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Topic: pro·fes·sion·al [pruh-fesh-uh-nl] Professional - Page: 1

Questa parte dell'argomento è obsoleta e potrebbe contenere informazioni obsolete o errate

Lately I have seen many people using the term Pro or Professional loosely, so it got me thinking. What exactly is a professional? Can you become a professional by buying the most expensive gear or earth? Do your skills make you a professional? What makes certain gear professional?

I turned to dictionary.com In my quest for knowledge and this is what I found.

pro·fes·sion·al [pruh-fesh-uh-nl]

1. following an occupation as a means of livelihood or for gain: a professional builder.
2. of, pertaining to, or connected with a profession: professional studies.
3. appropriate to a profession: professional objectivity.
4. engaged in one of the learned professions: A lawyer is a professional person.
5. following as a business an occupation ordinarily engaged in as a pastime: a professional golfer.

So to summarize, Owning the most expensive DJ gear on earth does not make you a professional. Your skills do not make you a professional but they might end up getting you paying (qualifying you for PRO status) gigs if you market your skill set appropriately. Sorry Gear snobs, but the brand or quality of your gear is not a determining factor on weather or not you are a professional.

Here's some quick examples:
Example 1: If you are making money using your Numark Mixtrak CONGRATULATIONS YOUR A PROFESSIONAL DJ!
Example 2: If your not making money with your top of the line CDJs and your top for the line DJ mixer you are NOT a professional DJ, you just own quality gear.
Example 3: If your getting paid to rock the party with your Virtual DJ YOUR A PROFESSIONAL DJ!!
Example 4: If you are DJing for free with your typical industry standard software YOU ARE NOT A PROFESSIONAL DJ. You just own a more popular DJ program.

Your either a DJ (Hobby) or a Professional DJ (Gets paid), apparently money is the only thing separating the two.

We can use this another professions as-well.
A professional basketball player is a PRO regardless of him playing in the NBA or in some basketball league in Europe as long as hes getting compensated for it, making a living at it. His shoes have nothing to do with him earning more money, getting more playing time or being more famous.
If your playing in your neighborhood park wearing the newest most expensive basketball shoes, well your just simply a basketball player.

So there you have it, take the knowledge and use it as you wish.
 
Inviato Wed 07 Sep 11 @ 12:24 pm
I think you've got this out of context, if you needed to research this in order to find this out then you still have a lot to learn.

Most of the requests for pro gear comes from experienced DJ's that can remember a time before everything was manufactured on the cheap.
 
It stands to reason in this debate, that if you are a professional and on top of your game you're going to have a budget that means you can afford (what you consider) the best equipment on the market - most professional working DJ's I know use Pioneer CDJ's and DJM's and most clubs have the same equipment installed, this is a cache 22 situation in that the clubs buy what the DJ's want and the DJ's buy what the clubs have got - not everyone prefers Pioneer but most prefer to buy Pioneer (you could turn that around and it would still work).

I could be a professional taxi driver in a Skoda Octavia which wouldn't affect my ability to drive, or my ability to make money, but if I was aspiring to be or indeed was an F1 driver I'd choose vehicles that are more appropriate to my game, needless to say such vehicles would cost vastly more. It's an old analogy but one that works.

For me professional gear means a product which is not let down or restricted by its low development cost or poor product design, for example low resolution pitch faders, poor physical build quality (the overuse of plastic), planned obsolescence (not built to last) etc.
 
I think you are looking for too literal of a meaning and missing the context in which "professional" is used in relation to dj equipment. For equipment to me it refers to a manufacture that does not compromise on quality for price. There are two tried and true methods of business in any industry.

1 - sell less units for more money
2 - sell more units for less money

pioneer, technics, allen & heath, vestax, denon fall into the first category, they produce quality gear that will last around 10 years, technics probably 30+. there is a confidence in using equipment of this quality, you know it can handle your enthusiasm so you can let loose in the moment of performing without having to worry about breaking anything.

behringer, stanton (new stuff), cortex, american audio, citronic, dj tech, etc... are produced as cheap as possible usually being oem models from factory's that don't specialize in making dj equipment, they just saw an opportunity too make some cash selling cheap equipment.

numark (excluding mixdeck & ns6 & 7), hercules, reloop, are in the middle with some good and some bad equipment. but are dj specific companies, so I trust them more than others.

In closing if a builder is professional would he still be if using plastic tools that were flimsy and not purpose built? would they be restricted in their ability to perform there job?
 
Just serviced an Antari HZ 400 today, this item weighs in @ £700 down from a grand and what a piece of crap they are. Even some of the expensive stuff is crap! Pro's require good gear and that doesn't always come down to price, it's more about knowing your gear and choosing whats best.
 
bagpuss wrote :
It stands to reason in this debate, that if you are a professional and on top of your game you're going to have a budget that means you can afford (what you consider) the best equipment on the market - most professional working DJ's I know use Pioneer CDJ's and DJM's and most clubs have the same equipment installed, this is a cache 22 situation in that the clubs buy what the DJ's want and the DJ's buy what the clubs have got - not everyone prefers Pioneer but most prefer to buy Pioneer (you could turn that around and it would still work).

I could be a professional taxi driver in a Skoda Octavia which wouldn't affect my ability to drive, or my ability to make money, but if I was aspiring to be or indeed was an F1 driver I'd choose vehicles that are more appropriate to my game, needless to say such vehicles would cost vastly more. It's an old analogy but one that works.

For me professional gear means a product which is not let down or restricted by its low development cost or poor product design, for example low resolution pitch faders, poor physical build quality (the overuse of plastic), planned obsolescence (not built to last) etc.





I understand what your saying, but the reality is that there is no such thing as professional gear, it's technically quality gear.
Fact: Denon, Pioneer, Rane and Allen & Heath manufacture quality gear - We base these facts on years spent by these brands manufacturing quality products.
Fiction: Denon, Pioneer, Rane and Allen & Heath manufacture pro gear, this would only be a personal opinion therefore making it fiction (Vestax/Technics Fans may think they have true pro gear)...it's only pro gear if your making money with it.
 

" I understand what your saying, but the reality is that there is no such thing as professional gear, it's technically quality gear.
Fact: Denon, Pioneer, Rane and Allen & Heath manufacture quality gear - We base these facts on years of quality products these brands have put out.
Fiction: Denon, Pioneer, Rane and Allen & Heath manufacture pro gear, this would only be a personal opinion therefore making it fiction (Vestax/Technics Fans may think they have true pro gear)...it's only pro gear if your making money with it."

Your first sentence is an opinion because it hasn't been objectively proven, it's just the result of popular opinion. Secondly, the manufactures listed all have a range of products, some are aimed at the consumer market and some are aimed at the professional market - which you buy doesn't affect your status but may be a reflection of it.
 
When did this forum turn into bureaucracy? LOL

Your concern is the image that noobs feel they have using premium gear, because everyone knows if you use serato with cdj1000's and a djm800 you are professional whether you can mix or not... LMAO... but image or not the fact is that they still produce professional grade premium quality gear that you can trust.
 
Did we not have exactly the same discussion about exactly the same word about 4 months ago?

Keith
 
I have a pair of Technics 1200M5Gs sitting in their original boxes in my storage, I have a pair of CDJ850 that just sit in my home studio with my Denon DN-X1600 Mixer that I last mixed with well over 2 months ago and most of the time my 2 year old son plays with them moving the knobs and faders trying to be like his daddy.
I have a Serato box that lays in the corner of my living room under my couch because it does not play nice with my intel i7 laptop.
I have 2 pairs of technics 1200s staring at me all day at my office begging me to be played with a nice Allen & Heath 92 mixer..... hmmm am I pro?

The other day I did a friends gig, he gave me $200.00 to play for 2 hours @ his party, I used my Xponent....am I pro?

Im thinking of getting rid of a bunch of gear and picking up a Rane 68 with the dual serato interface, will it make me pro?
 
This is very strange,

Are you questioning whether or not your a pro? do you think pro gear will make you a pro? seems like this is what your asking but then you stated otherwise in your original post.

Pro gear to me is equipment that does the job well and is built to last, end of.
 
Charlie Wilson wrote :
This is very strange,

Are you questioning whether or not your a pro? do you think pro gear will make you a pro? seems like this is what your asking but then you stated otherwise in your original post.

Pro gear to me is equipment that does the job well and is built to last, end of.


I obviously own quality gear but I used a MIDI controller of lesser quality on my last few gigs. I used it because I love the layout and it's easy to lug around instead of hauling my other gear around in cases. Does using this plastic MIDI controller that feels like it will break the instant it falls off my table qualify me as Pro? I made money but I am using a plastic box of a controller.

The point I'm trying to make is that the gear does not determine weather your a pro or not.
If your making a living at it then your a pro regardless of your gear choice.

I have been making money doing this for 20 years, I started out on some crappy GLI belt driven turntables but I made money with them and bought the higher quality Technics 1200s. I was making money then with my crappy turntables, was I not a pro then? Back in those days there would be days when I would bring back more money from playing on the weekend (Before all the prices got screwed up LOL) than what I would make a week at my regular job.

I understand that people love judging books by their covers, but if someone thinks that your not pro based on your gear that's their opinion. If you get down to the true meaning of professional it has nothing to do with your gear.
Quality gear or "Pro gear" just makes your job easier and gives you piece of mind.
 
Synthet1c pretty much got it right...

The top quality equip he mentions(plus many missing ones) are all original Japanese manufacturers. The next list he mentions is all chinese manufacturers. Even when the Japs are producing products in China the quality control is much better followed. Companies like Stanton, American audio and even Gem Sound are all produced in pretty much the same factories in China. i have been to the factories myself and witnessed whats going on. American audio has 1st dibs on product quality and first in line for production as they are the largest worldwide. The next in line is the next highest bidder or should i say "who has the next most amount of money to spend, etc". I'm sure you get the gist! You bring your specs to China and cash and you will get in line for production as well even if its a direct copy of Gem Sound with a different font of label and different model number. Thats why many Chinese products look similar with the same features. We simply live in a consumable world, throw away world today. Most of the products made in China don't get exported to your country with back up parts. As big as berhinger is, they don't keep mass amounts of parts for service. They plainly don't have any intention to repair products. They want you to buy the newest model. A DJ or musician can be a professional using low end chinese equipment. they will just have to replace it more often but at the same time technoligy is changing so rapidly most people don't mind buying new products. Berhinger lasts the average Joe about 3 to 4 years. Pioneer can last about 10-15 years(not including such things as faders). Keep your pioneer for 15 years and you will see how many others that buy Berhinger will be much more advanced in technology than you. Berhinger costs about 4 times less than Pioneer or other real Japanese manufacturers. That means that you can have the latest technology every few years and it will take 4 purchases or about 12 years before you start spending more than the japanese product. We all like new technological changes RIGHT! In my 36 plus years in the music industry I have had top of the line 1200s, mixers, amplifiers, speakers and the list goes on break during or after a show and during setup. I've taken brand new Denon and Pioneer CD players right out of the box dead on arrival. I buy low end and high end equipment and still consider myself a professional DJ/soundman. I get paid for every event I do for the past 36 years. I can work with Gem Sound or pioneer and do the exact same job that my client demands. Each piece of equipment has its own special time to be used. To beat mix I wouldn't use a low end CD player. But i would use a low end CD player to do many other jobs. being a pro has nothing to do with the equipment you use at all. it's how you use it to impress your clients. I DJ full time 6 days a week in many different types of venues and use a different piece of equipment at each function. Low end and high end and when they work they work great but when they break that where the professionalism kicks in. HOW TO WORK AROUND IT without your guests knowing until a replacement shows up from your back up staff and equipment. My Numark NS-7 broke 3 times already in one year. fortunitely the distributor was able to tear the 3 different parts from a brand new in the box one as they had no parts in stock for many months. i just bought the NS-6 and yes, expect to have problems. I just bought a new HP laptop costing almost $2000. I have minor problems already. My stuff is very well maintained and properly protected. My brand new Wrangler jeep 6 months old already has many problems....
 
only when you are a paid Dj full time you can say "I'm a pro dj" , when the most of your money comes from the music that you play .

you can have all the best hardware , but without money you are not PRO , or you can play in a smal party with a cheap controller (or with the mouse) , if you get money for this (regular money , i mean as a job) then you are PRO .

that's all , no mistery .
 
Professional means it's a job and you get paid.

Pro equipment is just a name douche bags use as a willy extension when they are talking to pro dj's and giving them a hard time in clubs because deep down they are just jealous because they want to be a pro dj and owning pro equipment is the closest they'll ever get to being a pro because they are just douche bags!

does that make any sense?

and sorry if Douche Bag offends anyone, it's not a swear word in the UK by the way!
 
how dare you sir, that's Mr douche bag to you! LOL
 
What kind of English is this? oh yeah American English lol
 

Manufactures are always talking about pro equipment, it's their way of saying that their product can withstand the daily punishment the working DJ is likely to subject the product to, and sometimes it may mean the product is geared towards performance (e.g large touch sensitive jogs, FX functions etc).

I do agree that anyone can toss around words which aren't always substantiated - this is where a bit of intellectual rigor may come in handy and as we say this side of the pond; the proof is in the pudding!
 
I say based on the comments about the use or misuse of the aforementioned word, we pull together and petition atomix to remove the title "pro" from the software. The comments made so far have made me come to the conclusion, that the word should only be included in a version that is used by working dj's, the fact that every 16 year old male with an internet connection probably has a copy of vdj, so this software not only serves working dj's, but in fact the majority of users are noobs, probably not even worthy of the title "noob".

This means through marketing and semi subliminal messages, atomix is cheating us & lying to us all, and have no right to name their software with that word, without hard evidence of it's use by professionals as voted for by an impartial third party, to ensure fairness in any decisions!! oh wait a minute, that's crazy.... LMAO
 

hahaha
 
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