The Challenges of DJing with Vinyl at Music Festivals.

The DJ performer emerged from the clubbing scene of the 1970s where the use of two turntables and a mixer and vinyl records produced new sounds. With advances in digital technology the vinyl record has all but disappeared from the DJing scene. There is still a niche demand for DJs using vinyl records, but this comes with challenges for live performances.

From the 1970s through to the late 1990s live DJ performances were done using vinyl records and was the basis for the clubbing scene particularly for EDM genres. Digital formats became dominant in the 2000’s with the dual turntable and mixer set up being replaced by CDJs (Pioneer DJ gear dominates) and laptop DJing (Serato and Traktor software). The last ten years has seen a gradual resurgence in vinyl records among consumers and some DJs who see mixing vinyl as a specialist skill that not many younger DJs can master. Featuring a vinyl DJ set can generate much interest with festival-goers who rarely get to experience the unique sounds and disappearing DJ skills. 

Vinyl vs. Digital. 
Using any modern CDJ set up makes the art of DJing much easier with numerous aids for beat mixing and specials effects, the emphasis has become much more about the selection of music than mixing skills. It is not unusual for a DJ to create their entire set on a laptop before a performance and just turn up with a USB stick to plug into the CDJ machine already installed. The craft of vinyl record mixing is still popular with many fans who consider themselves as aficionados especially of underground scenes like House, Techno, Reggae, Dub, and Hip-Hop. The vinyl scene is supported by boutique record labels who produce unique sounding records and vinyl DJs who are known for finding obscure pressings and rarities. 

Festival Environmental Factors.
A vinyl record DJ set performed at a music festival faces more challenges than would be experienced in an enclosed club for example. A dual turntable set up can be sensitive to vibrations and feedback caused by bass heavy sound systems that can cause needle skipping and feedback loops. A common solution is for sophisticated isolation platforms and suspension systems incorporated under turntables. Festival sites are open to the elements and factors like wind, humidity dust, rain and heat can seriously impact on vinyl records which can easily get damaged. The storage and handling of vinyl records needs special care due to their fragility so appropriate storage and protection with constant cleaning is often required. 

Technical Considerations. 
Whilst a DJ using a CDJ set up may require minimal additional equipment a vinyl DJ will likely need a more specialist customised set up and the technical riders can be complex for organisers to arrange. It’s likely that a vinyl DJ will need to bring their own dual turntables and mixers, and this can have an impact on sound checks and set changes which will take longer. Many festivals may use power sources which can be unstable with poor grounding, and this can adversely impact on analogue equipment with ‘hum’ and ‘signal noise’ common issues. This can be resolved by the use of ground loop isolators or DI boxes which can help to eliminate any problems. 

Performance Limitations and Advantages. 
DJs performing a vinyl set can be limited to the record collection they bring unlike digital sets where DJs may have huge collections of back up tracks for more dynamic sets. The set up can be complex and time consuming which may deter some festival organisers from booking a vinyl set DJ. However, the popularity of a vinyl DJ set is rising as audiences are beginning to appreciate the craft and skill required to produce a great performance. The sound quality can be very different between vinyl and digital with purists arguing that vinyl has a warmer, fuller sound although whether the differences would be noticeable at a sizeable outdoor festival may be questionable. 

For festival organisers planning their next events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Image by  Wendy Wei via Pexels

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