Advice for beginner

[dylanmc111]

keep an eye on adverts.ie mate, its great for deals

thanks mate, appreciate it

[Nesquigs]

i started with the vestax spin and an x1. perfect beginner setup if you arent particularly looking to drop a ton of money on CDJ's or an S4.

deff a great setup to get your feet under you and then once you get to the point that you need an upgrade (like i did recently :P - the s4 IMO is the way to go. i love it. sooo sexy)

good luck buddy! and welcome!

[Rasti Datajay]

You have the exact amount of money to buy the S4 + a good pair of headphones + a taxi to return home.. What are you waiting for ??
Well, if you promess to press EVERY button and turn EVERY knob daily its ok to buy it.
Otherwise, if you will only will turning the jogs, crossfader an eq., you better go for a cheaper (half the price) options like Vestax VCI100, Reloop Digital Jockey, etc

[WooDz]

Thomann basically price the market. Their service makes up for a slightly higher price compared to other online stores who maybe cheaper but don't offer 30day moneyback, extended warranty periods and free postage, even for guarantee repairs.

If I was just starting out then I think I'd be looking at the S4 or XoneDX if I had the money to spend. However; the VMS4 from American Audio is also a very good product for half the price of the S4 and although not up to the same standard as the S4, it isn't half the quality and wouldn't hinder the sort of work you will be using it for and I'm sure it's now shipped with Traktor LE for Europe. Buying the VMS4 would leave you the money to purchase Trakor Scratch Pro 2 with an Audio10 at a later date which would allow you to either use the VMS4 on its own, the Audio10 with turntables/CDJs, or even a combination of of all should the situation fit.

There are so many digital solutions out there you can can get lost in your search. Yet, at the same time if you're diligent you will find the perfect solution that could likely give you more for your money than plumping for just 1 product that may have a few compromises leaving you never fully satisfied with your purchase.

[dylanmc111]

Thomann basically price the market. Their service makes up for a slightly higher price compared to other online stores who maybe cheaper but don't offer 30day moneyback, extended warranty periods and free postage, even for guarantee repairs.

If I was just starting out then I think I'd be looking at the S4 or XoneDX if I had the money to spend. However; the VMS4 from American Audio is also a very good product for half the price of the S4 and although not up to the same standard as the S4, it isn't half the quality and wouldn't hinder the sort of work you will be using it for and I'm sure it's now shipped with Traktor LE for Europe. Buying the VMS4 would leave you the money to purchase Trakor Scratch Pro 2 with an Audio10 at a later date which would allow you to either use the VMS4 on its own, the Audio10 with turntables/CDJs, or even a combination of of all should the situation fit.

There are so many digital solutions out there you can can get lost in your search. Yet, at the same time if you're diligent you will find the perfect solution that could likely give you more for your money than plumping for just 1 product that may have a few compromises leaving you never fully satisfied with your purchase.

thanks for your advice mate. I'll look into the VMS4.

I look at videos of these controllers and then I look at cdjs and the controllers just look so cheap and almost like a childs toy to them and I think to myself are they really worth 900euros or so? Would it not make more sense to buy a pair of second hand cdjs? Decisions decisions!

[dylanmc111]

You have the exact amount of money to buy the S4 + a good pair of headphones + a taxi to return home.. What are you waiting for ??
Well, if you promess to press EVERY button and turn EVERY knob daily its ok to buy it.
Otherwise, if you will only will turning the jogs, crossfader an eq., you better go for a cheaper (half the price) options like Vestax VCI100, Reloop Digital Jockey, etc

I'm waiting to decide if I should go down the digital route or cd route

as i said above I look at them and the S4 looks over priced, it looks like a childs toy compared to cdjs.

[Rasti Datajay]

I'm waiting to decide if I should go down the digital route or cd route

as i said above I look at them and the S4 looks over priced, it looks like a childs toy compared to cdjs.

I dont like cds AT ALL.. Because of this, my opinion is not imparcial, but biased...
But remember:
With a controller you will be working in the digital domain.
With a CDJ you will be working in the analogic domain.

Controllers and Laptops are portable, you dont have to carry hundreds of cds with you, you CAN mix two tracks of the same album (With CDjs you cant)
Additionally with the S4/Tracktor Pro you will have 8 sample decks.
You can run Ableton Live in the background to do smart mixing or to "Play" in certain tracks (Ie.: with an extra Apc20 or 40 controller) and a long etc.

But if you are way more inclined by a more "classic" Djing and want a more "proffesional" looking controller you may want to take a look to the
PIONEER DDJ-T1 Traktor Edition, wich is very classic looking and cost 1045€

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wts4h38BSqg

[djcaptainshawn]

keep an eye on adverts.ie mate, its great for deals

if buying the S4 do you get an upgrade to traktor pro 2 when it comes out?

yeah, you get a free upgrade!

[IrishBlaggard]

hey man, thanks for the feedback

Ye are they good for the beginner?

I was in sounds around yesterday and they had one in stock for 900euro, I was checking on ebay and there pretty much the same!

I noticed you have a cool stand as well for it! My room is a box room so I'd be limited with space so I might pick one of them up!

whats great about the S4 is, its great for all levels of DJ,

i started on using CD players before pioneer kicked the CD player market up the ass with there CDJs and ive used almost every type of player out there,
a couple of years ago a friend interduced me the VIRTUAL DJ (software only) and he was showing me this and that and i was like WTF thats gay, your using a poxy laptop touch pad to dj, thats the gayest shit in the world. but then a few months later he got his hands on a VCI 100 and then called me up to have a go, i was like holy shit, this f~~king rocks. so i went out and got one myself and i loved it, then i moved onto the S4

and i will say this one word sums up an S4... "FUN"
Ive never had so much fun mixing or even just messing about banging out the beats learning all the cool stuff you can do on the S4 that you cant do on a CD player.

you already have what most would consider the most important thing in a set up (a macbook pro) id recommend the S4 over CDJs (or what ever brand) anyday
(not including some time coded setups-because thats quite frankly a different ball game that i aint familiar with)

S4 to me at least is a bargain considering your getting top notch software and the free upgrade to traker 2 when thats out in April, a built in soundcard and the hardware is top notch (appart from the gain knobs-because they do suck)

one latest CDJ is way more expensive than an S4...

but this is just my humble opinion.

also. on a side note, if your just unsure about midi controllers in general, why not consider buying a fairly cheap numark or hercules or reloop controller just to wet your feet before jumping in the deep end ?
ya might find a nice bargain somewhere.

[IrishBlaggard]

also. the stand i use should fit nicely in a box room, as you can see in the pics, it dont take up much ground room at all, one of the main reasons i got it, as i too am tight on room space...