Juggling what setup to go with. Turntable/Controller setup/

[ChristianNoir]

I am traditionally a Vinyl DJ... Playing mostly Drum n Bass, but i also like to play Electro House, and almost everything...

Avoiding going digital is pretty much impossible these days, so I have finally caved.

Small midi controllers drive me a bit crazy sometimes because I am used to the "space" of turntables, but alas, they do have really cool features.

So this is my dilemma: I'm having great difficulty choosing gear.

I would like to have a setup that I can use turntables and and possibly a midi controller. This isn't an absolute necessity, but would be awesome if I could have the best of both worlds. I read forums and reviews till I'm blue in the face so this is why I am posting.

I would like to do something like Serato Scratch mainly for spinning stuff like DnB and other music designed specifically for straight mixing (I can't stand spinning dnb on a little controller because it takes the fun out of being physical with 2 decks and a mixer).

On the other hand, I want to be able to set loops to extend songs that are too short (ie:2:30) to mix for too long.

Beat sync/gridding would also be useful for certain applications to free me up from constantly riding the pitch so I can focus on doing some other tricks and also talk to DRUNK PEOPLE if I am spinning longer sets (possibly as long as 5 hours). Multiple cue points are a major + too.

A controller is also great if I have to ditch the decks for portability in case I have a surprise last min set or something.

So what I'm saying is that I'd like a setup like this:

Need:
-Highly functional midi controller
-one audio interface or less
Have:
-Laptop
-mixer
-Tech 12's

Extra I already have: M-Audio Fast Track Pro (not entirely necessary if I can find a better setup).

Setup I considered:
Traktor Scratch, audio-8-dj interface, VCI-100, Tech 12's
Is this gear compatible? doe the interface work with the VCI-100 also? And can you effectively monitor CUE and Booth with the interface?

Also, I really like the stuff Mr. Ean has done with the VCI-100, but I am still unsure about using it because:
-I have read people have problems doing long mixes
-Monitoring (how does the monitoring work?)

Also to add... I have never used Serato, Itch, or Traktor.
I have only used an Xponent with Torq but had too many problems with the unit (didn't like the jogs, right master/booth output channels got fried the 3rd time I used it, thing is made of platic).

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[ChristianNoir]

no love for noobs? ha ha

[chex]

Serato scratch live will allow looping, and hot cues, but it offers limited midi control and mapping so it's not the best for mixing with a midi controller by itself. Plus it doesn't allow auto beat syncing. Traktor scratch pro does beat syncing and full midi mapping and supports 4 decks. In theory you can map lets say decks A and B (in traktor) to you turntables using timecode, and have C and D used internally with a midi controller like a vci-100. What's awesome, i use a korg nanopad for not only hot cues, but i also mapped a scene to tap in global bpm. So lets say I'm mixing from a actual record, i can tap the bpm of that record into my nanopad, cue any song in traktor and it should match up. That saves a lot of time and it also can be used sync effects, or quantize samples to play with that record.

[djlokifl]

no love for noobs? ha ha

HAHAHA All you had to ask. Give me a call and I will walk you through your options. Scratch and a vci is the way to go. Give me a call and I will come over and help you set all of it up and get running.

Justin and Kenny are using Serato, but I think you will like Traktor much better if nothing else for the fx and the fact you can drop vocals and loops on the third decks.

[LiveFastStephen]

what are you looking to spend around $250 will get you a (used) Behringer DDM400 mixer
plenty of knobs, faders and buttons that control software,

double that will get you a sick used Korg zero4 (around $500)
so sick for effects also a software controller.

you just use a midi in/out to usb wire for the ddm or a simple usb wire for the zero 4
then get a soundcard like the maya 44 ($99), or NI audio 4(used $200) to plug in
your turn tables ($15)time code vinyls & you get software control with existing set up.

thats basically all you need to go digital and keep the vinyl look & feel., you don't need a mixer that's a software controller the sound cards have two out-puts to put one in each channel of your external mixer but controllers are clean and let you have way more control over other aspects; for example loops - loop size, cue points, effects - effect parameters &strength ect. if you wanna go all the way, just brows the dope controllers on the market, *oh & not all usb conpatable cdj's and mixers are controllers, sometime just USB for flashdrives but "MIDI" always means software controller.

good luck man. - s

[Kupujte_Pytle]

Hey Christian.

I think i am was in the same exact position like you, few months ago (except i have never been truly analog dj before - and never will be,.... i started digital). I do spin mostly drum and bass with little bit of crossovering. Over the time i found out exactly what did you pointed out in your starter of the topic - Midicontroller is fine and all, but can get boring when you spin for longer period of time tracks that are made -as you said- for straight mixing. So my setup is actually the one you mentioned in your post.

I have Traktor shell (program, NI8 interface, Scratch accesories) and VCI100 Controler. That allows you for some savage module style building of your everyday setup. Most obvious are:

TS pro setup: luggage: Laptop, control vinyl, cables and NI8 plus headphones. Use it when going to club with quality TTs, where there might be bit stress for free space (man, sometimes is hard to find space for controler as well). P.S. you can map basic functions (cue, loops etc.) and presets very handily to your Laptop's keyboard.

Traktor and controller: I take this to every venue where i have no TTs available (even can't bring em). Luggage is generaly 2 laptops (VCI 100 is equally heavy and sizey as traditional 15,4" laptop) and NI8 plus headphones

Everything in a savage hookup. Very big luggage (but definitely portable by single person with quite a bigger backpack). You setup yourself typically as Traktor scratch, and asign VCI for remaining decks C and D (only with NI8 you can set it up for comfortable external mixing with club 4channel mixer). Now you use TTs for your main songs and use decks 3 and 4 for "fun" stuff (typicaly i mix hip hop tunes into DnB set using just deck C and deck D for just maybe copying decks for some nifty tricks)

It all works wonders together, it's tested and well proven! (except maybe VCI have general issues with receiving midi back from PC, so it needs to be turned off to aviod freezing - that is known issue)

P.S. you can get cheaper NI4 as well, but that will limit you in the third setup (you'd have to mix internaly, which isn't ultimately comfortable using just a VCI - perhaps new XONE midicontroller migh go along the way).

[Segfault]

If you've got money to burn, I would suggest a Xone:4D. It's a nice mixer, awesome MIDI controller, and superb soundcard all rolled up in one, and wouldn't take up too much more room in your setup.

As far as software goes, I think I can safely say nearly everyone here will recomend Traktor Scratch Pro. Traktor gets my recommendation for DJ Software, but I cannot comment on the DVS functionality.

[de_stilj]

Ok I got a vci-100 traktor pro and 2 turntable and it's does nicely everything that you want .

[ChristianNoir]

Well I ended up going serato SL3 just cos I know it basically works for me and I still like the vinyl feel etc. I'm going to stick to it for a while and then expand my setup one thing at a time.

As far as those ultra short tracks, I'll just have to do some edits for now.

Thanks for the useful info.