Mostapha's Setup

[MaxOne]

I'm just surprised to see Pioneer gear at the heart of your set up... the amount of hate I seen you pour on their mixers sound and build quality...

Changed your tune?

How's the DDJ-SX though? Looks like a serious lovely bit of kit to me. Defo the best controller on the market IMO

Shy FX has one so if it's good enough for him http://forum.djtechtools.com/showthread.php?t=61906

[DigitalQw3rty]

I'm interested in how the DDJ-SX preforms too. I'm considering getting it as my next controller. It looks like its really well built.

[mostapha]

I'm just surprised to see Pioneer gear at the heart of your set up... the amount of hate I seen you pour on their mixers sound and build quality...

Changed your tune?

How's the DDJ-SX though? Looks like a serious lovely bit of kit to me. Defo the best controller on the market IMO

Shy FX has one so if it's good enough for him http://forum.djtechtools.com/showthread.php?t=61906

I'm interested in how the DDJ-SX preforms too. I'm considering getting it as my next controller. It looks like its really well built.

I never really liked Pioneer mixers. The DJM-500/600 were kind of crappy compared to their competitors. And since then, they've been advancing in ways I don't like. But when they switched to being all-digital, they got rid of basically all of the SQ issues of the 500/600. But, I'm also just a fan of digital mixers. Something about having a nonexistent noise floor and people artificially adding crosstalk and distortion to make them sound more like a mixer because they're too "clean" otherwise. Analog mixers have to be really good and run well to even come close to how good they sound.

I'm not a huge fan of the way the faders feel, but I can use them. And I like their metering.

I still don't like their EQs very much. They're good at swapping bass, but that's about it. But I also don't really use EQs. When I had a xone:62, I fell in love with it's high-mid……just because it was so damn good at emphasizing or deemphasizing snare & clap grooves, which can make a lot of a difference in some of the music I spin.

But even A&H abandoned it. If I could have any single EQ knob, it would be that one. If I don't have it, mostly I just don't use EQs. So, it's wasted space……but I just don't care.

Really, I just think there are much better options than paying for a Pioneer mixer.

But the DDJ-SX is exactly what I need. It's just enough smaller than my decks + a decent mixer…and it's feet are in the right place so I can put it on a bookshelf and just let it hang over the edges without being afraid it'd fall off. Can't do that with turntables, even if they weren't too wide to fit. And anything deep enough to hold them wouldn't leave me enough room to stand b/t it and the bed.

And when I have more space, I just plug my tables in, my SSL box if I decide to to DVS instead of software + vinyl, and keep spinning.

It's got a lot of features I just don't care about. The sampler is a little weird to use in practice, but I'll probably figure out a way to do it……probably just 808 kick, snare, clap, OH, CH, and crash sounds on one side and similar Amen sounds on the other…plus maybe a couple little things. But I'd almost rather just incorporate an MPC-1000 or something in the long run. I'll never use it's slip mode or the pad loop things like the Twitch has……whatever.

And Pioneer mixers have cue/master blend for the headphone signal, which is good, since I prefer to use IEMs when I'm not in my bedroom. And sometimes even then.

I also can't really speak to the effects…something else I just don't really use. I really do like the way it does instant doubles, though. It makes it really easy to keep a drum break going through a breakdown that my set doesn't need, which is most of what I did when I was on Live if I'm really honest with myself.

And the way it does the deck layering with the non-motorized pitch faders is way less annoying than I thought it would be.

Basically, it does what I need it to do, and it does it well. I may not keep it more than 6 months or a year, but that'll be 6 months or a year of spinning when I want to instead of not spinning because I don't live with my decks.

[oliosky]

I never really liked Pioneer mixers. The DJM-500/600 were kind of crappy compared to their competitors. And since then, they've been advancing in ways I don't like. But when they switched to being all-digital, they got rid of basically all of the SQ issues of the 500/600. But, I'm also just a fan of digital mixers. Something about having a nonexistent noise floor and people artificially adding crosstalk and distortion to make them sound more like a mixer because they're too "clean" otherwise. Analog mixers have to be really good and run well to even come close to how good they sound.

I'm not a huge fan of the way the faders feel, but I can use them. And I like their metering.

I still don't like their EQs very much. They're good at swapping bass, but that's about it. But I also don't really use EQs. When I had a xone:62, I fell in love with it's high-mid……just because it was so damn good at emphasizing or deemphasizing snare & clap grooves, which can make a lot of a difference in some of the music I spin.

But even A&H abandoned it. If I could have any single EQ knob, it would be that one. If I don't have it, mostly I just don't use EQs. So, it's wasted space……but I just don't care.

Really, I just think there are much better options than paying for a Pioneer mixer.

But the DDJ-SX is exactly what I need. It's just enough smaller than my decks + a decent mixer…and it's feet are in the right place so I can put it on a bookshelf and just let it hang over the edges without being afraid it'd fall off. Can't do that with turntables, even if they weren't too wide to fit. And anything deep enough to hold them wouldn't leave me enough room to stand b/t it and the bed.

And when I have more space, I just plug my tables in, my SSL box if I decide to to DVS instead of software + vinyl, and keep spinning.

It's got a lot of features I just don't care about. The sampler is a little weird to use in practice, but I'll probably figure out a way to do it……probably just 808 kick, snare, clap, OH, CH, and crash sounds on one side and similar Amen sounds on the other…plus maybe a couple little things. But I'd almost rather just incorporate an MPC-1000 or something in the long run. I'll never use it's slip mode or the pad loop things like the Twitch has……whatever.

And Pioneer mixers have cue/master blend for the headphone signal, which is good, since I prefer to use IEMs when I'm not in my bedroom. And sometimes even then.

I also can't really speak to the effects…something else I just don't really use. I really do like the way it does instant doubles, though. It makes it really easy to keep a drum break going through a breakdown that my set doesn't need, which is most of what I did when I was on Live if I'm really honest with myself.

And the way it does the deck layering with the non-motorized pitch faders is way less annoying than I thought it would be.

Basically, it does what I need it to do, and it does it well. I may not keep it more than 6 months or a year, but that'll be 6 months or a year of spinning when I want to instead of not spinning because I don't live with my decks.

is the cue master blend function still reliant on the master volume level? Fuck I hate how pioneer do that.

[mostapha]

I haven't experimented, so I don't know. But I can get it to monitor the way I want, so I'm not fussed.

[Xonetacular]

I'm sure you made similar decisions when you got into your modular synths. But, honestly, this thing…plus upgrading my sound card, getting a couple hardware synths, looking into a couple decent mics, buying a new computer and a new guitar amp seemed like a better deal. Unfortunately, none of it is going to happen until I have more space. My KRKs aren't even setup right now.

Yeah pretty much exactly. CDJs are cool and I would like them- but I got a respectable small modular system for the same price as a pair and can't see myself buying any in the near future.

[mostapha]

I finally got around to a much needed computer update and have to brag.

Still the same early-2011 13" Macbook Pro

2.3GHz dual core i5
16 GB PC1333
120GB OWC Mercury Extreme Pro SSD (system: currently just OS X, will probably have linux as well shortly)
240GB OWC Mercury Electra SSD (media: music, sample libraries, movies, VM images, etc.)

And I upgraded my older, "free", monitor that made an annoying hum to a 22" LG 1920x1080 display that's basically silent and thank god matte.

Also, I had some hard drive issues not too long ago that reminded me that my backups weren't as redundant as they could be, so attached to it are

2TB G-Tech G-Drive (FW800/USB3/eSATA) - Short Term Archives
2TB G-Tech G-Drive (FW800/USB2/eSATA) - Long Term Archives (stored off-site except when it gets updated)
64GB Kingston SSD (FW800/USB2/eSATA) - formerly an audio drive, now basically a jump drive, since it's using a bad controller chip.

Retired:

500GB portable HDD (FW800/USB2) - Haven't used it in 6 months for anything that mattered.
320GB portable HDD (FW800/USB2) - the original drive from this MBP…I put it in a chassis and formatted it, but I don't think it's ever had data on it.
250GB portable HDD (FW400/USB2) - Haven't actually used it in a year.
500GB desktop HDD (FW800/USB2/eSATA) - Haven't actually used it in 2 years.
120GB portable HDD (USB2) - gave it to my girlfriend for backups that she doesn't do. I'm not sure where it is.

I just realized I have almost 2TB worth of hard drives that I don't use anymore.

I'm with Linus Torvalds: spinning platters are Satan for everything except really big storage that doesn't get accessed very often.

I also found a place to squeeze in my monitors and my SX, so I don't have to bring it out and wire it up every time I want to spin. It kind of hangs off the shelf in both the front and the back, but it works. And my cat hasn't knocked it off yet.



One advantage of this is that I can't see the screen while I'm spinning, so it's more like spinning on CDJs.

Not pictured are the 2i2 that I'm still using because the FW410 I have isn't worth dropping to FW400 speeds for the externals and my Maschine, which still doesn't have a permanent home. And the hard drives I actually use are in a drawer of the desk partially to get them out of the way but mostly because they're too freaking loud otherwise.

I also got a wireless keyboard and a wireless track pad, entirely so they're easier to move out of the way when I use Maschine.

This is what happens when I get an ear infection and half the world sounds like white noise and ringing……I can't make or play music well, so I get all the other crap that's been bugging me done.

[mostapha]

I'm liking having 16GB of RAM.

Over the past few hours:

[Ross]

I'm liking having 16GB of RAM.

Over the past few hours:

I'm looking at doing this with mine, have you noticed any difference? Less load with Traktor or just general usage?

[mostapha]

I'm looking at doing this with mine, have you noticed any difference? Less load with Traktor or just general usage?

I must have missed this.

Yes, I notice a difference. But not with DJ apps…none of them are that resource intensive. The biggest differences are with editing large collections of raw-format photos in aperture or, recently, Light Room. Firefox also runs a lot better. I still haven't seen a single page-out or any swap usage, obviously.

There's some difference in Maschine & Pro Tools…but that could be just from accessing the samples & recording drive over SATA instead of FW800.

Biggest changes lately have been to the non-DJ stuff. I switched desks and got a mechanical keyboard. Some stuff got re-arranged. And I still haven't found a good place for Maschine to sit. It always seems like a weird combination of being in the way when I'm not using it and not convenient enough when I am.