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DOA/SERATO MIX SERIES #1: A-SIDES (UK)
With Serato's Scratch Live program, the boundaries that seemingly surrounded the DJ set have been blown to bits. No longer are DJs having to carry x amount of crates to a gig, nor are they having to spend loads of their hard-earned money on acetate dubplatess or getting tunes pressed on vinyl for gigs. They can take their newest creations (or the hottest tracks that were just passed to them via AIM), throw it into this magical program, and voila!, their set has just been opened up for all kinds of excursions. In 2009, Dogs On Acid and Serato are teaming up to help get the word out on Scratch Live through a series of features involving Drum & Bass DJs using Scratch Live, speaking to us about their experience, and ultimately churning out a sick mix for the massive out there...
One of the more prolific Drum & Bass producers and DJs, A-Sides, sat down with us to give his take on Serato's Scratch Live program, including helpful tips and hints for DJs who want to get the most out of this dynamic product. And to help start this mix series off right, A-Sides steps up to the decks and drops a seriously massive mix entirely in Scratch Live...
DOA: How did you first find out about Serato's Scratch Live software?
A-Sides: I took the leap into the digital world about 5 years ago, and was first using Final Scratch; a few people told me about Scratch Live. A friend of mine had it in his store in Canada, and I checked it out and picked it up instantly. I've never looked back since.
DOA: What was it about using Scratch Live that excited you at first?
A-Sides: I loved the fact that it was a lot more stable than Final Scratch, and the fact that it never needed to be calibrated before each gig. That saved time in setting up; also, the fact that if you wanted to do something like disconnect a phono cable, it was not prone to crashing.
 I also loved the fact that it had 3 playback modes. There's an internal mode where you can play using just the software to control what you are doing, but you still need to have the hardware attached to use this mode. This mode also comes in handy if you are having playback issues with a deck, because you can just drop into internal mode, which will allow you to continue playing while you clean the dust off your needle or tweak cables. I also use this mode if I want to play with one turntable - for instance, you can set the left deck in Scratch Live to "internal mode", then select a feature called "instant doubles", and then play your first track; once it is playing, use a key command and instantly bounce that track to the internal deck in Scratch Live, slide over the crossfader on your mixer (making sure the parameters are the same), and it will free up your turntable to cue your next mix, then repeat the same process.
I find a lot of people will play in absolute mode as well, which acts just like a normal record would. If you drop the needle half way through, the control vinyl you will play half way through the track currently loaded. It's simple and straightforward.
I tend to play in relative mode, which is where things get interesting as it will only recognize backwards and forward movement, not the position you drop the needle to on the control vinyl. This mode is really handy when it comes to using loops within your MP3s, or jumping direct to cue-points, which you can do by hitting a key on your laptop, or you can needle drop to a certain cue-point using the control vinyl if you activate needle-drop mode. Another big plus with relative mode is the fact that the needle will never skip because it only sees forward and backward movement; this also comes in handy on a bouncy stage or for scratch DJs.
DOA: Prior to using Serato, were you a strictly vinyl/acetate DJ, or had you rotated CDJs into your setup?
A-Sides: I dabbled in other things; at first, I was strictly vinyl, then almost strictly acetates, but that's an expensive hobby. I was spending half of my wages on cutting dubs, plus destroying my back lol. The first people I saw using a CDJ were Dillinja and Lemon D at valve in Brighton; that made me start to explore other options. I picked up a set of Denon DNS 5000's because they had the rotating platters, but they never lasted for long because I discovered Final Scratch (and then Scratch Live), and the Denons went onto eBay!
DOA: How long did it take you to adjust to going from carrying bins full of music to now just grabbing your laptop or external to your DJ gigs?
A-Sides: I remember my first laptop gig in Reykjavik in Iceland. It was a strange experience and took a few months to get used to working differently and build up confidence, but then you adapt to things, and now I wouldn't have it any other way really.
 DOA: Would you say there's a learning curve involved in getting used to Serato? Do you have any tips for DJs who might be new to the software and are having any kind of problems adjusting to it?
A-Sides: For sure; it takes time to learn how to use Scratch to its full extent. Still to this date, there are functions I am just getting to grips with, plus the software is being updated all the time, adding new features, but that’s a good thing. As for tips, I would say try and keep your library well organized. I make a folder called Scratch Live on my desktop, then have folders within that for each genre, and within each genre, I have a folder for each artist and from there I drag the MP3s onto my crates in Scratch Live. It's good to build overviews as well, because that will give you the full waveform of each track, plus bitrate, BPM, etc.
Try to do a sound check at the venue if you have a live gig to make sure they don't have any dodgy decks. If a channel is down on a turntable, Scratch Live will not work. If you have any playback issues live, drop the deck into internal mode and check the cables; also, disconnect the headshell and give the connectors a lick. People look at me like I'm crazy for doing this, but it can work if there's bad contacts! Remember, if your tune plays backwards, then you have the left and right channels mixed up. I have seen instances where clubs have had decks rewired, and they have wired the left and right channels the wrong way. I would also invest in a decent set of needles, I recommend Shure or Ortofon.
DOA: We've all heard stories about people mismatching equipment (turntables, etc.), and this further hampering their use of Serato. Do you have any suggestions on an ideal-setup for anyone trying to utilize Serato to the fullest?
A-Sides: Personally, I would recommend running it on a Macbook or Macbook Pro, and try and get a 250GB internal hard drive so you have a lot of space for your library to expand. I just have 1 gig of RAM, and it's never given me any problems. I would recommend Technics turntables, and for a mixer, I would recommend the Rane TTM57SL. I have one of these and they are incredible, and it actually has Scratch Live built inside, so there’s no need to buy the SL1 hardware. The software can also be fully controlled by the mixer as well, plus it can record your sets real-time, and you can playback MP4/video if you purchase the Video-SL software.
DOA: If you could sit with the developers of Scratch Live to give some input on future releases, what ideas would you suggest to them?
A-Sides: I actually do this all the time, but the main thing I would like to see is onboard 3-band EQ and a louder output, please, and lets have some bluetooth needles, somebody, so we don't have to mess around with so many cables. It's not a lot to ask huh? lol
DOA: Now, in utilizing Serato, and being the talented DJ that you are, we imagine you're holding your own on the club circuit. Do you have any dates lined up, any club residencies, etc.?
 A-Sides: At the moment, I am midway through my New Zealand/Australia tour, and have the following dates approaching:
05.02 - Christchurch
12.02 - Sydney
13.02 - Melbourne
14.02 - Brisbane
20.02 - Perth
21.02 - Auckland
After that, I am heading back to Miami for the Winter Music Conference and have dates lined up there for 25th, 27th and 28th of March. I don’t have much planned out after that, but I have all my forthcoming booking on my MySpace page.
DOA: We hear you're going to be mixing the forthcoming Allsorts CD compilation for Twisted Individual – how did that come about? What can heads expect from this project?
A-Sides: I've been working on project with Twisted for a few years now. I gave him a track for Grid called "Pick Up The Pieces" and he remixed "Tear The Roof Off" for Eastside, and then I sent him a track called "Just Be" that I made with Deeizm, which he signed to Allsorts and had Influx UK remix. The mix came from that, really. It is already done, and I am really happy with the outcome. It has a variety of styles coming from Twisted's labels (Zombie, Grid and Allsorts). There's some jump up on there, some liquid funk on there, some nice rollers and some harder stuff.
DOA: Word is also that you’re dabbling in non-DnB genres, from DJing Hip-Hop or "Electronica" sets to starting up the Basshead Music label. Do you ever see yourself getting as big in these scenes as you are in Drum & Bass?
A-Sides: I have always had a love and passion for Hip-Hop, it's really my roots. I love listening to and playing all types of music, and I am enjoying playing more alternative DJ sets, but this is just as a sideline and not my main goal. I don't expect to be as successful in this as I am with Drum & Bass, plus it's not unfamiliar these days for Drum & Bass DJs to branch out into other genres. People like Marcus Intalex, Breakage, Doc Scott and Total Science do it all the time.
The new label, Basshead, is looking like it will do well, and it is possible that it will be bigger than Eastside from a sales point, plus we are trying to keep that label more high profile, but it will be treated in the same way as Eastside: with TLC :)
DOA: We spoke to Break recently, and he mentioned that he wanted to get back in the studio to finish some of the tunes you guys worked on. Any plans on tracks with him coming out in the near future? What about any other projects with producers like Makoto and Silver?
A-Sides: Yeah, me and Break really do need to get back into the studio again lol; we have been promising for the last 2 years, but it's not happened since I have been all over the globe and he has moved to Bristol, but we shall nail it! I have just completed a 4-track EP with Makoto and worked on a track with Silver for his Dance Dance Dance album. I am also working on my material with Nathan Haines under the Sci-Clone guise, and plan on future collaborations with KJ Sawka, Marky, Spirit, Hive and Goldie, and I would love to work with Calibre again at some point.
DOA: What's on the schedule for your Eastside imprint? Any plans on another artist album from you?
A-Sides: Right now, I am only releasing my own material on Eastside, and collaborations. You can expect the EP from myself and Makoto, a remix of "Tokiado" by Spirit, plus, at some point, a collaboration single between myself and Break. I also plan to release a joint label collaboration with C.I.A which will feature the Total Science remix of "What U Don't Know". I am thinking about working on a new album. It's about that time, I think, and I really enjoyed making the last one.
DOA: There's also some chatter about a Sci-Clone live show. Can you divulge any info on this?
A-Sides: I can indeed; I have been back in the lab and rebuilt all of the old Sci-Clone tracks, and put together a live set. It's totally flexible, so we can do a live set with myself and Nathan playing horns/flute, or add additional musicians. We played at Sun & Bass and had Mike Patto from Reel People on keys, and Vanessa Freeman doing vocals; that was a trip - you will find some video on my MySpace page if you want to see it. Ideally, I would love to see live bass and a drummer as well, but a lot depends on the promoters budgets. We will be taking on further live shows in the summer of 2009, and can be booked through Mark Baeur @ ESP International.
DOA: Can we get a current top 10 from you?
A-Sides:
01. A-Sides ft. Fats& Regina "What U Don't Know (Total Science Remix)"
02. Marky & S.P.Y. "Tapestry"
03. Sigma "Something Special"
04. Calibre "Two Drop"
05. Taxman "Unreal"
06. Dan Miracle "Universal Energy"
07. Breal "Isis"
08. CABLE "Standard Procedure"
09. DJ Vapour "Step In The Gutter"
10. Q-Project "In 2 Deep"
DOA: Do you have any final thoughts, shout outs or words of advice for prospective Serato users?
A-Sides: Personally, I think Scratch Live is one of the most exciting products to have emerged, period. As a DJ, it has broadened my horizons immensely, and I have nothing but love for this product. If you need further proof then check the roster at www.scratchlive.net:
Jazzy Jeff, Z-Trip, DJ Craze, A-Trak, Roni Size, Grooverider, DJ Marky, Marcus Intalex, Randall, Doc Scott, Makoto, Sasha, Diplo, DJ Vadim, Plastician, Fatboy Slim, King Britt, Peanut Butter Wolf and Rob Swift, just to name a few.
You may also want to look into the Itch range of products. Go into YouTube and check out the Vestax VCI300 if you want a portable solution, or as a turntable replacement check out the Numark NS7 (coming soon!!!!).
Do not be afraid to make the leap, because further down the line, you will love it. I would like to send big respects to Mark & Alicia @ ESP International, Scott Bulloch, Sam Gribben, Dave George & Bridge @ Serato HQ, Dean Standing @ Rane, my family, all the promoters who book me, all the producers who sort me and friends of mine worldwide who show me big love :)
With all of that being said, the mighty A-Sides steps to the deck, and showcases just how fresh a mix sounds done in Serato. To kick off the Dogs On Acid / Scratch Live Mix Series, we present to you... A-Sides!
Tracklist:
01. A-Sides & Makoto "Spacetrain"
02. A-Sides "Imagination VIP"
03. A-Sides "Tokiado"
04. A-Sides "One Love"
05. A-Sides & MC Fats "So Natural"
06. A-Sides & DJ Marky "Montpellier"
07. A-Sides "Level 2"
08. A-Sides "Milk & Honey"
09. A-Sides "Sugar Sweet"
10. A-Sides "Tear The Roof Off (Twisted Individual Remix)"
11. A-Sides "Destination Earth"
12. A-Sides "Cheeba"
13. A-Sides "Absolute"
14. A-Sides "Hidden Fears"
15. A-Sides & Break "(untitled)"
16. A-Sides & Makoto "The Final Fugitive"
17. A-Sides "Showstoppa"
18. A-Sides "Operation X"
19. A-Sides "Heavyweight"
20. A-Sides "Broken"
21. A-Sides & MC Fats "Crazy 2006"
22. A-Sides "Planetary Motion"
23. A-Sides, Marky & Makoto "Tonite"
24. A-Sides "The Way You Move"
25. A-Sides ft. MC Fats& Regina "What U Don't Know (Total Science Remix)"
26. A-Sides "White Riesling"
>>> GRAB THE MIX <<<
*GRAB A-SIDES RELEASES FROM THE DOA STORE
*GRAB A-SIDES TRACKS FROM DOA DOWNLOADS
*GRAB EASTSIDE RELEASES FROM THE DOA STORE
Words: khal |
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Dogs On Acid > Comments > DOA/SERATO MIX SERIES: A-SIDES
01-31-2009 02:57 PM
whoa, new Sci Clone AND Sci Clone LIVE?! Best news ever! 
