Week 10 - Scratching and Mixing

I was looking for inspiration for the performance side of our project. I tried listening to various DJs, but it was hard to visualize what they were doing during their sessions. So I went to YouTube and searched for DJ videos. I came across DJ Qbert, who I had heard of, but never really appreciated how much of a genius he is until I watched his videos.



This video of him displays his ability of scratching. Using his turntable as an instrument, he is able to put out great scratches. Horrible scratches usually end up sounding like noise. On top of what DJ Qbert produces, he also has great showmanship. We hope that our project applies enough embodiment that we can concentrate on our performance.

Here is another video of DJ Qbert drumming with a record. It is a pre-recorded drum beat, but he scratches it in a way that he is able to create new beats.



DJ Qbert is a great example of what scratching is, but our patch involves more mixing than scratching. Our piezo sensor is supposed to "simulate" scratching, but I'm having second thoughts about using it after researching more about scratch techniques.

Mixing is when DJs have two sound sources and they mix between the two to create a new sound. On the The Beat radio station, during rush hour there is a show called the "5 O'Clock Traffic Jam" where DJ Flipout mixes through a whole playlist of songs. The mixing takes place mostly in the transitions between songs. Good DJs are able to do this so seemlessly that listeners don't notice when songs are switched and one track of music is created. When listeners can tell when songs are transitioned because the entire rhythm got thrown off.

Our output is going to simulate this type of mixing. Obviously it won't be flawless, but we're excited to see what we can create.