If there’s a person on these boards who’ll be able to find a great deal on a pair of used CDJs, it’s Xone, no doubt.
Xone, dude I totally feel you. Gearlust is like a disease.
I think the only prescription for you is to get a second job to afford these babies.
Despite me liking to work on smart mappings and also possessing a shitload of controllers (VCI-300, NS7, V7, a lot of Akai stuff etc.) I always felt the need for something simple.
Even though I’m really lazy since getting the CDJs onvercoming the hurdle to start mixing has become really low. They are great fun to use and you don’t need to deal with all the bullshit that comes with using a PC (besides Rekordbox).
man, that’s a bad ass setup .. how does it feel playing the cdjs on the top shelf? …
Yeah man, that’s pretty much how I feel. So did you think the CDJ2ks were absolutely worth the investment?
Not good actually. It’s too high. I kept them at the lower level with the mixer for a while which felt a lot better but I recently started working with vinyl again. Basically I don’t know where to place them and don’t want to spend 350 bucks on a stand.
Yes, they are a lot of fun. Judging by what you explain in your first post they might be what you are looking for. While there are alternatives like the 900s I understand that you also crave for the best.
Off topic:
Saw you got a djm 2000 there, what u think bout it? Any sense of upgrading a proper working djm 800?
as I got some gear hunger atm i have also been looking to incorporate a zone mixer, either 92 or 62. Most of all id like the DB4 but have not seen any good deals on them yet.. and.. gah so expensive.
I’ve been using the DJM-2000 for some while now and like it a lot. It’s build- and sound-quality are very good. I’m a little bit disappointed with the crossfader because there is too much space (for my taste) until it cuts in.
There is just so much to do with this mixer that you can’t utilize everything it offers by yourself. I’d say its a two guy mixer. While the touchscreen is handy the effects you can trigger on it don’t really convince me. You can trigger drums and some oscillators with it but I only used it live to connect to the audience by giving them something done ‘live’. I have yet to find songs where these positvely complement the songs.
The touchscreen itself is responsive and fast. Using the extra MIDI-controls works pretty good. I’d love to be able to create my own mappings.
The coolest feature about it is the EQ-crossfader where you can blend like 10 different frequency-bands. If you’re into long transitions this seems to be the holy grail. While you can do silimiar stuff with the EQs this is in fact much smoother.
The intergration between CDJs and DJM could be better. You can record samples to be played back on the CDJs and the recording itself is well thought (always caching the last 8 seconds) but actually putting the stuff on a CDJ should be faster. The coolest feature is that depending on line- and crossfader-position you always see which CDJ is actively playing.
Coming from a DJM 800 I wouldn’t upgrade because of the huge price leap. If you need the MIDI features of the mixer though you might look at this one or the DJM 900 Nexus. If you’re into effects the DJM 2000 is a great choice too because it basically contains an EFX-1000 on steroids. Applying effects just to parts of the frequency band is a great approach because that can make effects-usage much smoother.
The great advantage of Xone 62 and 92 is that they’re fully analogue mixers and add some warmth to the overall sounds.
I tried the DB4 for like a half an hour but I felt no connection. When it comes to A&H-mixers though Xone might be the man to talk to.
HH is right on the money when he says the CDJ2ks are a blast and allow you to shrug off the BS/excess effort you’re experiencing being tied to your laptop. Analyzing/prepping tracks in RekordBox takes just minutes and you’re off to the races.
IMO, they’re absolutely worth the investment and then some simply due to the simplicity and overall enjoyment that comes from mixing w/ 'em.
Just you, your tunes, and your decks. (and a Xone DB4)
Im in the same dilema and am wanting to upgrade from my 800mk2 to either 900 or 2000 due to mainly the usb/xlink capability. Only thing stopping me from getting the 900s is that im afraid that ill end up wanting to 2000s.
Yeah. Now that i’ve been looking into I also may have just decided to jump to cdj2000s. Not even go with 900s. I mean at that point I might as well get the best. Besides that I’m hoping after this years cdjs Llater I can invest in a djm 900 and replace my 700.
CDJs feel the most organic smooth flowing way to mix for me. Your hand and head all stay near the cdjs and mixer, you can find all your tracks on the browers, you are very connected to the music still.
I find laptops really distracting. You stare at it, adjusting, watching waveforms, looking for tracks, working effects and such. Then usually the laptop is directly in your face, or off to the side, either way the crowd never gets to see you look at them.
Don’t get me wrong I still use controllers and laptops and such for other gigs that are super long. But for at home or a house party throwing down a set on these bad boys is amazingly fun and still challenging.
Yep. DJing at home even just isn’t that exciting with traktor. Timecode is better but with traktor scratch the setup feels convoluted and I still feel disconnected from the mix, and most of the time I would prefer CDJs to TTs for the stuff I’m mixing. I preferred SSL when I was using timecode vinyl because it just felt more connected than traktor scratch if that makes any sense.
With CDJ 2ks I feel like I can zone in on the music and mix and it is exciting because I actually have to pay attention and don’t have time to sit idle and let my mind wander to things that detract from the mix- my FX use is much better and I add it where it is needed and not just detracting because I have nothing better to do.
Totally agree. With CDJs I find it really easy to focus and get lost in my music. My timing is better with effects, my mixes are smoother and my mixing improves overall. Plus its really damn fun to try challenging mixes without software. Like mixing a dub step track into a house or electro track with really off bpms is satisfying when you make it sound good. I find myself bring it back and figuring out how to make the transition better when i do it wrong on cdjs, I don’t with software for some reason. No real reason, but for some reason I care much more about my mixes when its by ear.
I agree SSL can even feel a little more organic, mostly because its not handed to you as much on a platter as traktor. Not saying you can’t turn off all the visual aids, but serato did it right on with their timecode imo.
My eventual goal is to move to CDJs. I’m using MIDI controllers now simply for the cost, but when I stop being a poor High School student and start being a poor University student I’ll hopefully make the move to CDJs.
To me CDJs and a mixer seem like the holy grail of mixing. The fact that you’re not chained to a laptop or DVS setup appeals to me a lot. You feel a sort of closeness to the music and the fact that there are no aids make the mixes mean more, as there’s the constant feeling anything would go wrong at anytime. There is sort of that with software and laptops, but you can’t do much to help your laptop dying, whereas if you’re mixing on CDJs and your mix trainwrecks, it’s normally your fault.
You surely will 
When using the CDJ2000s I usually also put on a regular vinyl for scratches.
The jogs on the CDJs are ace but nothing beats vinyl in that discipline (yet).
Reading this post made me feel old. I don’t disagree with you in the slightest, but I’ve been thinking lately that I’d probably go back to vinyl if I could afford the media.
For sure, looking back at how much i spent on vinyl back in the day compared to now with digital, it was just crazy. Plus lugging it all around too.
I still buy a lot of DnB on vinyl and the thing that never gets old is the feeling u get when the delivery guy shows up, it reminds me of being a youngster on christmas morning. Or spending hours in the local record shop to find those few gems hiding out. Those things sometimes make the extra cost almost worth it…but not quite
i was out running some errands today and saw a sam ash store and decided to stop by and check out the dj section since i haven’t actually laid hands on any of the new stuff that has come out in the past few years.
man, i cannot overstate how disappointed i am in the build “quality” of the cdj-2000s. i was setting aside some loot and saving up for them but there is no way i would pay more than $500 for them. i’ve been through quite a lot of music gear and that is some of the junkiest stuff i have seen. i had the cdj-500s a loooong time ago and it doesnt seem like much has changed since then. the cdj-2000 jogs still have that same gritty, low-quality bearing feel and now the housing are made out of cheap plastic? wtf?
they also had an s4 there and wow, what a let down. in fact, most everything they had there, regardless of manufacturer, pretty much felt like a cheap piece of shit. i am really surprised and somewhat let down by what is acceptable these days in terms of product quality.
i guess it’s good because it totally killed most of my gear lust. im gonna stick to the db4 and a dvs system on my 1200s.
so xonetacular…yeah, i think you’re crazy
Whoa price drop on CDJ-2000s. proaudiostar is advertising them for $1599 new now which leads me to believe they can be picked up for $3000 a pair.
do it man. Your life will be so much better.
Agreed. I’ve said it before, the CDJ-2000s are the only CDJs that I consider acceptable at this point…but that doesn’t make them good.
Just plugged mine in.
I sold SSL and my turntables in early 2009 to try the controller thing first with Ableton Live then Traktor. 3 years is a good run.