Who here made the switch from vinyl? Gear advice needed

[nuport]

Hi all,
I'm a former dj who's been out of the scene for the past 5 years. I started djing in the 90s on 1200s, did my rounds at the clubs for about 10 years. When the whole dvs revolution started to take place, I thought it was amazing and got myself Final Scratch. This thing was a nightmare filled with bugs and I immediately sold it. I was traumatized enough to refuse to make the switch. (At the time I was also anti-cd, lol.)

Couple years later I did try Serato, which did seem a lot more reliable but found myself having trouble adjusting. Then between work and grad school I decided to focus on other things. Now I'm looking to get back into djing and have found myself in a whole new world of tech. I feel like a dinosaur in this digital dj world. Last week I found out that Technics stopped making 12s and I had to stop and think about that for a minute.

Well we all have to adapt and I think if I want to get back in, I'm going to need to accept that it's just not feasible to lug crates of records around anymore. (Nevermind I can't even buy vinyl because all the stores closed down!) So anyway, here are the options I'm looking at:

1) Denon X1600- run Traktor with my 1200s ($1k)
2) Pioneer DJM-800 with Traktor Skratch ($1k used + $~600 for TSPRO)
3) Traktor S4 ($1k)
4) Full Pio setup to spin CDs(DJM and some CDJS) $3k+

What I'm looking for right now is something to play with while I get comfortable again. If things go well, I'm going to want to get back in the club scene so most important is that whatever I'm practicing on will let me immediately feel comfortable in a club. I live in NYC where there's a lot of tiny cramped inhumane dj booths. I doubt it's possible to bring an S4 to the club, which has me worried of practicing on one of those.

At the same time, I think my fear of going DVS 5 years ago kinda left me in the dust, and if the world is going the way of the controller, I'm thinking maybe I should just suck it up and make the switch now.

So after all my rambling, my question is for those of you who have made the transition from actual vinyl, what do you think my best option is?

[Alex Wild]

Hi nuport, I appreciate your dilemma!
I also started out on 1200s and have just sold them to buy an S4. I made the transition slowly by first trying the Traktor demo to see if the software appealed, then adding an Audio 2 DJ soundcard and then an X1 and upgrading to Pro from LE.
I've done this because I love the software and it really suits my style of mixing, but also because the bar I play at every week doesn't have its own decks so I need something I can carry on the bus/taxi.
I've never got into scratching, so haven't ever needed what the DVS setup offers, I find it more fun mixing with sync on and concentrating on tune selection and having fun with looping and FX, but this might not be your style of mixing.
I would recommend trying the demo if you haven't already, just to see if the way Traktor works appeals to you. If it does and you dont scratch/need DVS, I would go have a play on the S4. I did a few weeks back and have now ordered one.
In regards to the booth situation, you'll have to go with your instincts on that, the S4 is quite big, but you could always take a stand, or find a way of putting it on top of the turntables.

Hope this helps, I've probably rambled a bit...

[djchriswoods.co.uk]

my dilemma with the dvs thing, although because i have cdjs to its not much of a big deal, but hardly any venues here still have 1210's , purely cdjs, so i end up just using the time code cds most of the time

[alex8337]

I went from Technics to CDJ's to MIDI all within 5 years. Midi is definitely the way to go and the S4 is an amazingly advanced piece of mixing hardware that works well, however I would not recommend it to any dj new or old, after owning one since the release date. It is the most delicate piece of hardware I've ever owned and has already broken in a couple of ways. NI is no Pioneer but neither are their prices.
You don't necessarily get what you pay for, I could pick my Hercules 4-Mx up and smack someone across the face with it, plug it back in and keep mixing, I definitely cant say the same about the S4.

Edit: If I was going to suggest anything, It'd definitely be an all in one MIDI solution like the S4. Not a 'missing link' technology like the Audio 4/6/8/10.

[nuport]

Yes,
Being that I am posting in the S4 forum I've been holding back specific negative comments regarding the S4. =P But recently I went to guitar center to play with all the controllers and I did feel like the S4 felt like a toy.

So what do you think? Maybe the A&H DX? 4d? Ive also been thinking about a standard mixer with 2 X1s

[alex8337]

Yes,
Being that I am posting in the S4 forum I've been holding back specific negative comments regarding the S4. =P But recently I went to guitar center to play with all the controllers and I did feel like the S4 felt like a toy.

So what do you think? Maybe the A&H DX? 4d? Ive also been thinking about a standard mixer with 2 X1s

A&H DX or 4D, thats like comparing a Toyota Electric Hybrid to a Lamborghini. LOL

Also: I don't like to 'hold back' as you say and cover for a company that screwed me over with crappy quality hardware just because I'm posting in an S4 forum section. I'll tell it like it is.

[nuport]

Yeah I'm really having a tough time deciding... I'm getting pulled in so many different directions for different reasons...

[alex8337]

A MIDI controller / sound card hybrid is the future proof option.

There arnt really many to choose from but atleast with A&H or Pioneer you are gaurenteed to get high quality parts.

Who cares if it wont do everything you want it to do straight out of the box... Its midi, thats the whole point. You make it do what you want it to do

[willrjmarshall]

Something like an Audio 8/10 DJ, an X1 and beatgrids.

It will fit into any DJ booth, and if you want you can plug the house CDJs (or turntables, if they actually have them) into your Audio 8/10 and add DVS to your setup. This is both flexible (you can DJ on a two-channel mixer with no CDJs), but you can expand to 4 deck DVS if the venue has the right gear.

(That said, the S4 is a thing of beauty. I have both X1 and S4, and I choose which to use based on the gig and the venue: e.g. if I know they have a gorgeous Xone 92 or are cramped on space I will use the X1)

((And there's nothing especially cool about DVS. It's just useful because CDJs make OK controllers and they're already installed in the venue: making your personal setup lighter-weight)

[CaptainMidnight]

DVS all the way. Get a copy of Traktor Scratch Pro and a used Audio 8,..if you like it then pick up some Pioneer cdjs are your golden.

You cant get any better jog wheels then the Pioneer cdjs...industry standard.