I plan to use the whole setup for home use mostly but sometimes also borrow and bring that setup for my small cafe. And maybe rarely to the nights I plan to hold elsewhere. And I often plan to play with a friend on it.
I’mvebeen “around DJing” for years but never really owned anything. Besides an odl 3-channel Vestax mixer back in the day.
I just love the feel of it, so I would like to buy Rane rotary mixer but cannot decide if I need 4 channel MP2015 or I could “settle” with 2-channel MP2014? So it would be cheaper and take less space.
I don’t think I’ll be playing 4 decks, just mixing two is enough for me, but would like to play with a friend often.
And would like to switch between CDJ and vinyl.
I’m also thinking to get 2x Pioneer XDJ-1000MK2 (so I could mix without my laptop) and for the time being one Technics 1200 vinyl player (maybe later get another). Or maybe I should get the new cheap Pioneer PLX-500?
I understand, getting a Pioneer mixer, would maybe make sense? To be able to hook up the sampler later on and get better use of and forkflow of the CDJ decks? But I just love the look and feel of the Rane…
Am I completely stupid to get this setup? What would you recommend?
No plan to use Tractor or Serato for the time being.
I use so much laptop for my work, so thinking to DJ without it if I can.
Seems like quite a bit of kit for a first set of gear, but if it’s what you have your heart set on and you have the money than go for it I guess?
I haven’t used the 500’s but I really quite like the PLX-1000’s. Upside of those vs Technics is that it likely won’t be as hard to get the Pioneers fixed or repaired.
I wanted to make exactly the same set up for home use, but didn’t go for the Rane as the soundcard built-in would not last as long as a full analog rotary mixer.
If i were you, for beginning i would buy a soundcard like the audio 2, so you can split two output from your computer into your mixer, and get a NI X1 as a controller… It would be for beginning because the 2 XDJ are really design for clubs, and are designed so that people bring only their USB key… If your set up don’t move that much, it’s better to take your computer into the set..
In my opinion, for your home setup or small parties, a two channel mixer is perfect, of corse a 4 channel one is better, but think of how many times you would be using more than 2 decks simultaneously (usually never) and then if it’s worth the extra money (in my opinion it’s not). Even in clubs is not that usual to use more than 2 decks simultaneously, the real benefit in clubs is having available channels to use when switching between DJs (for example you can plug in your gear without messing the one used by the playing DJ or you can setup the TTs or CDJs to your taste while the other DJ use the extra two), but there aren’t really so many DJs playing 3 or more decks simoultaneously, I can think of just a few and no one plays in the underground circuit (of corse always talking about the CDJ/vinyl world, with a PC involved it’s another story).
That said, if you are planning to add a couple of turntables to the booth, of corse it’s going to be more practical to have 4 channels in your mixer, im not going to deny that, but it’s just a small practical thing: you can have both the turntables and the XDJs plugged in to a two channel mixer and then use the source selector of each channel to choose what particular device you want to use in that particular mix (for example if you are playing a track in channel A with the XDJ and you want to play a record next, then you go to the source selector from channel B, you switch to phono and you use the TT plugged to channel B, simple as that).
THAT SAID, note that the Rane MP2014 is a digital mixer and it has digital (S/PDIF) imputs and outputs, so if you are planning to use some kind of digital player, it would be wise to use one with S/PDIF outputs (used CDJs instead of brand new XDJs maybe?) to avoid two unnecessary A/D conversions and preserve sound quality.
Once again, this is my opinion, but regarding whocancatchme’s post, I think that while the XDJ is a great player, it doesn’t look like club intended gear, on the contrary, bassed on the price range and the overall construction quality I would say it’s perfect for home usage, not in your particular case for the lack of the digital output as said before, but I just wanted to point that out.
2 channels are sufficient. You can plug 4 sources, say 2 turntables and 2 cdjs, and toggle between those two you mix.
Question is Is rotary your thing? There’s no crossfader here and the mixing goes a bit less easy. Also you can’t scratch on it. If you decide for rotary let’s see the sound quality. Rane 2014 is said to sound very good BUT:
it is digital mixer. You play your analog record, it gets converted to digital than back to analog upon exit. Rane may had this well solved, but still… You can get other excellent mixers that are fully analog. My suggestion below.
Rane was recently purchased by Numark and will move its production to China. Rane heads say it is the end for Rane as we know it.
I would consider Super Stereo mixer. Not only fully analog but it has a valve version if you want AND a unique rotary crossfader, that for you as a beginner would make things much easier. Cheaper. Other rotary choices out there too.
Note no onboard fx here, should add a separate fx unit if needed.
For turntable forget the plx 500. Get a Technics and don’t waste your time on questions. Plx 1000 only in case you can’t find a good Technics, but you will.
XDJ 700 can be your cheaper way into Pioneer players.
Yes DJR sorry, and i completely miss the topic i wanted to answer in my other topic (rotary set up), and ended up answering here.. well not a problem. It is a fully analog mixer but with less functionnality, and still hand made.
Also you can probably find a Rane Empath rotary for cheaper than any of the mixers you’re looking at. Then you get a fully analog rotary mixer. It has 3 channels if you ever want to mess around with layers, but definitely perfect for use as a 2 channel mixer. You won’t find better sound quality in an analog mixer (such things being subjective of course). But of course any mixer in the $600+ range is going to be basically perfect in terms of sound quality these days. That Super Stereo valve mixer is absolutely gorgeous, and it’s possible the valves add a nice warmth to the sound quality (I use a valve pre for my digital sources at home, but I can’t honestly say whether the difference in sound is all in my head), but you might be able to find the Empath for well under $1000. The empath has a crossfader too, the 2014 doesn’t.
The 2014 is all digital and I haven’t heard them but I have no doubt whatsoever that the sound quality is pristine; not sure where the other comment is coming from. A couple posts mentioned unnecessary A/D/A conversions – it’s probably a concern if you plan on recording or manipulating the sound further from there, but I don’t think it would make any sound difference. Still, it’s a sound idea in principle to keep the audio chain as simple as possible, so if you only plan to play with analog sources, a fully analog signal path makes sense. Alternatively, someone else noted that CDJs have digital outs, so if you plan more CDJ use that might be a consideration.
DD