Reloop digital jockey 2 or Numark Omni

[sims10000]

Hi all. I have been a basement DJ for over a decade now owning some 3000+ dance vinyls, and have decided to treat myself to a DJ midi controller. As I am new here I'll give you a bit of a lowdown on my interest, and it might help you give me some advice.

I love any dance music old skool, piano, trance, house, funky, soul, even a bit of Nancy Sinatra gets thrown in. Dont mind drum and bass, electro, but not a big fan of happy hardcore or dubstep.

I've DJ'd at 40th & 50th birthday parties, many many house parties, a fashion show, my son's 21st, an all nighter, a mad rave, 2nd life night club and fortunate enough to have DJ'd at Maxines in Wigan 3 times.

I use Numark TT-200 decks at home, which are solid enough but a pig to use. Never could afford 1210's, but at least when I do get the chance to it's like being in DJ heaven. I also have a fair amount of practise with Numark Cue software, having DJ'd online and at my sons 21st with my laptop.


My budget for a midi controller is around £250, which seems to suggest the Numark Omni is the obvious choice. However, the local DJ store suggested it might be prudent to invest an extra £100 and go for a Reloop Digital Jockey 2 Interface edition. I could stretch my budget to £350 and not a penny more.

In your honest opinion, do you think it is worth me shelling out the extra money, or go for the Omni? Thank you

[Patch]

If you're gonna stretch your budget - you might as well stretch that extra £20 and go for a Vestax VCI controller. Everyone here loves that controller.

BUT - are you sure that that is the type of controller you want? (ie - 2 jog wheels and buttons/knobs). What software do you use for DJ'ing? I use a UC-33e for DJ'ing with Ableton Live, and you can't really get a better controller for DJ'ing with Live...

I've also got a great little controller called a DM2 (you can pick it up for <£20 on ebay). It's basically a toy, but there is a peice of software (DM2MIDI by pDoom) that changes the functions to Midi and can be used with any software.

You need to decide what type of controller you're after. Mixer type (x-session, UC-33e, BCR, etc...) or jog-wheel type (VCI-100/300, DM2, Numark Omni). It'll really depend on how you are planning to DJ...

[sims10000]

I'm 99% certain I want a controller with jog wheels. DJ'ing is more of a hobby than a profession. I still do a few house parties, and am trying to build up my equipment to allow me to do parties/functions etc. I have been asked to a wedding and another 21st for example.

Being able to mix correctly by matching beats, and blending the two tracks together seamlessly is important to me, rather than just a simple crossfade, although this technique is also effective at wedding type functions.


What I liked about the reloop one was the ability to plug a vinyl deck into the side which I will certainly do, and perhaps get a CD deck later. This will give me the full range of options when mixing, which I believe is important at parties because you never know what people will wave in your face asking you to play.

The three options I have seen and prices I can get for are:

Numark Omni £250
Reloop digital jockey 2 £350
Vestax vci-100 £260

Does anyone have experience of these three controllers?

[xbelt]

i tested them all in a store and i think the vci-100 is the best. You can do everything with it and it wont be destroyed afterwards.
But you need an external soundcard. I recommend the Audio 4 DJ. It has a good quality and is quite cheap.

[sims10000]

I'm not overjoyed at the idea of having a seperate audio interface. If I'm going to invest in a system, I prefer to go for a built in interface option. There's no doubting the quality of the vci-100, but I'm being drawn towards the extended features of the reloop. As stated in many of the threads here, many of these controllers are very similar to each other, so I guess it's going to boil down to personal choice and gut feel.

The reloop also has touch sensitive technology on the jog wheels, as well as jog wheels that turn, I guess this is important for instant mixing of cue'd up tunes? Unless someone can state an overwhelming reason to stay clear of the reloop, I think I'll probably go for this. The DJ store I am planning to buy from is hopefully getting some reloops, so at least I should be able to try before I buy. I'm in no massive rush to buy though, so please feel free to point out the advantages of the vci if you think this is important, or indeed the Numark Omni.

Thanks

[sims10000]

One last option that is appealing to me after doing some more net research is one of the virtual vinyl packages that is out there. Especially appealing is the intimidation touch DVS, which weighs in at a bargain £209 to £229, has great features and gets some excellent reviews.

This would even leave me a £130 or so for a simple midi controller.
These are exciting times, trying to make the right choice. But oh so many options makes the decision a tough one.

[sims10000]

In the end I opted for the Intimidation Touch DVS, pictured in the reply above.
For £229 it seems like a bargain, and I can always add a configurable midi controller later if I want to.
I use a plug in mini USB keyboard for my laptop anyway, so I can use this to operate the software, it will fit nicely in front of my mixer.
Thanks to those of you who replied you've been a great help, as has the wealth of information on this forum.
I'll be sure to do a full exclusive review at some stage.

[djmoonie]

So now's probably not the time to suggest that wasn't a good move

Touch DVS is just a branded Quad Scratch this is available as a FREE download. You can then buy something like ms pinky vinyls or download and burn control cd's if you use cdj's and save yourself a bundle of cash.

So in reality, your money has bought a sound card and some control vinyl.

[sims10000]

Yeah a little late. I did post that I fancied buying this before I bought, but nobody replied until now Ach well.
When I opened the box, I kind of wondered if this was value for money or not.

I can get timecode vinyl from Ebay, is there a usb sound card I can buy that will work with the free software you mentioned, and where can the software be downloaded? I should still have the option to take back if I am not completely satisfied, ie consumer protection.

Having said that I breifly tested the set up before, and I have to say I am completely impressed with the sound quality, and the complete lack of latency even using standard USB. I am finding it so amazing to hear a digital tune playing perfectly from the timeloop vinyl I cant begin to tell you.
It's very hard to believe that it isn't a vinyl playing.But if I have been hugely overcharged here, it's going to have to go back.

[djmoonie]

The bottom line is that if touch DVS works as a software package for you, then its been a worthwhile investment.

Even if you don't like the software, assuming your time code vinyls are compatible, you could easily move to traktor or virtual dj for instance and give that a go.