DJ Setup Help

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
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DJ Setup Help

Hello all, I’m just looking for a bit of help with regards to DJ setup / gear. I have been mixing since around 1993 so have loads of experience with turntables however, I packed it all in about 6 years ago after going down the promoter route which I really didn’t enjoy and this put me off everything music wise for a while.

Finally realised that I had stepped away from something I love and am now at a point where I am looking to get back into DJ’ing and have just been using Traktor and Ableton with a mouse to learn the programs and am now ready to get the DJ setup purchased.

The problem is, I haven’t got a clue what to get! There are so many options!! I was looking at a Traktor S4 alongside either turntables or CDJs with a mixer. Or possibly the Xone 4D or Xone DB4 with a couple of 2D controllers.

Any help or advice on setup would be greatly appreciated with regards to this.

Also, what sort of setup is available in the clubs as well?? I would really like a professional setup that most clubs have! Is it better to have individual controllers I can take around with me or go for CDJs as the controllers?

Thanks in advance!

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Since you have been a vinyl turntable user, I think the best route for you is to go for a DVS. Traktor Scratch Pro if you’re more into EDM than hiphop. In this way, you’ll be able to hook up your DVS at any clubs where CDJ or turntables with any regular mixer are available. Pioneer CDJs, Technics 1200s and Pioneer/A&H/Rane/Ecler mixers are commonly installed at majority of clubs and bars.

Now for your personal equipment, getting the S4 isn’t a bad idea. You can also add either the CDJs or turntables later if you wish to and your DVS (TSP) will be compatible with the system as well. The S4 will also be ideal to use it for gigs but will be a burden carrying it around with a laptop all the time. Also consider that not all DJ booths have enough space to accommodate the extra gear.

Good luck on your gear hunting. :slight_smile:

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I’m pretty much in the same boat as you in terms to getting back into it, spent months researching what to buy since I was confused like you too. I decided to go with CDJ’s in the end, I just preferred them to a controller and knowing I won’t need a laptop every time I want to use them. It’s really all down to what you’re comfortable using since you’ll probably have it for a while.

For clubs pretty much everywhere I’ve been they’ve had CDJ1000’s/2000’s and a DJM 800/Xone92. 1000’s aren’t that expensive anymore and still the club standard since 2000’s are pretty expensive which is why I think some clubs hold back on upgrading to them.

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If you want a club standard setup get 2 pioneer CDJs, a pioneer mixer and a serato box. Get HID enabled CDJs (850s, 900s or 2000s) if you can afford them because they work much better than timecode CDs.

That’s a good fun way to go, but the controller route is equally valid. The setup above will easily set you back a few grand, whereas you can buy an S4 or similar for a fraction of the cost and have all the functionality. It really just depends on what you want to do, what your mixing style is etc.

If you have a shop that stocks DJ products near you, I’d encourage you to go and try out as many things as you can.

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I am now looking at one of the following:

  1. S4 with Kontrol X1 running Traktor

  2. Xone 4D as a standalone unit – I presume I wouldn’t need any other controllers with this or would i?

  3. Xone 92 or Xone DB4 with a couple of 2D controllers – my thinking is purely down to cost. The CDJs will set me back a good couple of grand compared to a few hundred for the controllers. I am also thinking If I manage to play out anywhere, I can just take along my controllers and plug them into a soundcard then into a mixer anywhere (is that correct thinking or am I just making that up)?

I have also ruled out turntables as I have been told that Technics aren’t made any more!! 6 years out and look what happen’s haha!

Also, is it possible to sync Ableton with Traktor so I can bring in my own creations and use the Ableton effects etc? If so, whats the best way to go about this?

Thanks again all, much appreciated and you are helping me to get my head around this all!

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They’re not made, but as they’re virtually bombproof there’s tonnes of them on the secondhand market.

the only thing to bear in mind is that some clubs are phasing them out (though to be fair this does ssem to a be a US phenomenon - all of the clubs I play in the UK have decks)

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Honestly something to think about software wise, if you are interested, is The Bridge. It links Ableton and Serato together so you can trigger stuff pretty easily.

I’ve not used it myself, but it’s one of those features I see as being REALLY powerful in that combination.

You can also route traktor and ableton together, but it’s a bit more “behind the scenes” really.

Either way, you’re going down the right path of what you are looking at. The biggest thing here… your budget is all over the place. Figure out what you are willing to spend, and if you don’t really need to worry about it… then get something that is similar to what is in clubs.

I really like controllers, I think they are cool. But I have a funny feeling that if most (not ALL) could actually afford a beefy mixer and CDJs/TT’s, as opposed to the much reduced price of a controller, they would probably get those. Some people really do push the envelope with that a controller can do above and beyond a traditional setup though, so it really comes down to how you like to spin.

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Yes, i saw some videos on the Bridge and it does look fantastic, the only problem is that i’m not that big a fan of Serato. Is there anything like this for Ableton and Traktor?

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Would it be possible with the 4D to have one controller in charge of Traktor and the other controller in charge of Ableton which will enable me to use the effects from Ableton over the playing tracks from Traktor?

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Just to throw it out there, you can Re-wire Torq & Ableton :wink:

Also Technics still rule & you can still pick up new ones as a lot of places are still stocking them I believe :sunglasses: Just expensive now!

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If you want to use DVS and ableton Ms Pinky has an ableton tool!

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You can sync Ableton & Traktor, but it’s weird.

Even once you get the midi sync set up, you have to manually beat-match their metronomes together basically every time you start it up, and they can go out of sync due to random occurrences, and it takes a second for the slave to catch up when you change tempo.

Also, it works a lot better for Ableton to be the master and Traktor to sync to it. At least, it did in the versions I tested (last release of Traktor Pro before TP2 and Ableton 8.2.something, I believe…could be wrong…might have been TP2).

Everything you want to do with controllers and audio interfaces is possible, though if you’re not on a Mac, it might be more complicated. What I was doing was having Ableton send out a midi clock and using Soundflower to route Traktor’s audio into Ableton and mixing like that. But I didn’t do it very long because it didn’t seem worth it compared to using either one alone. It’s probably possible on Windows, but IHNFC how to do it.

As for controllers…there’s some resistance to using them in clubs some places, but there are a lot of discussions on that on DJTT and elsewhere, so I’ll refrain from reiterating it.

As for the 2d…personally, I think the K2 or NI X1 are better choices, but to each his own. I love my X1s and can’t imagine spinning on anything else except turntables or CDJ-2000s if someone else is paying for them.

And you want an audio interface instead of relying on the mixer to be the audio interface if you want to play in clubs…otherwise you have to bring your mixer and daisy chain mixers, swap out mixers, or let everyone else mix on yours. I kind of don’t see the appeal except on the djm-900 because once clubs upgrade, it’ll be basically everywhere. Still…if they haven’t upgraded yet or went with something else, you might be SOL.

It’s certainly not likely, but I’d hate to walk into a club and see an E&S, Alpha, or Formula Sound and not be able to spin because I was relying on them having a POS Pioneer.

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Pioneers? ive walked into clubs and seen 2 band Vestax mixers that are easily as old as my parents lol!
Places like this dont care if you bring controllers though.

On topic: I originaly spun on vinyl and went to purely controllers, and i found most of my time was spent with my finger up my a*se because your not constantly adjusting something as with vinyl.

Whats your reason against serato? Technics are still easy to get, set it up with an SL box, and youve replicated vinyl. because chances are if you play out and the club has an in-house box, 99 times out of 100 it will be a serato box.

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the 4d is good but kind of outdated in terms of midi functionality and the buttons don’t feel very good and there is really no led feedback- the xone: db4 with xone: k2s replaces it pretty much. the 1D/2D are getting replaced by the K2. It is an absolutely incredible setup and the DB4 is the most incredible mixer I have ever touched or owned.

the s4 is good and all and convenient but if you are used to hardware it doesn’t feel the same and is not very durable. a lot of people (myself included) seem to buy them then sell them when they want a more professional quality hardware mixer that can take other inputs too. the only reason I see to buy an s4 or any all in one is budget or you need extreme portability, pretty much anything can be done better with a hardware mixer, cdjs, and separate midi controllers.

also, if you want turntables you can still get technics easily and if you are in the US there are always deals in craigslist, I just bought 3 1200s for $400 a couple days ago.

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Brilliant - what is it and how do i get it? Thanks

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No real reason other than the layout - i have used it a number of times and just couldnt get into it and kind of know my way around Traktor now.

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Again, thanks all for the info, now looking at the DB4 with a couple of K2’s, no more 4D (thanks Xonetacular). Found a good little review on the DB4 and K2’s here:

http://www.traktorbible.com/articles/closer-look-on-xone-k2.aspx

I am also still thinking about the S4 however, i am about 70% set on the Xone setup. This will give me 4 decks (although i will not be using more than 3 and the sample banks) and if i ever play out, i presume i could take my two controllers with an Audio Interface and my laptop (thanks also Mostapha) compared to lugging around the S4?

I am not sure about the Xone set up and the Traktor timecode. What is this and will it all work without the Audio 10?

Also, will the Xone setup be able to control Ableton at the same time so i can utilise the effects over the tracks playing out from Traktor?

Thanks again

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Sorted: Setup will be Xone DB4 with a couple of K2 controllers, really fancy alot more going on than just the S4 and would like to add other bits of kit, potentially the Maschine and really like the following:

http://www.korg.co.uk/products/dance_dj/monotribe/dj_monotribe.php

http://www.elektron.se/products/octatrack

Sweet, i am going to be well busy! Thanks all again for the help, much appreciated!

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I think there’s some redundancy in there…mostly that Maschine and the Octatrack are essentially the same thing except that the Octatrack is all hardware and the Maschine can be used as a VST/AU/RTAS and send 16 stereo channels straight into a DAW.

Maschine is freaking brilliant at what it is, though…just don’t get it to be just a controller…there are cheaper ones available that are almost as pretty and feel about as good. For like a third of the price at most.

The questions in your other post…umm…

I’m not sure what you mean by “the xone” controlling ableton. You’re talking about 3 different pieces of gear.

I don’t know if the db4 is Traktor Scratch Certified or not…if it is, it’s a software upgrade to use timecode, but then you have to have a Traktor Scratch Certified mixer to use it…or one of their supported audio interfaces. The information is somewhere on NI or A&H’s website.

Routing Traktor’s output into Live while using timecode is hard…you have to have multiple audio interfaces to do it. Without time code, it’s just a matter of setting up Soundflower if you’re on OS X…if you’re on Windows…there’s probably a way to do it.

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DB4 is’nt traktor certified yet AFAIK,
but im sure its being considered still