Vu-Meters N' Stuff

Hey everyone,

I started learning the basics of DJ about an year ago now, currently I can pretty much beatmatch by ear easy, also apply some small effects (nothing too much over the top).. I am basically playing Deep, Techno, Tech House, etc

Now, my problem:

I currently own a Behringer BCD3000 which has no Vu-Meters, and I am also using Traktor.

Does anyone here shares my opinion that Traktor built-in meters are IMPOSSIBLE to read? I mean, they don't give you any visual feedback at all, they should be coloured!

This way, I am forced to use auto-gain most of times, or just manually adjust the gains by ear but sometimes I still mess up the volumes.





So, is there any GOOD software vu-meter with colour (Something like pioneer or allen heath style)?

Or, Is there any midi vu-meter I can buy so i have independent channel meters like in a proper mixer? (I've seen some American Audio or something like that vu-meters but they are all master and not by channel..)





I am currently saving for buying a DDJ-SX, so no "buy another controller" suggestions please :D


Thank you!

Also, I tried some softwares which normalize the audio files (mp3normalize or something like that), but that is not what I am looking for, I want to be able to manually and visually change gains for when I play somewhere where I don't have "recent" mixers etc I am able to not mess up everyones night :D

I was under the impresisno that Traktor's VU-Meters were horribly inaccurate.

I'm not sure what you're askingabout visually changing gains... just turn the gain knob?

The only suggestion I could give is to try setting your autogain using the Main meter on the top of the program since it has some visual feedback and gives you clip lines. Obviously you'll have to make sure your Main Volume knob and headroom setting stay constant, or if you have to move your Main volume knob (don't know anything about the bcd3000, if it has a main hardware knob), make sure you remember what you normally set it at. As for adjusting gains on the fly, might just have to get better at it with experience, one thing I do that may help is that I always have my volume faders set max to only about 3/4 up. It gives me a little volume room in case I need to boost a little without needing to adjust gains......I just find it easier for me to drop or raise a fader a little on the fly instead of messing with a small very sensitive knob that probably needs to be reset when I load the nest track into that deck.

There might be a VU MIDI meter on the market that you like, but if it were me, and I was saving for something else better, I probably would do whatever I could not to buy it. It's probably going to be a lot of lost money when you try to sell it.....if you can sell it.

You could remap the central row of leds to act as VU meters if you hold down certain button (so you don't loose feedback of the regular functions on those). Split them evenly (or not, depends on your taste) and save the top leds for clip indicators. No need to buy anything.

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This way, I am forced to use auto-gain most of times, or just manually adjust the gains by ear but sometimes I still mess up the volumes.

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You should be learning to match gains by ear anyhow. Do NOT rely on VU meters to match them EVER its a horribly inaccurate way of mixing as some tracks for example will have a exaggerated bassline which will in essence make the track look louder but sound much weaker if you do a straight A>B mix with another track which has an exaggerated mid range.

So long as you know you are not clipping the channels, the only thing you should need to worry about on a VU display is the master output IMHO, use your ears for everything else.

Thanks for all the answers!

I have already mapped middle-row LED's in the past to act as vu-meter, but found it very inacurate as well.

Well, I guess I'm gonna try and practice to do it by ear then!

Thanks for all the input ;)



PS- Native Instruments, STOP FUC**NG AROUND WITH BLUE USELESS TUNNING CAR LIKE LED'S and actually design a proper VU Meter for this amazing software :)

PS2- Also, please stop adding useless effects like basically all the new ones on 2.6(.1) and implement a proper ECHO effect :)

PS3- Also, please update the S4 controller, so you can make my choice a bit harder. Right now, for me, it's pretty easy to choose between a DDJ-SX and S4... DDJ-SX has bigger platters (ok, not HID but who cares, we house guys don't really scratch), better pitch bending platters, proper vu-meters (:thumbup:), proper aluminum "pro-like" construction and besides also working as "offline" mixer, it has all the inputs and outputs we may ever wish.



That's all :D

Not askin for much ^

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Originally Posted by padi_04

You could remap the central row of leds to act as VU meters if you hold down certain button (so you don't loose feedback of the regular functions on those). Split them evenly (or not, depends on your taste) and save the top leds for clip indicators. No need to buy anything.

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Padi knows what's up.

You could make one for about £20 with a duino