Cheap and flexible setup for a beginner
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  1. #1
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    Default Cheap and flexible setup for a beginner

    Hey guys! I'm new to DJTT but not new to the world of music. I play guitar and piano and like you guys are passionate about music. I am new to digital music production and all the jiggery pokery associated with it. Now after watching videos of some guys working with there controllers some of them just seemed to stand there and not really do much in terms in making the music unique or different from the original tune. I'm not dissing on anyone who does this but I want a little more expression from the gear. So i set myself up with a budget of 600 bucks. wanna go with traktor and I will be using this at home maybe some friends house.Type of music I like dance, house, metal, rock, classical. I would like to be able to use multiple songs or parts of a song and mesh them together with effects and one shots(remixing?). Im guessing I wanna do more controllerist type routines. After looking around I saw that NI released the s2 mkII at 400 bucks and i could throw in an f1( found for 100 bucks) for my samples and buy a pair of headphones with my left over cash. Seems like a smart move to me because you get TP 2 for free and chroma caps and traktor pro works well with the s2. I also saw the vci 400 but it seems like a double edged sword for me since it is midi mappable and not out of the box set up to run with traktor I would have to learn a whole bunch of other things before I actually get to have some fun. All in all a bit of a hassle for a new guy to start on. Now is the gear I mentioned a good choice for what im looking to do ? If not would you guys suggest some other things for me to look at? And lastly is the VCI as much of a hassle to setup as I think it will be? I know there are articles on this type of question already but I wanted recent suggestions and advice from you guys. Thanks if you respond. IF you guys need extra info let me know.

  2. #2
    Tech Mentor Chael's Avatar
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    I have never used an s2 or f1 but in my experience ive always found it better to stick with gear that is native to the software you are using. As for wanting to "remix" stuff have you considered Ableton? For the life of me i still havent got my head around the confusion of remix decks in traktor but you can do a similar thing in abletons session view - if not more with all the fx and routing you can do - might be worth a look

  3. #3
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    +1 on the Ableton suggestion. The Push controller (out of your budget by a bit) or an APC-40 might be just what you are looking for. If you don't already have Ableton, there are mid-level price points that can work with an APC-40 to get you started on budget.

    If you still want to keep some semblance of "two decks + layered accents" then an X1 for transport controls on two decks, some four channel mixer (external or internal...maybe the A&H Xone K2), and one or two F1's or D2's for the other decks would be a great setup. Again, this might be tight to fit into your budget...but being modular you can come at it a bit at a time.

    The key is to really think about the workflow you want to achieve. The initial Ableton -v- Traktor decision is hard. Both paths are viable, but they are very different. It is possible to incrementally build on both paths...but switching from one to another costs serious $$$.
    Denon X1600, NI X1 Mk1 & Mk2, MF Twister
    Kontrol S2, Maschine Mk1, APC 40
    Retired: VCI-100 Arcade (Signed #198/300))
    BFM 10x DR200 & 10x Titan 39

  4. #4
    Tech Mentor Chael's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by soundinmotiondj View Post
    +1 on the Ableton suggestion. The Push controller (out of your budget by a bit) or an APC-40 might be just what you are looking for. If you don't already have Ableton, there are mid-level price points that can work with an APC-40 to get you started on budget.

    If you still want to keep some semblance of "two decks + layered accents" then an X1 for transport controls on two decks, some four channel mixer (external or internal...maybe the A&H Xone K2), and one or two F1's or D2's for the other decks would be a great setup. Again, this might be tight to fit into your budget...but being modular you can come at it a bit at a time.

    The key is to really think about the workflow you want to achieve. The initial Ableton -v- Traktor decision is hard. Both paths are viable, but they are very different. It is possible to incrementally build on both paths...but switching from one to another costs serious $$$.
    Good call on the APC40, love mine to bits, if OP picks the Ableton route I couldn't recommend it enough, works great out of the box and has lots of flexibility for doing custom mappings - It doesn't stop me wanting push tho!

  5. #5

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    One thing I've never really taken time to learn or do is "mixing" with ableton this thread makes me want to take a look at it again

  6. #6
    Tech Guru Patch's Avatar
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    One thing I've never really taken time to learn or do is "mixing" with ableton this thread makes me want to take a look at it again
    It can be a LOT of fun - BUT (and this is a BIG but) the rabbit hole is MASSIVE!!! If you can impose some limitations on yourself as to what you do and do not want to be able to do "live", you can really get a great Live rig in next to no time.

    For routing/resampling/looping on the fly, it really cannot be beaten.
    DJ'ing: 2x1200MK2, DJM 850, Dicers, F1, Zomo MC-1000, Sony MDR-v700, i7 Win 10 HP Envy
    Production: Ableton Live 8 and a mouse, Sennheiser HD400, Sony VAIO

    Click HERE to D/L Free Tracks from Soundcloud!!!
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  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Patch View Post
    It can be a LOT of fun - BUT (and this is a BIG but) the rabbit hole is MASSIVE!!!
    +1(000)

    I can use Live all day long for production and editing. I can even "mix" a track in real time with the APC-40 and Twister.

    The use of Live for playing "live" has never clicked in my brain. Using Live and building a set of small(er) clips and layering 2 or 4 or 8 or ??? makes me physically wince. I admire the skill done well...but it seems a bit too far for my brain to leap.
    Denon X1600, NI X1 Mk1 & Mk2, MF Twister
    Kontrol S2, Maschine Mk1, APC 40
    Retired: VCI-100 Arcade (Signed #198/300))
    BFM 10x DR200 & 10x Titan 39

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