I'm a bit lost... You're saying that the Skrillex clip, with probably a hundred grand visuals setup, is just 'a guy playing music'?

Because I fundamentally disagree with that.

My point is that he is not playing MUSIC VIDEOS, Ultra has a crew that runs the visuals lights and sound

People did not come to see a guy playing MTV music videos or some edit with movie clips going along with the song.. The people come to see (insert name).

Again you got guys that are focusing more on the video aspect than Djing.
Is it that SOME people lack DJ skills and have to make up in the video department?

There are two distinct groups of VJs... those who play music videos and those who design/create/control visuals to a musical performance.

Visuals and djing...are not the same..


Key word, VISUAL setup...

I'm just about 100 percent with what ya say..To me a VJ is a visual guy... more than a guy playing music videos.

Also those 2nd Nature and Roonie G things are at special showcase events, not regular club settings.#1 the average club goer isn't at them to even dance and #2 they are there showing off Pioneer's decks. It's like a DMC competition, people are there to observe the DJ and what he is doing, not party down.

As for the Skrillex clip, yeah most of the cool live shows now have someone behind the scenes running a full on visual suite that is controlled to enhance the dj or band on stage.

Neither of these examples are what you would find with most club jocks.

A dj alters the flow of the night, with track selection...the VJ guy just fallows with what he thinks looks best for that moment. IMO

But that is the show 2nd nature and Roonie G put on when they get booked at an event as well.
Pre-made set , that showcases what they do

For better or worse that is how some DJs even end up. Not sure how many times I've seen bigger name acts show up with Ableton and let their set run on auto pilot while they jump around and twist a few knobs.

The 2nd nature clip was from a LIVE MTV party if I recall as well.. no demo

SO TRUE AND SAD!!!!
The only Ableton jock I can give credit to as a DJ is Paul Van Dyk....since he used WAX for years! (might be a few others)
I don't think the new guys (deadmau5 and Skrillex) could mix at all...I don't like the fact that people call them DJ's

I don't know where you've got the idea that a video DJ is not a DJ, first and foremost. Nobody plays stuff which looks cool but won't work on a dancefloor... Except in battle and showcase situations.

They wouldn't be employed very long otherwise...

Music first video 2nd.
I Don't play videos just to play them. I never think this video will look great right now. I choose based off of the audio. I don't think anyone plays based on video.
And skrillex is not a video Dj.

FIRST RULE OF VIDEO DJING ...AUDIO FIRST!!!!!!!!!!



They are going to see the wrong video dj's...

Sorry but that is incorrect.

That like saying any guy who uses a tool must be a plummer.


This is correct.

A VJ is a guy who DJ's(1st) and the songs he plays just happen to have videos associated with them.

What you see in the skrillex clip is, a "Visuals Artist" (or VA) who has spent nearly as much if not more creating content that complements the DJ or Artist's stage show. The Visuals are mostly controller by the VA but is some cases some artist and DJ's will have a there performance rig send out MIDI (and other types) of commands to the Visuals computer's to help with music triggering scene section and anything else artist wants triggered from his music. Deadmau5 dose that exactly, Tiesto has a couple of midi pad (trigger fingers) on stage with clips like "MAKE SOME NOISE" and shout out to the city hes in but the Visuals Artist dose everything else.

3LMO I want to change your view of what a VJ is. I am a VJ, I play music Video and custom content Via Mix Emergency. I All of my audio efx and loops also trigger video efx. But I dont constantly watch the TV and like djpuma_gemini said "I Don't play videos just to play them. I never think this video will look great right now. I choose based off of the audio."

Skrillex is far from a video DJ, nothing he does is about the video. And FYI he plays on CDJ's now not ableton. whether or not deadma5 can mix is irrelevant. beat-matching is not what DJ'ing is about anymore. Though it is a skill we all should have. it doesnt define a DJ anymore. I wont knock any DJ on ableton because i know they put FAR more time than a regular DJ puts into pre planning there set. I dont pre plan but I'm ok with DJ's who do.

I also do visuals when i not Dj at the club i work at. I run Arkaos Grand VJ and a APC40 for MIDI controls, onto a video system with a matrox thriplehead2go. When I'm doing that NOTHING i am doing is effecting the music. I choose video content that matches the mood and energy of the song and room. In those cases I am acting as a Visuals Artist. Its completely different from my VJ set.

just like there are different sorts of EDM djs, theres different types of video DJs.
and just like theres different venues that require different formats
as video DJs we have to know how to make that call to bring which game to the right
venue.

You cant bring your expo show set to the club, and vice versa.
you cannot bring your college mega sports bar with no dance floor set to
the top40 dance music with a 300 person floor room.

being able to make that distinction either before the gig, or even after your 3rd record
is something that not only video djs have to do.
but we might fall under more scrutiny because it can be painfully obvious
when your rocking a quirky pop culture set...and thats clearly not what is called for.

I have not met a video DJ yet who hasnt agreed that the music is more important then anything you can do with the video.

but a prime example of the opposite.
would be trade show sets, gear demonstrations, and expo parties.

or my newest saturday night.
30+ 50-70inch LEDs.
but NO liscense for dancing...(its an abscure Boston law that generates mucho bucks for
the ABC....you need an Entertainment & Dancing Liscence)
so, here they really really want all the cheeky, funny, pop culture videos, the twitter feed, the Iphone cam....
they actually have to bring tables ON TO the would-be dancefloor to discourage dancing.

fortunately for me, they applied for the proper liscenses....thank god.
theres only so much schtick out there.

I'm with ya all the way!!! MUSIC FIRST...Puma hit the nail on the head.
A buddy told me some guys are running like 3 programs to do effects and stuff with the video....Really....dude what more can you do with the video just Dj...don't have people looking at the TV's.....Make em dance...if the goal is to make people watch the TV's...Give up your Dj gig!




Some of are well known names in the video game:)

"but NO liscense for dancing"
Joshua, that has to stink play at a place people can't dance...I feel for ya !!!

two of the clubs I work at in Daytona do more video . I have the content..we have some of the best gear for it SVM-1000 and I still just don't get in to it as much as just playing the music.

I'll have to get back to this...I'm at the club now lol

wow....whats next, a license to breathe???

holy shit

FOOTLOOSE!

That's pretty standard I thought. In BC (Canada) you need a licensee for dancing, and strip clubs need one for dancers, or gogo dancers.

thought a license was required for the play of music/video... didnt know one was needed to dance...

so i guess tapping your foot to the beat is out of the question...

license are required for everything. Its all part of the liquor laws here.

yeah, gotta remember too.
New England is OLD!
while they are inked by John Hancock... you'd think some where.

I think alot of these were actually by-products of the prohibition era
and yet, another way to produce revenue for the state.
the liscenses held are sooooooo precise, yet so vauge.

example.
my friday spot. has a liscense for 29 TVs, they have 35 now.
so guess what $xxx X 6 infracrtions on the existing license.
they have a licesnse for dancing on the entire complex, but not for a DJ on the 4th floor.
so, you can plug an ipod in, and give someone a Mic.
but not have an actual DJ, unless its a private function.

I of course JOKED, why not get a controller dj with virtual DJ
put me in front of a judge, Ill make a case for the difference in a court of law.

funny thing is, they took me 1/2 serious.
the computer now feeds the 4th floor on AutoMix.

To Be A Video DJ:

You Must Be A DJ First, A Visual Programmer Second, A Technician 3rd

To answer your question about people coming to a big venue to see a video dj play with music videos "Yes, Absolutely! There are dozens of venues that have this and more are popping up every week"

Video DJing on a large nationwide & international scale is still a new thing. It's still growing and people (owners / managers) are getting used to it. And all it takes is 1 bad video dj to setback the consistancy of bookings. Example: Eclectic Method played at Marquee in Las Vegas last June and completely bombed!! They played music videos & content ont he screens as we would and did just a horrible job. That single event lost me the chance for a video dj weekly gig at Las Vegas's number 1 club, even though I had nothing to do with their performance. The industry is still trying to understand it. And with all the rockstar DJs (Skrillex, Deadmau5, Chuckie, Afrojack, Avicii, etc) being in high demand, there's not much room for creative expansion.

Lately "VJ's" have been WAY more concerned with 2-3 video programs running with iPads, X1's and more crazy setup stuff. If you are concentrating on all this then you aren't concentrating at the task at hand - The Party! If music comes first (as it SHOULD) then we should all be "DJ's" and NOT "VJ's".

The music should ALWAYS be first and use video as an extra tool to enhance your shows. But if you're concentrating all on the other programs, gadgets and other BS then you should prob give up your "DJ" card. LOL! Too many DJ's staring at their 17" MBP right directly in front of them, their iPads and other gadgets all around them and scratching so crazily to drop the next song is getting pretty wack IMHO. Let's get back to the real-ness of it all .... DJ'ing.

If you're using all this other stuff minimally and still rocking the crowd like you should then AWESOME!! But I've seen too many VJ's wide-eyed at everything else except what should be the main focus. And when you're doing all this crazy-dope stuff on the screens .... the only one's noticing your work are other Video DJ's (which won't be a lot of people). Besides that -- to everyone else drinking, dancing, partying, etc, they think the videos are just like that. And the majority of the time people should be partying on the floor and not staring up IMO.

Nice thread 3lmo :D

Ive been using VSL for like 4 years now.I feel that the videos help maintain the number of people in your event.Everyone doesnt want to dance.Some people are just to cool,so they will sit around,drink and politic. They will also watch the videos up on the screen. I throw on funny skits when my crowd is thin and its still early to break the ice.This makes the crowd laugh together and it helps cause unity at the venue.Later this will make people want to dance sooner.I am a DJ 1st, but done correctly, the videos give you an edge over the DJs that dont have it. Right now I am 80% video and I am always looking at the crowds reaction, Im not staring at the screen 24-7,thats what inexperinced DJs do and I dont want to be associated with guys like that. I think the next level will be 3-D videos on the screens and the crowds will all have on the glasses.I think thats gonna be the next level...just sayin

i hear ya... i do that shit all the time, and the people love it...

i took the "its friday, you aint got no job" skit from the movie Friday.... and dropped my 4/20 set last weekend and it hyped ppl up so much... everyone was on the dance floor reciting the whole skit, it was dope.

3D would be cool, but that will never happen.




I was just overseas and hit up over 24 countries and over 90 cities...some of the BEST clubs on the planet....No video..yes they do have a guy doing lighting and visuals.
Go to all the big spots in Miami...no video...
IMO I think videos are good for weddings and smaller bar/club type venues.
Again one of the clubs I work at was re-done to be more video....Plasma Tv's all over the place...LED walls...you name it..Was nominated best remodel by club systems international...it has all the cool little gadgets a video jock would ever want...but IMO it has taken the DJing aspect out of things...
I love watching some of the guys do video, don't get me wrong....but again....I'm watching!

now days it's more about bringing ppl a show. audio and visual (whether it be actual videos or a lighting/visual tech in the backround making the eye candy happen). ppl want a show, in the next ten years, i guarantee you damn near every club is going to have some type of visual element. even if its just ambient videos running in the backround.

I hope 3d will never come to video djing.

I highly doubt it ever will.
No one is gonna dance around with some glasses on just to see some 3d vids.

It would also be a pain cause of all our old videos won't be 3d and can't be 3d.

Major puking and headaches.. unless the tech goes glass-less but even then I don't see that for 10 years or more.

I think we'll see more hologram tech in clubs before we see 3d in clubs...(other than gimmick 3d, and promotional tactics )

It seems alot of this hologram hoopla handshakes well with the music business .

HOLOGRAM THUG LIFE SON!!!!!

I'm going to have to disagree with you on this, yes a lot of clubs don't have or do video yet. But they will, visuals are a huge part of the club experience. The current problem with video right now is the wow factor and the video DJ's that depend on it. The random movie clips...etc. A lot of the video guys that are past the gimmicky stuff are pushing forward to a new more visual aspect side and incorporates the dance club element as well as the original video content.

We are at the beginning of the video DJ game and there are people like myself pushing past the gimmicks and bring it back to the videos helping you have a better experience with the song, instead of the video outshining the song.

Well not really, it was done in the 80's and just faded...

I can see this, 3D is just to much...now clubs have to give glasses to all the people that want them when they come in? price....a bit to much!

Visuals have always played a big part in the nightclub/rave/events..etc...Visuals, not music videos of Chris Brown dancing on top of an ice cream truck...

If all the clubs are going to jump to music videos...I don't see it..Visuals YES...playing the music video NO....again visuals have always been around nothing new...

Joshua makes a good point, I sit and wonder myself what is next...?

This post was never about Visuals...it was about jocks playing music videos.
I think it was a big selling point for some people like Pioneer with the DVJ's and SVM 1000 video mixer...and they wanted to blow it up...They wanted everyone to think that video was the next cool thing to do...but failed.

Time to get rid of the couch, drop the tv remote and bring back the dance floor :)

Lasers, led's walls, moving heads and pyro.....That is a show!...and if you have super hood money a HOLOGRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

^but that is not a video dj, that is just a visual show. two distinctly different things.
Yes you can have both, but it's rare to see both. I've seen big light shows, but not big video dj shows (I mean big big not a club in vegas big)

I don't think the video thing failed. I mean there have been successful video nights here in central FL for 20 years or so now. This is with 25-1500+ people per night.

It stung a lot more dropping $3200 per DVJ and when I hopped on those in 2004. The bad part was only Pioneer did the hardware right. Numark's dvd decks were UTTER crap and it's only been since VDJ and Serato took root with video that it made life a little easier when jumping into the video realm.

Gotta remember... the rest of the world isnt going to shut down and have nothing but mind blowing epic shows with 15,000 people.

not every DJ is going to be playing Creamfields.

this is the thing I dont get about Serato and their marketing with SV.
They Have fatboy Slim and Joachim doing these amazing big room things with billions
of dollars and man power and design behind it....
I the promotional videos and Im blown away by the design and work of the stage show.
nothing to do with what DVS they are using.

how many fatboy slims are out there?
Its like the bridge, its an amazing concept.... but truly only viable at its full potential for a handful of guys...

most of us are playing in bars, clubs, private events ranging from 150 to 3000 people capacity.... some more, some less....

the trick is, and I mentioned it before.... KNOWING exactly what kind of gig your walking into...doing your reserch and such....
but comparing what the majority of us do thrsday through sunday on the video side is just as well compared to your average accomplished audio only club dj....
are they going to replace avicii or van burin on the main stage at ultra ?
not without producing original music their not....

and thats really what it comes down too.
these huge events, on a very large scale these guys are artists as well as DJs
and thats why they are playing these huge events....
so in that sense... it really wouldnt matter if they were playing video or not....
so why waste the money....UNTIL the next big producer is also a video DJ...
then people might talk about how amazing the live show is, but until that happend
people pay $45 to see Skrillex jump around and play his music.

but while all that is going on... theres 15 clubs, 45 bars, 23 pubs, 4 house parties, and 23 private eventsin 30 square miles where the entertainer is trying to take his show to the next level, ...thats where video thrives; in the artist who has game, and looking to kick it up even more and entertain 100% of the people in his spot, not just the 30/40/50/60% on the dancefloor.

^amen brother josh, preach on brother preach on.
audio2.hark.com

In the 80's it was DJ's playing music videos from a VCR, I also won't call the advent of DVJ's the start either. Currently the equipment and software is allowing people to do some much more than just play a music video. So yes, I would say we are at the beginning of the game.

I said this like 7 years ago. LOL! Still not evolving like we wanted it to.

And on top of that .... I must say. The more video gets easier and cheaper, the more n00bs jump on it and demolish the fact/title/importance of why we "DJs" do video. And why we do it the way we do. They will come in, spout off at the mouth, land the gig and then wipe out the crowd.

But I still stick to my guns on "DJ first - Video second". It doesn't piss me off or anything when I see a "VJ" tapping on multiple controllers and clicking through 2-3 video programs and slacking incredibly on his audio game with less than average mixing and crazily scratching for no reason (and way too much). It actually makes me laugh to know that you think you're amazing when all you really a caring about is all the "visual" work. You may be an AMAZING video editor/producer. So stick with it and keep banging the excellent work out! Just don't jump in the DJ game if the audio is less important than the video, when you should be rocking all the ears off with a lovely taste of video for the eyes ;)

^ true...

ive only been doing video (seriously), since sep last year... the videos are great for the first 2 1/2 hours while everyone is chillin/drinking, but once 12:30 rolls arounds, the floor is packed and they could give a fuck less about whats on the screen.

of course you still have those ppl that never dance, and they are the ones that enjoy the videos all night.

Just had VCR's , that would be a start to something they just did not have a name for it at the time...They played music videos in a club!!!

That is like saying guys who played music WAYYYY back in the days on the old 1899 Edison phonograph in some small pub was not a DJ....in a way that's how it started. We just advanced a little more over time. :)






I'm with ya on this Remix, its something that is good to start the night off with...and you are right at a point they don't care about the video!

Me and a friend had this chat last night, he says the same thing....No big clubs do video..none of them have TV's all around the club.

They depend on the DJ and lighting to make the party!

maybe where you guys are from no big clubs do video.

What is "big" anyway.. venues that do like 2k+ are not the norm. Most bars and clubs I see are 100-1500 capacity and the big ones use projectors while the smaller places go with plasma/lcd/crt and a few do tv wall type setups.

Big as in,
LIV, Mansion, Space (Miami) Rain..etc. (Vegas) Beta in Denver.. "The City" in Cancun...Amnesia in Ibiza

And again I'm not talking about visuals (led walls..etc. I know most people put logo's on tv's and stuff like that... BUT NOT PLAYING MUSIC VIDEOS


What are are you from that the big clubs do video?


Popnwave I know the clubs I mentioned are not the norm, but they are the clubs that are always pushing the limits and setting the trends.

Again just about everyone is on the same page, "music first" .
In no way is this post trying to bash video jocks.....just the video jocks that have lost touch of the dance floor...you don't need 5 programs running to do a cool effect on the video..3 Ipad's running some controller program...other midi controllers ...step back!
If you have to use all IMO you are lacking in other areas...DJ skills....

The club i play at has a 500 person (legal) capacity. Main room is 325 and we have 3 projectors linked with a digital thriplehead2go. Got about a 30 foot wide wide screen behind me The DJ booth is in the middle of that wall. I play mosic videos on those screens also we have 6x 60 LCD tvs and 2 more projectors all in the main room. All of those TV's display the video for the center screen on the big video wall.

For my area its the biggest club around, but its by no means 'BIG". I find its worth having the video.

I guess there are some out there that might have. But i dont know for sure. In the valley i live in there are about 500,000 people and I live in the biggest city in the middle of all of them (about 150,00) and there are 2 other main citys plus 5 small ones, the club pulls people from all of them for big events (Big DJ's and artist). On a regular weekend its about 50/50 locals to others. Why I said all that. There is NO body else in any club in any city near by doing video or visuals. So i can't compare what i do with music videos to anybody else.

But i do have a hard time believing there are that many Video dj's out there fucking up the music cause they are so concerned with the video. I do know 2 other guys who kind do vidoe. But they dont even advertise they do it. When they dont have a video they let the tv show black. Its just not something they care about (they also run VDJ).

I cant look at someone having lost of controller and say they lost tocuh with the dance floor. I run a army's worth of MIDI controllers and they allow me to interact more with the crowd. When want to do something i dont have to fiddle with my mouse and keyboard i have every knob and button at my disposal to do whatever i want.
When the energy is building i can trigger an strobe on the video efx, then black it out before the drop. When i get board with a sounds sound and i want to use efx, The serato audio efx buttons i have also set to trigger video efx that match the sound (psychedelic in ME when i use the flanger, and such) When i want the twitter feed on or off its at my finger tips. I find the controllers give me the power to not look at the computer screen and watch the crowd more. I i kinda disagree with everything you saying there. At least when i apply it to me. I confuse the shit out of every other dj i know when they watch me work cause they dont know whats doing what. But its not slowing me down yet.
Now I do know i could learn a few more DJ skills also but i could also learn some more visuals skills too. I Dont make my own video content but i also produce or scratch. Its just the way i do things. I only bring that up cause I'm pissed off about the redbull three3styles comp i entered a few weeks ago I got 2nd place cause i dont scratch. yet every other DJ said i should have got 2nd. 1st place went to my buddy and is a boss of the tech 12 nobody can touch him so i was shooting for 2nd place anyway. I heard from a redbull guy that they mark Turntable DJ's higher above cdj guys every time and that why i lost. So this brings me back to the outlook people have on controller dj's. I have no problem with controller DJ's as long as they use there tools to there fullest. I cant even bash them for auto sync Saw 2 guys the other night play on a NI machine and S4. There set was awesome! cant bash them for useing technology.

Anyway 3LMO you view on looking down on DJ for using controllers really bugs me. And i think you should look at every kind of DJ with an open mind. They are putting on a show. How they do the show in inmaterial. All that counts is the experiences you have at there show.
Video DJ's like myself just like to have more control over the show as a whole.

On a side note I also run lighting well djing with martin lighting jockey, And i go in every week and make up my own custom lighting programs so when i play its a more immersive show.

OMG i sorry that was a really long tangent i want on there. Didn't realize how long it really was.

Honestly these huge venues aren't pushing the limits at all.. They cater to the biggest TOP 40/EDM masses.

Limits are always pushed in the smaller venues that have long running gay, hip hop or college radio type nights.

I don't think you're bashing my demographic at all. All it takes it the right producer to sit down and make a few remix videos for their material and BOOM it will explode. A lot of what keeps VJs back is the limited availability of various remixes. I mean YES you see a good one get cleared and delivered by SmashVisions or PO, but hell if your night wants a more breakbeak mix you're SOL unless you have time to make a bootleg edit yourself.

+10000
I can't agree more. Not that big clubs are bad but mid sized venues are where the cool shit happens.


I dont not play remixes cause i dont have the video. Sometime i will do the cheesy thing and just over lay the original video (usually if there not a lot of shots of people signing) or i make use of ME's media bank which i only use quartz comps in it. And i have about 80 that i like to use to I can have something playing thats really connected to the music.

i'm a bit late on this.

But going back to the initial point it depends what the punters are paying for.

If i am paying to see a VDJ i want to look at his video work and how he has cut the vids to the songs. If i am paying to see a artist or dj who is famous for his music then i'll be dancing cause the AV side of things is why i am there.

Don't get me wrong a lot of VDJ's no how to rock crowds as well i'm just saying the response is different because of what the crowd are after.

Artist like Hexstatic, all the solid steel guys, YODA and Woody all rock crowds hard

not directed at Code:E..... but.....this could be used as a clear example of NOT putting the music first.....In my experience, most video dj were better (music only) djs before they began to limit what they played depending on the availability of a video.

I take video seriously, there is some stuff I've never played because of there not being a GOOD video or edit of the video for a particular remix. But this is like 1 song out of 500. Personally I think it's cheap and cheesy to put ambient footage up and play a song when I am a VJ. I want to be consistent throughout my set. If I want to play nothing but remixes all night, I'll go audio only.

At this point in my VJ'ing career I can count the number of tracks I gave in to and didn't play a real (ie conceptual or live retracked performance) on one hand. The last one was Proxy "Raven" from 5 years ago?

It's not the end of the world.

Personally I know what videos I have and pretty much know whats on the screens without having to watch them. The early hours most people are watching. Then it fades out to fewer watching until they hear a song they like and catch some of the video. I pay very little attention to the video part and have the transitions on rotation. If I have a few minutes to play around on visuals I do for my fun of it. Most people dont even realize you are manipulating videos with turntables. They are busy tail chasing, dancing, talking and drinking. When they do realize it they are mystified and pay more attention to the videos. Regardless there isnt a difference between a dj and a vj except the visuals. If I like a track and there isnt a video for it. I make one. If the vibe is lacking and the party is dying out. Dj or Vj someone isnt doing their job well.

So true!

In my eyes you hit the nail on the head!!!!
Focus on playing the music, if you have a second yea mess with the video....but like you said..no one know the dj is doing that....its just looks like its part of the video.




The don makes a good point, if I come to see a video guy you know its not going to be 1000 people going nuts and jumping around. More people are going to be watching his show ..only a few will dance. All in all you know what you are going to see, a Dj or a VDJ.




So you are 100 percent video only? Why limit what you do?

Its funny I have some bad ass video mashups...and when I'm at a club that does not do video I still play the audio :)

I am a DJ and I will never hold back and not play a track if I don't have the video or audio...

I get paid by the nightclub to make the party happen, keep people in the club buying drinks and make them want to come back because they had a great time.

If you are holding back on a good remix or track because you don't have a good video edit...you need to look at rule #1 music first!




YEP, and that is when some guy comes and snakes yo gig!

Limit yourself and limit your gigs!

yep, and that is why i quit doing 100% video.
i could do edits 24/7 and never catch up to the versions i need of certain tracks.

I dont know if you guys understood what i mean. I dont even take into account whether i have the video or not well djing. When organizing my music and and adding new tracks to my crates that's when i deal with what video plays or media bank feature is used. So when it comes to the night well DJing's I have to pay as little attention to the video as possible. For a while I had my Girl do all my video mixing for me on a midi controller, she also took care of effects so i could constraint more on the music.

best said statements. glad i brought you two guys together finally. Tomato meet Elmo. Elmo meet Tomato. LOL!!

Interesting.

What's interesting is:

Ripping off SmashVidz / SmashVision's site copy, terms, chyron, download center and now logo. What's next? :-)

Originality is fundamental. But thanks for acknowledging the leaders of the game.

Actually, I don't believe that anything has been copied. It was all original design
Also, not that I had anything to do with the original site design. It will be changing soon. :)

Marx, Ive never denied my previous involvement with any site prior to Monster Vidz.
I learned a lot. But then moved on to create something else.

The fact that your talking about us in a negative way leads me to believe that your jealous.
While your on here wasting time with your silly little posts... People are joining Monster Vidz weekly.

Thanks for your comments.

Hows it negative? The proof is in the pudding.

Silly post? hehe, I come on here daily to check my tracked discussions, then at a glance I see our logo (or I thought it was). Its amusing to me.

Yes you learned a lot, your welcome.

I'm gonna get back to creating now, you know that originality thing. But best of luck home skillet.

Thanks, Have a good night!

I thought it was a smash logo at first glance too.

+1

+ 1

+1

Of course, the shameless rarely take hints...

Hey lets get back on topic, and if it helps I will snag everyone's logo and make collage logo of my own.

Now, who knows how to work this paint program so I can make this happen!


I love jocks that put Twitter, Facebook, email...age sex location etc... info on the TV's!
Stick to playing the tunes bloke and play the video of Chris Brown dancing on the ice cream truck!

BoBo and Marx that's a 10 video fee each for going a little off topic on my post!!!

I'll be flying in on my private jet to your local FBO to collect soon :)


J/K

I'm still working on this paint program for my new logo!

use the thing it'll come out dope

Just got Monster Vidz customer list and all I can say is Hello Hello.

you ain't talking to me!!

Who cares? Lol!

Has nothing to do with this topic. Hahahahaha!

I honestly hate doing the VDJ thing, but the new club that I work at has started demanding it. I keep telling him to pay attention and he will see that the crowd is more into watching the video than dancing. It really sucks, at first I started wondering what I was doing wrong. Im use to being the crunk dj that keeps the dance floor packed and now I feel as if im the dj that should have been on MTV. The owner of the club insist that the crowd will grow to love it and i insist that they will continue leaving at 2 o'clock to go to the other club because nobody is dancing.

Sorry but the crowd watching the screens thing is the worst excuse ever. I've worked as a VJ for 12 years myself and my mentor over 20 years. Unless you throw porn up there people watch for a few seconds if it's over the top and they they forget it's there.

Videos are GREAT people sitting/standing/waiting at the bar for drinks but if your dance floor dies from a video it's short lived 99.999% of the time unless the track is just whack.

Once your regulars get used to it, you will see it change. If its that big of a problem move it away from the dance floor, but I don't think thats necessary. No matter how you slice it, for a top40 club you cannot beat the visual expierience that video brings to the club as a whole. This is what the club owner sees in it.

^exactly.
I watch the people in the booths and their heads are looking up at the screens, but those same people come out to the floor and dance. You might get some that come and sit all night, but then again, they probably wouldn't have danced if there wasn't any videos playing.

Once you truly go video it's hard to go back. I hate playing non video gigs and will still spin from my video crates, but without the added effect.

I also can't laugh when I play wayne brady's parody of every little step. When I play the video people look and laugh their asses off (still dancing) with an audio only set I don't get that effect.

YES Thanks for makin it!!!
My copy has some serious cue burn...

lmao mine too

ur doin it wrong

Or is he doing it right and video is the way of the cd, 8track....etc. I quick DJing with videos when I went 100% iPad. I thought it was going to be different, but nope. The same but way easier, iTunes has an auto fade feature, so all I have to do is pick the next song and Viola. You guys are doing too much, way too much work. I think audio is going to be the new video.

iPJ Niros

:D

Fully argee Carl I play in a small city in NZ and I am the only VDJ in the city most of the Dj's use nightlife for vids but dont mix just play clip after clip losing their flow. Using serato Vid I have the audio and visual aspects going on hopefully entertaining all the patrons and not just the ones dancing. Music always comes first then visual i wuld rather play a awesome audio file and add a visual effect than play a song with a awesome vid. Some people like to see the vid to the songs they know or have forgotten about

I just had a good read through this thread, and there is some interesting points made.

Think the most important thing to think about is your content.

You could have a copy of the latest up and coming smasher with the 'super duper remix' from one of the biggest names in the industry, now it don't matter if its a video version or a mp3 version or even a good old wax or cd version.
You drop it into your mix and what is the reaction from the crowd? Are they dancing to it? Are they looking at you in disgust as they are thinking what the hell is this? I've never heard this before, so do they leave the dancefloor to goto the toilet, or goto the bar.

What i've noticed over the last 5 years or so, is if people do not know the music they wont respond to it, as much as they would to a track that they do know.
The problem is that we have to many different types of genres of music now, and its much harder to please people (unless you are doing dedicated gigs for that genre).

Now i do video/visuals and music only if required, now i agree that there are 'several' types of DVJ/VJ and not just 2 types.

There is the type of DVJ who uses cracked copies of software, using laptops with a headphone to RCA connection, and a shedload of videos 'pirated' from youtube etc, and these are nobody's to me.
There are the types of DVJ who spend a shedload of time on creating custom remixes for themselves, and earn shedloads of money doing dedicated gigs etc and i praise them for that.
There are just visual only DVJ who mainly concentrate on making the music work with visuals.
No matter which way you look at it at least you are trying to do something different, with the technology which is currently out there.

We live now in a more 'tech' world, so we have to try and work with it and not against it, hence why a lot more bars/clubs are using the likes of screens, imagine the poor sod who had to write out the specials boards 20 times in chalk, compared to someone doing it once on computer and for it to be displayed all around the bars.

I've been in bars as a customer and i've seen things like, the simpsons, family guy, south park etc dvd's been played on a loop, i've seen the likes of satellite tv (sky news, shopping channels and general crap) been played which have no relevance to the bar what soever.
But what i have noticed is, it's normally the males, who stand around and keep an eye on the screens, where as the females will be jumping around fluttering eyelid's for drinks, and generally couldn't care less about the screens.
So if you can use the screens/video/visuals/custom graphics or anything else to your advantage why not use them.

The club i work in has various screens around the 2 rooms, the main AV rack is in the room which i don't normally work in, so what they have is a dvd running on a loop, with forthcoming events, current drinks promo offers and whatever else head office decides to run with.
Now what i do, is speak to the manager, and copy the current disc into mp4 format, so that i have it on my computer.
When i work in either bar, i can plug into the video system, to control the screens.
So what i do is a combination of video/visuals and audio only if required, if i don't have the video of that 'New track' with the super duper remix, it won't stop me from playing it (unless i know it wouldn't work audibly anyway), id just select the clubs normal 'dvd graphics' i copied earlier, or some visuals.

People have made points above about maybe having to use 2 or 3 controllers to do a job, and all i can say to that is, so what.
If you can DJ/VJ and use that amount of controllers to get the job done, why should it be a problem? It's about how you manage your workflow, and the end result is whats going on the floor/club.
I use a rane MP26 midi mixer, denon HC4500 controller, a denon HC1000 serato controller, a A&H midi controller, to get what i need to get done, and i don't have any issues in using that setup.
Some people say i do 'too much' to get the result, but it's all about the satisfaction in trying to do a good job.

Had to laugh at one guy a few weeks ago, i had 'Sonic the Hedgehog' game footage playing on the screens, whilst a track was playing, and he come rushing up asking for the controller. He was like mate ill pay you money if i can have a go on it as it was years since he played it, he was soo gutted when i told him it was just game footage.

To sum it up, IMO it don't matter to the general public in bars/clubs, if you are using a combination of video/visuals or audio only (unless its a dedicated gig) all they are interested in is the music, and if it suits them they will dance if they don't like it they won't.

I have to differ with the point about if they like the music they will dance. I have been at this club before they got the screens around the room and i also dj at another club in the same city every now and then. I can play a song that i know people get up and dance of of and people will dance, but if i play the same song's video they will watch the video. Most of the men stand around and watch the video while bouncing but most of the women sit at there table and are clued to the video. In my area Travis Porter, Papa Duck etc are some of the artist that women like to dance to, but not when the video is playing because they watch the video.

I have to agree with Certified 334, he is correct.

This was actually my main concern before I started video mixing in my residency,"The what if the people will just watch and not dance anymore?" Well, I was wrong,they were totally crazy about it. I do not kid u,we have alternate bands with me,band then dj band dj etc etc...The moment my time comes to play,the people couldnt wait to get to the dancefloor and it is pact every night.Most of the time,the people faces the main projector screen placed on the stage and try to mimic the dance routines from the video.I also have those visuals from Beeple,thanks to Beeple,I can put visuals on my mp3's,the people wouldnt care if it was just visuals they see or the actual video of a track. And sometimes I tend to forget that I'm already mixing videos,I thought I was still mixing mp3's.At the end of every set,they cant just get enough,shouting for moreeee! LOL! They were so amazed by videos/visuals,including some dj's in Dubai.Well,they were wondering how can I make the people in my residency go crazy over video mixing?Some of them are video jocks as well but in their clubs people just watch.LOL!Bottom line,it also depends on how u handle the crowd.Am I going side tracked now? LOL! CHeers!

i thought about using visuals and not so many actual videos but where would i get them from???

Try doing a serach on the forum, things like this has appeared a few times.

But motionloops.com is a good starting point.

thanks..do anybody know where i can download a disco ball

honestly, if this is a problem start using heavy beat driven effects.
you have to weigh the environment your in, for the right kind of set.
its pretty simple overdrive the effects to the point of videos becoming nearly ambient visuals.
or leave the video as just a sublte image of what it once was, and turn your videos into a light show.

I know I'm a bit late posting in here, I disagree with the controller aspect to a point - whether you're using Dicers (which if you're a vinyl/turntable purist is infringing on being "authentic"), or using a tablet with a MIDI control application running effects, cue points, loops, etc, is there really that big of a difference?

I really start to think of all the guys who are die hard turntable guys, using relative mode, loops, cue points, are you really still a die hard turntable guy or are you a controllerist with a spinning vinyl platter? Is it really any less "authentic" to use a CDJ instead at that point? And then you go to the CDJ, and then you upgrade to HID instead of timecode, and then you say, do I really need to bring 2 CDJ's with me? Why not just use a controller?

Spinning on vinyl was a privilege in the past, something that used to mean you spent tons of money on records, carried crates of your selected music to your gig - something that took PRE-PLANNING - meaning you spent time figuring out exactly what was going to be "right for the night". Something that meant you were more than just a human jukebox.

Today, the timecode-vinyl spinning DJ isn't doing any of that, they come in with the exact same thing as the timecode CD guy and the controller guy. Today it's not the fact you're coming in with turntables - that in itself isn't as impressive as it once was. It's that you still have the mindset for that preparation, the selection of tracks, the things that got set in when you were a crate-carrying vinyl DJ.

I really think any asshole can buy 2 Technic 1200's on ebay/craigslist, bring them to a gig with his same laptop/music and suck just as bad as he did on a controller or CDJ's. People seem to have this mindset that equipment makes the DJ - that's wrong entirely. A good DJ can play on any kind of equipment.

Just because you have 1200's doesn't make you a better DJ. It's like a girl with fake tits, they might look the same as a girl with a naturally large rack, but in the end, they're still fake. You can be a shitty DJ, get 1200's, and still be a shitty DJ.

The point is that the entry barrier back in the days was much higher due to the high investment yoi had to make into equipment. You had to mean it serious. Nowadays any Joe Douch can pretend to be a dj with a fraction of equipment ANDmusic investment. But its not their fault. Its the fault of the stupid audience. Anyway...you get what you deserve ;)

Douggy, just curious.... was this supposed to be aimed at this thread?

just asking cause the classic "what medium u use" debate didnt really
ever come up in this convo...
its more about video and the reactions/feedback back on how the djs plays them.

I certainly could have missed a post about it in this thread

fact.
theres bullshit from the $40 numark to a pair of gold mk5s
and everwhere in between....

I was scratching my head at that post a little bit too...

This post from April (sorry it was my first read through the thread).

I started out thinking about controllers and overused video effects, I guess I got off on a tangent a bit lol

smh

SMH lol I use my flux capacitor to mix so damn your CDj's and 1200's!!
I also have the best auto sync function, but the button is located in my brain :)

I don't care if you use an edison phonograph or CDJ's...thats not the issue..

THE POINT MADE WITH POST IS, SOME JACKTARDS have LOST TOUCH of what DJing is!
They bring all this stuff to make things LOOK good, but in the end IT SOUNDS LIKE a Swamp Ape getting pounded in the A$$.

If you are that person this post is for you, "if the shoe fits wear it"!

Pauly -D has more skill than most of the guys doing all this stuff....and for the people that don't know....I'll fill ya in on a little secret........pauly-d is horrible!

Work the floor don't worry if you have chris brown dancing on an icecream truck on the TV's or having your name in big Swamp Ape looking text with fire blowing up with candy canes as sparks with little jackalope's dancing with the candy canes.... WHO CARES!!!

Play the music, don't cover up for what you lack.....Skill ....

I'm going to make like a fetus and head out now.!

"stuff to make things LOOK good" - bah, who cares.

function, not fashion.

how did i come up with swamp ape...?

wow and i thought the first rule of Video djing is video first i gotta read the freakin manual again.