so i finally used my s4 out...

[sebastiannz]

finally used s4 out on thursday night at a small party we threw at a little bar. went pretty well, especially considering i was mixing without headphones for about 45 minutes! thank god for auto sync, hahaha.

once i realised the thing wasn't going to break i started to use a bit more of its power. really powerful tool once you start using the fx, looping. didn't get around to using the 3rd deck or sample slots. even more power there.

[jezalenko]

Ye of little faith!!!!

I use my S4 when playing out whenever I can - I have complete faith in my gear!

Only issue is space - not every venue has room. That said, you dont need that much to set up in!

[sebastiannz]

i need to get some foam so i can lay it over djs or turntables. this time we had space but most of the bars or clubs i go to there is nowhere near enough space for the s4!!!

[sebastiannz]

also i didn't set it up beforehand so it was a bit stressful getting it all ready in a dark club with music blaring and half drunk... it was at this time i saw the neg side of being laptop / midi controller dj :P

[jezalenko]

Honestly, it pays to be nice to the venue sound tech/manager/owner. I say this as I used my S4 on Friday night.

When I rocked up at the venue, there was literally no space for the S4 - the opening DJ even had no room for his CDs! So I had a little chat to the venue owner, a table was found and the night went on.

Also, I am perfectly able to set up my S4 + laptop on the fly whilst working around the current DJ. It's not too hard when you know what you need to do. Just do it a few times and it comes intuitively!

[sebastiannz]

yeah i guess it is a matter of practice. still i don't like plugging in stuff and fiddling around with rca's when I'm half drunk, half worried ill budge something and turn the power off to the sound

surely you've had places where there is no room for the s4 and you aren't able to chat to the manager beforehand??

[jezalenko]

Yep, that's true - that's when I use timecode. However, I prefer the S4 as I can do more creative things than I can with CDJs - I dont own a controller like an X1, and I dont like using the keyboard, so hotcues, internal FX and samples are kinda limited.

That said, I never just roll up to a gig and wing it. I always make sure ahead of time I know if there's going to be enough space, and what the provided gear is - this just means going to the venue ahead of time and sussing the situation. (Also known as professionalism )

Also, I try not to be half-drunk before playing, as I find it's easier, but everyone has different attitudes. Just my 2c though

[windoz]

i need to get some foam so i can lay it over djs or turntables. this time we had space but most of the bars or clubs i go to there is nowhere near enough space for the s4!!!

What a neat idea, I hope it doesnt destroy turntables even though it does lol.

[sebastiannz]

Are you sure?? the s4 while large is pretty light...

I've got timecode too...haven't used it for ages!!!

[mart21har]

Where I gig out, my s4 barely fits in the booth in the heavy as lead NI flight case. It's small enough to move around, but too big for a conventional bag. Come to think of it, Both the NS6 and the DDJ-S1 i had before were just too wide to fit anywhere. I think it's rather compact for the capability it offers, and I love it the way it is.