Should I choose a DJ who uses Mp3's or CD's ... does it really matter?

Years ago all DJ's played vinyl records because that's all that was available and the quality was excellent. A few DJ's today still spin vinyl but usually only in nightclub or competition situations.

Jump ahead to CD's which are digitally mastered. The actual sound quality of a CD is slightly inferior to that of a vinyl record -- but it's doubtful many could really hear the slight difference. In addition, CD's give a much cleaner sound without all the pops, hisses and needle scratching of records. The debate rages on but the fact is that the vinyl record is, for all practical purposes, dead in the water in today's marketplace.

Jump forward again to the mp3 generation. Here we are definitely trading convenience and portability for sound quality. An mp3 just doesn't have the sound quality of a CD. There's no way it could have the same quality. There's significantly less digital information on an mp3 than on a CD.

Recording studios and artists spend tens of thousands of dollars to produce the highest quality audio money can buy ... so do you really want to convert that great sound to an mp3 and destroy much of that quality?

The answer is probably, yes, when you're carrying your music around on your mp3 player or cell phone. It's just darn impractical and inconvenient to carry CD's around during the day at work, while jogging, etc. But do you really want mp3's at your wedding or party?

Usually DJ's who carry mp3's do so for their convenience because mp3's are stored on a laptop or other CPU based machine and are much lighter to carry and easier to transport than CD's and require a lot less space. Also, mp3's are easier to search and use. But that portability and convenience comes at a cost.

In spite of the few who assert that mp3's are good enough and sound fine over high quality pa and sound equipment the fact remains that they can never sound as good as the digital information stored on a CD because the digital info on an mp3 just isn't there once the information is compressed into that format.

Mp3's sound pretty decent on tiny ear buds with an mp3 player, but why amplify poor sound at your wedding or event?

So, which DJ should you choose ... one who uses mp3's or CD's?
It depends on the sound quality you want. And only you can decide what's right for you.
For more information on DJ and entertainment services please visit my web site at Albany DJ.