I’ve got a $2K budget for upgrading my DJ setup. I'm looking for fellow forum recommendations.
I wanted your opinion on how to proceed as I look to upgrade from my current low-grade setup (a pair of low-end Denon CD players + Vestax 4-channel mixer).
About me: I’ve DJed off and on for the past 7 years and I’ve hit the breaking point with pure CDs (I just hate burning 10-20 CDs before each occasional gig with music, as it’s fairly time-consuming and not very efficient + I edit most of my tracks in Ableton Live).
In terms of type of gigs I do, I’ll mainly be doing gigs in and around the NYC area (mainly at bars) or the occasional warm-up slot or mobile gig (I have a soundsystem).
I’ve given myself 3 options
- getting a pair of XDJ 1000s or
- getting either a Pioneer SR controller OR SX2 controller in combo with a Mid-2010 Macbook Pro(2.53Ghz intel and 4 GB 1067 MHz DDr3)
Pros and Cons of Each (IMO):
XDJ-1000 Pros:
- Seem more reliable and durable than a controller setup in the long-run (infinitely less likely to crash during a gig than a controller setup)
- A seemingly easier transition for me to be able to switch to any of the industry-standard CDJs that clubs have if I open up for DJs (CDJ-2000 + 900 Nexus) as I’ll be familiar with Rekordbox and the players.
- Seems like I could eventually add a SR to my setup if compatibility becomes an issue
XDJ-1000 Cons:
- A lot of small bars don’t have them, they usually have 2 technics/belt-driven turntables if anything (meaning I’d have to carry them to the gig).
- More costly than the controller setup (I do have a $2K budget)
Pioneer SX2 Pros:
- Seemingly more durable and reliable than the SR (not USB-powered)
- 4 channel mixer instead of 2, allowing me to add an additional deck if need be.
- more mobile DJ friendly as there’s an XLR output that I could attach to all external sound systems
- Same setup everywhere which leads to you being really familiar with your equipment.
Pioneer SX2 Cons:
- How reliable is it in the heat of the moment?
- I would have to carry it to every gig.
- I’d prolly add the UDJ backpack to my mix to carry around to each gig in add the magna control stand
- Hard to fit in a lot of bar/club DJ booths (maybe the magna control stand)
Pioneer SR Pros:
- Very portable
- Would easily fit into most DJ booths
- Cheapest out of all the options
Pioneer SR Cons:
- Apparently not 100% reliable
- Primarily USB powered w/o a power supply making it heavily reliant on the laptop
- Once again, reliability (what do you guys think?)
- No XLR output
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