I currently own a Kontrol X1 and F1 and a DN-X1700 mixer. I love the 1700, but don’t want to have to lug the mixer around all the time, and so I have been thinking about acquiring an all-in-one controller for travel portability.
I don’t need 4 channels as I either i) do basic A->B mixing using only 2 decks, or ii) use decks C&D as remix decks with my F1 and mix using the F1’s filters and faders.
What I do want is 3 EQs + a dedicated Filter knob per channel. A separate gain knob is also nice. I am leaning toward adding a controller with jogwheels…but don’t feel like I NEED them…just want to
After much research, I am kind of settling on the following choices:
Traktor Kontrol S2
Denon DN-MC3000
Wait for the Behringer CMDs and get an MM-1 & PL-1 and pair them with my Traktor Audio-2
Kontrol S2 has tight Traktor integration which is nice, but no dedicated filter knob. I know you can use shift+gain to get filter, but isn’t the gain knob an encoder? I don’t like encoders for EQs or filters…I like having a center detente and defined stopping points for Min/Max on the knob.
The MC3000 is nice, has dedicated filter knobs, can control 4 decks using layer switching (though not sure how much I will actually use this). But it’s traktor integration will depend on me (I actually don’t mind making my own mappings) and won’t be as tight as the S2.
Or I can go with a totally modular system…I can bring along only what I will need, not have extra/duplicate functionality, but will need 3 pieces of equipment every time: a sound card (Audio 2), MIDI mixer (MM-1), and transport control (X1 or PL-1). Also, not sure if I want just 1 jogwheel or if I might want 2…not to mention that the CMD line ISN’T OUT YET!!! Do you hear me Behringer!
the denons are tight with traktor IF you find the right map. Denon is always late to the party with mappings, but users such as VIPER have made amazing mappings for them.
Personally I won’t be buying another NI hardware product, it’s not that I think they are crap (I’ve got 2xS4’s, F1 and X1), I fed up of the NI forum and the way they treat their customers.
I had a tiny issue with my first Denon, and Denon were brilliant, they took ownership of the problem, fixed it and apologised for the wait.
Has NI ever done that ?
It’s something to consider as well as the Hardware, what happens IF senario …
As for the Berry … If it gets to market before we die of old age, I guess it will be feature packed and you shouldn’t have to worry about the build quality anymore, since the DDM4000, the kit has been very well made and has even increased in price !!!
I don’t mind making my own mappings. I started out with a Lunchpad and an M-Audio X-Session Pro and made my own mappings for them that worked out great. So that doesn’t scare me at all and makes me slightly lean toward the MC3000. I have a DN-X1700 and love it and would recommend to anyone, so I am overall very pleased with Denon Products.
I considered the Stanton DJC.4, but the layout looks more tuned toward Virtual DJ than Traktor: The FX Section on the right is not an intuitive layout, dry/wet is encoder instead of knob (I don’t like encoders for that)…I lose the dedicated filter knob vs. the MC3000, and no dedicated FX assign buttons…But then again, the cost looks like it might be very nice…
BTW, is the gain knob on an S2 an encoder or a pot? anyone know?..looks like it;s an encoder to me…
Well I’ve had the DJC.4 for a full day and I love the thing. I don’t use the effects or filter much so not having a dedicated filter knob isn’t a big deal. It’s built pretty well, not too heavy not to light, the fader feels good, the pitch fades feel a little weak but Nothing that’s gonna cause any problems. I wish I could get a little more volume out of it. The mapping from Stanton is good. I wanted to do some live vocal loops so I had to use ASIO4ALL cause the mic on it isn’t running to the software it just goes straight through. Then I just route my laptops mic to deck 4 and set the loop recorder to “cue”. I do wish it was a stand alone mixer but other then that I can say I’m pretty happy with overall. Gonna play around some more and just get to know it better…
I looked at the DJC.4 also, but the layout just seemed a bit awkward for me for Traktor. Otherwise, it was one of my top choices…I crossed it off my short list mainly due to the FX layout/no FX assign, and no filter knob…not everyone uses the filters, but I like slow filter sweeps for fading in/out bass lines etc as an extra layer of sound for mixing.
I think that if the Kontrol S2 had a dedicated filter knob (not encoder) I would have gone for it over others, but as it stands, i think I will go with an MC3000. I thought about waiting for the CMD MM-1 and PL-1 and just an all-modular setup, but I don’t think I will go that direction. I still have modular controllers, and will probably acquire a MIDI Fighter 3D to complement my F1 and X1.
My only “concern” is that I don’t want to have too much overlap in functionality between controllers. Right now, my X1 and F1 don’t really overlap at all, but an all-in one will have significant overalp with my X1 (Transport, FX, Hot cues). I could have All-in one control FX units 1 & 2 and X1 control the FX units 3 & 4…but I don’t use all 4 FX units, so not sure if it is worth it. So the all-in-one gives me a soundcard, mixer section (eqs, gain, line faders, pre-cue), filters, jogwheels, & pitch fader as functions that are unique to it…mainly it would work as a stand-alone alternative that I could use with an F1 for pretty full control…
that’s what I thought. Is it “stepless” or does it have detents that click? e.g., can you smoothly sweep across values, or does it jumpt (albeit in small increments) from value to another?
It has clicks and actually I think it’s those same encoders from kontrol X1. You can map it for smooth transitions, just make sure those commands are set to fader or encoder “relative” mode where you can manually adjust rotary sensitivity the way you want. For example it’s easy to map tempo adjust and set sensitivity that low so you can move BPM by 0.1% which is very handy for manual beat matching.
That is what I thought. I just don’t know about them…i don’t like encoders with clicks for things like filters/gain etc…I will likely go with the MC3000 as it has dedicated filter AND gain knobs in addition to the EQs…don’t need EQs and faders for 4 decks as I use Decks C & D for remix decks and my F1 has volume faders I can use and I just mix with those and the F1’s filters…
I totally agree those aren’t for filters but why not map this encoder for high and move other EQ’s one position up so low knob can be free for filter maping? Just a thought..
I would go for Denon as well. Better build quality then S2.
Thought about that…but it feels somewhat sloppy…plus the encoder requires me to look at the screen to see position of the “knob” as there is no indicator. Even if I switch out the knob with Chroma Caps, it can quickly get wonky if you turn the encoder past the max or min point…
I think this is why I will go with the MC3000. I have a DN-X1700 and I LOVE it…I wouldn’t hesitate to buy more Denon equipment again…
Ok, went for the DN-MC3000…got a good deal on one! In fairness, this is Behringer’s fault. If they had released the CMD line, I would have bought a couple of those units instead…an MM-1 and a PL-1. As it is, I doubt that I will get any moving forward. I’ll play with my workflow, but I also don’t see me getting another F1 just yet…maybe a MF3D sometime in the future. Right now my setup will be either A) DN-X1700, X1, & F1 (+CDJs) or B) MC3000, & F1.
I actually like the x-session pro a lot. I started with it and a launchpad and it treated me well. I paid like $45 for it. I just wish it had LED feedback and was built slightly more robustly…
If the release date for the CMDs was anywhere near soon, I would have waited and picked those up…but at this rate, I am not convinced that they will even be out before the end of the year. In the meantime, I should have all I need.
Just got the MC3000…played with it a little bit and can say that I am VERY pleased with it. I think that the MC3000 paired with an F1 and maybe a MIDIFighter will be a very combination for me.
I can keep it fairly minimal in terms of gear, but still get the benefit of controlling multiple decks, FX, filters, and remix decks. If I add anything, it will be a 2nd F1 or a MF.
