? Mixing has become far more mainstream over the last 20-30 years. If you think back to those early Mark Goodier ‘In The Mix’ albums from the latter half of the ‘90s, the idea of publicly available mixes suddenly became commonplace, it was no longer the preserve of those who knew a DJ and asked for a mixtape for their car. (To be fair, doing those was an education! Listening back now is painful, but it was all part of my evolution as a mix producer.) So for those that entertain the masses across the country, either providing mobile entertainment or through bar and club residencies, it has become something that is now expected far more from a DJ.
At the start of the ‘90s it was De La Soul who stated “Everybody wants to be a DJ” in their track ‘The Magic Number’; was it a throwaway line or something rather more prophetic? It was around this time that the DJ became the popstar (that’s another article for the future), suddenly, being a DJ was cool, everybody wanted Technics in their bedroom! Soon afterwards followed CDJs; looping and hot starts were now part of the DJ armoury, technology was starting to cross over into performance.
This technology progressed and suddenly the age of the digital DJ was upon us. With it came a whole host of new DJ tools including master tempo, slicing, key shift, flux mode, and SYNC. So why, out of the myriad of new features available, did Sync become the bad guy? Many arguments for and against the use of this tool are subjective.
For instance, if you are going to a dance event, you might argue that you are paying to watch a DJ perform and mix in a way that is organic, demonstrating a skill honed over many years of practice. A fair point perhaps, in fact it was said to me “It’s like going to a concert to see a band and they are just miming over backing tracks, if you’re an artist in a niche, do it properly!” . I have also been told that “the Sync button is like a driverless car” (OK if all of your beat-grids and cue points are correct, but a car crash waiting to happen if not, especially if you’re playing songs that have a human drummer where beats will drift).
Yet in my experience there are more of us that use this new technology happily than those that berate its use. Former Technics World DJ Champion DJ Craze recently stated on Twitter: "I STILL don’t understand why DJs don’t use sync... it’s 2019!!!!... I’m talking about my boys too so no shade... again... it’s 2019!!!! Please...
Sync is your friend... embrace him. " He continued: "Gives you freedom to do more creative stuff... or I just read the BPMs... or read the wavs... I just don’t get the headphones and moving the pitch thing... and of course I’m an older DJ so I did all of that just seems like an obstacle now... embrace technology. " Another authority on DJ mixing is one of the pioneers of the Megamix, Les Adams, who himself graced the charts under his L.A.
Mix guise. Les has been mixing for in excess of 40 years, so I think his thoughts are quite valid. He says, “beat matching is only a very basic skill and to mix properly requires a much deeper understanding of music and the techniques involved. The annoying thing is that making this statement [that using Sync isn’t real mixing] shows that the person making it is completely ignorant on the subject, yet feels qualified to comment and criticise others.
Do you think a Sync button enables anyone to mix? Then you really don't understand mixing and are "I STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY DJS DON’T USE SYNC... IT’S 2019!!!!" DJ CRAZE "USING AN ELECTRONIC FOOD MIXER INSTEAD OF A WOODEN SPOON DOESN'T TURN ANYONE INTO A MASTER CHEF, YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE INGREDIENTS AND HOW THEY BLEND" LES ADAMS 51SYNC OR SWIM? undermining an art form I and others have made our life’s work and passion. Using an electronic food mixer instead of a wooden spoon doesn't turn anyone into a master chef, you need to understand the ingredients and how they blend.” Wise words.
Technology then, it seems, has moved on to such a point that anyone can beat match, but it hasn’t replaced the skill of the DJ. Speaking to mobile DJs across the UK offered a range of opinions, mostly in favour of the Sync button and other modern DJ tools. These are some of the comments I’ve received when researching this article: DJ Ade Sands offered this view, “Sync may have made every other person a 'DJ' , but it hasn't made every other DJ a good one.
Anybody can call themselves a DJ with Virtual DJ on their laptop and hit Sync when they don't have the skill to actually use pitch controls to move between tracks. However, when it's not used to beat match two tracks to make someone look good, but used to do something out of the ordinary, to layer multiple tracks, to create 'something' else other than a transition, to create a version of something else on the fly, I still think it's a useful tool.” DJ Bignath Nil said, “If any of you guys truly want to test your mixing skills, try using an old school twin console - belt drive - with both belts stretched.
There's no shortcuts in life!” . I can remember those painful days! DJ Paul Smith told me, “I think the Sync button is a god send, as a mobile DJ I am very often interrupted when trying to match the beats by the crowd coming up to me and asking for this song or that song, if it wasn't for the Sync button, I would probably lose my mix, while trying to listen to the beat and the audience’s requests, it is a fast way to get back into the mix and has saved my bacon many times.” From my own perspective, I use it and other technologies like it regularly.
For me it is a great asset to my performance, it allows me greater flexibility and allows speedier transitions (especially when coupled with the Mastermix DJ Beats range). It also allows me to try different ideas that I possibly wouldn’t think of approaching, which usually end up on a Mastermix Issue soon afterwards! Yet, through all of this technology, I still need the basic skills. I need to be able to read a crowd, I still need to know my music, I still need to understand the basic principles of mixing, something that I instilled in my son Benjamin when he asked to learn to DJ.
He was banned from Sync until he could mix properly without it. Allowing use of the Sync feature afterwards was like hitting a hyper speed button for him! So where do you stand? I’d love to know your thoughts.
Most importantly for me, the audience gets a better experience with Sync. They don’t know what you are using to aid your performance, they most likely have never heard of the Sync button! Although if you prefer to mix without it, and can do so flawlessly, that’s your prerogative. Though if you’re still using an old telephone in place of your headphones… "SYNC MAY HAVE MADE EVERY OTHER PERSON A 'DJ', BUT IT HASN'T MADE EVERY OTHER DJ A GOOD ONE" ADE SANDS "I THINK THE SYNC BUTTON IS A GOD SEND, AS A MOBILE DJ I AM VERY OFTEN INTERRUPTED WHEN TRYING TO MATCH THE BEATS , IT IS A FAST WAY TO GET BACK INTO THE MIX" BIGNATH NIL ?
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