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as many of you know most djs later take up the task to produce their own music. how many here produce and dj or might make that transition one day?

i dj, and have try'd a little producing using mainly fruityloops. making simple little beats and melodies isnt too hard but i cant find many good samples, any suggestions??

it was a natural progression, to go from just playing the music to making my own. basically when you dig alot you inevitably find dope samples and wanna do your own thing with 'em.

I work with a producer right now who does mostly drum n bass but some Hip-Hop. He uses Reason and says that it's really easy. I also think that it's just a natural transition. Once you get into dj'n you either know or learn so much about music and things such as rythms, bars, and other musical terms. It's alwasy a great progression if you want to go that route. I would love to do that but as for now, just focusing on my turntables.....


Some day though. Shit, skies the limit. :wink:

I started off trying to dj...but I really gave it up in favor of making beats. (I still scratch but I'm not trying to play parties or anything). Like others have said, it's a natural progression. And I think it really is beneficial to start off djing. Not only will you come into it with much of the necessary equpment, but you'll come into it with a much better understanding of how a record is supposed to be constructed. And I don't think it's a coincidence that just about all of the best producers are djs or were djs.


Peace

I am also a producer/dj, I started off with a keyboard and learnt how to play riffs, which is very handy for a producer, cause you don't have to go looking for samples, and you don't have to pay for sampling royalties. Learning to play by ear is also very handy, so that if I come up with something in my head, I can easily lay it down on a track. I would also like to take this moment to say that, anyone who JUST uses a computer to make their music is NOT a producer. A real producer applies his own artistic qualitys to the music. I also don't believe in sequencers either. Don't get me wrong, I use a computer, but I don't JUST use a computer. The key to being a good producer, is that, you should be able to take anything that makes a sound and put it on a track.

there are some producers who have only pcs, or very little equitment etc to make their tracks who make good music

Peace Y'all

To answer the question... I DJ and Produce. And yes its kinda like a natural progression to make the transition. In my opion, a true DJ will never become a producer and stop being a DJ. I say that in dealing with the traditional sense of what a producer is. The industry has changed tremedously over the last decade+half and DJs, I think had a lot to do with it.

Traditionally, a producer is the person responsible for the creation/completion i.e. producing, of a Finished product. She is the one that makes sure time is not wasted in the studio, that all parties involved are on point and ready to put their best efforts forward. The producer is the driving force behind getting $#!+ done. Thats a producer in a traditional sense.

Now fastforward to today, the term producer is used a little bit loosely. Why? The DJ! A DJ is that one that listens tirelessly for hours on in and out on quality material and not-so-quality material. Its sorta like an autonomous induction into producership. What happens is after awhile, the DJ gets a sense of whats good and whats not. Again, the producer make sure the everything is on point. A DJ true to his roots is all about being on point. Like the MC, you cannot exhibit bull*ish. So now the DJ is initiated in this new realm of producership. I say new realm because, as mentioned earlier, the term producer is use very loosely as compared to tradition. An to not take away from people who consider themselves a producer-traditionale, I want to make that distinction. The term producer as its used today is a mixture of a DJ, Composer, and Producer. When I sit down and create a track, I'm drawing on the experience I'm gained over all these years. Most times its justs me. From start to finish, Its is all me in making the product. That, people, is producing, Solo Style. Now you can begin to see why this new realm is taking hold of the Industry.

Now to not be lopsided, I want you, the DJ/Producer, to consider this. You must have respect for the Producer-Traditionale, to have respect for that entity, you must walk in that entitie's shoes. Or at a minimum observe a "True Producer" at work. Get in the studios and learn as much as you can about whatever job you want to do. Talk to folk. The more you expose yourself the more material(grey-matter) you'll have to divuldge and process to strengthen your foundation in whatever it is you set out to do.

I think the biggest thing is just being true to self and true in your dealings. In the end, I think you'll find that everyone that contributes to a production is a producer in some form. The key to remember is that this industry is all about business. In business there is the concept of "Owenership". Everyone involved must "own-up" or be responsible for a particular task. In business, labels(titles), are used to differentiate who is responsible for what. Producer happens to be one of the many tiltles used in the music industry to denote what a person is responsible for.

And there you have it. I know many of yall were not expecting such a response but as you can see, I like to write as well. This is how I see things so if there are more seasoned folk out there that find faults in my expressions, by all means hit a brother up. Again, its all about exposing oneself and communication. And by the same token, don't just take my word on face value. Examine and validate for yourself. Its part of the learning process.

Easy,
-Yah

Well I used to DJ house parties and play what people wanted, but I got tired of that so I went into producing some tracks. Since I couldn't afford to buy the sampling drum machines or keyboards, I decided to try Fruityloops and so far it's done it's job. I still have my technics and my mixers, but doing everything on the PC is getting easier and easier everyday. You can sample, record, mix, sequence, and edit tracks on the PC with little work. So for me it was inevitable to go into producing since my turntabling skills weren't leet. There's my 2 cents.