VCI-380 is a 2 channel DJ controller with a built-in Digital DJ mixer, powerful and creative, opening the door to limitless possibilities of controllerism. Mix, scratch, cue, effect, sample, trigger, loop and slice. Every feature of the VCI-380 is optimized to enhance the DJs performance and take a new approach in manipulating music. Designed hand in hand with Serato, VCI-380 is bundled with ITCH, providing an arsenal of musical craft tools with perfect integrity, straight out of the box.
Controllerism is the art and practice of using musical software controllers (e.g. MIDI, OSC, Joystick, etc) to build upon, mix, scratch, remix, effect, modify, or otherwise create music, usually by a Digital DJ or “Controllerist”.
With so many options on the streets today, picking the right headphone can be tough. It’s always best to figure out what your needs are first, then make a good decision. For instance, if you need some solid DJ headphones look for sturdy designs, isolating cups, and loud drivers. If you need something more portable, maybe and in-ear or smaller on-ear design would be best but may jeopardize sound quality. Long studio sessions? Try an open ear design, so your ears get a more nat3ural sound and less fatigue. All these factors come in to play, so do your research before you buy and make sure you get what you expect in your purchase.
Here is some general info that should help you along the way (taken from wikipedia.org)…
Common Headphone Styles
Circumaural
Circumaural headphones (also called full size headphones) have circular or ellipsoid earpads that encompass the ears. Because they completely surround the ear, circumaural headphones can be designed to fully seal against the head to bock out outside noise. Because of their size, circumaural headphones can be heavy and there are some sets which weigh over 500 grams (1 lb). Ergonomic headband and earpad design is required to reduce discomfort resulting from weight.
Supra-aural
Supra-aural headphones have pads that sit on top of the ears, rather than around them. They were commonly bundled with personal stereos during the 1980s. This type of headphone generally tends to be smaller and lighter than circumaural headphones, resulting in less attenuation of outside noise.
Open or closed back
Circumaural and supra-aural headphones can both also be further differentiated by the type of earcups:
Closed-back (or sealed) styles have the back of the earcups closed. These are standard in headphones designed for DJ’ing, as well as most consumer models. Depending on the exact one, they may block 8-32db of ambient noise, but have a smaller soundscape giving you the perception that the sound is coming from within their head as sounds reflected back towards the ear.
Open-back headphones have the back of the earcups open. This leaks more sound out of the headphone and also lets more ambient sounds into the headphone, but gives a more natural or speaker-like sound and more spacious “soundscape” – the perception of distance from the source.
Ear-fitting headphones
Earbuds
Among audio professionals, earbuds and earphones refer to very small headphones that are fitted directly in the outer ear, facing but not inserted in the ear canal; they have no band or other arrangement to fit over the head. (However, many consumer-quality in-ear-canal systems are also called earbuds by their manufacturers.) The outer-ear earphones are portable and convenient, but many people consider them to be uncomfortable and prone to falling out. Various models are available, starting at very low prices. They provide hardly any acoustic isolation and leave room for ambient noise to seep in; users may turn up the volume dangerously high to compensate, at the risk of causing hearing loss. From about 1990 earbuds have commonly been bundled with personal music devices.
In-ear headphones
Main article: In-ear monitors
In-ear headphones, like earbuds, are small and without headband, but are inserted in the ear canal itself. They are sometimes known as canalphones. Price and quality range from relatively inexpensive to very high; the better ones are called in-ear monitors (IEMs) and are used by audio engineers and musicians as well as audiophiles.
Canalphones offer portability similar to earbuds, block out much environmental noise by obstructing the ear canals, and are far less prone to falling out. When used for casual portable use they block out sounds which can be important for safety (e.g., approaching vehicles).
Universal canalphones provide one or more stock silicone rubber, elastomer, or foam sleeves to fit various ear canals, for correct placement and best noise isolation.
Custom canalphones are fitted to the ears of the individual user: castings of the ear canals are made, and the manufacturer uses the castings to create custom-molded silicone rubber or elastomer plugs that provide added comfort and noise isolation.[8] Because of the individualized labor involved, custom IEMs are more expensive than universal IEMs; resale value is very low as they are unlikely to fit other people.
Understanding the Specs
Impedance
Headphones are available with low or high impedance measured at 1 kHz. Low-impedance headphones are in the range 75 to 150 ohms and high-impedance headphones are about 600 ohms.High impedance headphones have been popular among tube amplifier aficionados,[citation needed] and in classroom or studio situations requiring many headphones connected in parallel to the same source. Low impedance headphones yield a louder sound from a standard headphone jack, and require less voltage to achieve a target sound pressure level—an important consideration for portable electronics.
Sensitivity
Sensitivity is a measure of a transducer’s output when driven with a specific reference input. Headphone manufacturers often loosely use the term “efficiency” where sensitivity should be used. Headphone efficiency (power in/power out) is a type of sensitivity, but efficiency is usually not an important characteristic to measure for headphones (see Efficiency vs Sensitivity).
Common “units” for headphone sensitivity are “dB/mW” and “dB/mV”.[5] These are dB SPL (sound pressure level) measured in a standard ear for a 1 kHz sinusoidal headphone input of either 1 milliwatt or one millivolt. A more complete notation would be “dB ref. 20μPa/mW” or “dB ref. 20μPa/mV”. One can convert between these two references if the impedance is known.
The producers here at DDJG are big time supporters of Loopmasters! They consistently supply us with fresh grooves and sounds to inspire new tunes for the music world. To celebrate 100 releases on the Artist Series, they have a special release which comes directly from the studios of The Freemasons – ‘100% Remix Tools’. The Grammy nominated remixes and producers from UK’s eclectic Brighton music scene have forged an 8 year career that have seen them first call remixers for the Biggest artists across the globe from Beyonce, Katy Perry, Kylie, Whitney Houston and an intentional gig list to match (not to mention 6 consecutive UK hit singles) it is easy to see why they may wish to keep their studio sounds under wraps . This is however not the Freemasons way.
You can preview and download each sample individually on the soundcloud player below.
Serato offers up some great exclusive video clips for it’s plugin, courtesy of Beeple. Click on the image to go to the download page, and post replies with your video mixes if you make some!
We are huge Erica Badu fans here at DDJG, so it was great to see that Serato chose her as the newest icon in their series!
From her debut album “Baduizm” through to her 2010 release “New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), Erykah Badu has redefined modern soul. Drawing comparisons along the way to many of the greats, including Billie Holiday, she layers her varied musical influences together to create a sound that has crowned her ‘Queen of Neo-Soul’.
More recently, Badu has been on the journey as a DJ, one she embarked on a long time ago through her love of hip hop music and it’s culture.
“When I was in the 8th or 9th grade, hip hop was becoming mainstream in radio… in Dallas, Texas where I’m from. That was in the 80s. Hip hop really emerged in the 70s, with DJs like Kool Herc, Red Alert, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Spinderella from Salt ‘n’ Pepa; all of these people were very inspiring to me, because they were the people who conducted feelings.
“I expanded and explored more and more as I became a b-girl, because the world knows DJing and rapping is something you do, but the great KRS-1 said ‘Hip Hop is something you live’. Once it’s in you, it’s in you.”
As hip hop evolved over the years, so did Erykah Badu’s relationship with it. Even after hugely successful albums and international tours, Badu was still hungry to transcend the music and reach out to those around her through the experience of DJing. Enter DJ Loretta Brown, the alter ego that fuels this desire to personally connect through music.
“Right now, we’re in 2012AD where the DJ is now the star, because of things like Serato and the need of the tribe – that’s the people – to feel good and to feel the music. I wanted some of that, and I decided to lend my time to DJ. I’ve always done after parties after shows and things, but I wanted people to come, listen and feel good. It’s not about what they like or they don’t like, it’s about how they feel. And that’s the Selector’s job, the DJ is the selector and I’m very proud to be a She‑J.”
The connection between singer and audience differs from the connection between the DJ and the crowd, and it brings a whole new musical world for her to explore and her audience to experience.
“When I DJ… I’m paying attention to my mixes, I’m paying attention to my choices and selections. That’s my main focus. I do it fearlessly, because I never underestimate the audiences’ ability to feel. Music is the sixth element; it brings nostalgia, it brings healing and it moves us.
“It’s different from when I’m on stage live singing – I’m expressing emotions and feelings; performing is therapy for me. But DJing is allowing me the chance to be free, with no expectations, especially from myself. It’s just about having fun at the party, and I like having fun at the party.”
Freestyle and improvisation is an important element in Badu’s DJ sets and the traditional hangups that come with being a DJ fall away to allow for a more organic, fun approach to performing.
“I put absolutely no preparation into my sets at all. When I get to the club, I peep the audience, scope the atmosphere, I listen to what the DJs did before me and I just basically remember that it’s about having fun and I free myself enough to begin.”
For Erykah, this approach is key to the success of any set. It’s admirable that in the DJ industry, where skills and image are constantly judged by peers and critics alike, that Badu focusses on the selections and the energy that a DJ creates by simply playing songs that you love to people who want to hear them.
“The DJ is the weatherman; the DJ basically dictates what the weather is – what we play is how people feel.
“To me, what makes a DJ a good DJ is that he or she pays attention to the crowd and their movement, response and applause. And the applause doesn’t come in the form of an applause, it comes in the form of a groove. A good DJ feels his or her groove and eventually gets a flow and begins to connect with the music which connects to the audience. In my case, I’m a selector – I select what I like. People who come to the shows either love it or they learn it.
The future looks bright for Erykah Badu and Loretta Brown, two artists working together to weave live performance and DJing into a rich textured experience for people around the world to enjoy. Seeing Erykah Badu DJ as Loretta Brown will by no means be a traditional DJ set, but it will be unique.
“There’s a big difference between being a DJ and being a selector. I don’t really even know if I consider myself a DJ because DJing is a skill and an art form that is highly technical. There’s scratching involved, there’s blending involved, there’s accuracy and syncopation involved.
“Those things I’ve learned over time, but as a Selector, you’re just narrating the emotions of the crowd. I am becoming a good DJ – I’m a great selector.”
