quick looping on CDJ800s

[bj9999]

Ive recently got two CDJ 800 mks2s and have been mucking around with the features.

If I have a fairly short remix of a song (ie 5 - 6 minutes) I have tried pressing the 8 bar loop when Ive been bringing it in, to extend the length of it.
The problem is that Im finding that though it will be perfectly beat matched the first time (and the tracks are at exactly the same speed), each loop is not an exact 8 bars and from the second loop it is immediately out of time, and gets worse and worse.

Does it not do perfect exact loops?? (its only been +1 or +2 on the tempo).

[chico_brisbane]

Have noticed it can be a little off. Try turning the master tempo off or try using the loop in/out function yourself then adjust it slighty if needed. I think it'll always be out the tiniest bit and a little nudge of the platter will fix this

[Neo_]

It will be the fact that you are not hitting the loop button at the start of the beat. You might think you are but you aren't.

Practice, practice, practice... Even guys like Zabiela stuff it up occasionally.

[richcur]

Never having tried it myself, is the 800 loop function based on time or bpm?

[littlebrains69]

With the 800's its best not to use the auto loop (especially if its on a track that your bringing in cause you have more time to get it right) - the best way to get the best loop is to stutter it on the 1st beat of the loop (hit pause with vinyl mode turned off and find start of the first beat) then press loop in. This will start the track playing again with the loop in point set where you had it stuttering, then press out when you think it is going to end, then out adjust to get it as close as you can to perfect. I've found that even at the best of times the loops with the 800's still need to be nudjged alittle to keep in time.

[gamblore]

I just used the auto 8 beat loop, but found sometimes it would be out, so I just adjusted the loop end point till it sounded smooth. Then a lot of the time I would pitch it up a fraction and when I would exit the loop, I would pitch it back down.

[Marc Us]

yep practice will fix that right up. dont relie too much on perfect loop function, use your ears, CDJ1000s dont have auto loop so u best practice making your own loops.

even 1000s cant get a perfect loop sometimes (75frames is still not enough, haha) so just adjust pitch slightly, i always mix on the +/-6% so it gives me 0.02% adjust which i prefer over 0.05% (of course CDJ800 dot have that tho)

[johnjay]

With the 800's its best not to use the auto loop (especially if its on a track that your bringing in cause you have more time to get it right) - the best way to get the best loop is to stutter it on the 1st beat of the loop (hit pause with vinyl mode turned off and find start of the first beat) then press loop in. This will start the track playing again with the loop in point set where you had it stuttering, then press out when you think it is going to end, then out adjust to get it as close as you can to perfect. I've found that even at the best of times the loops with the 800's still need to be nudjged alittle to keep in time.


hay i do this with teh cdj 800 mk11, but i have problems with setting the out point

1. I find the out beat in vinyl mode, but then when i press cue I cant adjust the out beat in cdj mode. How do u set the out point using the platter when cued?

Also how does the stutter sttuer work for the 8th beat i cant get my head aroudn this cdj stutter crap

[littlebrains69]

hay i do this with teh cdj 800 mk11, but i have problems with setting the out point

1. I find the out beat in vinyl mode, but then when i press cue I cant adjust the out beat in cdj mode. How do u set the out point using the platter when cued?

Also how does the stutter sttuer work for the 8th beat i cant get my head aroudn this cdj stutter crap

Yeh I use Mk11's as well. When its stuttering you just listen in the stutter for the first frame that you can hear the kick (suddenly the stutter gets lower or has more of a thump to it), then I take it one frame back from that.

One way of doing it (which I use is). You can press pause where you want the in point then find it and press loop in (and it will start playing again) then press pause where you want the out point and find it then press loop out (and it will start playing from the start of the loop). Then I listen to it once or twice to make sure its right. If you get the loop in point right at least you can always out adjust on an 800.


I ususally have vinyl mode on the CDJ turned on all the time, but I turn it off when I'm trying to make a precise loop so I can hear the stutter as I find this a little more accurate.

[johnjay]

the loop in point is easy


but the loop out adjust you have to manually press out

you cant actually fine tune the out point with the platter like you can with the in point

or can you?

[littlebrains69]

the loop in point is easy


but the loop out adjust you have to manually press out

you cant actually fine tune the out point with the platter like you can with the in point

or can you?

Yeh, as I said above. If instead of pressing the loop out you pause the track first and find exactly where you want it with the platter, you can then press loop out and it has made the perfect loop. once you hit loop out it will start playing again from the start of the loop.
So:
1) Press pause
*Stuttering* - Find loop in point
2) Press Loop In
*Music playing*
3) Press pause
*Stuttering* - Find loop out point
4) Press loop out
*Loop begins from your loop in point and reloops at your loop out point*

Then press cue and the loop is ready to be dropped when you need it.

Thats how I get my loops as close as I can to perfect. Just go give it a try. If your used to using vinyl mode to set cues it might take a while to get used to the stuttering.

[gamblore]

Yeh I use Mk11's as well. When its stuttering you just listen in the stutter for the first frame that you can hear the kick (suddenly the stutter gets lower or has more of a thump to it), then I take it one frame back from that.

One way of doing it (which I use is). You can press pause where you want the in point then find it and press loop in (and it will start playing again) then press pause where you want the out point and find it then press loop out (and it will start playing from the start of the loop). Then I listen to it once or twice to make sure its right. If you get the loop in point right at least you can always out adjust on an 800.


I ususally have vinyl mode on the CDJ turned on all the time, but I turn it off when I'm trying to make a precise loop so I can hear the stutter as I find this a little more accurate.

I tried this with the loop in point the other day and it's quite effective. Just remember when you are hearing that stutter, you want the very first sound of that beat your trying to start the loop at. Right at the start of the beat gets the correct spot.

You don't really need to adjust the loop out like that though, you can do it on the fly. Just hit the loop out button and if it's out adjust the loop by holding down the out button till it flashes, then slowly move the plater foward or back (depending if the loop is too short or too long) till the loop sounds smooth.

It can be done without the stutter, it's just practise. It is a lot quicker without doing the whole stutter thing as well. It's all in the timing of when you hit the button.

JohnJay and BJ, I know you guys are having a bit of trouble with your CDJ's now but your both new users of CDJ's but once you put a few hours into them, you will get a lot better at them and grow to love them, they just take getting used to.

the loop in point is easy

but the loop out adjust you have to manually press out

you cant actually fine tune the out point with the platter like you can with the in point

or can you?

If the loop in is easy, then the loop out should be the same yeah? I assure you, the loop in isn't easy, it's takes a lot of concentration, the same as the loop out button.

On the 800's you can adjust the loop out, but not the loop in. On the 1000's you can adjust the in and out point.

As I said before, the 800's can auto loop, you just have to find the loop in point. You can then adjust it from there if it's out.

[Axle Max]

Apologies for a bit of a hijack but I need help with a DJM 800 too and am a noob so can't start a new thread.

Can anyone help me out? I have just bought a new DJM 800. Basically I the lights on the master channel don't really get past the first two or three. Is there a way of adjusting the sensitivity to make the lights go further up the led guage?

[Majestyk]

the loop in point is easy


but the loop out adjust you have to manually press out

you cant actually fine tune the out point with the platter like you can with the in point

or can you?

It's more accurate to adjust the out point when the track is playing with the search button. It's way more precise.

[ChAbIb]

why would you want that? if the volume is ok just keep it at that. if not use either the trims on each channel or the master itself with the 800's when you turn the master volume up the leds go higher.

[Majestyk]

Apologies for a bit of a hijack but I need help with a DJM 800 too and am a noob so can't start a new thread.

Can anyone help me out? I have just bought a new DJM 800. Basically I the lights on the master channel don't really get past the first two or three. Is there a way of adjusting the sensitivity to make the lights go further up the led guage?

noob with an 800... lucky boy. My first mixer only had 2 band eq...

[Axle Max]

It just seemed odd. The speakers [dynaudio monitors] are blasting out but it is hardly registering on the master. The chanel leds are in the right place.

[gamblore]

Turn your speakers down and the master up! Geeze.

The 600 had a master gain screw on the back of the unit that could be used for this but don't know about the 800.

[ChAbIb]

he's got monitors 2. ive been djing for 3years and i just bought mi set of monitors last month. just buying good headphones and starting out with shit.

[Axle Max]

I'm only new to ITM champ not to DJing. Been going about two years and just upgraded from my first crappy set up to something liuke most clubs. Doesn't look like you guys have the answer though. Appreciate the feed back. Take care

[Majestyk]

The Answer to your initial question is easy. No it doesn't do a perfect loops. For a start the bpm it calculates is not perfect and also it can only do .01 second frames. The only way to make it perfect is, well it's impossible to make it perfect, but to get close, follow the suggestions made by the people on here. Also you'll have to watch the loop and pitch bend constantly to keep it in perfect time.

edit: wait that wasn't your question... I look like an idiot. Turn the speakers down and the master out up. Like gamblore said...

[ChAbIb]

oh ok no worries thought u were new to the whole thing. i got jealous lol. maybe ur mixer is fkd

[johnjay]

Yeh, as I said above. If instead of pressing the loop out you pause the track first and find exactly where you want it with the platter, you can then press loop out and it has made the perfect loop. once you hit loop out it will start playing again from the start of the loop.
So:
1) Press pause
*Stuttering* - Find loop in point
2) Press Loop In
*Music playing*
3) Press pause
*Stuttering* - Find loop out point
4) Press loop out
*Loop begins from your loop in point and reloops at your loop out point*

Then press cue and the loop is ready to be dropped when you need it.

Thats how I get my loops as close as I can to perfect. Just go give it a try. If your used to using vinyl mode to set cues it might take a while to get used to the stuttering.

thanks, now i can do perfect loops, step 3 and 4 is where i was fuking up.

I was pressing cue instead of pause, thanks again

Bascially this is how i do it now, and i can do perfect loops

1) In vinyl mode find the beat Press pause And when in pause change to cdj mode
*Stuttering* - Find loop in point
2) Press Loop In
*Music playing*
3) Change back to vinyl mode while playing Press pause then change back to cdj mode
*Stuttering* - Find loop out point
4) Press loop out
*Loop begins from your loop in point and reloops at your loop out point*

Just a q's, obviously when you find the loop in point you find the start of the beat BUT when you are trying to find the out point, do you find the end of the beat that is the point with no silence or the start of the beat with no silence, does it make a difference, logically you would have to find the end of the beat yeh but when i do te start of the beat it sounds better

[ChAbIb]

start of the beat

[gamblore]

Just a q's, obviously when you find the loop in point you find the start of the beat BUT when you are trying to find the out point, do you find the end of the beat that is the point with no silence or the start of the beat with no silence, does it make a difference, logically you would have to find the end of the beat yeh but when i do te start of the beat it sounds better

If you set a loop on the start of beat 1, then you have to set the out point at the start of the 5th beat. If you set the out point at the end of the 5th beat then you have 5 beats in a bar, which isn't cool! If you set the out point at end of the 4th beat, there will be no gap between the 4th and first beat, then it's going to be like:

bom, bom, bom, bombom, bom, bom, bombom, bom, bom, bombom, bom...

This is some other crazy time signature that won't work. So you need to set the in loop at the start of the beat, and the out loop at the start of the beat as well.

[johnjay]

thanks

so that means if you set a 4 beat loop, the 4th beat in effect is represented in the loop by the first beat?

makes sense

looping at the end of the 4th beat would sound like this

BOOM(1st beat),boom(2nd beat),boom(3rd beat),BOOM(end of 4th),BOOM(1st beat again),boom,boom,BOOM
and that BOOM/BOOM bit is where i'd fuk up

When really it should sound like this

BOOM(1st beat)boom(2nd),boom(3rd),BOOM(1st beat again but sounds like 4th beat), then boom again


got yah

thanks all

[johnjay]

see thats where i was fuking up with cdjs, with vinyl i cue the first beat or the 4th and find the chunkiest part of it that is the middle and let this part go when i hear the middle bit of the other tune. And i was doing this with cdjs aswell

and whenever i pressed play the beats would never locked

after setting the start of the beat instead of the centre, the two basially lock straight up, i cant believe how easy mixing on cdjs are

[Rem_labs_lost]

I'm only new to ITM champ not to DJing. Been going about two years and just upgraded from my first crappy set up to something liuke most clubs. Doesn't look like you guys have the answer though. Appreciate the feed back. Take care
turn ya trim and speakers down and ya master up...
and i just got cdj 800 mk2s and have found the loop function to be easy to use...

[Majestyk]

thanks

so that means if you set a 4 beat loop, the 4th beat in effect is represented in the loop by the first beat?

makes sense

looping at the end of the 4th beat would sound like this

BOOM(1st beat),boom(2nd beat),boom(3rd beat),BOOM(end of 4th),BOOM(1st beat again),boom,boom,BOOM
and that BOOM/BOOM bit is where i'd fuk up

When really it should sound like this

BOOM(1st beat)boom(2nd),boom(3rd),BOOM(1st beat again but sounds like 4th beat), then boom again


got yah

thanks all

That sounds wrong to me... So between beats theirs a gap. Loop in just before beat one, loop out just before beat 5. So it would be like this Boom (1st beat)-gap- Boom (2nd beat)-gap-Boom (3rd beat)-gap-Boom (4th Beat)-gap- Boom (1st beat again).

[johnjay]

whats even more confuing is between beats theres 3-4 frames of silence, which one do you use? the one right before you hear stutter stuter of the 4th beat? or the stutter stutter of the 3rd beat ending?

[Andrew Wowk]

This is easily solved with a piece of equipment called a redsounds loop module.

I think they retail for about $300.

Similar to the CDJ in that it has the 1/2/3/4/8/16 beat loop buttons, but it uses a different algorithm and also has higher bpm sensitivity so loops are practically perfect as long as you're remotely close to the beat when you hit the loop start button. Best toy ever.

[Majestyk]

whats even more confuing is between beats theres 3-4 frames of silence, which one do you use? the one right before you hear stutter stuter of the 4th beat? or the stutter stutter of the 3rd beat ending?
It's not confusing at all, you're just making it harder than it has to be. You take the frame just before the 5th beat as the end point. It's as simple as that. 4 beat loop means 4 full beats. Not hard. 1-2-3-4. Sorry but your posts are starting to get frustrating.

[DJ D one]

This is easily solved with a piece of equipment called a redsounds loop module.

I think they retail for about $300.

Similar to the CDJ in that it has the 1/2/3/4/8/16 beat loop buttons, but it uses a different algorithm and also has higher bpm sensitivity so loops are practically perfect as long as you're remotely close to the beat when you hit the loop start button. Best toy ever.

Would you connect the unit between player and mixer, would you connect it between mixer and amp, would you connect it to send/receive? Or would you buy 2...it is an interesting little device, I have heard about it for a while but wonder how it goes...

The thing is when you do a loop on a CDJ, the music actually don't go any further, but with this unit...I imagine the player would still go on and the music elapsing while the loop on the unit is going on...is it right?

D1

[Majestyk]

Just checked it out. Looks like you connect it from the headphone out on your mixer and then plug your headphones into the unit, then connect it to a spare channel on your mixer...

[Andrew Wowk]

Would you connect the unit between player and mixer, would you connect it between mixer and amp, would you connect it to send/receive? Or would you buy 2...it is an interesting little device, I have heard about it for a while but wonder how it goes...

What Majestyk said.

The thing is when you do a loop on a CDJ, the music actually don't go any further, but with this unit...I imagine the player would still go on and the music elapsing while the loop on the unit is going on...is it right?

D1

Just hit pause at the end of the 4, 8 whatever beats you wanna capture so the track isn't playing anymore, jsut the loop. Like doing a feedback loop on and EFX-1000

[DJ D one]

^^Thanks guys, I think I need a 4 channel mixer though...

[Majestyk]

^^Thanks guys, I think I need a 4 channel mixer though...

If you've got a spare line input on one of the channels you can use that and switch it from phono to line when needed...