As i don’t have the time to go and try out the vci 100 and vci 300 - i have a couple of questions that i am hoping someone can answer:
I want to beat match using the jog wheels as opposed to auto beat match - do you typically get the feel as if you were using say cdj jog wheel ?
I am ordering the fast track pro to go with the vci 100 black and am getting all for £470 - good or bad deal in your eyes ? i will only be using the equipment at home so im hoping that the fast track will be ample ?
Been offered vci 300 for £539 - i know its a good price but is it worth paying the extra for larger jog wheels but then loosing all the effects that come with Traktor ?
I know i have put a few threads up before but as i havent go the time to try these out first i rely on this site and think all you guys do a great job !
1.With the vci100 if you are coming from vinyl it def does take some getting used to the jog wheels on the vci are def not as good as say a pioneer cdj but they still do the job and after a day or so playing around its easy to pick up the feel actually the pitch bend on the side of the jogs is pretty good
The pitch faders I have no problem with the resolution is not as good as a 300 but again I find them workable ( mind you I have a few years under my belt using messed up techs with dodgy uncalibrated faders so I have a habit of riding the pitch fader ) I can mix fine with my Vci100 no sync
You can have dif options with sync btw you can either have it just quickly match the tempo of each track then keep the track matched yourself or have it on all the time alot of people get mixed up with that. The quick match is actually very helpful when cueing up a track as it saves time.
2, Not a bad deal at all I have seen the vci black going for £440
69 Squid difference ummmm.!! it all depends on how much you need effects TBH remember Itch will have effects soon
I think I remember you saying you use SSL well with itch all your crates ect will transfer over easy no probs and set up is simple plus mix control will be better with the 300 .
With a 100 you will have to get Traktor as well so rem thats an extra £80 upgrade to Traktor pro from le so actually its £550 for a 100 + sound card +. Traktor upgrade .
Traktor can be complicated esp with midi mapping stuff so have you tried the demo ?? better make sure you like the program as the work flow is dif than ssl
sorry I am waffling on had no sleep last night lol Its up to you at the end of the day go with your gut feeling
Heres my view after 2 weeks with the VCI (which means its a noobs view).
No the jog wheels are a whole new thing to get used to. Yes they act similar in that the outter ring adjusts the fine pitch so technically you do the same thing as cdjs to beat match but they are WAY more sensitive on the actual wheel if you your riding the pitch and pushing the top plate. CDJs make it very easy to get a shitty mix in time by riding the pitch and turning the top plate like a record, not so easy on the VCI jog wheel. Get your mix in right and the fine adjustment is easy though.
But yes you will get used to them and then they are a lot of fun
The Fast Track will do just fine for your use. They sound good and they got midi in/out which i like. They do seem to be bundled with the VCI in a lot of UK stores at a decent price.
Fast Tracks are £130 which means your paying £ 340 for the VCI which is ok especially as they have rocketed up in price in some stores. Get FREE postage on that for defo, dont pay shipping on £470 ask them to chuck in a laptop stand as well, try blag the fuckers, you may score some free shit.
Personally if your not into Timecode and you dont need and Audio 8 id try get a VCI on its own and get a FireWire Card like the Presonus Firebox . It will whack the cost up but its fucking awesome and one less USB unit to worry about (that a personal thought). If your on a budget get the bundle.
The 300 is expensive. The lack of Knobs/rotarys is mind boglgling. If it had a few more knobs for effects it would be awesome as its buttons are laid out way better than the 100 (although the mapping is terrible) , theres enough buttons that can be remapped just no knobs unless you use modifiers and use the EQ knobs for FX which would only confuse the fuck out of me.
You may have seen the new Add On unit for FX… What a fucking joke. where would it go, its clearly a statement that they fucked up leaving the FX knobs off for Serato people who dont know how to use FX (hahaha joke).
Get The VCI 100. You will love it and learn on it and they hold a good resale price. Ive seen em go on eBay for £320 . So you can update to the VCI 300
eventually if feel the need.
R2D2 is right. I forgot about the software.
If your used to Serato then you will have to buy and get used to Traktor with the VCi 100.
Get the Demo and see if you like that first.
@R2D2, I use the Sync function in exactly the same way. Assign as hold and press once to align the tracks. Im not a Sync snob i dont care if people use it all the time i just prefer to have it on only whilst i press the button.
Yeah you should get Traktor LE with the VCI 100 which is fine. You can still find Traktor 3 at some shops but you can no longer upgrade to Traktor 3 from NI as its discontinued.
You already know that Pro isnt compatible with PPC Macs.
Id like to comment on Itch but i cant. Id love it if there was a proper Demo version of Itch but you only get one deck so its useless.
How much are you going to rely on FX ?
Maybe you could get the 300 and a cheap controller for the FX like a Korg Nano Kontrol.
Well im not going to rely effects that much but i do like the option of having them there as thats what i have been used to with djm 400 that i just sold!
i have looked into buying the pioneer efx 500 as it goes on ebay for about £130 second hand which is pretty good !
I have just been messing about with the Traktor dem, but had to download it to my pc laptop which sucks as i am mac through and through!
maybe i could just spend some money on a new mac book pro as that would solve the traktor pro issue!
but i must say i do like the layout of the traktor however, being used to serato i do miss having the deck image on the screen!
i just need someone to say go for this or go for that !
i have the money for either and the last thing i want to do is buy one and regret it ( i am sure that wouldnt be the case ) and the main reason i wanted to sell off my techs is because i wanted a new challenge with mixing and using good old vinyl just doesnt do it for me anymore.
My best mate went over to cdj’s a couple of years back and i have thought about that route but i find mixing on them too easy!
i got to make a decision as i have been thinking bout which to go for now for the last couple of weeks!
will Traktor LE be ample whilst i still have my G5?
it does seem like value for money def goes in the vci 100 direction, and like i mentioned earlier i want a challenge and getting used to the jog wheels is part and parcel of it!
Hi m8 Cant you just buy the 300 see if you like it if you dont then send it back most places offer a return policy. And if you miss the SSL Markers then Itch basically is the same as SSL but without the vinyl or cd.
I would be happy with either TBH But I know what you mean decisions decisions hey
I have not used Traktor LE myself but have used Itch only for a hour or so and it is the same as ssl
You can send the damn thing back if you dont like it.
Thing is , what FX does Itch have and how are you meant to control them with a 300.
Or is the new FX unit for the 300 so that Traktor users can use the 300 ?
Also , how useful are the SSL markers with Jog Wheels ???
We are talking about the sticker view arent we (thats what its called in Traktor , im not that familiar with SSL)
Also your in Essex, youve got a million Music Stores on your doorstep, can u not go down to a few shops and demo them.
R2 - very true about backing it if i dont like it! i have just downloaded a copy of Traktor 3 and been messing around with it on my mac and its cool !!
I live in Colchester area born and bread in epping - how bout u matey ?
Karlos - yeah there are a few music shops but the prob at the mo is not many of them have vci’s in stock !!
Im a few stops away in Chelmsford Born down East London grew up in Sarf London I know a few people down in Colchester havent been out there much though but me m8s say its pretty lively
lol my m8 came up from london yesterday we had abit of a naughty session if you know what I mean def getting to old for all that ! ended up chatting shit all night about old times not a wink of sleep ment to go out tonight with the missus but an early one for me lol.
Cambridge sounds alright m8
so whats it gona be ? the 300 or 100 let us know what you choose im def intrigued
Good stuff m8 you will have alot of fun with the 100 and Traktor I most def have its worth getting an upgrade kit and maybe an overlay when you make the move to pro although mind you looks wise the Black 100 is the business in its original plates
Born down East London grew up in Sarf London I know a few people down in Colchester havent been out there much though but me m8s say its pretty lively