much vinyl as i ever did, only it's not looking that way cause i'm recording to cd). vinyl is such a special medium. without it, i would be screwed. i don't want it to disappear.

    so now, i'm onto another mission. in the next few weeks i'm going to start using a virtual turntable system with timecoded vinyl. now, if the decks are set up good (which is becoming less and less), i will force myself to play vinyl (or at least try to consider it more than i have been the last 6 months). if not, i will then set up this system. if it's too dangerous, gonna destroy my equipment or impractical, then we swap to cd's. that way, we get the best of both worlds, 66% of the time, the performance looks good, 66% of the time the sound quality is spot on, and 33% of the time i look shit playing cd's. Much better imho than the way I've been doing the last 6 months.

    Well this is just my thoughts and experiences. PS I voted option 3 ;)

    Bloody hell! That's a lot of work to put into playing music. (no one said it was an easy job, btw) But I'm sitting here laughing at this whole process you put yourself through.

    Me personally, I like seeing a dj rocking behind a set of decks, rather than a laptop - cdjs, ehhh.....it doesnt bother me so much - but overall, behind the decks, the dj projects a certain vibe and energy to the crowd that you just cannot compare to someone rocking a set on laptops or cdjs. Now, I've had this discussion with people before who seem to think otherwise - they say you can do much more doing an ableton set than you could ever do with decks, but after experiencing doing an ableton set out in public myself, I found it to be really boring.....just point, click, use the occassional efx, blah blah - whoopidee dooooo....I like playing a vinyl (or vinyl-like) medium - I like the feeling I get behind a set of decks.....but that's just ME and my personal preference.....I dont think there's anything anyone could say or do to make me change my mind about what I choose to use for djing. (I use serato scratch, btw....next best thing to vinyl....and I love it)

    As for what my purchasing habits are - I purchase both vinyl and digital, but I find more and more less of a reason to buy vinyl nowadays....it just doesnt seem cost effective to me anymore when I can pick and choose the tracks I want from an EP, vs buy the whole thing on vinyl for 9 euros, only to play one track.....

    Which brings me to this.....for the diehard people who are purchasing only vinyl - what will you do if vinyl disappears? Would you switch to digital? Or would you hang up your decks and call it a day?

  9. #9
    Junior Freak
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    I've started buying some digital but still mostly vinyl. The new cdj's are a dream to mix on but i can't imagine preferring to play on them. I can understand what people say about the options you have with digital and i guess we've only just touched the surface...but I look at what DJ Dave, Cut La Roc, A-Train etc do on the decks and the direct human contact with records - the chance to pull out some freaky cuts or **** them up etc gives me a greater pleasure when playing. Nothing like a full club and a few beers behind you and some nice vinyl to mix it up.

    I love working with digital at home and on production. I can't see it ever being better for me in a club.

  10. #10
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    The physical action of mixing on CD, or twiddling vinyl, or moving sliders when using a laptop, is hardly much different is it.
    Lets face it, Dance music performers aren`t interesting to watch, lets not kid ourselves, it`s some guy, or girl, fiddling with some very unphysical equipment, making small movements (unless it`s some gimp scratching records with his nose or something).
    So all this "Vinyl is a better performance" is just sentiment.
    You can put the same amount of energy into whatever you are using to perform with.
    Be it a mouth organ, or a CDJ.

    Mark for instance, will always be the jumping, arm flailing, gurning loon, he is, no matter what he uses. And that`s what people love.

    The music is paramount, it`s 2007 and we need to stop talking about the medium, and start talking about the music, and it`s future.
    Solitary by nature.
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  11. #11
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    vinyl.
    Bás Ar An Impireacht

  12. #12
    Junior Freak
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    Quote Originally Posted by dirty_bass View Post
    The physical action of mixing on CD, or twiddling vinyl, or moving sliders when using a laptop, is hardly much different is it.
    Lets face it, Dance music performers aren`t interesting to watch, lets not kid ourselves, it`s some guy, or girl, fiddling with some very unphysical equipment, making small movements (unless it`s some gimp scratching records with his nose or something).

    Oh contraire, mon frere......physical action of mixing with vinyl vs ableton is much different. I can safely give an honest and fair opinion having experienced the use of both at performances. I used ableton - I found myself playing great music, but bored out of my mind - everything is warped so the beats are already matched for you once all the prep-work has been done - what fun is that? Sure, you can use efx and blah blah, but the same can be done when you are playing vinyl (or in my case, using serato) and having a pioneer or any number of mixers on the market that have built in filters and efx. At least when I'm playing vinyl, I feel like I'm constantly moving and doing something......but this is my personal preference.

    And this was not my intention when posting this poll - to get into a debate over what medium or method of 'djing' is better.....whatever floats your boat....just because I dont enjoy playing on ableton or cds at a gig, doesnt mean the next guy has to do the same.

    Either way - it's more a question of what everyone is purchasing these days. As a label owner, I am curious, as I'm sure several other people on here who own labels are too. It's simply a matter of whether or not you want to continue investing in pressing vinyl, and risk losing money, or is digital the way to go.....and should we slowly start phasing vinyl out and start figuring out ways to move things forward in the digital area. I dont like it any more than the diehard vinyl junkies do, having bought vinyl on my own since the 80's, but let's be real here, it's bound to happen sooner or later.....

    That is all......

  13. #13
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    *ducks for cover as all the ableton fiends weigh in with their 2 penneth*
    Bás Ar An Impireacht

  14. #14
    Junior Freak
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    Quote Originally Posted by DannyBlack View Post
    *ducks for cover as all the ableton fiends weigh in with their 2 penneth*

    I'm shakin in my little pink slippers ;)

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by DJ Becka View Post
    I'm shakin in my little pink slippers ;)

    funnily enough, thats what i wear when im banging out schranz. pink slippers, nowt else.


    but i agree with you to a certain extent about vinyl. i love it, cant get enough of it.
    Bás Ar An Impireacht

  16. #16
    Supreme Freak
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    vinyl 4 mixing but i do use mp3 just for listen to music not 4 mixing though LOL

  17. #17
    Junior Freak
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    Quote Originally Posted by DJ Becka View Post
    I would like to keep this from turning into a heavy debate of vinyl vs digital, but more to find out what people's purchasing habits are at the present time.



    That's all for now - once I think of more questions, I will be posting them, but please, I would like serious responses here, not a pissing match over which format is better.

    Thanks :)
    :) :)

  18. #18
    Parsnip
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    I'm a DJ, I buy vinyl and digital though I try to get Techno stuff on vinyl where possible.

  19. #19
    Deceptacon
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    Quote Originally Posted by DannyBlack View Post
    *ducks for cover as all the ableton fiends weigh in with their 2 penneth*
    i cant be arsed arguing about it no more..

    i play for the people that are dancing. not the nerds who are more worried about what i look like than what i sound like.

  20. #20
    Parsnip
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    Quote Originally Posted by DJ Becka View Post
    but after experiencing doing an ableton set out in public myself, I found it to be really boring.....just point, click, use the occassional efx, blah blah - whoopidee dooooo....
    With respect though Becka, that really doesn't sound like you're pushing Ableton to it's limits at all. As with all performance, if you're getting bored then you could always be doing something else to add to it.

    I've seen some people do utterly uninspiring Ableton sets, and then I've seen others totally take it to the next level.

    I still love a good old fashioned rinseout on the 1's and 2's. I just think there are people doing great stuff with laptops out there across all the genres. For Techno, have a look at Radial, Raw Hedroom and Dirty Bass. For Electronica / D&B, check out Exile. For Breaks, seek out Splitloop.

 

 
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