Good article from Digital DJ Tips on jogwheels and if they are still needed
So here’s the link,
Some good insight, and people are making a lot of good points in the comments section.
What’s your take on it?
I think, personally, that jogwheels on controllers have no purpose. If someone wants to use jogwheels with traktor, they should use a set of 1200’s because imo nothing is ever going to rival them as jogwheels, or have the same precision. I have no problem with people wanting a set of jogwheels on a beginner set up or whatever, but I bought my first controller which had 8 knobs and 8 programmable buttons, and i havent looked back, because i really don’t understand the point of jogwheels on a controller. thats my one beef with the s4, you’re never going to get anything close to the feel of vinyl scratching on a jogwheel, and if you ARE a scratch DJ, why would you not have a set of 1200’s, possibly with an s4 or other controller?
I haven’t read the article so I’m not sure if they touched on this but I do find no use on my jogwheels (then again it is a BCD3000 so they are TERRIBLE). However, I do prefer them over a knob when it comes to seeking within a song for finer searches.
Because you only view jogwheels as only usable for scratching…
+1
I use my jogs all the time for small bit of scratching, searching through songs and of course in fader fx mode. So i do believe that theirs still a need for jog wheels but i can see were this piece is coming from.
This
You have a very limited view of what jog wheels are for. In fact I’d have to say that platters are wasted on 1210’s when all you can do with them is scratch and cue. I don’t scratch but I use my jogs ALL the time for effects and seeking. You can’t beat using the jogs to launch a beatmasher!!! 
see i think maybe i’m biased because i’ve never used jogs to launch FX or for seeking through a track, because i’ve never actually owned a controller which has jogwheels. i’ve also never used a DVS system, though i have used cdj’s. i have to say i prefer using my controller setup. but different strokes 
The jog wheel is nothing more than a over sized knob or fader in reality. The jog wheel just turns a certain parameter’s value up or down, nothing more, nothing less.
^True, but it’s a very easy one to operate. You can push a button to launch an effect and easily change its parameter with the same hand if you map a jog to do it, the same however would not or barely be possible with a regular potmeter. It’s also just way more fun, and can both be more precise and fast.
In this case, setting it to a fader would work better than a potmeter and you could still get the same results I’d say.
i like to map the jogwheels on my s4 to certain effects, because it is a like a oversized knob that i can turn on and off in accordance to the actual song…
Similar indeed, but not yet the same. A jogwheel is way easier to make rapid small changes, faders not so much (when you’re pressing a button with that same hand, at least). I do see your point of view though, and the usefulness per area is rather small with jogs. But when you don’t really need that space (or portability), jogs can be a very nice addition to your setup!
Edit: I forgot about touch-sensitive jogs (which unfortunately I don’t have). They’re even more fun because they can act like a button too.
Ha! I was waiting for some one to mention touch sensitive jog wheels, and for that I have nothing to say as it is it’s own unique control set up.
To each his own, but as a long time vinyl user I like having platters on controller. For me, it allows me to make those adjustments to the music when its off or even to on that it needs to be out of phase, song cueing, turntable tricks or effects and track seeking. Is this the new bias against digital djs, platters or not? This is dumb topic, we’re in 2011, its a beautiful to be a dj, you have so many options to djs. You use vinyl, cds, laptop, controllers, drum-machines, DAWs and etc, why hate (hate is a strong word, but thats the only way I can describe it in very few words) on each other, instead of uplifting each other. Bad enough, as a digital dj, we have deal the bad mouthing of traditionalist vinyl & cd only djs, Serato Vs the world argument, now its platters or no platters. I wonder what would it be next wired djs versus wireless djs… Touch screen versus non-touch screen. Brain implant versus un-plugged.
We should cut the bs and talk about we love and do what we love to do, which is djing and music, the rest is doo-doo…
+1 for touch sensitive jogs…
When I am playing MY set with all my own material, I really dont need the jogs at all, I dont really use them as effect controllers, and I have my initial cue points in everysingle track already saved in traktor, so I dont need to the Jog to set a cue, or to physically cue a track into another…
What I DO use it for, are transitions between DJ’s.
I.E. :
Im at a venue that has a mixer with no BPM readout, same with CDJ’s, or I’m transitioning from an analogue record on a TT. I basically have to guess at the intial BPM (or use a tap feature, I usually use tap to get the initial BPM close) then drop it into the track playing and use the pitch fader, and the jog on the controler to beatmatch the tracks like you would with a CDJ.
I find using midi controllers with a high quality, touch sensitive jog, and a high resolution pitch fader to feel almot EXACTLY like a CDJ.
In all actuality my Denon DN-SC2000 feels more responsive in Traktor than my rotating platter Denon DN-S3500 CDJ’s.
I fully realize it has taken midi/hid controlls a long time to develop a decent jog wheel, but I belive today we have many offerings that provide BETTER response inside of a DJ application than the many CDJ/DVS setups I have played on.
And it kind of makes sence…
Once the commands from the controller have a high enough resolution, the facts that the program doesnt have to do any timecode translation should give the controller the upper hand.
Although I realy have no idea how intensive converting “timecode” data is as compared to converting midi/hid data.
Either way, in my case at least, the controllers I have with jogs were not only a far sight less expensive than the CDJ’s I currently own, AND they respond better in Traktor…
So for me, I love em…
But I can totally see how comeone coming from a strictly controller platfrom, or someone who has realized a mapping that gives them suficient controll over the pitch and phase of a track would totally have no more need for a jog at all.
Interesting read for sure, but I love me my jogs.
^Completely intentional poor grammar.
Most of this can be taken care of with the use of sync, saved loop and load cue points and a knob set up for seeking/browsing through a track.
^^^
This
lol doo-doo
Yeah for me it’s essential for seeking through the track and dropping cue points because I never want to be using a mouse. How would you do that stuff without a mouse otherwise?
- 1 for touch sensitive jogs. While not strictly essential for my sets, I REALLY like them for a few things:
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I like to nudge tempo using a wheel, not a button. Buttons just don’t feel right to me for this. Push and pull, just like a turntable. I would never feel right mixing live drummer drifting music without a wheel.
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FX launching and control. Faders work fine, but the jog is fast and accurate, plus why not have multiple fader fx controls? I like using two hands.
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It’s hard to master, but I am fine scratching on hi-rez jogs. I’m not entering any DMC championships, and when I A/B my jog scratching to turntable scratching, actually I think the jogs are holding their own. Sounds different but still good. Granted it’s taken me a long time to feel that way, but for simple stuff and 32-64 bar scratch breakdowns, I think it sounds just fine.
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Seeking and collection search. WAY better than knobs.
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I use a technique where I drum cues on the top of the jog while using beat jumps on the outside of the jog. It’s because it’s a wheel that this technique can be really fast and get great results.
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Having any of the above available on the same control, depending on what mode I’ve selected, ftw.