Dustin V's Set Up

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Dustin V’s Set Up

Hey guys, well it all started way back in 2001, but at that time I didn’t have any gear of my own. Instead I was using my friends gear which was 2 crappy Gemini TT’s, a Gemini PS626 mixer, and a crate of vinyls. Thats where I first learnt to mix, and fell in love with DJ’ing.

Fast forward a few years to 2005, and I started taking DJ’ing a little more seriously. I still had no gear of my own, but I knew it was something I wanted to do which was more than just a hobby. At this time I had only a pair of shitty Sony headphones and a CD case full of CD’s, still none of my own gear…:open_mouth:

Fast forward again to 2007, and this is where I actually really bought my first gear. :stuck_out_tongue: This is the time when a friend introduced me to digital Dj’ing by giving me copy of his VDJ. Until this time I was only playing with CD’s, but soon fell for the convenience, and potential of digital DJ’ing. I then decided to get something more professional than mixing with a copy of VDJ, laptop, and a mouse, so I went to GC, and bought a Hercules RMX, and a pair of Senneiser HD205’s.

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I loved it, it opened a whole new world of DJ’ing for me. The RMX was awesome, but after some time though I started to feel very limited with VDJ. Fast forward to 2009, and a friend of mine also a DJ, then told me about Traktor. He gave me a cracked copy… I know…:sunglasses: Anyway it was awesome, Traktor with my RMX was wayyyyy better than VDJ for me, and I loved Traktor. It was then that R.G.A.S. set in and I wanted to get something more serious, and professional.

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Fast forward to last year 2010, the release of the world famous Kontrol S4. :slight_smile: Well what more can I say, I just had to have it. So in early 2011 after saving and saving, I sold my RMX, and upgraded to the S4, an X1, and an Audio 2. I was in love…:slight_smile: Also just to mention, a few months before that I had also bought a new MBP, crane stand, and some new Pioneer HDJ 2000’s… R.G.A.S. I’m telling you!!! :smiley:

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So the S4 was amazing, I loved it except for one thing… It was too big. I travel a lot, and it was just too big for me, so after thinking long and hard I decided to sell it. :disappointed: It was a sad day indeed, but it had to be done. After that I was back in the market for something new, professional, and more compact.

Fast forward a few more months, and to my joy, the Novation Twitch was released. Well after seeing, and reading all the hype on it, I just had to have it. I bought the Twitch and my set up was complete again. :slight_smile:

So at the time of this going to print my set up currently consists of:

2011 MBP 15" i7 8GB 500HDD
Novation Twitch
Traktor Kontrol X1
Pioneer HDJ 2000
Traktor Audio 2
Crane stand
UDG 21" Backpack trolley

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Nice setup man, I’m interested in the mapping you’ve done for twitch. Could you tell us more about how its set up?

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I love the RMX! I followed the same path as you basically. Started off with the RMX and virtual DJ (hated it). I bough traktor, made my own MIDI map for it and controlled effects etc. with it. Hopefully I can add an X1 soon :smiley:

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Thanks bro, well to be honest I’m using the standard TP2 mapping which I downloaded from Novation.

I’m not a genius at mapping so I actually havn’t played with the mapping at all. I was using the Itch software for most of my gigs with the Twitch and only just recently started using it with Traktor again. I’m not a fan of the mapping, its a very simple basic mapping, but it works.

I do think that if you really had to sit down and spend a cpl of hours mapping it, it would be a killer Traktor controller IMO.

Yeah the RMX was and still is an excellent beginner controller. It’s solid as hell, built very well, and can also be mapped nicely. It was an excellent first controller that really got me hooked to controllerism. You are right VDJ was shite, and I was very happy to start using Traktor with it!

One thing however though, later on I found myself feeling very limited with the RMX, the deeper I got into Traktor. When the S4 was released that was the sign for me to upgrade and evolve my set up.

I will always recommend the RMX for any Dj wanting an affordable, trusted, and solid controller.

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Are you me?
Started with a RMX, got an S4, probably picking up a twitch/maybe dx in the coming months once I sell of my RMX.

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Also, how is the soundcard and build quality of the twitch compared to the rmx?

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Ha ha yeah almost bro! :wink:

Well about the sound quality of the Twitch, I would say the quality is excellent. About the sound output though I’d say the S4 was better. The Twitch is a fully USB powered controller so it has to share it’s power. This is where the Twitch loses some points. Its not a deal breaker though as you only need to raise the gains on the mixer and its all good. For home use you don’t even notice the lower output IMO. It would have been good if they had included a power adapter cable like the S4 to help power the Twitch and give some more power to the sound card.

The build quality I think is also excellent. Its a mix of durable high quality plastic and has a brushed metallic surface. It feels solid, more so than the S4, and its compact, which is what I like. It def feels like it can take a beating if you going to use it for clubs, gigs, parties etc..

Good luck with whatever controller you choose! :slight_smile:

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Thanks for the advice man! I’ll be posting my setup once it’s all complete :slight_smile:

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Ok cool man, looking forward to seeing it! :slight_smile:

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Really like the set up !!! IM ON A BOAT!!!

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Thanks bro, appreciate it. :slight_smile:

You on a boat? What boat?

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“Reserved for future updates”

In the next cpl of months my set up will change a bit, namely the Twitch will be replaced by the S2, and my Pioneer 2000’s will be replaced by custom Senneiser HD 25’s.

:slight_smile:

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i dont think the s4 is too big to travel.. ?

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Hi Mate i also have a twitch that i am currently running on serato itch but also use traktor.i love the twitch but need a bit more control over samples so am thinking of getting a kontrol x1.
I have a few questions :
Can i use the x1 on itch with the twitch .
if so how do you connect them up and map them i only have 1 usb slot on my laptop.

can i use the x1 on Traktor with the twitch.
if so how do you connect them up and map them i only have 1 usb slot on my laptop.

i intend to use the x1 solely for samples.

p.s. i started with an xponent and traktor which was a good learning controller.

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Well its not to big to put in a backpack and lug around the city for gigs, parties etc, but for someone who travels and flies a lot its to big IMO.

Most airlines won’t allow the S4 in a carry on bag as it’s slightly larger than their carry on restrictions. I fly internationally up to 6 times a year including many connections, and thats where it gets tricky. The S4 was just to much of a hassle to transport around, not like moving around the city from club to club.

I’ll be buying the S2 soon as thats exactly what I’m looking for, the S4 qualities that I love but in a smaller easier to transport package. :slight_smile:

Hey poshchairs, congrats on getting the Twitch, its a great controller and works amazingly with Itch IMO.

To answer your questions, as far a I know you can’t use the X1 with Itch. I’m not 100% sure on this though as I’ve actually never tried.

You can however use the X1 with the Twitch on Traktor. I’ve done that many times and its an excellent combo. I actually made my most recent mix using both of them together on Traktor.

Its very easy to set up too. Just plug in both controllers, start up Traktor and Traktor will read both controllers. Go to your preferences and choose the Twitch as you your primary controller in your audio settings. The X1 will work automatically with Traktor. As you only have one USB hub I’d recommend getting a USB hub to connect everything.

Another thing (but this just might be my OP) is that I didn’t like the Traktor mapping supplied by Novation. Yes it works, but its far from great, and it just gets the job done simple. Its been mapped very basic, and this is also one reason why the X1 worked really well with the Twitch. I also had issues with hearing my cued tracks in my headphones with Traktor, it didn’t work at all, luckily I knew my tracks that I was playing, and that they were properly analyzed and beatgridded.

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How do you like those HDJ-2000’s?

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Hey guys just a little update to my set up.

In the next 2 weeks it will be changing a bit. First will be the S2 replacing the Twitch, and 2nd will be a pair of custom Sennheiser HD25 1-ii’s replacing the Pioneer HDJ 2000’s.

The changes all come down to personal preferences, both of the items I’m changing are excellent, and are really great products. I’m a Traktor guy and I think after playing with the Twitch for the last 4 months I think that the S2 will better suit my needs.

The custom headphones are being made by a company called Custom Cans, based out in the UK. They will mod practically any pair of headphones and their work is sick! I’ll be posting a full review once I get them in 2 weeks.

Check them out here… :wink:

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Well They are excellent headphones. There’s a reason why so many pro’s are using them right?

But on the other hand I’ll actually be selling them for the Sennheiser’s. After using and gigging with them for the last year I found personally that they were quite heavy and hurt my ears after long periods of time.

I’m not flaming them, they are a great pair of headphones, its just my personal preference. You should check them out if you can. :slight_smile:

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Some more updates guys! :wink:

Just jumped at the DJTT S2 deal, and ordered it! I also bought some new yellow DJTT knobs and faders for my X1. Super stoked, can’t wait till I get my order!

I’ll be posting up updated pics as soon as I get my new gear! :slight_smile:

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I just got that deal also. Im sure you’ll enjoy it :slight_smile:
The s2 is really an excellent compact mixer. You can do unlimited things with it.
No complaints at all.