Hey everyone, I’ve recently had the horrifying experience of having my Kontrol S4 stolen, case and all, while loading my vehicle after a gig.
My natural inclination is to buy a replacement S4 but I really like the look of the VCI-400.
A HUGE factor in my purchasing decision will be based on three things:
Sound Quality. I love the sound card on the S4 and usually run it at 48k sampling rate; does the VCI-400 compare…not just in sampling rate/buffer size but also in the sound itself? Does it sound good/rich/warm/fat/fantastic?
Foolproof mappings. How does the mappings for the VCI-400 work out for Traktor? Are the platters fully realized for the VCI-400 (like the S4) or does it just default into something less than ideal because it’s not a Native Instruments product? How well does it integrate with Traktor?
USB/power/headphone output/master output. Does the USB cord “lock” into the slot the way it does with the Kontrol S4? Does the power cord stay securely into its jack? Is there sufficient output/volume from the headphones and the master?
I sold my S4 for the VCI-400 EGE and I don’t regret a thing.
As far as sound quality, it has a built in soundcard and personally, I can’t even tell a difference between the 2.
DJTT did a really great job with making the mapping really tight with Traktor.
The USB does not lock and I’ll be honest, my power adaptor has gotten bumped and completely shut off my VCI, that is my one complaint. Everything else is fine.
So, personally, I’m leaning towards the 400, just replace the power cord.
I’de go with the 400, it’s newer that the s4 and has a few more features than the s4. also keep in mind that vestax has been making dj products for decades and NI is still just getting started, so the build quality will be superior on the vci 400.
the sound and build quality where actually the only 2 reasons why I got rid of my s4
Kamjongill - I play large local venues often and ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT have a controller or program fail on me - is the power cord/usb problem a legitimate issue or can I feel confident keeping it in a case while playing? Also, when it comes to deejaying I’m most definitely not a turntablist; I’m a great programmer but my hands just do not do well with scratching/juggling lol…would you say the DJTT mapping is better than the stock mapping?
Invoke/Kamjongill - you would both state that the sound quality is at least as good as an S4, if not better?
Same, I’m not a heavy scratcher and the DJTT is definitely better than the stock.
The USB will stay in, I’ve moved my controller and had no problems with the USB, but the powercord needs to be replaced. Easy fix, 7.5v 1200ma ac adaptor.
Just an aside - why would you run the interface at 48k? Since you’re (most probably) playing source material that is 44.1k, you’re just introducing an extra round of resampling in the audio chain. There’s nothing to be gained there, only to be lost.
Kamjongill - you’re saying that as long I purchase a better power cord that has a better “fit”, I should be fine?
DJQA - I do a whole lot of direct vinyl-to-FLAC conversion so I can often get a better sampling rate; however, even when this isn’t the case, I’ve noticed that I get a “bigger” sound when running 48k (vs 44.1k) on big club systems (particularly on the bottom end), even when it’s simply resampling a 44.1k song. I’ve only noticed this with NI cards; I have a few different manufacturers’ sound cards and have heard a similarity between my S4, S2 and Audio Kontrol 1 when running 48k vs 44.1k. Strangely enough, my M-Audio and PreSonus interfaces lack that difference.
I think I’m going to order the stock VCI-400 from zzounds.com - they’ve always been good to me and with price matching I can get the price down to around $800…a price I can live with. The DJTT edition looks tempting, particularly the firmware, but not nearly enough for me to plunk down an extra $200.
You guys have sold me on the VCI-400. Thank you very, very much!
Dude, DJTT version comes with a $200 bag, powertools, Blue DJTT USB, and amazing product support from DJTT, that’s worth well over $200 in my opinion.
But regardless of which VCI-400 you get, the cord is too short and it’s not a great design in my opinion, you just need a longer cord that’s not so sensitive.
I have had the same unfortunate event happen to me GrooveMaster, all of my gear got stolen (DJTT S4 package that had headphones, Midi Fighter, etc) stolen from my friend’s car after a gig. Since I knew the VCI-400 EGE was coming out, I waited for that and quite frankly, I am happy with it. I do not scratch so the loss of having HID jogwheels is not a big deal to me.
The things that I like over the S4:
Bit smaller
More flexibility in mapping (especially having the Gratify mapping built into the controller, consolidating the need for a Midifighter)
Build quality is great
Adjustable tension for the jogwheels
Input/Outputs
Pretty lights
The main reason I chose to go with the VCI-400 EGE over getting another S4 is that I just simply like the flexibility of the unit itself. I also think the unit overall looks better than the S4. Otherwise, I would definitely get another S4. Of course though, this applies to the EGE version of the VCI-400. I’ve heard from several people that they do not like the Traktor mapping supplied by Vestax itself, but already lots of people have taken to making their own.
GrooveMaster- If you’re still worried about protection even thought it has metal instead of plastic as the s4, you can buy the VCI-400 with a mono bag bundle and the mono bags has almost no extra cost. VCI-400 on own is $1079, with bag its 1079.
I,m also torn. I think i will stick with the s4. I’m gonna get the s4 complete bundle. which is pretty good because one mf pro, one rokit5, tma-1,s and one S4 with mono bag bundle = over $1650. 2 rokits, S4, MonoBag, Midifighter classic and Tma-1,s = $1400.
My only problem is that it is a midi fighter classic. but i guess the s4 can do all the fx nicely.
Sorry if i’m going waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy off topic.
Been saving up for the VCI400 since it was released but always end up spending money on some other gear half way
My friend who also is a DJ has the S4 and I really like it but I don’t scratch and the new firmware give the VCI stand alone mixer so I know witch one I’ll get.
Wait guys - you’re saying the VCI400’s platters are not HID? Is this a huge difference…could I hear a difference? Isn’t a MIDI platter simply 128 or 164 points (or somewhere in that range) that are able to be touched/scratched? What about the jogwheel portion of the platter…will I have any issues with minute tempo adjustments?
It isn’t necessarily a difference you can hear, it’s all just computer signals controlling the software anyways. It just basically means the jogwheel controls are not as precise when you compare the two. The major difference people speak of is the ability to scratch better with the S4 jogs as compared to others. DJTT has upgrade the jog response on the VCI-100, who knows if they can do the same with the VCI-400.
As for me, I don’t scratch at all but I have noticed that when you even attempt to, the S4 jogs just feels tighter on controlling the track than the VCI-400; it feels like it slips a little bit on the VCI. Otherwise, when just using the jogs normally to pitch bend or traverse the track, it feels fine to me.
What the 1.4 firmware did for the VCI-100 was to raise the resolution of the jogs, but this issue isn’t about resolution - Traktor’s MIDI jog support just isn’t as good as HID. On the other hand, you can’t even do backspins on the S4, so it might be the Numark 4Trak that takes the crown here - if good jogs are all you’re after, that is.
The difference is noticeable but isn’t a killer. I just find that I have to move my hand a bit slower when trying to line up the track sometimes, but otherwise I don’t notice it all that often since I have adjusted accordingly.
