ddj-sx vs vci-400 - Recording and producing

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
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ddj-sx vs vci-400 - Recording and producing

Hi guys, I am certainly not the first one to ask but I have specific questions about these 2 controllers, wondering which one to buy.

I need a 4 channel dj/midi controller that can double as a recording audio interface with multichannel input routing to record in ableton (for instance simultaneously record guitar and bass). And I also want to use the controller to control ableton launching and mixing clips (midi)

  1. Can either of these two controllers accept simultaneous channels in a DAW to record multiple channels at once ?

  2. I heard that pioneers Mic inputs are poor, is there a solution to this ? Are they simply not suitable for recording microphones or guitars ? What about the vci-400 mic preamps ?

  3. I heard that the VCI-400 pitch fader is not very accurate, is this true? I like to manual beatmatch so it is a dealbreaker for me.

  4. Are both jogwheels as responsive with their respective dj software ? I don’t mind switching from Traktor to Serato if I buy the ddj-sx.

I like the build quality of these two controllers, I just need my controller to be as versatile as possible for mixing, recording, production.

Thanks for your feedback !

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  1. I’m not sure about this for either one, that would require loads of mapping
    2)They have been fixed
    3)again, don’t know
    4)DDJ jogs on serato are far more responsive than 400 on traktor

For producing, i’d suggest you the 400SE from the djtt store. Loads of mappings available for it. The ddj? Just a traktor one.

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Thanks for you insight, i understand that each controller has its strengths. Tough decisions…

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I own the vci 400

  1. Depends on your mapping.

  2. They’re are 2 mic inputs, both sound just lovely because of the internal soundcard on the vci.

  3. Its only as accurate as your percentages in traktor.. I have mine down to 8% and the bpm is only off by max .04 bpm.. So not a big deal.

  4. Jogwheel response can be changed through any program.. Both will be pretty much exact. The vci has jogs you can adjust yourself.

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The jogwheel response in serato with serato certified hardware is MUCH better than the response traktor has with non-NI hardware.

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Thanks guys, I tried the jogwheels on the ddj-sx and i agree they do feel nice and responsive. Don’t know about the vci-400, haven’t tried.

But I would like to emphasize that I need an interface with multiple audio inputs (separately routable in my recording software). Do these controllers offer multiple channels or does it only appear as a master (post-mix) input in my software? (example : external tts, mics, guitar etc.)

Or maybe am I asking for too much?

Thanks again !

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Both controllers were designed for Serato so the jogs on both will work better on Serato than Traktor.

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It’s not because the controllers were designed for serato (yes i know they are but let me finish). It’s because serato was designed for the controllers.
Unlike traktor, which is not made to have the best response with thirdparty controllers.

The 400 is better suited for traktor than the ddj is because of the many mappings that are available.
OP is a traktor user, therefore i recommended the 400.
I did this also because there are loads of ableton mappings for the 400 available, whereas there are none for the ddj afaik.

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The SX is better for manual beatmatching as the pitch faders are much longer than the 400.

In contrast to the SX and 400 which are Serato controllers, the 4Trak was designed specifically for Traktor and (based on reviews) appears to have significantly better jog wheel performance in Traktor.

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I seem to remember the 400SE was designed for Traktor and Serato wasn’t possible with it, whereas the normal 400 it is.

  1. You can map pitch adjust and have it as fine as you like
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I do not know about VCI400 but the DDJ SX is not a 4/4 sound card. The sound card only has 1 input and 2 outputs so for recording I can recommend it.

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Thank you for this Dj gullum, that answers my question about the ddjsx : disappointing. I guess this means there will never be an option to use external decks with software effects inside serato dj?

Am now wondering if the vci-400 has the same limitation, that is, a single stereo soundcard input for recording.

If anyone has an answer about the vci-400, it would be nice!

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Soundcard inputs

Thank you for this Dj gullum, that answers my question about the ddjsx : disappointing. I guess this means there will never be an option to use external decks with software effects inside serato dj?

Am now wondering if the vci-400 has the same limitation, that is, a single stereo soundcard input for recording.

If anyone has an answer about the vci-400, it would be nice!

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has anyone tried recording instruments with either one of these controllers?

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So I went to my local music store and I tried out the inputs of the DDJ-SX soundcard in Ableton and as Dj Gullum stated correctly, there was only 1 stereo input. Which without any pan control, means that I can’t even record simultaneous 2 X mono microphones. Thats is just sad. IMO a waste of a stereo input.

Anyway, I know this controller is for Djaying not recording, but I assume that means you can’t even record external decks using the internal mixer (example : in traktor).

Anyone with info about the VCI-400 external inputs for recording please ?