Mixing on the oppressively cheap
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 18
  1. #1

    Default Mixing on the oppressively cheap

    So I've got a friend who wants to get into DJing, and I've been encouraging him to start getting into it.

    Only problem is he's got a family, and subsequently a budget. Long story short, I think he's trying to get started up, all told, under $100.

    Right now he's got a Macbook Pro laptop, and he's got a PC. He's got speakers and whatnot, but what he really needs is the equivalent of:

    A hardware controller (like a VCI-100)
    A way to cue (external soundcard or built into the controller is fine)
    Software

    I'm going to lend him my copy of Traktor LE which should be fine, but I'm receptive to other choices.

    All he wants to do is bedroom DJ for now and start learning the craft, and maybe later on get some real gear. I think the main things he needs are a couple control platters, elementary EQ, and a crossfader (unless you can think of a clever solution with the mouse) at the least.

    Maybe just an external mixer? I'm kind of in the dark on this as well.

    Does anyone have any ideas for solutions? I found some cheap ideas from the Hercules low end controllers, but if you guys have figured out anything from the ultra cheap arena, I'd love to hear from you.

    Thanks for reading.
    http://dj.wondershock.com
    VCI-100 SE V3/Axiom 25 MkII/Traktor Pro/Macbook Pro 15" 4GB Quadcore
    Focusrite Saffire 6/Pioneer HDJ-2000

  2. #2
    Tech Guru
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    1,548

    Default

    Hmm this is an interesting situation. Although I can't completely understand the boat your friend is in, i'd almost say it is somewhat better to just dive in and buy those items like a VCI and perhaps the audio 2 dj or Numark DJ I/O. When I first started I decided to play it on a budget and bought the Hercules DJ Remix. It was decent and had a built in sound card but once I found this site I sold it (lost a bit of money on it) and bought the VCI. I think it's just an investment that you will get your moneys worth out of instead of buying sub par gear only to have to upgrade again. But on a budget, the hercules remix was decent for the money the soundcard was alright in my experience.

  3. #3

    Default

    Ask him if he's got multichannel soundcard on his desktop PC. If so (even 5.1 integrated motherboard soundcard will do it), then there is no need for him to buy external sound hardware. Yes the sound will be crap, but you can't tell the difference on crappy speakers anyway, so i would go and buy external small mixer and mix externaly (route the integrated soundcard with ASIO drivers) and manage the LE Traktor with hotkeys (i hope hotkey setup is not deactivated in LE)...
    DJ Blofeld - The Evil Genius
    I shall look forward personally to exterminating you, Mr. Bond.” Ernst Stavro Blofeld to 007
    Doomsday device: TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO, AUDIO 8, VCI-100black 1.3, 2x Technics SL1210mkII

  4. #4
    Tech Guru MaxOne's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    London, UK
    Posts
    2,942

    Default

    I would say it is a real false economy to buy cheap gear as you will almost certainly replace it - thus spending more in the long run.

    2 things, why doesn't he just have a play around using hot keys. Maybe get him to make a little mix so he can hear how it sounds when the cue and master aren't played through the master out.


    There is this:

    http://www.decks.co.uk/products/behringer/bcd2000

    But i'm sure once he got he'll thrash it to bits and end up getting a vci and audio 2 dj anyway.

    But for mega budget this seems to be all there
    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.

  5. #5
    Tech Wizard shima records's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    sheffield, UK
    Posts
    78

    Default

    M AUDIO X-SESSION PRO - £69
    http://www.htfr.com/more-info/MR206436

    Combined with mouse or keyboard should be plenty enough, you don't really need jog wheels once you've set up the cue points with a mouse.
    Or even a nanopad and keyboard hotkeys as mentioned above.
    JOHN SHIMA | LIVE RADIO SHOW
    ALTERNATE SUNDAYS 8PM - 10PM (GMT)
    DETROIT TECHNO | DEEP HOUSE | BLEEPS | ACID
    www.future-music.co.uk

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

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by shima records View Post
    M AUDIO X-SESSION PRO - £69
    http://www.htfr.com/more-info/MR206436

    Combined with mouse or keyboard should be plenty enough, you don't really need jog wheels once you've set up the cue points with a mouse.
    Or even a nanopad and keyboard hotkeys as mentioned above.
    Still needs a soundcard though to cue up music... but yeah x seesion is cool for shiz.

    That behringer looks like tat to be honest but you get what you pay for innit...
    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 Guru charo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    i AM the cookie
    Posts
    947

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by djmaxone View Post
    I would say it is a real false economy to buy cheap gear as you will almost certainly replace it - thus spending more in the long run.

    2 things, why doesn't he just have a play around using hot keys. Maybe get him to make a little mix so he can hear how it sounds when the cue and master aren't played through the master out.


    There is this:

    http://www.decks.co.uk/products/behringer/bcd2000

    But i'm sure once he got he'll thrash it to bits and end up getting a vci and audio 2 dj anyway.

    But for mega budget this seems to be all there
    just one thing worth mentioning though is that the bcd2000 wont work with his mac.
    We don't believe in the star system. We want the focus to be on the music. If we have to create an image, it must be an artificial image. That combination hides our physicality and also shows our view of the star system. It is not a compromise-daftpunk

  8. #8
    Tech Guru MaxOne's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    London, UK
    Posts
    2,942

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by charo View Post
    just one thing worth mentioning though is that the bcd2000 wont work with his mac.
    Oh really?? Is it not just a midi device?
    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.

  9. #9

    Default

    Re: just plunging on the expensive equip... As those of you who are married know, there is a force behind what the wife forbids... I think he'd be happy just to be getting started up and doing it as a hobby. I'll convince him to get a VCI-100 Arcade later.

    He's got an internal sound card on the PC, so we'll work with that most likely. The flexibility of an external would be nice, though.

    The X-session is an option I hadn't considered before, that's a great tip!

    Thanks again for the tips guys, they'll help me figure out a solution for him. Keep em' coming if you got em'.
    http://dj.wondershock.com
    VCI-100 SE V3/Axiom 25 MkII/Traktor Pro/Macbook Pro 15" 4GB Quadcore
    Focusrite Saffire 6/Pioneer HDJ-2000

  10. #10
    Tech Guru charo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    i AM the cookie
    Posts
    947

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by djmaxone View Post
    Oh really?? Is it not just a midi device?
    the bcd2000 is also a 4in-4out soundcard, although not the best quality and quirky drivers.
    We don't believe in the star system. We want the focus to be on the music. If we have to create an image, it must be an artificial image. That combination hides our physicality and also shows our view of the star system. It is not a compromise-daftpunk

Page 1 of 2 12 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
  •