sq difference between dvs/cdj and controller?

**padi_04** · 05-02-2011, 09:44 AM

The only thing you get by mixing with an external mixer is audio colouring, I don't find being a benefit.

**fullenglishpint** · 05-02-2011, 09:49 AM

2 things:

The quality won't be 'better' through an external mixer, but many add a certain 'colour' to the sound which some people like. Music sounded different through my DJM-600 to how it did direct from my soundcard, and does from my 800.

The old addage is that your audio will only sound as good as the worst link in the chain, and in many performance cases that will either be the sound system (shitty speakers or amps) or the music file.

**exokinetic** · 05-02-2011, 10:43 AM

TO ANSWER THE OP's QUESTION.

The use of timecode and/or midi to control the pitch of a track is IRRELEVANT to the "signal chain" or "audio path".

The deciding factor for differences in signal chain is mixing internally or externally.

You can mix internally, or externally with just midi, just timecode, or a combination of both.

SO, to recap:

If all of your music files are being played from a computer, through a piece of software:

The way you go about speeding up,slowing down, starting, and stopping a track has 0 effect on signal "quality".

The question is not:

Keyboard, MIDI, or DVS?

The question is:

Internal, or External?

**sesshin** · 05-02-2011, 11:09 PM

I appreciate the input from everyone.

Basically I guess I'm still waiting to hear from someone who has both setups, or has listened to both setups back to back on a good speaker system.

I've read posts on the Native Instrument forum of people who swear mixing on a good analogue mixer sounds better. Of course this is their subjective judgement, not a "better" you can measure.

As the same time all the S4 or controller owners are adamant that their setup sounds just as good as a DVS or CDJ setup (or at least not worse).

It would be interesting to hear from someone who has compared the two.