A Versatile And Roomy TV Stand
If you are anything like me and my roommates your home entertainment situation has gotten a little out of control. You likely have a large television; hopefully it is HD. You most likely have a cable box; if it is a DVR box, chances are it is a lot larger than the tiny black box you grew up with. One of your roommates probably has a video game system. Come to think of it if you have more than one roommate there is probably at least two video game systems in your home. On top of this there are Blu-ray players, surround sound speakers, streaming television boxes like the Roku. Where are a couple of fellows supposed to put all of this stuff?
Finding the right TV stand, one that can handle a wealth of home entertainment do-dads is a vitally important part of outfitting one’s home these days. For us, we spent some time browsing around the Crisp Deals website and ended up with the TV stand pictured here. It has enough shelves for all of our gadgets and even some space for our Blu-ray discs, DVDs, and video games. It is the kind of investment that can quickly tie a living room together.
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Still Love CDs, Get A Pioneer CD Player
I have stacks and stacks of CDs and I am simply too sentimental to get rid of them and switch over to an entirely digital file based music listening experience. There is something about putting a physical disc in my stereo, which is outfitted with some impressive speakers, and letting some of the music purchased in my youth rip.
That said, my clunky old CD player is now barely cutting it. Sometimes it refuses to spin and other times it simply refuses to read even some of the newest and least scuffed discs. So with that in mind, and my passionate enjoyment of those CDs in my heart, I have decided to invest in a brand new Pioneer CD player. With a new CD player I can be assured that these discs and new ones, whether I burn them or buy them, will be playable in my beloved home stereo.
With a Pioneer CD player in fact, the entire experience of playing CDs will take on a new dimension. I love the way the pioneer decks work like a professional DJ setup. This will make playing discs at parties a lot funner and it will make playing music for myself a whole lot more dynamic.
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Most People Are DJs
In 2004 the indie rock band The Hold Steady released a song that was at the time very well observed and as time has marched on become even more true. The song “Most People Are DJs” took the old adage that “Everyone is a critic” and added the new titular caveat at a time when the wide availability of an easily transportable professional audio mixer had anyone with an interest in music and a friend who owned or worked at a bar DJing(or CDJing or mp3Jing) in public.
As time has marched on the sentiment has become even more true and it is actually a pretty fantastic way to build up one’s social life and maybe get some free drinks on the side. Sites like Crisp Deals have been great for making professional audio equipment not only available to the public at reasonable prices but also easily understood. Gone are the days where making DJ mixes seemed completely unknown to musical novices. These days anyone can DJ and this is because more and more of us understand the ins and outs of audio technology thanks to our general immersion in its intricacies. Between setting up our surround sound for our televisions and getting the highest fidelity from mp3s we know more than ever how to work sound. Most people really are DJs.
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DJ Headphones Even On The Subway
Some people like those ear-bud headphones that you shove directly into your ears. They need a little bit of music to get to or from school or work piped into their head in a convenient and cheap way. Serious audiophiles however, even if they are listening to music in the not so ideal manner of being on the go, want the full clarity and immersive 
sound experience they have come to expect from all of their high grade home audio equipment. Why should they settle for an experience that is less than any other experience.
For me when I commute even if I am cranking tunes or a podcast out of my tiny iPod I utilize the superior audio quality of professional DJ headphones. I’ve had a number of different high end brands and frankly nothing matches DJ headphones for their outside noise reduction, particularly valuable on the loud New York City subway.
Fully appreciating a sonic experience is something some folks just take too lightly for my taste. Taking the full advantage of all of the hard work that goes into producing a piece of music is very important to some of us. Perhaps you should make it more of a priority with some better headphones.
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The Newest Electronics and The Weirdest Sounds
It’s the end of the year and you know what that means: plenty of year end lists. I’ll spare you my top albums of 2011, but I will mention one in particular, which is important to DJs.
Oneohtrix Point Never’s album Replica is a looping menagerie of sound. A lot of it is weird dreamy samples that even your parents wouldn’t consider music (and which you might not either), and yet there’s something attractive about it, something precipitately dark and kaleidoscopic, which becomes more rewarding upon each listen.
If you’re a DJ and you’ve invested in the professional DJ equipment and sound producing technology, it’s interesting to know that much of this music is made on a laptop with looped and layered sounds from vintage synthesizers and other professional DJ equipment such as keyboards. The incorporation of past and present technologies affects the music. Take a listen:
It’s not your traditional music made by DJs on a Pioneer mixer, and that may be exactly why people find it so intriguing.
Permalink | Tags: Newest Electronics, Panasonic TV, Pioneer Mixer, professional audio mixer, professional dj equipment | Posted in DJ Tips | Comments Off
Own It With The Right DJ Headphones
The earphones you have are very important because they are part of your fashion. As a DJ, a trendy pair of earphones is as important as your laptop. Because when you’re DJing a party people look to you to be the coolest one there. They want to imitate you in style and so you have to set the trends. If you skimp on a cheap pair of headphones instead of the Pioneer headphone you really wanted, that will become manifest to those around you, and they will sense that you aren’t as self-confident as you could be and they won’t feel your grooves as hard.
They’ll be self-conscious because they’ll sense your self-consciousness. And that will impair the whole time. You may not even be invited back because the manager will see that people weren’t having as much fun as they should’ve been.
So next time you have a gig, dress your best, choose the best DJ headphones you have, and walk in there like you own the place, because as DJ, you’re setting the vibes for everyone to have fun. In a way, you do own the place, that is, if you’re working on the right wavelength and with the right Pioneer headphone.
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A Pioneer Mixer Makes a Difference
Mixing is important to a producer because it’s important to an audience. A properly mixed audio file just sounds better, and there’s no substitution. It’s a little bit like editing — it’s refining the product so that any crudities are filed away, so that the finished piece is smooth like marble, and like the sculptor’s smoothings, mixing can take a lot of time, usually more than the initial chisels that create the bold outline of a composition.
Indeed, music is a fine art. It takes talent, skill and perseverance to become good at it. And the fact is that the producer’s medium is grounded in technology. An excellent Pioneer mixer, for example, makes his life somewhat easier, it makes the final product fresher and better sounding. In the same way a more expensive mic produces better sound, the newest electronics also do. And while you can still make beautiful records with decent or even poor technology, it may make it easier to develop a following because the next guy’s Pioneer mixer will sound better than yours. So try to save up and get the newest electronics you can. And when it comes to having the best sound, remember not to let the bar owner mess with your levels.
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New Colors for Pioneer DJ Pro Audio
My friend is a DJ and producer. He’s been working on an album for the past six months and he’s about ready to have a release party for it. And of course he’s going to have to DJ it. But he’s been in bad need of Pioneer DJ pro audio for a while now. So I told him about the cool new colors Pioneer offers for its DJ digital media players. He hopped on it, and bought the brand new black CDJ-850-K. It came with free DJ headphones too, which is important because as a DJ you have to look cool while you’re working, or else people will feel that you’re not worth partying to.
So he’s working on the finishing touches, using his professional audio mixer to make the album sound pure and clean, which is a lot of work, but which will pay off in the long run. When you’re trying to make it in a very competitive market, it’s important to take that extra time to distinguish your product. And in the world of music production, professional audio equipment makes all the difference.
If you need any Pioneer DJ pro audio, you know it can’t wait. With the holiday season here, treat yourself.
Permalink | Tags: DJ headphones, Pioneer DJ, Pioneer DJ pro audio, professional audio equipment, professional audio mixer | Posted in DJ Equipment, DJ Tips | Comments Off
Portable PA Systems for DJs
If you’re a DJ, whether a beginner or seasoned veteran, you’ve been through this situation. Pumped up for a great night of music and dancing, you head out to the gig. The venue has said “No, no. Don’t worry, we’ve got a house system.” You get there and the “house system” turns out to be an old 5 disc CD changer hooked into an old, large, speaker with a broken tweeter.
You make it work, of course. That’s your job. But wouldn’t it be a lot less stress on you if you had professional dj equipment that you could count on? Wouldn’t it be nice to have equipment you were familiar with to make this gig the dance party of the year? Of course it would. That’s why, if you’re a DJ gigging in various spaces, you should consider getting yourself a trusty portable PA system. This ensures you know what you’re getting into before you even get to the venue. You’re aware of the quirks of the system and the capabilities. The hassle of hauling it to a gig is a lot less of a hassle than trying to play club songs on an antiquated system.
Never get stuck in that situation with the 5 disc CD changer or the 8-track player again. Who even uses mini-disks anymore? Definitely not you. Especially if you’ve got your own professional equipment.
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DJ Headphones and Everyday Practicality
This morning, I was waiting for the number 5 train and the most horrible thing happened. The train stopped and the brakes made the most horrendous noise! My hands actually involuntarily moved to my ears to block out the sound. It was then that I decided I needed to protect my ears a little better than I have been.
It got me thinking about my headphones, could I buy a pair of noise cancelling headphones that would keep that awful screeching sound out of my ears? I’m sure I could! But where to start? Well, if you want the best headphones, start looking at DJ headphones. Their whole livelihood depends on their ears, so they take really good care of them.
Also, my little in-ear buds are not padded like DJ headphones. I bet they would be more comfortable. And I really wouldn’t have to worry about them taking up too much space in my bag since they now sell collapsible ones that protect the headphones as much as they conserve space.
It might seem a little bit of overkill to get professional audio equipment for everyday use, but in the big, noisy city, it’s actually practical! I know what’s going on my Christmas list.
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