Beginning DJ, what controllers and software should I invest in?

[DJSplinter]

First post!

I've been noodling around with Traktor for a while now (almost a year) and have become quite familiar with it. Used it at my first gig yesterday, which went horribly, but at least I learned a lot and got a fair taste of what to expect from now on.

So after that gig, I decided to take the DJ game a lot more seriously. Now that I'm prepared to give it my all, I'm ready to invest in both the software and hardware that I need to take it to the next level.

Problem is, I'm not sure where to start. On the software front, I've heard that Traktor is a solid choice, but it seems like Serato is a more common choice for professionals... I could be wrong, but that's what I thought I've been seeing.

As far as hardware goes, I was pretty set on getting a Vestax Typhoon, but now I'm not sure anymore. I'm looking to spend 300-500 on the controller and whatever the software costs in addition.

Help would be most appreciated for a relatively new guy looking to take it to the next level!

[TylerVulgar]

My advice, Do you like traktor? Use traktor F*CK what everyone else says. Have a good time and play on what you like. Suggestion for a controller would be the s2 or mc3000 both entry level and a good price right now. I use the mc6000 because I need more than 2 channels to do what I want too. You can always upgrade. Do what you like and have a good time doing it.

[TommyQuiet]

Use the search at the top of the forum this has been asked aload this week,sure you will find the answers you are looking for.

[DJSplinter]

My advice, Do you like traktor? Use traktor F*CK what everyone else says. Have a good time and play on what you like. Suggestion for a controller would be the s2 or mc3000 both entry level and a good price right now. I use the mc6000 because I need more than 2 channels to do what I want too. You can always upgrade. Do what you like and have a good time doing it.

I do like Traktor a lot, the sync and auto grid functions are usually spot on. The interface is nice and I'm getting really comfortable with it, so it looks like I might be sticking with it because at this point I'll be improving quicker than if I were to switch over to Serato...

The S2 looks really nice, I might end up picking it up online or at an audio shop around here. Thanks for the suggestion!

[TylerVulgar]

Another suggestion if you're taking this seriously. learn how to beat match, You never know when your laptop might fail and you'll have to play on cdjs.....Seriously It's only a suggestion I don't hate the sync button but always be prepared.

[Lilac]

The gear and software really depend. What kind of music do you play? Do you use a lot of effects/samples? Do you just play track after track or do you remix on the fly?

There's a lot to it.

[DJSplinter]

The gear and software really depend. What kind of music do you play? Do you use a lot of effects/samples? Do you just play track after track or do you remix on the fly?

There's a lot to it.

Well, I really like to play house music/prog house/live mashups, but as a DJ I feel like I should be prepared for any style of music? I like to play track after track while mixing them with transitions, as well as making mashups and remixed while playing.

Not sure what's recommended for that...

Another suggestion if you're taking this seriously. learn how to beat match, You never know when your laptop might fail and you'll have to play on cdjs.....Seriously It's only a suggestion I don't hate the sync button but always be prepared.

I definitely agree, I'm able to beatmatch but hey, I can always get better.

[keeb]

If you're going with a controller, Traktor has been doing midi-controlled DJ software for a lot longer than Serato (though SSL has been around for a while, Itch is a relatively new development). For controllers, Traktor will offer a lot more flexibility and has a much larger community for support. If I were just getting a controller now I would go with Traktor.

The "professionals" thing has several components to it. 1) When Traktor first came out, it had a ton of reliability and bug issues. This reputation has been exceedingly hard to shake, though Traktor runs fine now. 2) Serato is simple and thus was easy to transition to for the DJs who used CDJs/TTs. 3) DJs who like to use video in their mixes generally use Serato - Traktor does not have support for video. 4) Serato has vertical waveforms which a lot of DJs like to use for visual beatmatching.

All of that said, I own both programs and far prefer Traktor - enough to the point where I'm ready to sell my SL3 and not look back. There's nothing wrong with Serato really, it just doesn't have nearly the flexibility that Traktor does. The only things it has going for it over Traktor in my eyes are 1) Video mixing capability (for an extra $200) 2) The Bridge (for an extra $600 for ableton) and 3) supposedly better timecode with CDJs currently. I find Traktor's user interface, while more cluttered, far more useful in terms of the amount of information it imparts. Midi controllers work much better with Traktor (the controllers for Serato work fine, but you have to use controllers specifically made for Serato for them to work as expected in my experience) and you have a lot more choice in terms of which controller to use with Traktor.

With Serato it's basically the Apple tagline - "it just works" - unless it doesn't. And if it doesn't there probably isn't a whole lot you can tweak to make it work. With Traktor, if something doesn't work the way you want it to, chances are you can tweak a setting or do some creative midi mapping to get around the limitation.

For your budget - definitely the S2. If you have some extra cash you might want to pick up an X1 as well at some point once you learn the basics on the S2; it's a nice complementary controller and will come in very handy if you ever go to DVS (digital vinyl system - using Turntables and/or CDJs to control Traktor/Serato) which a lot of DJs eventually do.

[Gnozis]

Use the software you are most comfortable with. Porter Robinson uses Traktor, Skrillex uses Ableton, and they both put on great live shows. Sure, Serato is the industry standard, but that doesn't mean it is the "best." Every DJ has his own style so you need to build the proper software/hardware around you to compliment your style. I suggest downloading demos of different softwares and heading to a Guitar Center to get a feel for different hardware and go from there.

[pbcrazy9898]

I started off with a vestax spin... same thing as the (typhoon) except for Mac. Within a month it made me realize I wanted something more. So I got a VCI-100se and thats what I have now. I've been using that for a year with traktor and its amazing.