I’m a digital DJ, and I like to use all of the tools at my disposal to make mixing music more interesting, varied and easier. There’s been a debate bubbling along in the digital DJing world since pretty much day one about the ‘sync button’. For those that don’t know, this is a button, present in virtually all DJing software, that when pressed synchronises the speed and timing of the incoming track with the playing track, so theoretically doing away with the need for manual beatmatching. Supporters say it leaves the DJ free to do other, more exciting stuff rather than wasting valuable time getting two tracks lined up and at the same speed. On the flipside, people argue that it’s taking the skill out of DJing, and making it too easy - even going as far to say it’s not real DJing if you’re letting the computer do all of the work.
For years, I’ve been firmly on the pro-sync side, but recently I had a partial change of heart… a Sync-epiphany even. Now I started off DJing on vinyl, and so learnt to beatmatch the traditional, 'hard' way. Beatmatching is genuinely difficult and confusing when you first start to learn, but I’ll always remember that buzz I got when it all clicked into place, when my brain suddenly understood what it had to do, and once you’ve nailed it, it’s a skill that never really goes away. But then I went digital, and the sync button took that time consuming step away, freeing me up to search for the next track, or play with some effects, or whatever. With sync, you can mix more freely and do tricks like never before, slamming in a new track with a few seconds’ notice, perfectly in time, every time.
But what I didn’t realise was that despite the liberation that sync gave, it took me further away from the music, and actually ended up limiting my development and enjoyment of the DJing craft. I became lazy, knowing that my tracks would automatically be perfectly aligned. I became restless, with little else to do than bang in track after track, chopping and changing every few minutes because I didn’t have much else to do. Ultimately, I became bored, and for a while DJing seemed pointless and devoid of any purpose.
Shifting my focus towards funky music started to throw up some problems on the sync front - auto sync is all well and good when you’re playing House with its nice regular drum machine generated beats, but a lot of the old Disco and Funk that I started listening to was drummed by hand and so wasn’t at a constant tempo, so sync is of limited use for these. This caused me to rethink my strategy and brush up on my beatmatching skills, just so I could work these tunes into my sets. So I bought a jogwheel equipped controller, deactivated sync and removed the visual guides that I’d come to rely on such as the phase meter and BPM readout, and jumped back in.
The difference was dramatic, and pretty unexpected. By turning off the autopilot, I suddenly had to think again, and actually listen to the music. It made me feel like a real DJ for the first time in ages. It’s weird, but it’s as if having that connection to the music through the jogwheel and pitch fader bought me closer to the music; my role was active again after previously being just a glorified spectator. And sharpening up those beatmatching skills (which like riding a bike you never really lose, but they can get rusty over time) made me less afraid to play those amazing old tunes that don’t have a perfectly constant tempo. And I’ve come to appreciate that sync doesn’t always get it right - beatgrids aren’t always perfect, and a DJ should always trust their ears above everything else. Having a bit of natural tempo drift isn’t always a bad thing; everything being mechanically and rigidly perfectly in time 100% of the time can be.
So now I’m occupying this middle ground between the promoters and the detractors of auto sync. I still use it, but I try not to become overly reliant on it. Some days sync suits me, but other times I keep it more for emergencies, and try to keep a large percentage of my practising restricted to manual beatmatching so I can keep my skills sharp. That way, although I might rely on sync more at a gig, I know I’ll be able to fall back on to CDs if I hit any technical problems. There’s nothing wrong with auto sync at all, but I firmly believe that all DJs should at least be able to manually sync two tracks together, if only for the increased closeness to the music that you get from having to manipulate it with your hands. It’s fun!
There’s lots more about Sync mixing on one of my favourite sites, the excellent Digital DJ Tips…
www.digitaldjtips.com/tag/using-the-sync-button/
www.digitaldjtips.com/2013/02/how-to-move-past-select-sync-djing/
www.digitaldjtips.com/tag/sync-button/
Where do you stand on this? Does it matter? Is it cheating?! Let me know in the comments!
