DVJ

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[edit] Overview

DVJ, derived from the term "DJ" and its sister "VJ", is a term used to describe a combination of the two, in other words a DJ that performs live using an audio-visual music player, instead of an audio-only setup consisting of CD turntable players or vinyl turntables. This is not to be confused with a VJ, which usually refers to a host of a music video TV channel, or a visual-only performer separate from the DJ in a live environment. As the term DJ usually also applies to composers of music played by DJs, whether they themselves are performing DJs or not, DVJ has a similar meaning with composers in the audio-visual format.

[edit] History

Visuals in one form or another have always been a part of live DJ performances, but until the advent of this form of performance, the visual aspect was largely limited to computerized strobe and spotlights, laser projectors and/or pyrotechnics. With the advent of DVD technology, especially once it became cheap enough for the average individual to create their own discs, a push was made for a device that would give a performer the same flexibility in accessing the music and video on the disc as with the "turntable-style" CD players commonly available for DJs. Pioneer Corporation became the first (and as of this writing, still the only) manufacturer of DJ equipment to produce such a device, the Pioneer DVJ-X1, first released in 2004. That design has been refined into the DVJ1000 released in 2006, which is generally regarded as the "gold standard" DVJ turntable today.

[edit] Operation

DVJ discs, as inferred above, are DVDs containing one or more music videos the performer wishes to play. The music and video contained on the disc can be anything the performer wishes, but as with standard DJs, the most popular genres are the various forms of electronica. In addition to the audio being sent to a sound system as with other player systems, the video component is output to a video projector or other visual display. The audio and video for the disc are then always in synch regardless of any scratching, mixing and other transformations the performer does on the media. This was a quantum leap over any previously possible method of performing with audio and video together, as the performance often had to be very meticulously planned so that the video being displayed matched the audio, and/or reqired a second performer handling video playback. This left little room for improvisation by the DJ.

In addition to the DVJ turntable players (virtually all DJs have two players for a given media, some have additional players to accommodate other media or mix multiple sources at once), "DVJing" requires the use of an audio-visual mixing console, which also gives the DVJ the ability to perform some transformations on the video. Just as an audio mixing console allows for changes in equalizer levels, dynamics and balance, an A/V mixer allows variations in hue, color saturation, signal, and other "TV-type" settings. A/V mixers are nothing new to the recording and performance industry, but they are usually found in the production room of a television station or the editing suites of a movie studio.

The relative simplicity of the performance using the DVJ turntable, along with the added dimension of video for the DVJ artist to expand into while composing, has resulted in some former DJs and recording artists moving up to this new media, where they are in high demand by nightclubs and rave party organizers. However, because the technology is still very new, and the players and projectors very expensive, "DVJing" is as of this writing still only a small part of the DJ and nightclub scene as a whole, and largely restricted to professional DVJs. Of course, as the technology becomes more widely accepted and established, the price of the central piece of equipment, the DVJ turntable, will become cheaper and should eventually be in the reach of amateur performers. Future advances in video processing may allow the DVJ to perform real-time advanced transformations on the video, such as polarization, color negative, digital color grading, and other digital filters.