Controller Choice - Advice

[kronos]

Hey all,

My first post here but before anyone says... I've checked the threads for about 2 hours and after reading tons of info here I ain't found any real answers to my questions. Firstly I'd like to say very nice forum with lots of helpful peeps. Apologies for the long intro btw.....

I know a lot on this forum is dedicated (but not solely) to the vestax controllers 100 + 300 etc... Well I don't wanna spend too much on a vestax to find out that it's not what I want/need. So basically I've set a budget of approx. £200. I've been scouring ebay, checking forums and and looking at many reviews and video clips on youtube.

I've been looking at controllers with built in Sound card (to save space and wires..one less thing to hookup) so to that side I've looked at :
Hercules RMX, Numark Omni, Vestax Spin.

And the other versions without inbuilt cards such as :
Hercules steel, Numark Stealth, Vestax 100 (if I can get one cheap)

I know there are others but don't know much about them...cortex, Stanton, digital jockey, Kam, Gemini etc..

Questions :-

1. I intend to do some scratching so was wondering about accuracy and what capacity for scratching these controllers have.

2. Does anyone know which if any of these have adjustable crossfader curve knobs.

3. Can these be used with other midi based production software or are they just tailored for DJ software.

4. How easy are they to configure and setup.

5. Do they all have headphone sockets (not that important as it won't be mainly for DJ purposes...)

Basically I want to add scratches to my music without the need for my large Decks and mixer... oh and also to do a bit of Mixing for pleasure. I've seen many clips on youtube but most of them are just whacking the crossfader quickly and pushing the the jog back and forward fast. I ain't no grandmaster on the wheels but I can scratch.

At the moment I am drawn towards the RMX and the Omni due to Price really and they have quite a lot of features that are in many of the more expensive models. Anyhoo... Hope some kind folks can help with my questions.

Thanks,
Kronos

[n2hf1st]

eesh... if you're serious about your scratching, you're probably not gonna be happy with anything short of a ns7 I can scratch decently on my vci-100, but then I'm not that serious about scratching.

any midi controller can be used for anything, but dj controllers are usually set up with a dj in mind. meaning, the layout is like a deck/mixer/deck arrangement.

not really sure what to tell you to do. just be careful about build quality, some of the cheap ones can be rubbish.

[kronos]

thanks for your input... i was lookin forward to be able to sit in front of my computer with a little unit to work with. Damn shame the technology hasn't quite cracked it. It wouldn't be so bad if there was someone who had one I could get the feel of or somewhere near me that i could check out a few different ones. Hmmm

[Flash101uk]

Hi man, I have a digital jockey 2 IE. I looked at all the alternatives and it gives the best bang for buck, even regarding the VCI 100.

In response to your questions:

1. This controller has the capability to scratch, its got touch sensetive jog wheels, which are a must. It does have a scratch feature built in to it. Having said that, it doesnt scratch well for me. But ive never been able to scratch in the first place.

2.Yes, its got an adjustabe X-Fader curve

3.This is built specifically with traktor pro in mind. Ive never used it for anything else. I see no reason why it wouldnt work with another program, but you'd need to map it yourself.

4.I had no problems setting this up, worked first time and im loving it. There do seem to be quite a few people on the reloop forums that have trouble though.

5. Yes

I initially set out with a budget of £200 too but when I went and saw the controllers and played with them the RMX, omni and total control felt cheap. Nasty, budget faders and the like. So I ended up getting the DJIE2 at a bargain price off ebay. If youre going to be messing about with traktor seriously, fork out the extra money and get yourself something proper, you wont regret it.

[kronos]

thanks flash 101uk...yeah i was kinda lookin at the digital jockey too. I think theres a version with inbuilt card and one without. Yes i liked the look of their platters compared with the RMX and Omni. .. I'll do a bit more research on that one..cheers

[chrismp]

yep, definitely go for the reloop. both versions are nice.

[kronos]

...erm...I've just found out that the Digital Jockey doesn't have touch sensitive jogs... so that wouldn't be much use for scratching.

It's mainly for being able to add scratching to my own tracks without lugging my decks down from the attic. It's all about space and price.

I know effects area big plus for the guys using it as a mixing tool but I couldn't really care less about effects... thats what my software is for.

As long as I can scratch an mp3 and record it. Mixing for fun using a midi controller would just be an additional bonus.

(BTW I'm not looking for something that is 100% accurate to Vinyl that allows mad fast flares etc..) As long as there's little latency. Chirps and clean cuts would probably be a good test.

Update :-
Ha ha ha ... just read something in the spec of Vestax Spin. It doesn't support AMD processors...LMAO So that's out of the equation..

[Flash101uk]

...erm...I've just found out that the Digital Jockey doesn't have touch sensitive jogs...

Yes it does. I have one right here infront of me. 100% garaunteed its got touch sensetive jog wheels.

[fusion]

Just watched a video on YouTube, it gave off the impression that only the IE features the sensitive jog wheels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBxA_94SrRc

fusion

[Jack Creamation]

2 x dj tech cdj 101 http://djtechpro.com/product_detail....product_id=351
1 x dj tech djm 101 http://djtechpro.com/product_detail....product_id=349
1 x Novation Nio 2/4 http://www.novationmusic.com/product...erface/nio_2_4

Very compact setup! I can personally vouch for the cdj 101's (touch sensitive and great feel to them) and the nio 2/4 (faired pretty well in Eans "sound cards under $200" test), but I have not layed my hands on the djm 101. All in for around $550 CND...