Questions about Roland DJ-202?/Which 1st Controller?/Serato?
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  1. #1
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    Default Questions about Roland DJ-202?/Which 1st Controller?/Serato?

    First of all I already wrote a very in depth post and lost it. It says it was saved as a draft and I can't find it... UGH! And registering on my phone was impossible and I had a hard time registering from my computer. Great content here, I've been reading djtt for years but just info for the admins.

    TLDR; Questions are in bold.

    So I first started DJ'ing with a pair of Denon DN-S3500's and a Numark Mixer. I now have a pair of Denon DN-S3700's, Xone:02 Battle Mixer, Roland Sp-404Sx and Korg KP. DJ'ing is how I started music and inspired me to go to school for audio engineering. Then I opened a home studio and started doing gigs... I haven't done a gig or done music for money in about 8 years. These days I primarily record my mixes for later listening. I do hip hop beat production and a little bit of rapping. I try to include my dj gear in my production with sampling as much as possible. I scratch... a LOT... and do a lot of chopping & screwing. I've NEVER used my 3700's as midi controllers until recently. I've had a hard time learning Serato but I guess I'll learn. I'm in the market for a controller to have access to my entire MP3 Archive and to do more conventional/mainstream mixes to entertain my guests and for special events. And to just be portable... It sounds great to just pack up and go... bringing just a controller, my laptop, a speaker and having some music at the beach =) With that being said, this is what I'm looking for

    - Scratching. Sharp curve on the xfader
    - Large Jogwheels
    - Cue points. As many as possible. 100 would be nice =)
    - On board Fx would be nice
    - as many ins/outs. by what I've seen this sounds like wishful thinking but It'd be nice to be able to use my SP404sx and my Korg KP.
    - Full(ish) functionality with the software
    - Cheap(ish), below 400
    - I like the idea of 4 decks, not a must though.

    now on to the Roland DJ-202. I was looking at the pioneers and decided at this price point the jogs are just too small. It seems like a great deal at the price and also right now I can get an upgrade to Serato dj PRO along with many other goodies =)


    My questions about the 202...

    - After I activate the Serato (Pro) will I be able to use that software with other controllers? Any I buy in the future or the 3700's I have now?
    - Is there an on-jog display LED indicator? Like to tell where I am on the song, a marker for scratching
    - Is the crossfader curve setting adjustable? Or do I set this in the software?

    I guess that's all I have about the 202. I can't tell if there is an LED indicator in the videos, or not. I have my heart and soul set on the Numark NS7iii (mainly because of the moving platters) but can't afford that right now. I figured I'll wait until the next version comes out, I'll either get that one or the NS7iii will drop in price. Dramatically.

    I've also been looking at the Hercules DJControl JogVision. Mainly because of the large platter and the LED indicator. But it looks cheap and I've never heard of the brand until recently. Also, I've read that it doesn't have full functionality unless you upgrade to Serato PRO.... Do you think this would be better for me?

    What other controllers would be good for me?



    Thanks!!

  2. #2
    Tech Wizard Spy da Man's Avatar
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    Greetings DJ AK


    Quote Originally Posted by DJ AK View Post
    … this is what I'm looking for


    - Scratching. Sharp curve on the xfader
    - Large Jogwheels
    - Cue points. As many as possible. 100 would be nice =)
    - On board Fx would be nice
    - as many ins/outs. by what I've seen this sounds like wishful thinking but It'd be nice to be able to use my SP404sx and my Korg KP.
    - Full(ish) functionality with the software
    - Cheap(ish), below 400
    - I like the idea of 4 decks, not a must though.

    I don’t (yet) use a controller, so take anything I say with a pinch of salt. However, the number of cue points is a factor (limitation, depending on perspective) of the software, not the hardware. Serato DJ has eight, Recordbox has 16 (I think) but I have no clue how many Traktor, VDJ or any of the others have.


    You mentioned Serato a couple of times, are you able to achieve all that you want with the version that you have or do you feel/know that there’s something in the full version that you want/need? Have you considered switching to a different programme or are sticking with Serato regardless?


    My personal experience with Serato (DJ Pro) is that it was recommended to me by another DJ who uses Traktor. His logic was because of my background playing vinyl it would be a better fit for me than Traktor and that, combined with my ‘sometimeish’ relationship with NI products (sometimes good, sometimes not so good), is why went that route. I’m still using turntables for DVS and my vinyl, which I have yet to transfer to digital.


    Quote Originally Posted by DJ AK View Post
    My questions about the 202...


    - After I activate the Serato (Pro) will I be able to use that software with other controllers? Any I buy in the future or the 3700's I have now?
    - Is there an on-jog display LED indicator? Like to tell where I am on the song, a marker for scratching
    - Is the crossfader curve setting adjustable? Or do I set this in the software?


    I guess that's all I have about the 202. I can't tell if there is an LED indicator in the videos, or not. I have my heart and soul set on the Numark NS7iii (mainly because of the moving platters) but can't afford that right now. I figured I'll wait until the next version comes out, I'll either get that one or the NS7iii will drop in price. Dramatically.


    I've also been looking at the Hercules DJControl JogVision. Mainly because of the large platter and the LED indicator. But it looks cheap and I've never heard of the brand until recently. Also, I've read that it doesn't have full functionality unless you upgrade to Serato PRO.... Do you think this would be better for me?


    What other controllers would be good for me?

    The DJ 202 will work with DJ Pro but you will have to buy a licence from (or subscribe monthly to) Serato to use it. Every once in a while they offer special discounts, so if you’re patient you might be able to acquire it at a reduced rate. Please note that this model has no inputs, not even a mic, so you can’t use it to route your Korg units. If you’re prepared to spend a little bit extra the DJ 505 has mic and phono/line inputs plus it’s easier to access the functions of the built in drum sounds/sequencer, but it’s also bigger, which might be a problem for you regarding the portability of the unit. HTH

  3. #3
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    Thanks for the reply!

    I've downloaded Rekordbox, VDJ, Traktor, Cross DJ and Serato. They are all confusing as hell... although Traktor is the most confusing is probably Traktor. And the least is VDJ... which actually worked with my 3700's. It seems like I wouldn't even be able to give most of them a fair test without a license to run...even the free version of serato didn't operate without a controller. So I'm really not sure if I'm able to achieve what I want with Serato. But it seems to be the industry standard. Then again, my style of dj'ing is quite different than what seems popular today so I'm not sure.


    I've found a lot of places that say the 202 comes with an upgrade to Serato Pro. It started sometime early 2017, and they said it was going to be until March 2018 but it looks like they've extended it:


    https://www.roland.com/us/promos/dj-202_mixpack/

    It really sucks that the 202 doesn't have mic inputs. I guess I could route the outs to my Roland SP404 Ins, hook my mic up there and take the master/booth outs from there...even though that isn't the ideal setup.

    Thanks for your response. Sometimes I consider getting the Rane flagship (or something similar) setup and just using that. Or using my 3700's with DVS. But then again, I also want portability and quick fun. I want to be able to pack up 2 or 3 things, hook up and go right away =)

  4. #4
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    It looks like Roland is still doing the deal. I guess they started in 2017 and decided to keep it going. https://www.rolandus.com/blog/2018/0...ller-purchase/

    I'm not sure if I'll get what I want out of Serato… but it does seem to be the industry standard! I was able to play with the free version of Serato but I couldn't get my 3700's to work with it at all unless I purchased a license. On the other hand, VDJ did let me hook up my 3700's and go to work! The others (Cross DJ, Traktor, Rekordbox) seemed absolutely non-functional, even with the free version and were confusing as hell.


    I wrote a longer reply earlier, looks like it never went through. it's late and I have work to do Maybe it said it had to be reviewed ? hmmm... not sure.

  5. #5
    Tech Guru SlayForMoney's Avatar
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    Regarding Denon S3700 I can give you some info.
    Since it was designed for SSL and not SDJ you will be only able to use it as:
    1.) any other older CD player, playing timecode CD into a SDJ compatible interface
    2.) use the Denon hybrid mode (player outputs it's own timecode) and map the buttons in SDJ to some functions like cue points (try to find a XML file for that) - LED won't work because Serato changed codes between SSL and SDJ. Try to find if there is a utility setting on the S3700 to have all the LED lighted all the time.

    As you could see, VDJ gave it plug'n'play support, Traktor the least (but there are some good midi maps for hybrid midi mode).
    Denon X600 - 2x Denon SC-2000 - AKG K181DJ - NI Audio 2

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by SlayForMoney View Post
    Regarding Denon S3700 I can give you some info.
    Since it was designed for SSL and not SDJ you will be only able to use it as:
    1.) any other older CD player, playing timecode CD into a SDJ compatible interface
    2.) use the Denon hybrid mode (player outputs it's own timecode) and map the buttons in SDJ to some functions like cue points (try to find a XML file for that) - LED won't work because Serato changed codes between SSL and SDJ. Try to find if there is a utility setting on the S3700 to have all the LED lighted all the time.

    As you could see, VDJ gave it plug'n'play support, Traktor the least (but there are some good midi maps for hybrid midi mode).
    Dang... That's bad news. I kinda wanna stay away from the SDJ interface. I kinda understand how it works and I'm not sure exactly why but it doesn't seem like something I want to do.

    So I pulled the trigger on the 202. It'll be here soon. Maybe I'll just use it in Serato for a while and if I want to use it all together I'll hook it up to VDJ and go ahead and buy the full license. That would be a MAD setup!!! 2 3700's + the 202 going into Virtual DJ using my external mixer with my Korg KP and Sampler. WOW!!

  7. #7
    Tech Wizard Spy da Man's Avatar
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    Hope you enjoy it

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