Afro Monk

Transitioning to Ableton and APC40.

I’ve only been doing this DJ thing since mid 2009. The first purchase I made was a Numark NS7. I believe it’s one of the best controllers out there. After the NS7 I finally made the plunge and picked up turntables. As of late November I’m a proud owner of the Akai APC40.

The APC stands for Abelton Performance Control. Ultimately what it means is that it’s mainly designed to be used with Ableton Live. It is layout so you can go out and use Albeton for live acts flawlessly.

I’m not going to lie; I’m no pro at DJing and mixing. Right now I’m pretty terrible at beat matching. Yet after really understanding what a standard DJ does I’m ok with not being the best at it or remotely good at it. The APC40 takes care of all that and yet introduces a new challenge, programming. Whereas a standard DJ with CDJs or Decks is limited in playing a track and slight control on a mixer the truth is all they are doing is popping in a CD or record and matching the beat and moving to the next track. Yes they do mess with the EQs but nothing too crazy. The APC gives you endless possibilities when using Ableton. The amount of things you can do is mind blowing.

Using Ableton for DJing is just one aspect of the program. In reality the main aspect of Ableton is using it for production and recording. That means that you can seamlessly create tracks, re-edit, and remix ANY song on the fly with Albeton when DJing. Adding extra beats, adding FX, using live instruments, etc… are all possible. Ultimately you are removing the aspect of beat matching with using Ableton and getting more hands on how the song sounds.

The APC40 controller makes this all possible with such an intuitive layout. You look at the controller and it just makes sense. If you have ever seen Albeton Live used and look at the APC40 it just makes sense. The build on it is extremely solid. The only issue is the size of the APC. It doesn’t exactly fit easily in a DJ bag. Keep in mind you’ll have to also use an audio interface when playing out. Overall the APC40 is now my favorite means of DJing. You almost feel bored when moving back to conventional equipment.

Although one disclaimer on the APC40 and Ableton, it takes WORK! I come with no musical background or knowledge in a musical instrument. Although I’m extremely proficent on a computer it does take some serious getting use to. Even if you have been DJing for years with records or CDs this is an entirely different ball game. Preparing for a set is way more complicated. While you do get to cut out the beat matching you still need to prepare every single track for this. Lets not forget the amount of extra things that Ableton can do and can add to the confusion. The route of a laptop DJ might seem great but takes serious dedication and not for everyone.

Related posts:

1. The life of a DJ and how I got started