CD SIDE OF THE DJ BIZ
May 1, 2002 12:00 PM, By Robin Smith
Most DJs lamented the arrival of CD as the big vinyl killer. Music labels made proactive efforts to kill vinyl's popularity by gradually making it all but unavailable and by including bonus CD tracks that were not available elsewhere. Although this helped the CD format gain popularity quickly, CDs never really took hold in the hardcore DJ world because of the CD player's limitations. The reality was, if you wanted to perform advanced mixing techniques or do any form of scratching, vinyl was still the way to go.
In recent years, this has begun to change. DJ-oriented CD players are now available, and they have come a long way from what you may have first been exposed to when checking out a DJ CD system.
For this two-part column, I spoke with DJ Gerald “World Wide” Webb (aka DJ WWW) — hailed by many as the world's first digital turntablist — to discuss advances in the world of CD scratching (or digital turntablism), as well as to get his take on the turntablist scene and its acceptance of CD DJs.
WEBB OF HISTORY
Gerald Webb started out as a traditional vinyl DJ. In 1994, he saw a DJ-oriented CD player that featured seamless looping (the ability to endlessly loop any section of a CD track with the press of a couple of buttons). He was not only intrigued and interested but also frustrated by the inability of that generation of CD players to perform true scratch techniques, so he focused on improving his CD-mixing skills and inventing new techniques to take advantage of the CD medium. He also began working with manufacturers — first with Pioneer and most recently with American DJ — to improve the hardware available.
Besides helping to improve the quality and features of the equipment, Webb has also promoted digital turntablism through his participation in seminars, showcases and conferences. He is the owner and creator of www.digitalscratch.com, a Website and message board aimed at promoting the art form, educating people about CD DJing, and presenting a medium where DJs can share tips and techniques.
What's the state of the digital scratch industry?
There are some exciting developments on the digital turntablism front right now. Considering that CD DJing has only been around for about six years, it has come a long way. The equipment is finally catching up with the capabilities of vinyl. You can do real scratching on a CD player now, and there are even more exciting developments on the horizon.
Can you describe some of the equipment available for DJs interested in digital scratching?
American DJ's Pro-Scratch 1 is the current leader in the tabletop CD player market. It was the first truly scratchable CD player. It features seamless looping, the ability to scratch [via a 5-inch platter], as well as built-in effects and hot starts that allow multiple and instantly accessible cue points from one CD.
The big news, though, is American DJ's new Digi-Pro. It is currently the best digital extension of the turntable. It is a rackmountable dual-CD player that features seamless looping, hot starts and built-in effects. It also has the ability to do tempo-matching and has selectable pitch ranges. The best feature about it, and the one I am the most excited about, is that you can scratch the CD using a traditional turntable. By hitting the button marked Scratch on the CD player, you can control it from your traditional turntable using a specifically encoded piece of vinyl. This is done through a breakout box called the Scratch Box. If you flip your switch from line to phone, you can go back to playing regular vinyl again.
For vinyl DJs who don't want to have to buy everything again on CD, they can now use both and not have to learn new ways of scratching, as the regular techniques will now work with CD tracks. This thing is exact! It will work with any turntable and any CD. If the record skips, the CD will keep playing from the same exact point where it left off.
This is the one that bridges the gap between CD scratching and vinyl scratching. You can even do hydroplane scratches with it. It will pick up the imperfections of the turntable. Pounding the platter will re-create the flutter effect on the CD, the same as you hear when doing it on vinyl.
Other good DJ-oriented CD systems include the Pioneer CDJ-700S and the CDJ-1000. I consulted with Pioneer to help develop the CDJ-1000; now, I am working with American DJ. For a while, I used the Pioneer CDJ-700S and the Pioneer EFX-500 effects processor, but now I primarily use the Pro-Scratch 1.
For years, professional CD players have tried to imitate turntables, but now they are erasing the differences between the two. As the technology continues to progress, it will probably surpass them. The analogy I use is the old car. Who doesn't like to see a cherry-red '67 Mustang? It looks great, and who wouldn't want to drive it once in a while? That's all good, but I want to drive a Lexus.
What advantages does the CD medium have over traditional vinyl?
CD is going to become more dominant on the turntablism side. If you come with two traditional turntables and play, that's great; I respect the skill it takes to be a true vinyl turntablist. But now that you can do 99 percent of that on a CD — plus the seamless looping, flash points, sampling and have all these effects built-in — you'll be coming to the fight with a knife, and I'll be bringing a gun.
Another big advantage of the CD system is that you can burn your own tracks and make your own break records. On top of that, you can carry lots more music with you, as the medium is much smaller.
What are some scratch techniques that are exclusive to CD scratching?
With the Digi-Pro, traditional skills directly translate. A good scratch DJ can jump on the Digi-Pro and in only a few minutes be comfortable. With the Pro-Scratch 1, it really doesn't take much more. If you are good, you are good. You'll be able to adapt your skills.
Some of the ways to do some things are different. For example, the wheel for controlling the scratch effect is smaller, so it may take a little adjustment. Also, it's different in that with vinyl, you physically stop the record when you start scratching. With the Pro-Scratch, the platter doesn't spin. When you move it, it stops the CD [and starts the scratch effect]; stopping the platter is what starts the CD player.
There are a few good techniques, some of which are specific to certain players. With the seamless looping and the hot points, you can create some funky effects.
Zip Scratch: This scratch works with Pioneer's EFX-500 [an external effects processor]. Using a CD player, you cue the sample while pulling the effects wheel [on the EFX-500] backward. Depending on how fast and far you spin the wheel, as well as how fast or slow you hit the Cue button, you will get different effects that sound like vinyl scratches. With practice, you can get scratch sounds using this technique, including transforms, crabs and baby scratches. This was the first real-time digital scratch and the first to sound like true vinyl scratching. This was created before you could do true scratching on the CD player itself.
G-Spin: This was the first CD-based variation of beat juggling that I created. You set a loop and then switch to Loop Edit mode. You then rotate the jog wheel and change the loop ending point. Depending on how far backward or forward you spin the wheel, you get a shorter loop or a stutter effect. You can then get different breakdowns of the looped beat or sample. The timing is critical to this trick coming off smoothly.
Snapping: With snapping, you use the cue buttons like a sampler to repeatedly play a snippet from the CD. You can make your own beat with one or two players; you can even do a live remix — all from a CD. You can play any part of the track that you want, store multiple parts and create brand-new drum patterns from anything.
END PART ONE
Be sure to catch next month's issue of Remix for the conclusion of this interview. The June “Turntablist Techniques” will discuss the music industry's acceptance of CD DJs and Webb's influences, as well as both the state and future of the DJ industry.
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