Live DJs vs Traditional DJs: What’s the Difference?
- 20/10/2023
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Ah… The art of DJing is really exciting, isn’t it? They’ve evolved over time to become the new must-have artists on the music scene. But hold on, because now we’re going to dive deep into the differences between live DJs and traditional DJs. It’s going to be exciting!
Live DJs
- The Live element: Live DJs, also known as “live performers”, are like playing real instruments, except their instruments are electronic. Synthesizers, MIDI controllers, drum machines, all live to create music that moves in real time(Live machines).
- Improvisation: And now we come to the heart of the matter. Live DJs have this amazing ability to improvise. Just imagine: they read the mood of the room, the audience reacts, and then they modify their performance live. It’s pure creativity.
- Stage presence: For live DJs, the stage is their playground. They’re conspicuous with their electronic instruments. And to set the stage alight, they often add lighting effects and visual effects. It’s a real show!
Traditional DJs
- Using turntables: Let’s move on to traditional DJs. They play with vinyl turntables or DJ controllers, but they don’t play live, they mix recorded music.
- Song Selection: Traditional DJs spend a lot of time choosing their songs before mixing. The aim is to create a musical whole that flows perfectly together. It’s all about the art of selection.
- Mixing and scratching: You often see them manipulating vinyl records or CDs live, that’s mixing. And some are very good at scratching, which creates special sound effects.
Key differences
- Nature of Performance: The big difference is that live DJs create music in real time, whereas traditional DJs use recorded tracks. It’s a bit like comparing a band concert to listening to a CD album (*).
- Creativity: Live DJs have more freedom to express their creativity, as if they were improvising an electronic symphony. Traditional DJs, on the other hand, excel in the art of mixing.
- Audience interaction: Live DJs tend to interact more with the audience, because they’re on stage creating. Traditional DJs are often more discreet behind their turntables. (Although… it all depends on the DJ, I suppose! ^^)
(*) Don’t be fooled!
In this article, I compared the live DJ and the traditional DJ quite strongly, describing the live DJ as a band and the traditional DJ as a record of music.
This in no way means that the live DJ is superior to the traditional DJ. What’s more, just because a DJ plays on turntables doesn’t mean that he or she is limited to playing tracks (the role of a record). Many artist-producers create their tracks using computers and instruments, just like live DJs, but they decide to record a studio version on a raw track, which they can then easily mix with any type of controller in the evening.
To sum up, just remember that live artists and traditional DJs don’t perform the same activities, and they’re both talented in their respective fields. Each has his or her own specific skills and musical style, which is what makes music so diverse and captivating.
Conclusion
Now you know the difference between live DJs and traditional DJs. It’s like two worlds of electronic music, each with its own style and charm. Which do you prefer? It all depends on your musical tastes and the atmosphere you’re looking for at your party. So, are you ready to get the crowd dancing?
