This book redefines what it means to be a DJ in the ever-evolving DJ world. Powerful computing combined with innovative design has provided the modern DJ with branching options for creative expression. Through description and example, readers are presented with fundamental tutorials as well as various creative performance configurations for three of the more popular audio software applications: Traktor Pro, Serato, and Ableton Live.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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The book has one of the best brief introductions to the DJ Culture, tracking it back to avante garde 20th century classical music, the Jamaican sound systems, and Hip Hop, House, and Techno developments. Following that, the three main software packages for laptop DJing, Traktor Pro, Serato Scratch Live, and Ableton Live are discussed in great detail, with enough information for anyone to get up and running from absolutely nothing. (The book has an associated website with additional information that also looked really good though I didn't use it extensively.) The book is hardware-neutral (Mac vs. PC, controllers, and "digital vinyl") and looks very much like other paperback textbooks for extension education classes or the like. Not the most beautiful book, but good, solid information. It should be able to take you from zero to fully functional---the artistry is up to you.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
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I went into this book with high hopes -- I've only really checked out one other book on DJing (which wasn't bad, though a bit brief), so I thought I knew what to expect with this book. And, indeed, this book starts out well, with a history of DJing, both as a playback medium and as a musical technique unto itself. Unfortunately, after that, it goes off a cliff.
I think this book is meant for someone who's already an experienced DJ, honestly, because it doesn't focus much on technique at all. Instead, it takes you through the basics in three different software packages (including Ableton Live), which is fine, but it sacrifices the techniques of DJing in the abstract. This is... not so good. It also short-changes anything that's noncommercial -- not a mention of even open formats like Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, suggesting that for lossless audio that the DJ use primarily raw WAV or AIFF. The fact that FLAC or Apple Lossless (which is seen in screen shots) don't even come up when they both save space and have identical sound quality to the original CD leads me to believe that the author doesn't know very much about digital music to begin with. I'm slightly more willing to forgive the lack of coverage of Linux and open source programs like Mixxx or IDJC, except that no mention is made of them at all.
I'm inclined to think this is a cash-in book and not a serious effort at music education. If I was teaching, say, a college-level class in turntablism, this book wouldn't be on my short list for textbooks. It's death by a thousand cuts, from an author who doesn't even seem to be qualified to be writing textbooks to begin with.
I think this book is meant for someone who's already an experienced DJ, honestly, because it doesn't focus much on technique at all. Instead, it takes you through the basics in three different software packages (including Ableton Live), which is fine, but it sacrifices the techniques of DJing in the abstract. This is... not so good. It also short-changes anything that's noncommercial -- not a mention of even open formats like Ogg Vorbis and FLAC, suggesting that for lossless audio that the DJ use primarily raw WAV or AIFF. The fact that FLAC or Apple Lossless (which is seen in screen shots) don't even come up when they both save space and have identical sound quality to the original CD leads me to believe that the author doesn't know very much about digital music to begin with. I'm slightly more willing to forgive the lack of coverage of Linux and open source programs like Mixxx or IDJC, except that no mention is made of them at all.
I'm inclined to think this is a cash-in book and not a serious effort at music education. If I was teaching, say, a college-level class in turntablism, this book wouldn't be on my short list for textbooks. It's death by a thousand cuts, from an author who doesn't even seem to be qualified to be writing textbooks to begin with.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Needless to say I was very disappointed after reading the book. A good party of the book had a history lesson on DJing which I really didn't need. I was more interested in the technical side of djing. If you happen to have the specific equipment the author discusses, it may be worth your effort, however, I had a different type of software and audio equipment. If I had known that, I wouldn't have purchased to book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
More vertical-market than I was hoping.
Jason Emsley, <strong>The Laptop DJ Handbook: Setups and Techniques for the Modern Performer</strong> (Course Technology, 2010)
Full disclosure: this book was... Read more
Full disclosure: this book was... Read more
Published 14 days ago by Robert P. Beveridge
A Good History Lesson but Not What I Was Expecting
I've been DJing using my laptop since the mid/late-90s. I got into DJ'ing apre-ski parties mostly because I hated the older music that was always being played and thought I could... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dougie Fresh
Move forward with technology, not against it.
Some of us are vinyl holdouts and while that is a beautiful thing, these is something to be said for being able to crate your essentials from gig to gig without needing more than... Read more
Published 10 months ago by NaughtiLiterati
A Great Book For Newbie Tractor Pro Users, For Ableton Live and Serato...
The author, Jason Emsley does a great job making you feel comfortable using Native Instruments' "Tractor Pro" software. At least half of the book is devoted to it. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Chris Damon
Don't bother
This is essentially an instruction manual on how to use the Native Instrument's Traktor software. I guess this should be no surprise because reading the acknowledgments section the... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Own One
It's A Trap!!!
I purchased this book around Mid-March 2011 in hopes of learning to become a DIGITAL DJ, but sadly it wasn't meant to be. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ink Drops
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