2006 - vinyl vs cd's vs digital

I still use vinyl. I have my trusty Technics SL1200's and enjoy using vinyl. Although I am looking to get some new CDJ's I will very likely use them as an addition to my set up, not a replacement. I use some CD decks at a mates bar, along with vinyl turntables so my CD/mp3 collection is starting to build and a lot of tracks are released on mp3 sites, like Beatport for example, long before they are released on vinyl and sometimes some releases are limited to mp3 so it does have massive advantages.

I also have Ableton Live 5 so I think it's not a question of X Vs Y it's more what your accustomed too and what you feel you can use better. If all 3 formats are used together, properly, it can create some outstanding results.

In the future I may find myself converting fully to CD's and digital but, for the time being, I'll just let all 3 compliment each other when I use them.

I feel more in control because it's what I was brought up using, cd's can (sometimes) take the fun out of mixing. Using bpm counters is just cheating new dj's into thinking they're the next big thing 'cos some of the work's done for them. If you stuck them in front of two vinyl turntables and a simple 2 channel mixer they wouldn't have a clue.........

I wouldn't say that the sounds were any better using vinly as they can sometimes be worse and, to be honest, now that I've tried all 3 I don't have a preference between cd or vinly. Digital, however, is almost limitless to what you can do. Yeah it may syncronize tracks for you but for features and effects it will one day be the number one dj tool. I think most purists will just have to accept that. If they actually give it a chance they'll also see that when used to it's full potential it's not just an easy way of mixing tracks because it's actually the rest of what the software can do that becomes more complex. Ableton, for example, may be easy for some people to get used to but to actually master it like some dj's (Sasha) is another story.

CDs are cheaper, lighter and easier to carry - any DJ on a promo list will tell you the days of the vinyl promo are overs, they are either CDs or promo pools now. Loads of labels on vinyl format struggle to shift 1000 and a few have converted to CD/Digital only.

Vinyl won't disappear coz there's lots of purists etc but imo CDs pros outweigh the records pros and surely it only a matter of time?

I use 90% CD i reckon



There are 2 things i love about cd's.


1) the additional functions i can utilise that vinyl just cannot do (100% pitch, endless loops etc)

2) the fact that i can create an amazing track selection for very little effort and cost. If i am playing at a venue/night where the music i am due to play isnt really what i would usually go for, I can spend a day or so on digitaldownload sites and get a massive array of suitable tracks; again for little cost.

There is no loss in sound quality to the untrained ear, if someone says they can hear the difference between a hi-quality mp3/wav and vinyl on a massive sound system are either lying or are trained to a high level.

I like the tangibility of vinyl but when i play at Habit on Friday i will be taking about 5-10 records and my cd case. I have just filled my cd case (holds 240 cds), with each cd (on average) containing 6-7 tracks.....i am no longer being limited by the size of my record bag.

Plus if i am playing somewhere at short notice , before i go out to play I can download a few tracks off beatport etc, burn them and be playing them within 5 minutes. Beats having to wait a couple of days for vinyl if the record shops are shut.

i still use vinyl! feels better imo.

cdjs have there uses tho!

Agreed.

Like I said, I'm on the hunt for some CDJ's at the mo. I have already started to build my collection. And yes, it is a massive bonus that you can download a track that and play it 5mins later. Just before Christmas I actually quickly shot off home, downloaded a track then returned to the bar and played it 10mins later. There is no way you could do that with vinyl. And it's very likely I'll use mostly CD's in the near future but I will be keeping my Technics for vinyl I already have in my collection.

I sold my decks lastt year but wish i had retained one of them because there are tracks that you cant get digitally.

I have started to incorporate my laptop into my setup but the cost is proving massive. To do it effectively alongside a standard setup you need..


A wicked laptop
A midi controller
A wicked soundcard
An external BPM counter


I have the first 2 but at the moment can't justify spending £120 on a soundcard and £50 on a bpm counter

I prefer vinyl, prefer the feel of it, prefer the sound of it, to me vinyl sounds warmer than cd's/digital.

I don't think vinyl will become obsolete, just coz there will always be record collectors in every genre - people who want a product, and not just a cd with a digital file on it.

Also the fact that the price of downloads WILL go up soon might make some people switch back to vinyl. It has to go up if it's going to be a viable format for labels to use, so that they can pay artists properly, because as it is artists get practically nothing per unit in comparison to what they get for a vinyl release per unit.

With the new laws regarding digital djs coming into effect too, it'll be interesting to see what happens there in terms of enforcement, and whether that will bring people back to vinyl, and whethter that will also affect people who play downloaded tracks on CD, not just computer....

To me CDJs are for playing tracks that aren't available to me on vinyl, or are too precious to take out and possibly loose somewhere along the line......

the words of a true salesman

I use vinyl and will do for a long time!

I have not used CDJ's and would only consider getting a CD deck because it would expand the music I could introduce into a mix.

I use vinyl only but I'm a bedroom dj and the reason i havent got a pair of cdjs aswell is the initial cost

You'd still save fucking loads when it comes to tunes. It would be a short term loss but long term gain. You couldn't get 20 peices of vinyl with the newest tracks on for less than £20 anywhere!

Even for bedroom djing, you can see the benefits........

I heard some DJ's who use CD decks pre record their tracks at the same speed before their sets?!? The cheats!

If I was going out clubbing I'd want to the DJ to put as much effort as they could into a mix, and not just punch a load of buttons that set up all the tracks for you.

Mind you I've never used Cd decks so I could be wrong about how easy they are to use!

as long as it sounds good who gives a sh1t if they cheat

Not again, please!

Iam thinking of transitioning to cd this year after summer! Iam still kepping my decks and vinyl but cds are cheaper and can be continusoly recopied if scratched! Also tracks are slightly cheaper!

This is true, BUT the data integrity of CDs is not the same as vinyl (which if stored in an airtight container theoretically can last forever), and will probably only last for 10-20 years max, depending on how good the pigment used in production of the discs is.