Author: DJ GodsOwn

So I recently have been using a Numark controller just to check it out and try out jog wheels again. I started on my Numark Mixtrack Pro 1 back in 2018 and I had a lot of fun using it at the time, but I was new and green as all get out. I quickly upgraded controllers and eventually landed on a DDJ-SX2. I got some turntables as a gift from my brother and I loved using the moving platters. I’ve been a two turntables and a mixer type DJ for the longest time now. Trying the jog wheels recently, its a lot easier to do different scratches on them than it was previously. The crossfader on the Numark controller isn’t very good, but it’s serviceable.

I’ve noticed that when coming back to moving platters after scratching on the jog wheels, that my scratching on that is a lot better. It’s almost like being hampered by the poor crossfader and static jog wheels, helped my ability with a proper crossfader and moving platters. I’m going to record some scratching I’ve done recently and put it up on my Youtube page, just to show viewers how much further I’ve come in my ability. There’s still a TON of scratches I need to learn, but the ones I know I’ve gotten pretty nice with.

I think any DJ that has been DJing on turntables for a while, that likes to scratch, could benefit from picking up a cheapo jog wheel controller with an average crossfader on it. Play around on it from time to time, and I bet they’ll notice that their scratching is better when using their normal setup. Also, its very important to do exercises that help with scratching. I have a wrist/forearm machine that works pretty well and is helping me get stronger in those areas. When I use it, it’s a lot easier to scratch I’ve noticed. Some DJs don’t believe it helps to exercise, but DJ Rob Swift from the Executioners told me on Twitter (X) when I messaged him about it that it does help.

That’s about all I wanted to say on that, I’ve updated the scenes and transitions on my Twitch stream, so make sure you check me out at www.twitch.tv/3rdEyeViZi0n . I plan on streaming on there a bit more often, even after I start my new job. Me and my bro Aaron are planning on doing a podcast on Youtube as well, so I’ll post that on here as well when it jumps off. Stay blessed, stay focused, and don’t sweat the small stuff. L8r!

Hey what’s up readers.. I just wanted to post an update. My birthday was last week and I had a nice time. I just hung out at home with my wife, but we went to the record shoppe and she let me get some records without scolding me about it. I didn’t spend that much, but I got some cool vinyl that I’m happy with. I also got a book from my brother about making beats. I haven’t started reading it yet, as I am still reading another book he bought me called “Dilla Time” which is about the life and rising of the legendary producer J-Dilla.

That book has been an amazing read so far, as it delves not only into how he got on, but it talks about some music theory stuff as well. There’s a lot I didn’t realize about J-Dilla, and how he really changed the game when it comes to the way producers look at music. Did you know that that Janet Jackson song, “Got til it’s gone” was ripped off from J-Dilla’s style of beat-making by Jimmy Jam? Jam heard a song from Slum Village Fan-Tas-Tic Vol 2 and went into the studio to try and reproduce it for a song he was doing for Janet. You can really hear it when you go back and listen to the song… it’s in J-Dilla’s signature time signature.

I uploaded a beat I had on my SP 404 mk2 for a while to my Bandcamp page. It was a decent track, but I may need to re-record it and arrange it a bit better. I’m still working on my beat tape and I only have one more song I need to record then I’ll get it up on my DistroKid account. I got a new job that I start on October 2nd which is pretty cool. It’s in IT again and I’m going to approach it as professionally and methodically as I can. I’m learning to code Python right now, and it’s very interesting. Hopefully this job is a good place to work and I can get my work life balance back in order.

Other than that I have just been chilling and looking for work up until finding this new job. I feel healthy and I’m doing the things I need to do to stay that way. I’m going to start walking again and once I start my new job, I’ll have more money to buy healthier foods like fruits and vegetables more regularly. I want to start rhyming on some of my tracks, so stay tuned for that. I have a better mic on the way that I found on a great deal online. Once I get it hooked up, I’ll write a few verses to one of my beats and see how it goes. To you reader, stay blessed and keep marching on. L8r!

The morning commute is shrouded in fog

There’s a chill in the air as I take off my bog

The headlights reflect off the mist that is white

Making navigation tricky and sometimes a fright

The streetlights are but beacons of hope

I hope other drivers are not high on dope

The bus stop yet offers the shelter of trees

Where a few souls gather from the cold and the breeze

I muster the courage and take my first step

Away from the fog, my car slowly crept

The headlight guides me, its a haze of light

Through it all I gain hope and look toward the night

The fog is thick but I know where I’m going

And I can make it through this dull weekday morning

It’s a hard journey but I know I can do it

Turning into my works driveway, I knew I’d get through it.

So I’ve decided that regardless whether or not I am working a regular job, I’m going to start hitting the MPC One and SP404mk2 a bit harder in the coming days and weeks. I need to make more beats and I’m just about complete with my “beat tape”. I just need to make some finishing touches on a couple of them and remove some vocals I decided I don’t want in one of them. Life is short and I would hate to check out and not have put as much time into my music as possible.

I’ve been messing around with different DJ software a lot lately, so that has taken up a lot of my time, but I also admit that I gel and watch Twitch and Youtube a bit too much. I also need to complete this AI programming class I purchased a couple of weeks back. I have a blank notebook ready for me to take notes from the class. I just need to take the time and start watching the videos and lectures. I’m going to try and maybe spend an hour or two in the morning each day on that class. I’ll get up extra early like around 3 or 4 am to do that, then I’ll have the whole day ahead of me.

With my beats, at the very least I need to spend more time with them on the weekends and continue to try and get better. I was getting to a nice level and really doing some more intricate stuff with them, but I have to make sure I stay on it so I don’t forget the little tactics and tricks I was learning. I’ll try to make some beats in between looking for work tomorrow, and hopefully I can find a job very soon which will definitely force me into being a bit more efficient with my time. I remember when I was working at my last job, I was cranking out music because I wanted to make the most of the free time I had available.

I know a lot of people suffer from getting sucked into Youtube videos for hours, or Twitch streams. I see other people’s videos online talking about it. I know my wife has that happen to her, and she’ll even stay up until the wee hours of the morning watching Youtube. It’s addictive, and we’ve pretty much rid ourselves of regular TV in favor of those types of platforms. We have Netflix and Prime video, but no cable or cable-esque type services. Hopefully I can make the change and put more time into my music. Til next time…

I’m excited to get a new job. I’ve grown even more as a person since my last job, and I’m excited to work again. These last couple of years in general have been really eye opening for me and I’d like to put some of the principles and things I’ve learned into use in the work place. I understand its not going to be perfect, and that is fine. I’m the type of person that needs a work play balance. I can’t enjoy my “play” time if I haven’t put in a sufficient amount of “work” time.

Hopefully GOD will send the right job with the right people my way and it will be somewhere I can work and be of help to the company for some time to come. I would like to work in a fully remote position, but it doesn’t seem like the “universe” is going to allow that, so I’ll just take that for what it is. I hope I can get a job where I can get time off in the future. Next summer I’d like for my grandson to come visit us for a week and it would be nice to just hang out and us focus on him for the entire week. I’ve noticed a lot of companies have switched over to allowing people to have unlimited PTO, which I think is a great concept. As long as people don’t abuse it, which I doubt most would, it lets you be able to take adequate time off to spend with family, take care of a move and important things like that.

I’ll report on here when I find a job and how it goes when I’m working at it. Til next time…

The fires in Maui are so terrible. I pray that all the people they’ve found dead died from smoke inhalation and not being burned to death. That’s such a horrible death none of them deserve. Prayers up that the people their can rebound and get their community back to where it was quickly. Prayers up for those missing and for the families of those already confirmed deceased. When things like this happen, its a horrible situation, but all people can do is try to come back stronger. Have a blessed day!

So it’s no secret that Pioneer DJ overcharges for their products. They aren’t as bad as Technics, but they can still be a bit outrageous. The DJM-S11, which for all intents and purposes is pretty similar to the Rane 72 Mk2, costs $200 more than the Rane does. Its not built with an all metal construction like the Rane is, and the Rane has more sturdy effects levers as well. Pioneer uses plastic in their mixer builds for the most part so there really is no justifiable reason for the price hike, other than the fact that the product has the Pioneer name on it.

They are coming out with a new DJ turntable which looks very nice. It’s an analog digital hybrid turntable that doesn’t require control vinyl or Phase or anything like that to use Serato DJ pro or Rekordbox DJ in a DVS type orientation. It has cue pads on it that have a lot of the modes you’d want access to on it, including stems separation. It’s a very cool turntable, but at $1400 it costs way too much. Sure 2 of those turntables still cost as much as one Pioneer CDJ-3000, but the CDJs Pioneer sells are vastly overpriced as well. You can get a Denon “motorized” player for much less than a Pioneer “static” CDJ and it has way more features on it, including the motorized platter which gives the feel of using vinyl.

Pioneer makes amazing gear I will say that, but I don’t know why they choose to eliminate so many people from being able to purchase their products. If they lowered the price of that new turntable by $600, it would be accessible and reasonable for a LOT more people. Sure there will be those that buy it, but for the most part, the average DJ can’t justify spending that much on a turntable when something like the Reloop 8000 mk2 exists for only $799. It doesn’t have timecode built into it, but it does have pads and lets you do different pad modes in Serato DJ Pro among other cool features.

I would really like to see Pioneer stop gouging the DJ market with their insane pricing on their products. They could make so much more money if they priced things at the borderline of what most DJs would be tempted to buy their gear at. In a world where people are opting for Spotify or Tidal playlists over hiring a DJ, its harder for a lot of DJs to get “gigs” these days that pay a reasonable price. Also, the DJ market is oversaturated with DJs who learned how to DJ very quickly on a controller and are quite competent at it. There’s so much competition, that it can be hard for a DJ to land a gig at the rate they want to charge for it. Some of the newer DJs will undercut so much that you can’t compete. How do you expect DJs in a market like that to be able to afford such high priced gear?

Personally, I can’t see them making much of a profit off only clubs or events buying the gear. DJ equipment is a niche market as it is, and to price things so highly only makes your product even more niche. Hopefully, the poor sales of this product will prompt them to bring the price down and reconsider how they price their products moving forward. DJs love new innovative gear, but not if you have to sell a kidney on the dark web to afford it. Get it together Pioneer….

So I’m doing a new series on my Youtube channel called “Serato Sessions”. Its where I use my DVS turntable setup to play a curation of select songs in Serato DJ Pro. I just record the session and then upload it later. I’ve only done one so far, and I’ve already made a playlist for number two which I’ll do later today once the neighbors wake up (don’t want to disturb them..).

The reason I’m doing it is because I tend to get caught up with practicing beat juggling or scratching without really playing all the music I have access to. I play music here and there just to listen to it, but a true DJ plays a set of songs at a time and mixes, blends, and scratches to make it a unique experience. I want to start practicing the full craft so this is a good way to get that done. I’ll do them pretty often so I can stay up on it.

I’m looking forward to building up a good video playlist of the different Serato Sessions, so I can look back in the future and see how I’ve improved. I want to play obscure songs as well as some hits, so I use Tidal streaming and find music on there to add to a playlist which appears on my laptop in Serato DJ pro and I can just load the songs from the Tidal playlist and mix them. The first session went well, and I’m looking forward to doing the second one later today. Here is the link to the playlist if you’re interested in checking them out as time goes on: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOR6C2Ja9uaFtOPUy8KMvdn-6PDdMxrSb

Take care of yourself and enjoy your life. L8r!

So I’ve had some Gemini PT 2000 II decks that my brother gave me as a birthday gift one year for a while now. At least 4 -5 years. They didn’t come with turntable feet on them, which made them hard to get level in the DJ coffin they’ve been in. It also effects the “isolation” of the sound from the decks when playing analog vinyl. Turntable feet can be very expensive online, especially when you need 8 total for two turntables. I finally found some used feet online at an amazing price and they came in last week. They fit perfect and my decks are now in full effect. I’m pretty stoked about it. I was able to take the wooden boards I had cut at Home Depot out of he DJ coffin, and use the feet to get each deck level. I have vinyl record weights that also double as bubble levels to get the deck level.

With the feet I got, I am able to turn them to a certain length and use the bubble level to get each deck as flat as possible. I just posted a video on my Youtube channel doing a mini-review of the PT 2000 IIs again just to let people know how dope they are as DJ decks. They are better than the Technics 1200 mk2 in terms of feature set and they are just as bullet proof. They have higher torque as well. If I get a chance to play out anywhere, I’ll probably take these decks out with me instead of my super OEM decks. The super OEMs are better than the PT 2000 IIs across the board, and they costed me about $1k for the both of them about 4 years ago. The Gemini decks are classic, but I’d feel more comfortable bringing them in front of people if I played out somewhere.

I haven’t enabled comments yet, but when I talk about something where I really want to hear other peoples’ opinions on the matter, I will. Take care, be blessed, and enjoy your life! BTW I just completed my final infusion treatment this past Friday, and now I’ll just take medication at home until next year. Prayers up I’m fine and I’ll be moving forward with life. Peace to you and stay up!