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Sujet: Are you a waverider?

Ce topic est ancien et peut contenir des informations obselètes ou incorrectes.

Over on the Beezo forum they were discussing "waveriders", or DJs who use the waveforms on their software to DJ with, not even putting headphones on.

I wrote a pretty in-depth blog post on this - Do Digital DJs Even Need Headphones Anymore? (Or, the dark art of waveriding…) - and I was wondering how people here feel about it. As a VDJ and Serato ITCH user, I've always loved the way theise two programs display waveforms over Traktor.
 
Posté Sat 24 Jul 10 @ 11:08 am
I do, initially, but you can only be sure your tracks are in-sync by then putting the cans on. I found even people who would use my timecode setup would visually match the beats, it's just so much quicker. We can see the past, present and future of the played tracks but we cannot listen to them that way. To add to that, our eyes are far more sensitive than our ears. But to counter this, a visual waveform is only an indicator, we cannot see all the detail so the headphones are still needed.
 
Honestly, ever since I bought this program about a month ago, I've loved it. I've been making mix Cd's without using headphones at all. however, it still is needed to mix on beat, as some songs are not beat synched properly.

I would definitely say that its possible, but the ability to do both is the key to making a better DJ. This was one of the questions I thought of when I made my post about the real uses of VDJ. I still see a good amount of House music DJ's still only using CD decks and a mixer, and cases of CD's
 
I have seen & done both with & without. House is easy even without for the most part, but I'm old skool & still use a monitor in my booth & headphones for my own comfort.
 
I came into the game as a digital DJ using virtual DJ. So naturally I started mixing by "wave riding" and using visual cues only. From there I actually worked my way backwards and began using timecode vinyl and scratching, and now even use some real vinyl's. My ears are still not perfect at beat matching but I've began to acquire the skill naturally from pure practice and playing music. I first noticed I could beat match by ear when I started setting cue points and bringing in songs that way (on the downbeat and what not). I've always considered myself to have good rhythm, and anyone can count, so the rest is falling in line the more I practice. obviously I think being able to match by ear is important, but I also think its important to embrace new techniques and technology. It only makes sense to do both if you are capable right? I love using my headphones to make sure the EQ is correct when im bringing in a song with or just scratching on a snare/fat bass kick. Sometimes I will go 3,4, even 5 or more songs without using headphones because I know exactly where I'm bringing the song in and exactly how its going to sound in my set. For the others or for more on the fly sections of my sets I always use my phones to make sure what I'm unleashing on the crowd is going to sound nice and professional. Well thats my 2 cents on the topic. Peace ya'll!

-L
 
I've been DJing, and mixing, for a very long time now. My mentor always taught me to keep one ear in the headphones. "Never give up on the blend until its all the way over" He would preach that every time I took over the tables from him. He would stop by the bar/clubs I worked at after I went off on my own. "Never give up on the blend, until its all the way done, Terry. You do that, and you'll be fine." He would say to me, as he handed me a drink.

He was a quest at an event I did last month. I had not seen him in 15 years. He walked over about half way through the night, gave me a huge hug and said "You just don't give up on the blend until its over...good man!" So, even if I were inclined to do so, I can not give up the headphones its been ingrained into my way of mixing.
 
Nicely Said..
 
I waveride to a certain extent I mean I still have headphones because waveriding is great for knowing what place you are in the song at a quick glance and then knowing when you want to drop in the next song. But I think it is impossible to waveride without headphones because though it tells you what the wave pattern looks like and where the kicks and snares it doesn't tell you what the song sounds like you can't hear with your eyes. You need to hear when you want to start bringing in the next song or when you want to cut it in or whatever. You can't do that with a quick glance at the computer screen.
 
I mix without headphones when I'm at home praticing or working a long gig or when we do shows thursday, friday and saturday. I mean thats what the cue points are for, so you know whats going on in the song...............So yes mixing without headphones can be done. If I'm working a long gig I'll pop in my earplugs and use the cue points and waves to give my ears a rest. When I'm mixing a CD though, I WILL ALWAYS use my headphones no matter what cause like most people here its all about seeing that blend all the way through.

Huey
 
I've recognized that not every place is always a spot that you want marked with a cue point. then you find yourself needing headphones for that blend.

Back in the 80's, I used headphones. As soon as I have the right external soundcard, I will use them again.

but just saying, I've been okay without them making mixed cd's
 
I use a combination of wave riding and headphones. I use the wave to match up the beats for the most part but use the headphones to verify. Sometimes the waves line up but the audio is slightly off. I've been trying to get out of the habit of wave riding lately though because I find wave riding makes me lazy, and I think it looks lame when a DJ looks like he's reading emails when he's DJing.
 
philmorse wrote :
Over on the Beezo forum they were discussing "waveriders", or DJs who use the waveforms on their software to DJ with, not even putting headphones on. .


i must admit, when i first demo'd VDJ that waveform was a nice selling point..

As a mobile DJ their are times when "hearing the mix" can be tough (IE: speakers 2ft from me, last minute request, some guest talking to me, etc etc)
times like that, the wave form has proven invaluable and a major time saver..

Songs that I play a lot, I usually add multiple cue points, and pre-adjust the CBG.. for those songs (to be honest) I don't need the headphones at all..

for setting up transitions I still need the headphones.. and for songs that have variable BPM's

but ya.. the waveforms are bit of a gamechanger..
 
Was wondering what this "Waverider" thread was about.............

...but, yeh, I am a waverider lol

My 3 nights per week residency is mainly pop chart based and all video. Pop music usually has very short intro/outros, where appropriate I tend to mix the last 4 beats from one tune to the next and usually visually. I do know the tunes anyway as I play them so often. If I left my headphones at home I wouldn't be really too bothered. I tend to use the headphones for auditioning rather than mixing.

However, when I do House Music gigs I do tend to use the headphones as well as waveriding for mixing.
 
I must say iam a mix. I use the headphones and the wave, when the tune is in sync i just use the headphones. But i always prelisten the song in the headphones. I never use the cuepoints i delete them when i see them.
 
A combination of both for me... I too came from the 'old skool' where you only had headphones so it's second nature for me to just pick them up and use them. However I often have one eye on the wave form. With tried and tested mixes I can do from the waveform, new mixes will always involve the headphones.

I was actually discussing this with a fellow DJ just the other day. I likened my understanding of the waveform to that moment in The Matrix when Neo suddenly stopped seeing people and objects and started seeing "the code" instead. I can now 'read waveforms' to a degree, so you know when a break or instrumental is comening for example so that was my eureka moment!!!

But, yes you could also do this on vinyl - reading the darker/lighter grooves was a less acurate method of reading the waveform...

Cheers,

Roy
 
It's ben a popular thread & post! The thing too is that often a bit OFF is better than bang ON - that's my beef with Traktor. I don't want beatgridded monotony - I want my lyric to drag a bit or come in early, I want my bongos to pull the kick drum along with them, or play laziiy a bit behind... but for a quick obvious fix (ie which kick has drifted ahead?) waveriding is just the ticket.
 
The speed of light has always beat the speed of sound, and if you don't use monitors in the booth, that delay can wreck a mix.
Just wish the cbg's were more accurate in that regard.
 
i use the wave forms but i also use my ears listening to the sound system in the venue. i only really use my head phones when playing a song with a talking intro that hasn't been cued etc. for the most part 99% i would say eyes and ears. but i can also match a beat within a bar or two without using wave forms. when you have been djing for 15+ years it's kind of second nature.
 
I'm usually not a waverider, only when i'm really bored and there's not a big crowd in the place.

I don't mind people who do "waveride" though. If you have a tool: use it. "I have a hammer but i'm going to punch this nail in with my fist because it makes me feel like a man!"
 


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