cdj setup or macbook pro?
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 25
  1. #1
    Tech Mentor
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    322

    Default cdj setup or macbook pro?

    So I have a small chunk of change saved up... little over a thousand USD. And it needs to be spent.

    option a) get another cdj-800mk2 and flight cases for the rest of my stuff. this will give me 2x cdj800, denon x-300, and hd-25 which is a decent cd setup

    option b) get a macbook pro. I already have a decent laptop running win 7 and haven't experienced any crashes lately, but if I got a mbp I could use it with my firebox that's been lying around and it'd be portable enough that I might actually take notes when I'm in class at uni.

    basically it comes down to either joining the rest of the pro audio world and finally getting a mac (and more stability with my firebox/vci-100/tpro combo and all of that), or getting a completely self-contained setup that I'll be able to practice on for club gigs.

  2. #2
    Tech Guru
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    924

    Default

    I was in a similar situation, except I had CDJ-1000 MK3 and an Ecler Nuo 5. It was a sweet setup, but I came to the conclusion that it's stupid to have $3000+ in equipment to play other peoples music.

    Sold the setup, bought a 15" MacBook Pro, and invested in Ableton and Traktor. With the remainder of my money, I'm waiting on the EKS Otus Raw to come out, and then I'll buy an Ecler Nuo 4.

    So basically I went from having two fancy CD decks and a nice mixer - to a complete rock solid production station with immense versatility and usage, that can also do what my $3000 setup did, and then some, tailored to my needs.

    My $0.02

  3. #3
    Tech Mentor
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    322

    Default

    totally respect that.

    A little more about me... I've done electronic music for seven years now, am a third year in college getting a degree in music composition, and know more things about reason and ableton live than my professors do. Am aiming to make a career out of something audio related, maybe as a studio producer/engineer, maybe as a film composer, something like that. I can get shit done with my current setup and am a big fan of traktor

    The question for me is mostly the feel of things... with traktor, even though I've experimented with fx heavy mappings, I've finally settled on a mapping that focuses on basic four band eq and dedicated high/low pass filters for each deck, with only minimal fx capabilities. I mix better when I let the music speak for itself, and I find myself standing there twiddling my thumbs a lot and I actually wonder if it'd be more fun to spend that time searching through cd wallets. I also wonder if fewer options can sometimes lead to greater creativity. I dunno, maybe I'm just a sucker for punishment...

    honestly I want both. I just dunno which I want first.

  4. #4
    Tech Convert bgardali's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Boulder, CO
    Posts
    19

    Default

    If you're going the macbook pro route you should wait a bit. Apple will be updating them very soon. keep your eye on macrumors.com, they keep track of all this.
    15" Macbook Pro D2.6ghz: SSL, 1200's/CDJ 400's, DJM 400 / Ableton Live 8, APC 40.

  5. #5
    DJTT Moderator bloke Karlos Santos's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Next to a canal in England.
    Posts
    9,019

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by mmauve View Post
    I was in a similar situation, except I had CDJ-1000 MK3 and an Ecler Nuo 5. It was a sweet setup, but I came to the conclusion that it's stupid to have $3000+ in equipment to play other peoples music.

    Sold the setup, bought a 15" MacBook Pro, and invested in Ableton and Traktor. With the remainder of my money, I'm waiting on the EKS Otus Raw to come out, and then I'll buy an Ecler Nuo 4.

    So basically I went from having two fancy CD decks and a nice mixer - to a complete rock solid production station with immense versatility and usage, that can also do what my $3000 setup did, and then some, tailored to my needs.

    My $0.02

    I would echo all of that and add nothing. Do what mmauve says and your golden.

  6. #6
    Tech Guru MaxOne's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    London, UK
    Posts
    2,942

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Karlos Santos View Post
    I would echo all of that and add nothing. Do what mmauve says and your golden.
    +1 Honestly the shit you can do with a MBP, nice software and some nice buttons and knobs canes what you can do with cdjs
    CLUB OF JACKS - RELEASES >>TRAXSOURCE
    Club of Jacks are a London based House & Garage production / DJ duo with releases on a number of underground labels including Plastik People Recordings, Blockhead Recordings, Hi Energy!, Pocket Jacks Trax, Soul Revolution Records and their own Club of Jacks imprint.

  7. #7
    Tech Wizard
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Netherlands
    Posts
    68

    Default

    It depends on what DJ you are, if you like to just mix tracks and generally let the music speak for itself than maybe CDJ's are the better option (also keeping in mind that u already have a laptop and 1 cdj). If u like to rock FX and beatmashers then u can do some crazy shit with traktor. Also if u want to spin 4 decks then maybe digital is better then cdj's.

    I spin with Traktor, MBP and VCI but that is generally because i don't like burning lots of cd's and keep them organized, i couldn't afford CDJs, i really love the feedback the wave form display gives me so i can see in what part of a song i am and set different cue points.

    The advantage of Traktor is that u can organize your music perfectly, it's cheaper, you have more control over your FX, you have waveforms which give good feedback, and you don't have to burn alot of cd's. The advantage of spinning with CDJ's is that if you are going to play clubs the usually have a set in the club so you just have to bring headphones and cd's and you don't need to bring your expensive laptop to a club.
    Last edited by patjuh90; 02-14-2010 at 01:38 PM.
    Macbook Pro, VCI-100 FW 1.3, Traktor Pro, Audio 2 DJ

    It's all about the house music, and it always will be.

  8. #8
    Tech Guru
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    924

    Default

    To add to what bgardali said, Apple is planning to update the MacBook Pro sometime soon with the new Core i5/i7 series processors, which I assume will also translate to integrated USB 3.0 ports. A nice (momentary) future proof addition which is welcome on any laptop investment, as I can imagine DJ/Production equipment manufacturers will begin using.

    The best advice I can give you is to wait until they update, cause trust me when I say this, it will benefit you greatly regardless if you buy a new laptop or not. People who see a new product are very likely to make an impulsive decision to pawn off their current one at an abnormally low price to recuperate the expense of buying the new one. This leaves your options open to either deciding if you want to buy a new MacBook Pro, or if you want to buy a used one at a lower price which would easily suffice whatever needs you have.

    You can read my post here which covers what you should know before going out and buying a used MacBook Pro

  9. #9
    Tech Mentor
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Posts
    322

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by patjuh90 View Post
    It depends on what DJ you are, if you like to just mix tracks and generally let the music speak for itself than maybe CDJ's are the better option (also keeping in mind that u already have a laptop and 1 cdj).
    This is exactly what I'm worried about.... mbp almost seems like a lateral move. once minute I'm utterly convinced one way or the other the next I change my mine. although I will say pretty much everybody including friends and dj buddies have said mbp over cdj.

  10. #10
    Tech Guru
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    924

    Default

    I dunno, you could always go both ways, sell your CDJ-800 and pick up some CDJ-400's, which can MIDI over to Traktor. Choose CD mixing, or MIDI.

    Either way though, if it's an issue of CDJ-800 vs. a MacBook Pro, theres no question as to which can opens more roads for you. I'd recommend going to a local equipment store and trying out different MIDI capable decks, so you don't have to give up one or the other

Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •