ENVELOPE FILTER
Jul 1, 2005 12:00 PM
FIRST THINGS FIRST
There was a time (not so long ago) that when you wanted to make a mix, you would pull out some vinyl and lay it down on your turntables — manually match the beat and record it live. Not that live mix sessions have stopped completely, but with the advent of PC-based editing, recording and remixing tools, the almighty solid-steel turntable seems to have gotten lost in the clutter of computer software
Don't get me wrong. Without my PC and editing software, I would be a lost soul. The point I am trying to make is that many young up-and-comers skip right past (what I think is) the true method of mixing and go straight for the PC. What happened to the artistry of blending vinyl? Kids are busting out mixes left and right from their home computers, but if you stand 'em in front of a pair of 1200s with a crate full of records, they would stare at you as if you had just asked them to solve a complex algebraic equation without the aid of a calculator and then explain the answer in Japanese.
I refuse to believe that the turntable will ever become obsolete. And if one is about to dive into the art of mixing, they should do so on a pair of turntables, graduate to CDs and then start thinking about what the PC can do for them. Mixing records is a culture as well as a strongly refined technique, and without the era of breakbeats and record loops, none of your multitrack editing software would be available!
Disko
via e-mail
For sending in this month's winning letter, Disko receives an E-mu Proteus X ($199.95) desktop sound module. If you send in the most inspired letter next month — or simply the one we like the best — you will win one, too. All you have to do is send an e-mail to remixeditorial@primediabusiness.com. Please include your full mailing address.
MENTAL FOR MENTORS
I'm in total agreement with DJ Amber about mentorship (“Turntablist Techniques,” May 2005). There are a lot of DJs out here doing bad things; if I did that back in the day, I would get kicked off the stage. So I truly believe in mentorship, even if it's indirect. That's what I did; I chose three DJs who I admired for different skills: Frankie Knuckles, Farley “Jackmaster” Funk and Steve “Silk” Hurley. Every chance I got, I would listen to them and dissect their mixes. Through that and lots of practice, I incorporated their skills along with mine to create my unique style of mixing. I get so many compliments about my mixtapes, and I credit it to my mentors.
Al “Hot Mix” Holmes
Chicago
FINAL WORD ON FINALSCRATCH
I was jazzed to find your very comprehensive review of Stanton FinalScratch 2 in the May 2005 issue. I have spent too many years schlepping around heavy records (or convincing boyfriends to do it for me), and, finally, two months ago, I decided I needed to graduate to a vinyl interface.
During those two months, in addition to digging in all my friends' couches to start saving for the software, I did a lot of research comparing FinalScratch, Rane and MsPinky. The most intriguing difference was between FinalScratch's timecoding interface and MsPinky's position-marking interface. Curious about why timecoded records are rated lower, I sent an e-mail to Stanton technical support only to get a very disappointing, vague answer. However, Remix came to the rescue, laying out all the pros and cons. For that, I say thank you and am now fully confident in taking my piggy bank to Stanton.
Miss DJ Iggy
Oakland, Calif.
HIP-HOP SOAPBOX
I would like to address the state of hip-hop: It sucks right now. I've really had my fill of “frat cadences” and weak production, and they are feeding it to the next generation. If any producers other than 9th Wonder, Premier, Large Professor and Pete Rock can make some halfway-hot beats, stand up! Hip-hop is listening to your favorite jam at the party, hearing some nice routines by MCs and so on — not this. It's boom-bap, not boom-clap! Take the damn handclaps out of these so-called hot jams. The hip-hop world needs to carefully re-evaluate its existence before we see it at the museum, next to the dinosaurs.
R. Hinton
Schenectady, N.Y.
GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK
I used to work for a wholesale distribution store; that was my induction into the music business. Our marketing and promotions guy asked if I'd ever heard of Remix. I replied, “Yeah, people do it all the time.” After a laugh, he whips out this magazine and says, “No, Remix magazine, man.” I asked who sent it to him, and he didn't know, but it came every month after that. Oddly enough, I had just bought two tables and a mixer weeks earlier. After flipping through a couple of pages, I stopped right on “Turntablist Techniques.” After devouring one year and some months of issues, the store shut down, and I had to move and get rid of the magazine, but knowledge is king! So after four years of moving around, I ordered Remix for myself. I was happy to find that it didn't change.
Pierce Washington
Los Angeles
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