What are using to control 4 decks?

[Jester]

This is why the new VMS4 controller looks promising to me. A lot of direct control of 4 decks with out having to go crazy with multiple mappings. Its usually the eq knobs being in the wrong position on the underneath decks that fucks me up royally.

[lsmith]

seems a bit overboard if its just the eq's. why not just add an LPD8 to the mix?

[dodge]

I'm thinking launchpad and nanokontrol. timecode or genuine vinyl for scratching.

[DvlsAdvct]

If you want to do something on decks A&C then you just copy C to D. If you're running THAT complicate of a mix with four active decks, then that's a different story.

[Abyrne7]

Yah I agree I dont even bother with the 4 deck control on my VCI 100 SE. I find it gets to tangly, which in turn makes the flow to the mix not so good. I find its not sufficient for quick transitions.
Im pretty sure if the VMS4 is a solid piece of kit that I am going to make a purchase. Probably keep my VCI in my set up as well and use it as one big effect/fadder effect controller + a midi fighter....Thats alot of midi haha.

But yah im excited about the VMS4 I dont no why other companies are waiting so long to make an economical 4 deck, midi controller for Traktor!! It just makes sense doesnt it? If traktor is 4 decks why not make a midi controller 4 decks DUH

[dodge]

I dont no why other companies are waiting so long to make an economical 4 deck, midi controller for Traktor!! It just makes sense doesnt it? If traktor is 4 decks why not make a midi controller 4 decks DUH

Bingo! But which company should take on such a task?... Native flippin Instruments maybe? What are they waiting for? This should have been designed and released along with the software. Vestax kinda cornered the market with the VCI 100. NI should have a bit of kit designed purely for Traktor with a nice easy workflow for 4 decks!

[DvlsAdvct]

Isn't that what the X1 is supposed to do?

Honestly, carrying around a controller at least 1.5x the size of the VCI-100 doesn't sound very appealing to me. And if it's gonna have jog wheels than easily 2x the size.

[dodge]

Isn't that what the X1 is supposed to do?

Honestly, carrying around a controller at least 1.5x the size of the VCI-100 doesn't sound very appealing to me. And if it's gonna have jog wheels than easily 2x the size.

X1 only controls 2 decks unless you use modifiers/shift button, which is what we already discussed in this thread.
They could build something based on the VCI 100, so only 2 jog wheels, but have an extra set of controls for decks C & D. If I was a whizz on some form of design software I'd knock up a design cos I know exactly how I'd have it.

[Kainos]

Just give me a TR-1 with jog wheels and I'll be set! So far I am enjoying using my nanopad for triggering cues and loops.

[V-Hoff]

This is the best thread i read here in months,
I think the main question is the question on a lot of people's heads.

Keeping the discussion full-midi based, the AA-VMS4 is indeed the best solution sofar to control 4 decks properly, plus it have a touch pad that can be used like a X/Y pad for FX like an kaoss pad.
The cons about VMS is that it have unecessary built-in audio interface, it expenses the controller and make it bigger and heavy. C'mon people, we all know how these built in audio interfaces turn out on the end, really bad sounds with big audio latency, the worst nightmare to a DJ.

My dream setup with nowdays hardware to control 4 decks would be:

Macbook with firewire
+ Presonus Firestudio Mobile
+ Traktor with 4 Decks + 4 FXs
+ one American Audio VMS4 - for mixing, browsing tracks, loop control, 4xFX activation
+ one midifighter or any other pad 4x4 (with PS joystick if available) - for cuepoint juggling
+ one Stanton scs.3d - for many pre-set touchable super-effects on FX 3 and 4
+ one Stanton scs.3m - for set and control FX+Parameters (Chained and Advanced) to create combinations on-the-fly on FX 1 and 2

The Stanton scs.3m would work only for home pruposes, this way you can test a lot of different combination of FX and Paramaters.

The thing that attract me most about the stantons is the hability of change 10 variables of the same workflow at the same time with your 10 hand fingers . You cant do that with knobs, only some poeple has the hability to change two or more knobs at the same time with only one hand lol :eek:


Apart from that, I would design a controller by myself if I had the time and money to do so... it would have all the features that the above setup has, but with a compact controller, without bluit-in audio-interface and without jog wheels (yes, i dont like them )