The History of DJ Equipment

The History of DJ Equipment

A DJ or Disc Jockey is someone who plays records to an audience on the radio or at events. Some DJ’s have developed on stage personas and they will talk in-between songs to either hype up the next track or they would hype up the audience.

DJ Pioneers
The very first DJ was Ray Newby in 1909 at the age of 16. He would play records on a phonograph, introduce the songs using a microphone and use a spark transmitter to send the music out.

Picture of Ray Newby

In this video segment from "I've got a secret" Ray Newby describes being the worlds first Disc Jockey

And in 1927 Christopher stone became the first radio announcer and programmer in United Kingdom on the BBC radio station

DJ Equipment

Spark Transmitter – “an early radio transmitter using a discharge across a spark gap as the source of its power” Used to send the radio broadcast around.
(Definition from wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn)

Microphone – “An instrument that converts sound waves into an electric current, usually fed into an amplifier, a recorder, or a broadcast transmitter.” Ray Newby would use the microphone to introduce the songs and inform people of news.

(Definition from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/microphone)

Phonograph – A machine that reproduces sound by means of a stylus in contact with a grooved rotating disk.  **BASIC FEATURES**

(Definition from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/phonograph)

Pros

• Messages can be sent and received quicker than normal
• Easy & simple equipment

Cons

• Limited Range
• Weather conditions would interrupt broadcasts
• Vocals not clear

1930’s to 1950’s

1935 – Walter Winchell made up the term disc jockey, (he came up with this as disc referred to the disc records and jockey refers to the operator of machines).

1941 – The term disc jockey was printed in Variety, Which was a magazine that was for the film industry

1943 - Jimmy Savile launched the world's first DJ dance party by playing jazz he claims to have become the first DJ to use twin turntables for continuous play. This means that the music would continue without breaks as there would be two vinyl’s and one could play from the other and there would be minimal talking whilst changing songs. This was important for the development of dj'ing because it meant that people could continue dancing without stopping meaning that it would be more fun and could mean that mixes would be created.

1950 - American radio DJs would appear live at parties. They would usually play 45-rpm records, (Revolutions per minute, this is a measurement of rotation). This is where the definition of an entertainer came into place as the DJ would have to keep everyone entertained.



1940s Microphone



1940s Turntable



Jimmy Savile in 1947

DJ Equipment

Turntable - "Machine with a rotating center used by DJ's to play, scratch, and mix music." Jimmy Savile would place records on the turntable and play song after song
(http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=turntable)

Microphone - “An instrument that converts sound waves into an electric current, usually fed into an amplifier, a recorder, or a broadcast transmitter.” Jimmy Savile would speak into a microphone to announce upcoming songs and important messages

(Definition from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/microphone)

Turntable 

Pros

• Portable system 
• Allowed tempo to be sped up or slowed down
• Best sound quality of this era

Cons

• Fragile 
• Hard to control without practice 
• cue points are found manually usually with tape markers

Microphone 

Pros 

• Allows sound to be amplified in real time
• clear way of projecting voice 

Cons

• Microphones have a maximum wire length 
• possibly a chance of feedback if too close to speakers

1960s to 1980s

CMA-10-2DL

Mid 60's: the CMA-10-2DL was released
This was important as it allowed DJ's to mix songs whilst playing a set

SL-1200

1974: The first SL-1200 turntable was released and 30 years is still a standard part of equipment for DJ'ing

                                                           

1969 and 1975: Specialised equipment was created and this led to more DJ'ing techniques such as turntablisim and scratching 

1975: Grand Wizard Theodore created scratching technique by accident. And after people found about it they put their own twist on it and this is the result

                           

Turntablisim - Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using turntables and a DJ mixer. 

DJ Techniques

Scratching - This is done by literally scratching the record back and forth to create an effect also by quickly cutting between two vinyls using the cross fader, On older versions of turntables the cross fader was a thin piece of material but now it is a stronger piece of material as the purpose for it has changed.

Beat Matching - This is done by matching tempos from one record to another record so that they are in sync. When this style was first invented it was harder to do as technology had 

The Birth of the digital age

Compact disks started this off as it was a way of cramming loads of information into a single place. Recordable disks can hold up to 60 minutes of songs and these can be split up to singular values, meaning that one song can be played and then a track 5 songs down rather then having to get another vinyl out. 

1992 - MPEG Produced the MPEG-1 and later on the MPEG- layer 3 also known as MP3, which is a digital form of a song which is compressed to be as small as possible 

DJ Equipment 

Compact Disk - An optical disk used to store digital data. This is put into a CD player and then this rotate and scan the information and then is processed and converted into sound using a DAC

Pros

• Allows more than one song per CD
• Small enough to carry many more than just a couple of vinyls
• More affordable than vinyls
• Stronger than vinyls

Cons

• Scratches easy
• Can be misplaced if not labelled properly

From Analog to Digital 

Late 1990's: DJ and VJ software programs were developed
1998: First MP3 digital audio player was released
 First digital DJ system "Final Scratch"                     

1999: First media sharing site Napster was released

2000 - 2013: Technology has developed further

DJ Setup (Equipment):

Final Scratch- Is a DJ software that allows manipulation and playbacks what has been inputted.

By placing the vinyl on the turntable the signals are interpreted  by a computer which is connected via a "Scratch Amp".

Pros

• Allows you to play any track that you have on your hard drive 
• Prevents needle skips

Cons

• Not alot of control to mix and EQ tracks, that's all done on the computer so no freedom of movement

Technology Comparisons 

Traktor software and DJ controller 

DJ Equipment

Tracktor software and DJ controller

Pros 

• Loops that can instantly be tracked with a press of a button
• Beat detection grid that automatically detects where the beat is so that 'beat-matching' is easier
• Sync lock to keep a specific track matched to another tracks tempo, even if song is changed
• MIDI Controller acts like a turntable with a mixer on it so it can be carried around easier than two pieces of equipment
•  Offers a chance to EQ the Lows, Mids and highs of a track individually 
• Cue points stay on a track digitally so if that mp3 is put into another Trakor it is saved
• Sound effects such as sirens can be used
• Filters can be used, So a DJ can remove the bass of a song and then bring it back up for an effect.

Cons

• Price of certain MIDI controllers are expensive but if DJ'ing is something you are interested in the this is something you should definitely invest in this as it is the best it can get.

Conclusion

Analog set-up

Pros:

• Better sound quality
• Much cheaper than a digital DJ Setup
• Authentic crackling noise

Cons:

• Less effects 
• Fragile and heavy equipment
• Cue points and syncing must be done manually
• Needle skips may be frequent 

Compared to a digital set up the Analog set up has a more of an authentic feel to it due to the crackling and the fact that most of the sounds is produced by hands and not a electronic cue point. But the analog set up lacks the freedom that the digital set up offers meaning that there is less choice for effects and cue points must be done manually which is almost impossible if you are trying to be fast and have fluency to your set also another thing that the analog set up is lacking is the versatility as to change song you must change vinyl which is time consuming

. Digital Setup

Pros:

• Allows DJ's to use any song on the internet
• Allows beat matching and syncing to be done in a click of a button 
• Cue points are imprinted on the mp3
• Has a wide range of effects and loops 

Cons:

• MP3 sound quality can't ever compare to vinyl
• The price for equipment is high and is forever rising as new technology is released

Compared to an analog set-up digital adds more control and gives the DJ more features to play around with and to create a unique sound. With the ability to EQ sounds and filter sounds and sound effects. Also music is stored on the laptop/computer and is easily accessed and can be dragged and dropped into the track. Also DJ techniques are easier on the digital set up as you can beat match with a click of a button.

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_jockey

Scratch - Film

Phil Robinson - Teacher