The History Of DJ Equipment

The History Of DJ Equipment

A DJ (disc jockey) is a person who would play records/songs. There a loads of different types of DJs the most common being your club and radio DJs, them being the most accessible. DJs have been around since the early 1900's and, of course, their equipment has always been by their side. But, throughout the past 120 years, DJ equipment has come a long way.

The first grammophone (and what would later be a turntable, a circular moving plate controlling a vinyl record) went into production in 1894 and completely dominated the music and record business with everyone wishing to own one but it wasn't until the 1900's that anyone managed to transmit any form of music... In 1909, Ray Newby broadcasted a song at his college using a small spark transmitter and became the first ever radio DJ aged just 16. This paved the way for many people to step forward and become radio DJs and is possibly the most important moment in the history of DJing, the only problem with this was that it was limited to just Mr. Newby's college and was not transmitted further, but not much could be expected back in 1909.

Timeline:
In 1927 the UK aquired their first DJ, Christopher Stone, he however, only used a single turntable.

A 1940s turntable

It wasn't until 1935 that the term "disc-jockey" was ever used (and it clearly stuck) it meant to operate and play a record. The first ever person to use twin turntables was Jimmy Savile back in 1943, he played some jazz songs (what was considered mainstream back then) at a rock party , he used the 2 turntables to have constant play during his set and no interuptions.
The 1960's introduced us to the mixer which in turn also (in 1969) saw the introduction of turn-tablism. Turn-tablism means when a DJ starts to match beats (use 2 different tracks a blend them to make something new). The 70's was when turntablism was added to a DJs technique almost completely as most DJs thought it would help them to perform better during their sets.1972 was the first appearance of the Technics SL-1200. The SL-1200 is a series of turntables which allowed a DJ to change the tempo of the the play of the record (one of the first to do this), the SL-1200's more recent models do remain vital part of some DJ's equipment as it is very basic to use and will still play to high quality, unfortunately the original model of the SL-1200 was discontinued a few years ago and it's nearly impossible to access one.  
1977 saw DJ Wizard Theodore accidently discover the technique of scratching whilst he was playing about with his turntable and putting his hand on his vinyl to stop his play instantly. Scratching means to quickly cut between 2 tracks using the crossfader on a mixer. This was an important part of DJing history as it allowed other DJs to practice this ability, add it to their sets and give their sets a sense of flair. The mixer is a very important part in DJing history as almost all club DJs are still using them today, a DJ mixer is used mainly to redirect a source that isn't playing into a DJ's headphones and the DJ would decide when to drop that paticular song, this is important to DJs as it allows them to control their tracks and sets live and puts them in control. In the 80s, the Sound to Light control was released. This is basically when the light matches the beat played by the DJ offering a very cool spectacle for the club-goers to enjoy, something I feel is very important... And cool.
Mixers also feature cross-faders, this allows for an easy change between 2 different sound sources by fading them into each other, mixing them together. Watch this video of DJ Juicy M mixing on 4 CD decks, the result is amazing.
Of course from then the progression of DJ equipment moved from vinyl to CDs and DJs began to use CDs on their decks making things much easier to handle and portable. I'm torn between the option between vinyls and CDs because, although CDs are much more accesible and portable, I personally feel the quality of a vinyl is much better than a CD, but in this day and age, they are not as accessible.

After the CD, the next major jump for DJs was the rise of the EQ and MP3s. The EQ (equalizer) is a piece of equipment which allows the DJ to manipulate certain frequencies in their tracks. Most EQs have a LOW/MID/HI (on a three band EQ) range. The LOW part of an EQ would mainly control the instruments featured in the track (usually MP3) that have a low frequency, like kick drums and bass. The HI range would control the high pitched frequencies like hi hats and most vocals. The MID range would control alot of the inbetween, like snare drums and some toms. The DJ could do things like turn up the volume on each range to muteing them completely (only on some EQs) giving them ability to completely change the sound of their set and create something new. Unfortunately, because the MID range applies to alot of different instruments/frequencies, it's impossible to eliminate them from the track so all the DJ would be able to do is dullen the sound which, in my opinion, would make a track sound pretty bad (most of the time). Usually the ranges would be labelled Bass/Mid-Range/Treble as this seems to apply to sounds more. The EQ, for me, is one of the best pieces of a equipment a DJ can own because it enables them to control their sound, create something new and massively entertain their audience through manipulating their sounds to give the audience that "fist pumpy" feeling, it gives a more advanced and professional take on DJing as opposed to just playing and mixing the tracks. MP3s also made their impact on DJing history as today, most of them are using MP3s. I personally feel the use of MP3s, in comparison to CDs, is more efficient as it allows the DJ to contain their tracks on something smaller (USB, SD etc) and becomes much more portable. However the use of MP3s poses the risk of losing the tracks more often than CDs and vinyls which could become a major issue for DJs. I would still personally use MP3s instead of CDs as they are much more portable and could give the DJ more options for their mix, I would just be careful not to lose them.

Important DJ:
DJ Grandmaster Flash:
Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler) was one of the DJs to cement turntablism and scratching. After growing up in New York and becoming interested in his dad's record collection, Flash took the DJing path. He is probably best known for making the term of scratching popular in the 80's (he was in his 20's). As previously mentioned DJ Wizard Theodore discovered scratching but it was Grandmaster Flash who perfected this technique and played to audiences, essentially making scratching popular. Flash is also known to be the first DJ to play 2 turntables whilst layered with a mixer and to 'freestyle' his own lyrics on top of his tracks. This man also invented the crossfader allowing himself and other DJs to fade one song into another. I feel this man is essential to the development of DJing as he has done so much, not just for himself but he has allowed other DJs to better themselves and help them perform to the best of their ability with the techniques and equipment he has produced. 

2 Pieces Of Equipment:
Numark NS7 2:
Quoted as being the "best DJ controller ever built. Period", the Numark NS7 2 would have alot to live up to. On first impression this piece of equipment is visually stunning. The lights scattered throughout make it look absolutely amazing and are colour coded so the DJ can label specific sounds/capabilities, so they're dual purpose. The NS7 2 also offers an amazing range of capabilities, it controls Serato DJ (a DJing software) from cues to loops (a repeat of a certain sound that can be added on top of another sound) to having a sampler on it, keeping the DJ busy and giving them the ability to entertain their audience to full effect. It has many inputs including AUX and a mic so the DJ may talk to their audience if they want. It also has filter knobs (EQ) giving the DJ the ability to fully control their sound. The only bad thing about this deck is it's price. It comes in at a jaw-dropping £999, something most amateur DJs would not like to pay as they feel they could get the same for the a much lower price. 

Pioneer DDJ-SR:
Like the NS7 2, the Pioneer DDJ-SR is beautiful, maybe not quite as colourful as the NS7 2, but equally as beautiful and it being made by Pioneer is a major factor into why this piece of equipment is so good. Pioneer are very famous for their musical equipment, not just because they work well but because they are all sturdy pieces of machinery, something a DJ may need, being in such crazy environments. The DDJ-SR also offers the 16 rubber based buttons controlling multiple functions like cue, roll and sampler, this one however has a function where the DJ can link those 3 options together giving them the ability to cue there samples in time with their track. It also has an EQ on it with almost the exact same options as the NS7 2. It also runs off of Serato DJ so it's software is just as stable and accessible as the NS7 2. It has 2 mic outputs (possibly for multiple DJs being able to provide commentary over their tracks) and AUX to bring more sounds in. Lastly it's price comes in at a much more accessible £499, giving DJs on a lower budget the oppurtunity to perform to their best. I personally would buy the DDJ-SR as it features almost exactly the same control as the NS7 2 for half the price and, although I do prefer the look of the NS7 2, it's not all about the look of the equipment, it's what it enables the DJ to do.

Bibliography:
Name of Author, Title, Date Accessed, Website
[Link]

Author Not Specified, Grandmaster Flash, Accessed 26/11/2013, wikipedia.org
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandmaster_Flash]

Branislav, K, Great History Of DJ Equipment, Accessed 15/11/2013, ezinearticles.com
[http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Great-History-Of-DJ-Equipment&id=6432382] 

Author Not Specified, Numark NS7II - The Best DJ Controller Ever Built. Period., Accessed 23/11/2013, youtube.com & djkit.com
[http://www.djkit.com/numark/numark-ns7-Mk2.html]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-9aJOmeOtY]

Author Not Specified, DDJ-SR Serato DJ Controller, Accessed 23/11/2013, youtube.com & djkit.com
[http://www.djkit.com/pioneer/pioneer-ddj-sr.html?gclid=CMm2h-fjgrsCFUUOwwodkX0A1w] 
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qQrbcr08_Y]

1st Recording

1st Recording

Today we began our first recording in music production techniques class. It involved us splitting into groups, setting up equipment, and recording an instrument in great quality.

Equipment

We used a fair amount of equipment during this assignment, things including:

The Floor Box (it connects the XLR cables to the mixer), XLR cables (to connect the microphones to The Floor Box), Logic Pro (to record the audio), The Shure SM57 (Dynamic Microphone), The Audix D6 (Condenser Microphone), The Rode NT5 (Condenser Microphone), The Jam Hub (It sends signals from the mixer to The Floor Box to a pair of headphones via a jack cable), headphones (so the person playing the instrument can listen to their cue and what they are playing), microphone stands (to position the microphones where desired) and, of course, the mixer (Zen desk, to control volume levels of the microphones and level our microphones to produce a clear sound) and a drum kit (the instrument, obviously)

Method (Session 1)

First, we started of by setting up the microphone stands to where we wished, we positioned one above the drum kit (to capture the sound of the whole kit), one in front of the kick drum (to focus on the kick) and the last one above the snare drum.
We used the Rode NT5 for over the drums because we thought it would be good pick up the collective sound. We used the Audix D6 for the kick drum because it has a good frequency low end, so we though it we pick up the bass of the kick better. And we used the SM57 on the snare because it has an improved high end, so it could pick up the crash of the snare.


Once the microphones were set up we plugged them into the floor box using the XLR cables (blue) so we could control the mics with the mixer and Logic Pro. We also plugged the Jam hub into the floor box using the jack cable (yellow) so the drummer could hear their cue and what they were playing.




When that was finished we went into the studio to set up Logic. After making our file we connected the microphones to Logic and the mixer.
We set up microphone 1 to input (what Logic and the microphones will hear) 1, microphone 2 to input 2 and microphone 3 to input 3, so we didn't get confused. We set their output (what we can here) to number 8, the reason we set them up as a collective outpout was because we thought that we wouldn't have to hear each individual microphone because we could just edit their sound levels using the mixer gain.
After doing this we labelled the tracks (with their mic and intrument) and saved the file.

Once everything was set up we tested the microphones levels (by playing the drums). At first listen the microphones sounds did not mix well with each other and was not satisfactory (the sound was distorted because the microphone's levels were to high), so we changed each mic's individual gain (the red knobs on the mixer) we did this whilst the drums were still being played so we were changing the sounds in real time.
When the drums sounded up to standard we turned on the click, so the drummer could hear their cue (to play in time) and changed the tempo.

Now that we were ready to record we made sure the drummer could hear the click (his cue) and what they were playing (so they weren't making any mistakes) and started to record. When we finished recording, we noticed that the sound was still a little distorted, so we changed the microphone's gain levels again (we turned them down) and recorded again.
We recorded a piece of music around 50 seconds long and made sure that the sound had not distorted in any way. It hadn't.

Once recording was finished we made sure to save our project and flatten the desk (changed all the mixer levels back to neutral) and packed away all of our equipment away (coiled the wires and packed the microphones).   

Method (Session 2)

During session 2 we used the same equipment but we didn't use the Audix D6 (as we feel we didn't need it), instead of the drums we used a piano and instead of 3 XLR cables we used 5. We used 5 XLR cables because we needed to extend them, 1 cable per microphone didn't stretch from the floor box to the desired position near the piano, the last XLR cable was to extend the jack cable to where the jam hub was (next to the piano). We simply connected the male adaptor (the side with prongs) of the first cables into the female adaptor (the other side, with holes) of the second cable.

We used 2 microphones during this session, the Rode NT5 and the Shure SM57, we position the SM57 on the inside of the piano (to capture the full sound) and the NT5 was placed above the piano, looking straight onto it (to capture the sound the piano made throughout the room). We plugged the XLR cables from the microphones to the floor box (Rode NT5 was in number 1 and Shure SM57 was is in number 2)


We set up the Jam Hub so the piano player could hear what they were playing and were able to hear their cue (we could not see the piano from the Zen desk as we were in a separate room, so the player had to be able to hear us), we placed it next to the piano. We made sure that power was running into the Jam Hub (at one point it wasn't) and were able to set up Logic.

Once we finished setting up the equipment we went into the separate part of the studio (where the mixer and the computer were) and loaded Logic up. We found our previously saved file, loaded it and added 2 more audio tracks to it. We set up the Rode NT5 into mono, input number 1 (as it was in number 1 on the floor box) and the Shure SM57 into mono, input number 2 (for the same reason) and we set both of the microphones to output number 8 along with the already recorded drums (to avoid confusion).

Again the levels were not to standard so someone went into the other room and played the piano whilst the gain levels (red knobs on mixer) were edited in real time to achieve a good quality audio. Whilst doing this we made sure that the player could hear through the headphones and when they couldn't we realised that the output was not set to relay back into the headphones (so the player couldn't hear a thing) so we changed this by turning up the blue knob on the mixer (Zen desk) on channels 5 & 6, as this was what channel the headphones were set to.

We made sure the player could hear the previously recorded drums through the headphones, we also set up the click so that the player could play in time with the drums and the click in order to produce something that sounded remotely good. Once everything was ready we started our first take. When recording finished we were unhappy on how the final recording (of the piano) turned out, it didn't really match the drums, so we recorded again. After recording the second time we were much happier on how it turned out, it went with the drums fairly well. We called the player in and listened to it one last time, we felt it turned out good so we saved it. Once we felt we were finished we flattened the desk and packed up our equipment.

 

Smart Target

Smart Target

A Smart Target needs to be:

SPECIFIC

MEASURABLE

ACHIEVABLE

REALISTIC

TIME-BOUND

My smart target whilst at college is:

1) To Understand Logic Pro better, to practice more and produce 3-5 tracks by the end of the academic year.

2) To understand the music industry better, to buy a book and to have read it by Christmas.