Okay! I’ve got $1,000 to spend on DJ equipment and all I really have right now is a Maya44, Numark Battle Pack (with better needles), and Traktor Pro… I need to get myself a controller!
There are three different setups I have in mind, top being my favorite and bottom being my least at the moment.
Setup1:
Ohm64
My Turntables
Audio 4 DJ
Setup2:
Vci-100SE
Midi Fighter
Audio 2 DJ
Setup3:
Oxygen 8
M-Audio X-Session Pro
Stanton Dascratch
Audio 2 DJ
Please recommend one of these setups or even type up a different setup for me! Thanks ahead of time for helping me spend my $$$!
I’m not a huge itch fan… I would translate that into a Vci-100se and NanoKontrol… I heed your advice young padawan, for the force is strong within you. Anyone else? O.o
I see and hear good things, but I hate to get a controller just because Ean Golden uses it… I feel as if you can do the same thing with the Ohm64 with a bit of time dedicated to mapping it… I heed your advice though ^.^
P.S. I’m going to be mostly a closet DJ, portability is not an issue
OHM 64 interesting controller… u can really get creative with all those buttons… though your other 2 options ain’t bad either.. interesting setups… really ask yourself though y not just get the new NI controller.. and midi fighter.. to go with ur tables… more control on traktor.. haha maybe is just me I like my tables better.. is the vinyl feel
Epic is a big word. It invokes the idea of last greatness. So from that perspective, yes it is epic. Is the greatest there could be, the answer is easily no.
Your choice really depends on what you want to do. I too have looked at an Ohm64, but without jogs it is not an option for me. My type of tactile control has me on the jogs all the time, pitch bending to keep things in line (I don’t like sync) and scrubbing to put the cue where I want it. Further the buttons are not as “playable” as the arcade buttons. I’m sure you could do a LOT with it though, just not for me. And yes, you can map it do almost everything the VCI can do but without jogs, the fader FX stuff is not going to be possible.
SS714SS brings up the classic point of the feel of vinyl, it cannot yet be duplicated, but again not for me.
If you don’t know what your style of playing is (and it should never be fixed either, always in a state of flow), the VCI-100 gives you lots of choices. Add to it the DJTT mapping and you can explore all kinds of ways and means to get a mix done. Ean aside, the mapping is good. I don’t (maybe better said “can’t”) mix like Ean and the mapping is great for me. Always finding new ways to do things.
This would all be at the price of $805… And lets say the hours that I’ll spend mapping will be worth $45. I can’t bring myself to pay $850 for that, I just don’t feel as if that the Vci-100 mapping isn’t able to mimic the functionality of all of this equipment.
I hate to ask a question like this then all the sudden defend my opinion, but this is what I’m arguing about in my head, because I really want to VCI-100se but I just can’t bring my self to do it… I guess what I’m saying is that I would like somebody to convince me that I need this thing (because I want it). -.-
EDIT:
I would like to work vinyl into my setup, but I’m not a turntablist at all, but I do want to have them in my setup for nostalgia/practice and to bring to any house parties where they just want to see turntables. ^.^
I don’t think you will get many people trying to convince you on this forum. Lots of opinions, but ultimately your gear choice will be yours.
I’d like to point out one little error in your last gear list: time code vinyl. You need Traktor Scratch Pro for DVS. The A4DJ is good for DVS, but you mentioned in your first post that you had Traktor Pro.
That aside, your list of equipment seems good. You will find lots of people who use all of it and there are mappings for it too. Is it better than the VCI-100? Only if it suits your needs better.
From a “solid” point of view, the VCI beats your list (apart from maybe the DeScratch which I have never had in my hands). Plus you will not need a USB hub to hook up your gear (you might not if your using a desktop). But those are details that might not be important to you.
If that gear better suits your needs and your budget, you won’t have gone wrong with your choice.
check out the denon dn-x1600, this piece of kit is amazing as this mixer is full midi and dvs ready without no need for sound card. slap an apc-20 with this and get your time coded vinyls and the possibilities are endless
I like option 2 out of what you have listed. Keep in mind that your turntables aren’t the best, and if you’re serious about using tts you should invest in a pair of techs.
Now if it were me personally…
vci-100
midi fighter
korg nanokontrol
presonus firebox (although I’d happily settle for an audio 2)
why? vci-100 because it’s built like a tank, has decent jogwheels, and endless possibilities. midi fighter for cue point juggles, and the nanokontrol for fx control. but that’s my own style, and I’ve already got most of this up and running anyway so I’m a bit biased. Ultimately you gotta figure out what you want and go for it, and whatever you do don’t let the money be a factor - if you know what you WANT, go get it, it’s better than buying shoddy stuff that’ll just end up in the corner when you finally replace it with what you should have gotten in the first place.
standard vci-100, used the firmware kit to upgrade to v 1.3 firmware. tried using the djtt mappings, bought the overlays and everything but ended up just mapping it in a way that makes sense to my drunk mind at 3 am.
