Zestoi’s right, I like the act of scripting and making software do silly things, It actually is fun making long scripts and making your mind work on new things, but you now another guy who liked to do things like change the way software performed was Jesus, and I would bet you would get on your knees and pray to him if he asked you to !
I can understand plug and play for most, but this is the djtechtools website not “mumgotmeacontrollerhowdoidj.com”, and the flexibility and choice I have using scripting which is pretty easy to pick up far outweighs what a locked solution like itch gives, and the amount of options available over traktor mean I don’t have to whine on the software’s forum about functions being added I can just add them when the idea pops into my head. If I knew C++ I could create functions… The biggest one on the NI forum… “when are we getting post fader effects” the answer for VDJ and any open platform software is make one, here is the SDK.
If it’s so easy to make changes to VDJ, then why is it 10 years old and it still doesn’t have decent sounding built in effects?
This is the other side of the coin, and it’s a BIG problem for VDJ.
Yes, I’ll say that VDJ’s scripting is a MASSIVE bonus. But the out of box experience for many users is terrible. The stock effects are awful. The GUI is nearly as bad, plus it’s entirely possible that you’ll have functionality that isn’t represented on screen if you change that GUI. You CAN NOT expect every user to be willing to DIY many “bread and butter” aspects of their DJ software. There are other problems as well. Does it make sense to include so many features that require a network connection when the majority of Windows computers have a DPC issue with their WiFi drivers?
To a savvy user, ALL of these issues can be addressed, and at that point VDJ is an incredibly powerful program. But the majority of users don’t understand MIDI mapping or gain staging. This is ESPECIALLY true for new users who are exposed to VDJ through a demo version bundled with a product. And that’s why Traktor and ScratchLive and Itch remain the aspirational software packages for DJs.
I agree completely with you nem0nic, And have said it lots of times that the standard program with no modification is the worst, especially the LE version, But the core of the software is the best and has the most potential for a user base like the one at djtt, because this site’s foundation is/was DIY and doing things differently.
I think atomix certainly could have done better on the eq and effects front as they are appalling and I have been outspoken about it, but I think they were only catering to their relatively small market of over 30’s mobile dj’s, and since they haven’t had a major release since consumer djing went into overdrive they haven’t addressed the ever present issues which weren’t that big of a deal to their market. Although from the video’s at musikmesse it looks like these issues are finally being addressed.
But all I’m saying is you can use workarounds for all of it because the core of the program allows it. I don’t believe anyone has ever said that before and been able to provide specific examples of solutions. For me personally I was/am completely astounded at the sheer amount of things I could do with VDJ that no one told me about and I know absolutely nothing about computer programming, so I guess I’m just putting it out there because it has brought me a little enjoyment cause I certainly don’t get paid for it .
I’m sure an experienced vdj dj would blow most of the traktor noobs out of the water. A good carpenter is good no matter what tools he has to work with.
Maybe I buy into the word on the street, but it’s just how it is for me. It’s a cheap, easy way to get into the game. That’s not a bad thing honestly, but I feel investing into your software and hardware also is a clear way to show your absolute dedication to the craft. It’s not the only method, and a DJ on any medium can be awesome, but it doesn’t hurt.
And it doesn’t help the sheer amount of knobs that use VDJ.
Say what? VDJ Pro costs over 3 times as much as Traktor Pro. And realistically you’d be getting your Traktor licence for free with some hardware. VDJ is many things, cheap is not one of them.
It’s actually more expensive than traktor to begin with but overtime it works out cheaper though… And again that is because of the undeserved stigma attached to the program and the toy like name and skin. Neither of those things are ultimately important in djing & controllerism, and the gui is skinnable…
I’ll start making skins again when I know what skinning tools VDJ8 will include eg. floating pannels, SVG Graphics, new verbs, and things to display… There is no point spending hours and hours now only to find that there is a different way in the coming months. But if djdecks skins are anything to go by there should be a lot more possibilities coming.
The important thing in controllerism is interfacing with the software and making your controller do all sorts of weird and wonderful things with mapping, at this VDJ Script is unsurpassed. And VST’s mean any effect can be replicated. To not understand this or look past the skin/name is just ignorant in the words of Michael Jefferson .
as I said earlier, I have been doing this for 10 years and only used software for 2, in that time I have had 2 updates, VDJ8 will be the third… But I went from usually spending $100- $200 a week on my vinyl habit to $10 - $20 on trackitdown after binging on all the back catalogues of tracks I could never get on wax.
If any of these kids have a real passion for dance music they will still have it in 10 years, probably 20 judging by the ages of some of the guys on here who still live and breathe it..
Also upgrading with a mixtrack pro the highest selling consumer dj product is only $150, anything that comes with LE get’s a discount but the amount varies.
People who think djing is expensive now have no idea of the money you used to haemorrhage to stay at the top of your game.
Virtual DJ has this perception because of 2 things. First, it’s bundled with lots of stuff. So people get VDJ (LE) “for free”. Second, it’s far and away the most pirated DJ software out there. This is why you have people posting in non VDJ forums asking for mappers.
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