Here is the latest update on my set up. My DJing rig has 2 Traktor Scratch Pros on 2 Dell e6400 laptops, 2 Technics MK5 turntables w/Ortofon needles, Allen & Heath Xone 4D, Ecler Nuo 2.0 w/innofader, Native Instruments Maschine MK1, Korg Nanokontrol, Native Instruments Audio 6 & Audio 2 soundcard, Samson Media ONE 3a monitors, Fender PA system, Acorn Masterkey61 keyboard, Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones, Behringer DC-1 & LC-1. I also use most of my controllers to produce on ableton and Maschine with my HP desktop PC.
I first learned to DJ on Technics 1200 mk2s and a Stanton rm80 mixer on my Fender PA system. My best friend lent me his set up along with his crate with some good trance records when he got kick out of his house in 2002. I had them for about a year before they went back to my friend but with the time I spent with them I learned about phrases and how to beatmatch by ear. In 2004 I purchased my very first setup on ebay, I got 2 Technics 1200 mk2s and a Behringer djx700 4 channel mixer and began my search for records to build my own crate. In 2006 I picked up a Pioneer CDJ 200 and started DJing at raves for Neosapiens.
In 2007 Money got tight so I had to sell my decks but a few months later I decided that vinyl was too expensive and that digital was the way to go so I picked up a Pioneer CMX 3000 dual cdj and an Apple Powerbook g4. 2008 is when I started messing around with some free trial DJ software and becoming more open with different ways of mixing. Then my laptop got stolen at a gig… a word of advice, don’t drink too much when you DJ. So I replaced it with a refurbished IMac g5 but that piece of crap didn’t last 6 months. While it was working I picked up a Korg Kontrol49 on Craigslist to start learning how to produce on reason.
I got sick of the CMX 3000s so I sold them and my mixer. Then decided to dive into Traktor, so I got an Akai APC40 and a Native Instruments Audio 2 soundcard and Samson Media ONE 3a monitors. Then I discovered the “APC 80” so I picked up an Akai APC 20 so I could do 4 deck mixing with Traktor.
Here we are a few months later and I’ve added a Dell laptop with the bare minimum specs to run traktor or maschine on windows xp. (It runs PRIME!) In 2011 I picked up a Native Instruments Maschine and Audio Technica ath m50 headphones for production but ended up using it for Traktor more.
I decided to get the Vestax VCM-600 and sell the APCs because I didn’t like the APC80 layout as much and wanted a more solid mixer section. Then I traded my Korg Kontrol49 for an Akai MPD32. Then I replaced the Korg keyboard with an Acorn Masterkey61. A couple months later I got a Native Instruments Audio 10, an Ipad 2 and and i/o dock to use touch osc and other apps.
Absolutely. I can understand if someone who’s into gaming or video editing would get a high power laptop, but if the most powerful program running on their system is traktor, a $600 or a base macbook will do the job just fine. Save money for more gear .
$600 is a lot of cash to me… I didnt realize that a new laptop cost that much, just to run traktor. I picked up a lightly used $200 4 year old laptop that runs traktor better than some macs on this forum. LoL
How can you make a statement like that? Unless you’re comparing it to a 7 year old Mac and even then… you can’t make generalized statements like that. Especially if you haven’t even met 2% of the forum in real life.
Well some people have had problems with their macs. I imagine he’s comparing the difference between a cheap and well treated machine and an expensive one that has been neglected, bloated and has driver issues
But yeah still, 98% of the time the super power mac is better, if not necessary.
Thanks for clearing that up MrPopinjay. I’ve been on the forums for a while and I can tell you that I I’ve heard a lot of complaints about Traktor on macs. I’m not saying that Macs aren’t good but you can get the same power from a PC at half the cost. Besides, a 7 year old mac wouldn’t even be able to run Traktor, but a 7 year old Pc would.
July 2012 I sold off the Vestax VCM 600, Akai MPD32, NI Audio 10 soundcard, Pioneer cdj 200, Ipad2 & dock to get an Allen & Heath Xone 4D. I wanted a 2 Maschine drumpad set up but found out that I needed another laptop. So I sold my Dell d630 and got 2 Dell e6400 laptops and another Maschine.
I decided that a Hybrid set up is best for playing with others so I got rid of 1 Maschine and Picked up a Technics 1200 MK5 and an Ecler Nuo 2.0 mixer to practice scratching.
I got these CMD controllers when I spun for Behringer at Namm 2013. I made a custom mapping for the LC-1 that I’ll share with you guys so you’ll have something to work with when they come out. I also installed an Audio Innovative innofader pro into my Ecler Nuo 2.0, rubberized my eq knobs and got another MK5 turntable.
Yeah the CMDs are great! they feel solid, the buttons are hard like the f1 and I like the click. I used 2 beams from a garage workbench from the home improvement store to bring up the height. They were like $1 a piece. They look like this:
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