Click here to view the embedded video.

Did you know that there are three distinct types of musicians in today’s global music scene? These types of musicians direct their attention to different aspects of the compositional process: one is focused primarily on pitch/melody, another on rhythm/beats, and the last on timbre/sound design. Today, the well-rounded musician will be well versed in all three of these areas and that is the main idea behind Dubspot’s Music Foundations program.

Using material from Music Foundations Level 2: Keys and Melodic Theory, Mark de Clive-Lowe focuses on pitch and melody with the goal of using a set of pitches to improvise over a two chord progression, namely the Pentatonic scale (a common five note scale). The said progression goes from a C Minor chord to an F Minor chord, and that fits nicely underneath the C Minor Pentatonic scale. WIth the addition of some tension filled note choices, such as the #4/b5 “blue note”, more melodic variations can quickly be created. By the end of this video we see all of the elements put together in two musical examples in different genres and at different tempi. This is a small taste of what you will learn in the Music Foundations program at Dubspot. Be sure to check out other music theory related articles here in the Dubspot Blog.

Written by Patrick Cupo, Director of Curriculum Development

Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

Unravel electronic music’s origins, build your chops, learn the language and theory, and make and play music the way you want. Students will develop a deeper understanding of the roots and lineage of a variety of electronic and dance music, strengthen their keyboard skills, and learn valuable music theory skills, deepening their creative practice and facilitating effective collaborations with musical partners.

What’s Included:

• Essential Music Foundations Level 1: Electronic Music Appreciation
• Essential Music Foundations Level 2: Keys & Melodic Theory
• Essential Music Foundations Level 3: Pads & Rhythmic Theory

This course exceeded my expectations. I went through everything I needed to have a solid knowledge of basic music theory.
- Jonathan Crespo, Miami

EMF (Music Foundations) has been an amazing experience! I didn’t realize I was going to learn so much about electronic music history, something my generation missed.
- Yianno Koumi, United Kingdom

Click here to view the embedded video.

To Cotti, music is music, he’s not just interested in dubstep. But that’s his home, and he works to keep the genre versatile. The producer and rapper came up bringing a heavy reggae sound and grime element mixed in with his dubstep. Growing up in a family partial to reggae and starting his own musical journey as a grime emcee, this all comes as no surprise. As of late, he’s been heavily influenced by hip hop, and has even released a free mixtape through his Sum Ting New label featuring his own vocals on most tracks paired with a number of other emcees. The South London native came to New York last weekend to play at Bass Fueled Mischef and talked to us about the influence of money on music in the UK, pirate radio, diversity of sound in dubstep and more.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What’s your setup?

I use Reason 4, Cubase, a USB keyboard, Triton sound station with Korg and that’s it. A couple of VSTs, a load of Reason plugins and I’m good to go. I use more Reason refills than VSTs to be honest. Most of the time I choose the sounds by random when working on a tune. Unless it’s a specific idea I’ve got. But I do have a load of sounds I’ve tweaked and saved them down and I use them a lot. For DJing I’ve recently been using CDJs more than turntables because it’s the way the music is going now. I’ve been using dubplate acetate vinyl since like 2000 when I cut my first one. I used them up until 2009 when I started using CDs more. I haven’t pressed dubplates lately, but that’s not to say I won’t again.

What inspired your move into the free mixtape game?

It’s just the culture. You guys do it over here, and we do a lot of it in the UK as well now. It’s a way for me to get more music out there too. Because as a dubstep producer, I probably have like two or three releases a year, so that’s not really much material getting out there. And it’s a way to get different types of material out there. Stuff I might not be known for. Like people might not really know me for hip hop. I’m not just into dubstep man. I’m into music.

How long does it take you to make a track?

I’ve been known to make a whole song in like three hours from scratch. Write the instrumental, write a chorus and verses, and the whole track is done. An instrumental can take like an hour. All that’s left is mixing.

What makes for a good vocalist?

There’s a couple key points. Number one is versatility – you’ve got to be able to handle different types of beats, different music. Creativity as well, like what you’re saying. And originality, with word play and flow.

So you’re a fan of Big Pun?

He’s just a wicked lyricist man. The way that he flowed? Like wow. And the way he put his words together?? He’s just well creative. He wasn’t just saying the same average bullshit. He was being quite creative. A bit flashy and that, but creative. He was popular in London back in my day when Capital Punishment came out. But I think Fat Joe is probably more popular because he’s more commercial.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Is it still the case that being a DJ helps producers trying to come up?

Yea. Loefah from DMZ gave me the idea. Chef, too. They were really into to productions. And they said you should really DJ to get yourself out there. Then they invited us to come play their night, which was our second gig, and I never looked back.

What role did pirate radio play when you were coming up?

I think pirate radio was a very important part of it. I spent maybe four years on pirate radio. I’d test my early productions on there. Get my DJs to play them and we’d spit some bars over them and then maybe we’d take them home and tweak them. I’d take my crew up there, there’d be about six of us (four emcees, two DJs). And we’d decide based on the reaction of the DJs and the other emcees. And obviously we’re on air, and people are locked in. People would call up and text. We’d have the phone line poppin, like text, text, text. Like hundreds of texts for a two hour show.

What’s replaced that role?

I personally think the whole music industry has changed and it’s affected everything, not just pirate radio. Not just underground clubs and labels. It’s all money motivated now. Business oriented. Pirate radio has gotten pushed to the back. Mainstream radio kinda got a few DJs in, and they’re trying to cater to the underground. Somehow they’ve locked off all the good underground radios. I don’t know what’s happened. It’s gone from underground to overground. It’s a good thing and it’s not a good thing. It’s good in the sense that more people can listen to it, it’s more accessible to the masses and there’s a chance to make a living off of it. But the worst aspect of it is that anybody with money and a couple of links can just step into the music scene in the UK now, and you’re the top boy. Just because of money and who you know rather than talent, which is a real shame. There’s so much shit out there these days.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Does having a grime element help you stand out?

It did, but not anymore, because people with a lot of money came along and are doing the same thing. They put more money into it and get more exposure. Competition is fierce now. Dubstep and grime, they’re basically the same scene now. They’ve been taken over by groups of labels or people, and they’ve kind of just cornered the market. It’s all about money now. Three years ago, it wasn’t like that. 2008. You could just make a really good record and then use the internet to get people all around the world listening to it through places like dubstepforum. But now there’s a million dubstep forums. There’s a million dubstep producers. The only thing that’s really separating people is money and PR. It doesn’t seem to be about good music anymore, which is sad. You got so much shit music right now and the kids are going crazy for it, because it’s the latest thing, the new fad.

Do you think dubstep has lost it’s versatility?

No, I think it’s still versatile. I mean, what most people are listening to isn’t – that brostep, noisy kind of bullshit. But that doesn’t mean that’s all dubstep is. You got so many aspects of it. You got people like Cluekid, who I don’t really work with anymore. He’s got a jungle vibe to it. Then you’ve got people like Coki and Kromestar. They’ve got a mid range kinda thing going on with their tracks. And recently I’ve been making some hip hop influenced dubstep. And then there’s like the original reggae type of dubstep. There’s loads of influences that make it versatile. I think brostep is the biggest right now though. And it’s still another part of it. But don’t get stuck on one bit.

Do you see much of a difference between brostep and the metallic mid range sounds from London?

If you’re asking is there’s a difference between Skrillex and Coki, then yea. Hell yea. Coki’s stuff is more coherent. It’s more of a vibe rather than just hype. The brostep seems like it’s all about getting excited. Like who can make their track do the mad craziest thing. Music’s not about that. To me, music’s about what can give me the good vibes. It’s not all about the mayhem. I can’t explain it, you’ve just got to come and listen.

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Moby at Decibel 2011, Photo by Suzanne Strong

Michael Walsh: So the first question I have for you is.. why Decibel? This festival is an interesting amalgam of music so I’m wondering what the attraction to this festival is for you.

Moby: Well, I’m here for a few reasons. I came because the nice people at Decibel asked me to come DJ. And also.. it’s strange because I guess some people think of me as a very well known mainstream artist. But my  background is in the bowels of the underground. So Decibel is primarily an underground music festival.. which.. whatever mainstream success I’ve had has been accidental and a fluke. I’ve spent much more time DJing in the grimy little bars in the lower east side to 30 people at 7 O Clock in the morning than I’ve spent being well known. So that’s why it makes sense for me to be here.

MW: I’ve heard you are playing a techno set tonight?

Moby: Well.. (ponders) I’m DJing.. and I don’t DJ that often but I do a lot of different types of DJing. For instance I did a hip hop set with Q Tip recently. When I was growing up, in order to have a living as a DJ you had to be able to play everything. So I would play weddings and I would play hip hop clubs and I’d play salsa and I would play house music and I’d play Joy Division and Nitzer Ebb. So you had to be eclectic to be able to pay the rent. But I also love different types of music. So now when I DJ I tend to play either big, over the top bombastic sets or subtle underground sets. I think tonight will be a bit bigger and bombastic.

MW: Dare I ask you to genre-fy it? Will it be house, techno? a certain BPM?

Moby: It’s interesting because the word Techno has meant so many different things to so many different people over the last 25 years. For me techno was house music that sounded more electronic. I remember when I got my first Inner City record someone said “That’s techno.” And I thought – Big Fun, Good Life – these are house songs. But because Kevin Saunderson produced it it was considered techno. Then in the 90’s house music stayed around 120 beats per minute while techno got faster and faster. But today they are pretty similar. Some house DJs make fast house records and some techno DJs make slow techno records. So anyway I guess I play loud electronic music.

MW: That seems fitting because Decibel is an amalgam of many styles of music that meld together for this event.

Moby: There was a time about 1993, 94 where it became so splintered and fractured that nobody knew what was going on. The difference between genres more often than not is just tempo. For instance I love drum and bass.. but it’s so fast that I can’t play it. If I’m playing a set that’s 130 beats per minute it’s really hard to work in a dubstep track or a drum and bass track.
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Moby at Decibel 2011, Photos by Suzanne Strong

MW: Are you a vinyl DJ?

Moby: I was a vinyl dj until about three years ago. Three years ago I was DJing in Belgium and I was standing in the baggage claim waiting for my records to arrive and they never showed up. Eventually they did – so it was a happy ending. But for about 30 minutes they didn’t. So as I stood there I thought, “What if they don’t show up?” If you play guitar and the guitar doesn’t show up – you just get a new guitar. If you are DJing and your records don’t show up – you can’t play. So at that moment I decided to switch over to CDs because I have multiple copies on USB sticks and my hard drive so theoretically nothing should go wrong. You always have the information somewhere. I love vinyl.. I started DJing with vinyl in 1983 and until 2008 I only DJed vinyl. And now I’m not trying to sell Pioneer products but those Pioneer CDJs and mixers are spectacular. I love vinyl but I don’t miss needles skipping or having to tape quarters to the tonearm or having records melt in the sun.

MW: Do you prefer a DJ set to a Live set these days?

Moby: I’m really grateful for the fact that I get to do a lot of different types of performance. When I go on tour most of the time it’s with a full band, 8 of us on stage. With that I play guitar, percussion, keyboards.. and I really enjoy that. I also play bass in a blues band, guitar in a punk band, guitar in a heavy metal band.. and I also DJ.

MW: Speaking of hardcore bands, I noticed your Bad Brains T Shirt (and Sea Shepard hood.)

Moby: Sea Shepard is an environmental organization..There’s such an overlap between the worlds of hardcore punk and electronic music. I grew up playing in hardcore punk bands. So many of those people have become vegans and environmentalists. I’m not sure how we all ended up that way. There’s a place in LA called Cafe Gratitude and I was there with friends of mine from H20, Agnostic Front and Cro-Mags and thought “How did we all end up in a vegan restaurant run by hippies?”

MW: Are there other artists at Decibel that you’re eager to hear or inspired by?

Moby: Well in my ignorance, and I shouldn’t admit this, I hadn’t heard about a third of the artists here at Decibel. So I did some research and realized that a lot of them haven’t put out records. This is amazing! It’s so underground here.. and so I didn’t feel too ignorant not knowing everyone. I really liked Ladytron, who are on the rock side of things. I also love Roxy Music and I like that they got their name from a Roxy Music song. Some friends of mine are in a band called Au Revior Simone.. and Erica who’s in that band is playing tomorrow night.

Moby – Go (Woodtick Mix) (Instinct)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Moby – Porcelain (Mute)

Click here to view the embedded video.

MW: What advice would you give to Dubspot’s students who are getting into music production and trying to find success with their craft?

Moby: The great thing about music production in 2011 is that it doesn’t cost much to make music. When I was growing up getting equipment and learning to make music was hard and expensive. Getting studio time was hard and expensive. Today it’s all software based so it’s much more accessible. But the danger is that it all sort of sounds the same. If everyone is using Ableton and Reason and Logic – all great platforms – but a lot of the productions sound very similar to me. So one of the challenges to an up and coming producer is – how do you sound distinctive?

MW: Do you have advice for this challenge? How do you sound different?

Moby: It’s very easy to stay purely in the digital realm because it does everything. Figure out how to incorporate an analog element. Learn how to use microphones and compressors and pre-amps and samples. Bring elements in that other people aren’t going to have access to.

MW: As a prolific producer you’ve completed many projects. Many people face a resistance in completing artistic projects.. a writers block.. when they want to be more productive. What advice would you give to people who are facing the problem of finishing a project?

Moby: Pretty simply.. the variables involved in any sort of creative production – whether it’s making a painting or writing a book or whatever – the trajectories are pretty simple and pretty similar. So when you’re working on a piece of music there is the musician, the equipment and there’s the audience. The question I think where a lot of resistance comes is: when do you involve the audience? There’s the literal audience and then there’s the figurative audience that exists in our heads. What inhibits a lot of people is involving that figurative audience way too soon. You must give yourself the complete creative freedom to do whatever you want.. and only start thinking about how people might respond to it when you’re ready to play it for them. Aside from that – nobody needs to hear it. So experiment and make mistakes and be imperfect.. don’t judge what you are doing. Sometimes the best ideas come from mistakes. And also.. just keep working. If I spend 100 days in a row making music there’s a chance nothing will come of it. But if I spend 100 days not making music it’s guaranteed that nothing will come of it. So keep working.
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Click here to view the embedded video.

MW: I have one last personal question. I’ve always loved “The Rain Falls and the Sky Shudders” from the Move EP (1993) and would love to know the story behind it.

Moby: Sure. I remember it very well. It was just a loop I made with a Casio CZ1 electric piano played down a couple octaves. Then I had this half space rack mount piano module that I used to play piano on top of it. It was okay. Just okay. Then it was playing in the background while I was recording an answering machine message. And when I listened back to the message the music in the background sounded so much better through the answering machine. The answering machine had compressed everything and brought in all this road noise. So then I went and found sound effects libraries of road noise, room tones and rain storms.

Michael Walsh is the Editor of Dubspot’s Blog, a producer of audio/visual art and a journalist living in Southern California. Read more of his work at soundsdefygravity.com

Suzanne Strong is a Photographer living in Seattle who covered Decibel 2011 with the Dubspot team. See more of her work at suzannestrongphotography.com

Dubspot is pleased to announce that our next live streaming workshop will be with Deep Medi Musik recording artist Tunnidge. He will be demonstrating his production techniques and talking about his creative process. Tunnidge’s workshop will take place on Wednesday, September 28, 6PM – 7:30PM. Please RSVP on our Facebook page if you would like to attend the event in person, otherwise return to this post to watch the live stream from the comfort of your home.

Characterized by his a laser-like focus on woozy, alien basslines, and devastating drops, Tunnidge is a producer as much as he is a sound designer. Emerging from South London’s dubstep scene in 2005, Tunnidge has stayed true to the deeper, more spacious elements of the dubstep made by folks like Mala (Deep Medi label head) and his Digital Mystikz project. After hanging around a quickly coalescing group of producers, Tunnidge not only put out some of Deep Medi’s first releases, but also did the artwork to go with them. Deep Medi releases are now often characterized by drawings of the release’s producer, all of them drawn by hand from Mr. Tunnidge himself.

Photo by Andrew Witts

Tunnidge is currently wrapping up a US Tour, with just a few more dates left. Don’t miss an opportunity to catch him live! Below, we’ve listed the remaining dates, which include stops in Detroit, NYC, and Chapel Hill, NC. Tonight, Tunnidge plays Detroit’s Datswotsup! party at Oslo nightclub. Tomorrow, he will touch down in NYC playing Reconstrvct at The Morgan – alongside Joe Nice, TrueNature, Bunzer0 & Mr. Jo, C Dubs. Also catch him at Chapel Hill, North Carolina at Signal Festival on September 29th at Players Nightclub.

23-Sep-2011 Detroit – Datswotsup! (Oslo)
24-Sep-2011 New York – Reconstrvct (The Morgan)
28-Sep-2011 – New York – Dubspot Live Streaming Music Production Workshop
29-Sep-2011 Chapel Hill – Signal Festival (Players Nightclub)

Released last month on the Get Darker imprint, Tunnidge’s latest 12” is “Control” b/w “Decay.” The latter sounds like standing outside of a space ship construction zone as metal gets tirelessly reworked, and the muffled sound of a metal-on-metal saw occasionally rises and falls.

Click here to view the embedded video.

An easy standout release from both the Tunnidge catalog and Deep Medi’s is 2008’s blistering “Geddeon,” which expertly positions a ruff ragga vocal with an ethereal female voice, creating an emotional palette ripe for a heavy drop that bubbles and bounces with a tight, thick bassline.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In other decidedly gothic and relentless productions like “7 Breaths,” a release for Distance’s Chestplate imprint, Tunnidge unleashes a stomach-turning amount of bass weight that will have anyone near a sub, out of breath.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What makes a great DJ? There is no single answer to this question.  At Dubspot, we want to help you figure out and achieve what great DJing means to you.   The goal of our DJ program is to make that choice as well-informed as possible.  The journey will be extremely rewarding.  We can’t wait to take it with you!  In the meantime, here are some tips from our talented instructors to get you started.

1. Thorough preparation is very valuable, especially with the constant barrage of new music DJs must face on a daily basis. I generally won’t play a track in a live set until I’ve: Beat Gridded it, Run it through Mixed In Key, Marked every key section of the song with Cue Points, Set strategic loops on cool parts and vocal phrases, Written appropriate notes in the comments field of my browser, and Organized it into all the appropriate playlists. This way even if a song is brand new, I can play it as if I’ve known it for years. - DJ Shiftee

2. If you are a warm up DJ don’t play banging stuff.  Warm up the crowd properly.  Nothing will get you not invited back worse than coming on to an empty room and playing every banging hit track.  It won’t work and you will piss off the promoter and the people playing afterward.  Feel it out and warm up to a peak.  The party will go well and people will want to book you again. - Matt Shadetek

DJ Endo, Dubspot Instructor and Native Instrument DJ Product Specialist

3. Check out the latest evolution of DJ Technology with Traktor’s new Sample Decks. While it’s possible to drop your own loops and one shots into Traktor’s sample decks and play them in perfect sync with what your DJing, I find it most intriguing that you can actually create your OWN samples, grabbing the favorite parts of all of your tracks and building your own library of samples made out of tracks that you own. – DJ Endo

4. There are 2 kinds of DJ’s – Ones who take requests and ones who don’t. Be the latter.  Also: Practice without headphones and you can master beat matching. - Raz Mesiani / Badawi

DJ Shiftee, in action!

5. If the DJ booth is visible to the crowd, you are performing whether you like it or not.  Visibly acting like you are enjoying/engaged with what youare doing goes a long way.  Energy is contagious. - DJ Shiftee

6. Always be prepared. Even if the spot claims to guarantee turntables, CDJs, controllers, slip mats, needles, and or built in interfaces… BRING YOUR OWN! You don’t want to be unpleasantly surprised at the venue. Also – always bring a line in cable. If everything is just plain wrong at the gig but you still have to play something… that line in will plug to your laptop, ipod or phone. That will be your gig saver. - Mike Rivera / OneMic

7. When blending tracks together, lower/cut the bass on one of the tracks to create room for the other track. If you cut the bass on the track you’re blending into, the vocals & other mid-range sounds will still be audible (but you’ll be hearing them with the old bass line!). if there’s vocals on the old track, consider lowering the mids to save sonic space for the new vocals. Alternately – if you cut the bass on the track you’re leaving, it creates a smoother transition to the new track because the heaviest elements of the old song will be gone drawing attention & emphasis to the new track. - Sean Clements

8. Develop a knowledge of tempo, especially if you play music within a wide range of genres. If you’re a digital DJ, make sure all your music is tagged with the accurate BPM. Even when you’re just doing recreational listening, make sure the BPM column in your iTunes (or other music library program) is visible, and make a mental note of the BPM of the song as you’re hearing it. You can go through each song and manually add the BPM, or use a program like Mixed in Key to analyze batches of music identifying BPM and key of songs (for harmonic mixing). If you’re using vinyl, use mailing labels or masking tape to make notes about BPM and breaks on the album sleeves of songs. - Martin Perna

9. Know your tunes. Develop your musical memory by playing tunes over and over, until you can sing them in your head. If you can hum the tune when you look at the album cover, it’s yours. - JP Solis

10. When you are performing live and find yourself confused in a mix – turn your headphones and monitor down to re-gain control of your ears (and the mix.) Your ears fatigue from high volume levels and you need to give them a break to perform well. Often when DJs feel “lost” in the mix it’s a matter of the headphones or monitor (or both) being too loud. Make a habit of turning down your headphones and monitor between mixes to give your ears a chance to bounce back and work properly. - Michael Walsh

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Our instructors are more than talented musicians, more than human software manuals and more than insightful critics; they are mentors, genuinely interested in seeing students develop and grow as artists. Their collective experience spans many fields, continents and years. They are the heart of your Dubspot experience. For more information on our talented staff please check out our Instructors page to learn more about the unique people who work for Dubspot. For information on classes at Dubspot please check our NYC Courses and Online School for course listings.

Dubspot Online takes the core philosophy behind Dubspot NYC to a whole new interactive environment. We remain focused on your musical progress as a student and as a part of our community. Each week Dubspot Online students will submit an assignment incorporating newly learned topics together with your ongoing track to receive feedback not only from your teacher but also from your classmates.

By signing up for classes, you are joining the Dubspot Online network and will have access to our community-wide forums, where technical, artistic, and cultural discussions unfold amongst our student community, staff, faculty and visiting artist networks. These forums serve as a knowledge base that will grow over time and an aid in connecting with like-minded people. Together with high quality instructional videos and biweekly chats, Dubspot Online replicates the hands-on attention found in our physical classrooms.

Digital DJing Program w/ Traktor Pro 2

Three levels / 12 sessions / 21 hours of hands-on instruction + labs

Online classes start April 17th!

Dear Pioneer DJM-T1 Mixer,

From the first moment I saw you, I knew we would be together forever.  How I have stayed awake sleepless nights, tossing and turning in my bed with unrequited passion, longing for someone just like you – someone with firm construction, someone who understands my deepest desires, someone with just the right balance of sexiness and functionality.

I yearn to touch you, to caress your buttons, and to handle playfully your tight faders beneath my limber fingertips.  They say your crossfader can be used more than 10 million times.  That’s good, because we are going to go all night long.

When it comes to DJing, I’m a polygamist.  One piece of gear just can’t satisfy my appetite.  But you’re the same way!  You’ve got my other tender love Traktor Pro 2 built into your system with a soundcard to match.  No more messy ties and frayed relationships.  Plug and play.  I’m taking my turntables and going straight in, no boxes, no wires, no protection.

What’s more is that you understand the man I’ve become.  Yes, I still want two channels to scratch you in all the right places.  However I’ve grown.  I need to browse, load, and unload with the tenacity of a cheetah.  I need to autoloop in order to maintain those special moments we share together.  I need to sync for those times in my life when I am uncertain and you’re the only one who can put me back on track.  I need an easy jump to internal mode for when my needle gets dusty.  And you’ve got it all right there for me.  It’s as if we have one mind.

Like, what am I thinking right now, DJM-T1?  You’ve got it!  Samples, those little tokens of our affection for one another.  You’re truly my dream for Traktor’s voluptuous sample decks.  No extra controllers, no extra wires or hubs to get in the way of our passion.  I touch you, and you respond immediately.  You call to me with sound so sweet, it could only have otherwise come from whispering angels playing xylephones.

How do you do it?  Do you go to the gym to tone your figure?  Are you on a low-carb diet?  Jazzercise?  Whatever it is, don’t change, baby.  You’re beautiful.  Don’t let anyone tell you different.  The way your fx panels effortlessly sit next to your EQ knobs takes my breath away.  I’m going to Beatmash you all the way to Mulholland Drive.  You’ve even got frontside Aux In for easy access!  And I will access.  I’m going to plug into you with all kinds of equipment.

Hey, don’t get the wrong idea, DJM-T1.  I’m not here to wham bam thank you NAMM.  I’m in it for the long haul.  I want us to grow old together.  I want to take you home and introduce you to my parents.  Let’s make musical babies together!  I want to share our connection with the world.  Don’t be surprised if people leave their old mixers in droves.  I for one know my friends are going to be jealous when they see my new gal.

Thinking of you always.
XOXO,
Shiftee

DJ Shiftee is a 2x DMC World Champion and Dubspot Instructor currently heating up dancefloors around the globe with fresh beats and sounds! Check out his latest mix for Mishka Keep Watch Series,  follow him on Twitter, & find him on Facebook. DJ Shiftee and DJ Endo are the designers of Dubspot’s upcoming Digital Djing with Traktor program, which you can find more details about below.

Digital DJing w/ Traktor Pro 2 Program

Three levels / 12 sessions / 21 hours of hands-on instruction + labs

Online classes start April 17 + NYC classes on June 6

Courses:

• Digital DJing w/ Traktor Pro 2 Level 1: Introduction to DJing
• Digital DJing w/ Traktor Pro 2 Level 2: Phrase Mixing
• Digital DJing w/ Traktor Pro 2 Level 3: Beyond The Beatmatch

To reflect this renaissance, Dubspot has created the Digital DJing with Traktor program. In both our physical and online schools, students will learn how to DJ entirely with Traktor’s cutting-edge technology. An emphasis will be placed on the concepts of DJing rather than simply learning how to use the software. Starting with a historical overview, students will learn the fundamental concepts of the DJ via Traktor’s intuitive interface. They will then begin to delve into the vast array of new possibilities offered by this groundbreaking software, recording their work along the way. Students will leave with finished DJ mixes, a thorough introduction to DJing with Traktor, and a skill set and knowledge base perfect for further development.

Click here to view the embedded video.

DJ Shiftee demystifies Breakfast of Champions video from Native Instruments.

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]]> http://blog.dubspot.com/dj-shiftees-love-letter-to-the-pioneer-djm-t1-new-mixer-for-traktor-pro-2/feed/ 2 http://blog.dubspot.com/dj-video-compilation-part-1/ http://blog.dubspot.com/dj-video-compilation-part-1/#comments Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:39:06 +0000 admin http://blog.dubspot.com/?p=11175 ]]>

Dubspot DJ Extensive Program starts tomorrow, December 15th! Our DJ program has six levels of unique courses designed to help students learn, discover and improve DJing skills, from the essential Rookie Sessions, in which students learn basic techniques and familiarize themselves with DJ equipment and Core and Advanced Levels, where they learn a broad range of concepts from analyzing and presenting music to the business the of modern day DJ. In our latest video compilation series, we are focusing on our DJ video tutorials and performance routines. In our own tutorials, we cover the latest controllers and software, from Native Instruments Traktor Scratch Pro S4 and X1 Controllers to Serato Scratch Live and Novation Dicer.  We’ve included a recent stunning performance footage from Native Instruments, in which dynamic drum & bass duo Faust & Shortee perform a scratch and controllerism routine using Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol X1’s intuitive control over track browsing, looping, cue points and effects in Serato Scratch Live. Native Instruments product specialist and Dubspot Instructor DJ Endo offered an up-close at Traktor Kontrol S4, the world’s first software and hardware DJ system in our three-part video tutorial series.

Faust & Shortee on SSL with the Traktor Kontrol X1 controller from Native Instruments

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Traktor Kontrol S4 Video Tutorial Tutorial Parts 1 – 3

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Novation Dicer & Traktor Video: Cue Points, Loops, & Effects

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Learn How To DJ with DJ Shiftee: Mixing: Pushing & Pulling

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To mark the release, NI just unleash a series of tutorials introducing, explaining, and offering tips for S4 – from how to install and activate the Traktor S4 software and connecting the sound output correctly to an overview on browsing and loading tracks into the S4’s track decks and beat matching and mixing.

Traktor Kontrol S4 Part 1/4: Getting Started

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Traktor Kontrol S4 2/4: Playing Your First Track

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Traktor Kontrol S4 3/4: Mixing In A Second Track

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Check out Dubspot instructor and 2x DMC champ DJ Shiftee previewing the S4 in August and performing special routines using the Sample Decks and Loop Recorder, and outlines his 5 favorite features!

The Traktor Kontrol S4 DJ System in Action

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“Shiftee’s Fav 5 New Features”

1.  Sample Decks.
Holy moly these are a lot of fun!  One-shots, synced looping options, cue-point style triggering, group filters & volume control, individual sample filters and volume controls, the list goes on and on!  You can even scratch the samples with the jog wheels!  I also love that each sample deck has its own mixer channel, so you can EQ and cut up your sample/loop compositions.  Did I mention the loops stay in sync with your tracks regardless of tempo!?!?  I can’t wait to incorporate samples of me making sandwiches into my DJ sets.

2.  Loop Recorder.
This takes me back to my loop station days.  Build your own loop combinations and live remixes using this feature.  The Dry/Wet feature is particularly dope: make a remix and go back and forth with the original.  It also has a slick undo/redo feature where you can remove and add your latest loop layer.  Fun Idea: Use the sample players in conjunction with the loop recorder to bang out your own drum patterns for your remixes.  Extra Fun Idea: Rap over your new beats with transpose effect pitched down to sound like a G.

3.  New Sync.
Traktor Pro S4 has a new sync ability, namely you can now load into a synced deck.  In other words, SYNC now is independent of phase.  You can scratch and drop in the normal way knowing your tracks are matched with tempo.  For the deckless DJs out there, have no fear.  There’s still a synchronous start, meaning if you hit play from a stopped deck it will play in phase.  Also, phase syncing is still an option.  If you still have your socks on, I don’t know what to tell you.  If you don’t own socks, I recommend argyle.

4.  New GUI
Traktor Pro S4 has a new GUI that looks like Xzibit and the Pimp My Ride crew teamed up with Tyra Banks and America’s Next Top Model to give Traktor a full body makeover.  Inner and outer beauty in full effect, while still maintaining its original essence.  Slick new color choices and lots of nice subtlety involving menus and buttons.

5.  Built-In Filters
The Kontrol S4 has built-in channel filters that must have been made by Outkast because they sound oh “so fresh and so clean clean.”  The filters are direct, in other words, you can feel the end points of the knobs.  2 thumbs up, 1 big toe up (one of my big toes is currently injured, so I can’t raise it, otherwise we’d have a 2 thumb + 2 big toe up scenario).

I personally can’t wait for this bad boy/girl to have real deal turntable compatibility.  In the meantime, sandwich samples, here I come.”

Shiftee’s Excellent DMC Adventure

Alright, here it is! Two-time DMC World Champion and Dubspot Instructor DJ Shiftee takes the legendary gold turntables on a time-traveling journey through DMC history. Shiftee’s performance in this video is nothing short of extraordinary. “This video is a tribute to all the incredible DJ Champions from DMC’s glorious history.  I’ve spent countless hours over the years studying masters like Roc Raida, Q-bert, Craze, and A-Trak.  My goal: to one day stand in their shoes.  Literally.”

PRAISE FOR “THE GOLDEN YEARS”

“One of the most memorable events in DMC history.” – Tony Prince, DMC Founder

““YOU ARE CRAZY!!!! THAT NEW ONE ISSSSS CRAZY!! HAHAHA …. IM STILL LAUGHING!!”  – Craze, 1998/1999/2000 DMC World Champion

“Shiftee killed it, what an original idea. Brings back great memories. But also, the routine is ill! RIP Roc Raida.” – A-Trak, 1997 DMC World Champion

“I love originality, that’s why I love DJ Shiftee and this video.” – Q-Bert, 1992/1993/1994 DMC World Champion

“I haven’t been entertained like this in quite a while.  The styles, personalities, and energy are all there in great detail and accuracy!” – Cutmaster Swift, 1989 DMC World Champion

CREDITS for DJ Shiftee The Golden Years

DJ Shiftee
http://djshiftee.com
http://twitter.com/djshiftee
http://facebook.com/djshiftee
http://soundcloud.com/shifteemusic

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: John Carluccio
http://cinqua.com
http://battlesounds.com

SPONSORED BY: Dubspot DJ/Production School
http://dubspot.com

DJ Shiftee “Hot Chip DMC Routine” Tutorial/Breakdown

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DJ Shiftee breaks down his routine using Hot Chip’s “Out at the Pictures” as seen in The Golden Years video.