Ok so I finally took the first steps toward digital DJing. I recently picked up a laptop, Traktor Pro and Ableton 7. Im curious to know what I can do with what I have. Also what Ill need to get that I dont have. Im just looking for the quickest, easiest most cost effective way right now to start spinning so I can start having fun and learning. Now for what I have…
Laptop:
Asus M50VM-B1
Intel Core 2 Duo T9400(2.53GHz)
4GB Memory
320GB HDD 5400rpm
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GS
Tables:
2 Numark TTX’
Mixer:
Vestax PCV-275
The tables and mixer are run through a Sony receiver into a pair of Technics speakers and a pair of Panasonic speakers. A simple standard bedroom vinyl setup. I am open to all forms of Digital djing. So timecoded vinyl, midi controllers or whatever is fair game. The quickest way to get going with or without my current gear…
Thank you in advance for any and all help that is offered.
Well, an option is to combine the MIDI controllers and the turntables. You have Traktor Pro, but to do timecoded vinyl you need the Audio8 and Traktor Scratch Pro.
If you want to go with that AND MIDI I’d say get a keyboard of some kind (The Remote 25SL is an option) to work with Ableton. Then you have the mixer and time coded vinyl AND the MIDI control. But it also comes down to how you want to do it. You’d be taking on a lot at once.
For the record there is a time code CD somewhere out there in the internet that turns your cdjs into a midi signal. I will try and find it for you guys.
Quickest and cheapest way that you could reuse most of the gear you have would be to grab an Audio8 soundcard or better yet a new mixer like the DDM-4000 mixer, or perhaps the Korg Zero 4 - just make sure its traktor certified so you can use traktors vinyl timecode with it.
That would be a good introduction into the world of midi, as you play with that you will figure out what kinda style that you want to mix digitally. That will be a heavy influence on whatever you wanted to add to your setup after that, you might even want to drop the turntable setup completely after that and opt for a something unconventional like a Novation Remote SL-25 but you wont know really until you throw yourself head first into the digital world.
My recommendation would be to keep it cheap to start with as you get your feet wet, from there you can stem off into one of many directions. No one but yourself can choose whats best for you in the long run but this setup should get you quickly up to speed and give you time to decide where you want to take it.
Sorry, I do have Scratch Pro. Eventually id love to have a nice DJ/Production setup. However my reality is that with Christmas rapidly approaching, my recent gear purchases and the great economy, a higher end setup is on the shelves waiting to be pieced together as the opportunities present themselves further down the line.
Im here looking for the most basic/quickest way I can run Traktor. Im into 4/4 stuff mainly so its all beatmatching and blending. Im not really concerned with scratching. Ill expand my gear as my knowledge and wallet see fit
New mixers and Traktor certification? Where can I check that. I happen to live in a party house with another DJ. So I readily have access to 2 CDJ MKIII’s and a DJM-800. Now they arent mine but I am trusted enough to use them whenever I see fit. Only difference is instead residing in my bedroom they are in the basement…No biggie. However if that is helpful would it mess up normal operation for him if I were to plug in from time to time? Thats my main concern. No need to hurt a perfectrly good setup.
Thanks BentoSan. Found the certification info on the Traktor site…go figure. Ohh the decision. Out with the old in with the new. Or upgrade the old… Ahhhhhh.
Traktor certification basicly means that it acts as a soundcard for Traktor and if you plug your buy some vinyl timecode and a certified mixer, you will be able to use the timecode to control the playback of the songs.
The DJM-800 supports midi so i have read, but you would still need an audio8 soundcard or a traktor certified mixer if you wanted to use timecode vinyl/cds in Traktor - so that $ you still have to fork out, go with one of the mixers i mentioned above for the moment.
The mixers i mentioned also can send midi signals which you can use to control the software, the layout isnt exactly what i would call ideal but its a good first step into the digital world.
No problem. Another good reason to not spend a whole lot of money at the moment is that 2009 is going to be a crazy crazy year for the digital dj world. Theres going to be some cool stuff hitting the shelves now the digital dj is starting to get taken seriously. It might be worth while seeing how it plays out as you take your first steps into the digital world.
If you need something like more buttons, some faders and knobs for a decent price you could grab a trigger finger or something similar. A plus of buying something like that is that a device like the trigger finger will allways be useful no matter what kinda setup you have going.
IDD, taken of the Pioneer product page for the DJM-700:
By the way, I double checked the DJM-800, and it is supposed to have 61 assignable MIDI controls?
This means that it does not have a MIDI clock only. :eek:
WOW, this mixer certainly has gone up in my book.
Good to know, thanks. I’ve been messing around with 2 setups that my friends own. One being a Hercules rmx with Scratch Pro & the other being Live 7 with a generic controller with knobs, sliders and triigger buttons.
I must say the sync features make tweaking the tracks more fun and complex. All the sliders and rotary flexibility is great too. But I’m still not used to it. I keep reaching for the jog wheels no matter what haha. I almost feel like I’m cheating though the control over fx and blends seems so much more flexible and complex.
But it also comes down to how you want to do it. You’d be taking on a lot at once.