Got 700 saved on dj gear... now what

[soman]

Hey guys, I've saved up to 700. This will be it for a while.Would you buy a used rane tm56s, traktor s4, or xone mixer. So far I have two technics mk2, shure m447 carts, traktor 1, and stanton dj craze sa 12. Would you personally gig out with the technics and upgrade the mixer and then add an s4 later or keep my current setup and add the s4. Was looking at a pioneer mixer. but I can't afford them right now. Any personal opinions is appreciated. I've taken 4 years off from spinning.

[Yep.]

It really depends where you want to go with this. If you want to keep on the purely external mixing/turntablism side of things, go with a new mixer. Pioneer mixers are great, but the name is really what makes them. The DDM400 is a great mixer, as is the Denon X1600. The X1600 is a better buy, but if you can't find one in your price range, the DDM400 is always there.

If you want to go internal, the S4 is literally the best call. You get Traktor Pro 2 FREE and a scratch upgrade for $79. You also get the ability to still use your 12ks, but with even more functionality.

If I was choosing, I'd say go with the S4. I love mine, almost everyone on here who has one loves it, and the transition from just the 12ks and a mixer will be relatively easy. The choice is yours, but I encourage you to at least have the S4 as a goal. If you can't find one in your budget, go with the DDM400 or X1600 and buy one later on.

[soman]

Yep you are the man. I appreciate your help. Do you leave your technics at home or gig with them? I figure the 700 toward a mixer could go toward the s4. Thx again.....

[Yep.]

Yep you are the man. I appreciate your help. Do you leave your technics at home or gig with them? I figure the 700 toward a mixer could go toward the s4. Thx again.....

Why thank you!

I go to a boarding school, so I keep them in my school's Electronic Music Studio which is conveniently two flights of stairs away from the student commons, which is where I normally gig. I found that when I'm back home gigging, I normally don't use tables too much, so I cut the hassle and just keep them on campus behind locked doors. My style has also changed more from Scratching to Good clean mixing, so they don't get a ridiculous amount of use when I play at school. In terms of gigging at home, if the venue has tables, I use control vinyl. If the venue has CDJs, I use control CDs. If it's just a house party, I bring my S4, MIDI Fighter and Computer.

Do you have an audio interface? Or does the Stanton Mixer that you have run USB? If you don't it might be a good call to dish out the extra for an Audio 6 DJ or something along those lines that can take Traktor Timecode. It might be a gig saver. You never know. With these things you always have to prepare for the worst to happen.

That's about all of the advice that I can give. Good luck getting back into the swing of things!

[soman]

No problem... I do have traktor 1 with the audio 8. I'm looking to get the update soon. Right now organizing all this music is frustrating a bit. It feels overwhelming... I have dj craze old signature stanton sa 12 mixer. Pretty good... I figured if I could spend 700 on the rane mixer, I could save a little more for the s4. I'm with you.... I don't really go crazy with scratching. That was my honest mistake of learning that first when djing. Scratch and no mix. At this point I'm just practicing. I'm jealious of your setup for real. Good luck with school.

[photojojo]

You get Traktor Pro 2 FREE and a scratch upgrade for $79.

The S4 upgrade to TSP2 is $139

http://www.native-instruments.com/#/...o-2/?page=2008