i’m looking for a compact way to control the 4 available decks in traktor pro. the only thing i can find that seems to be made for this is the really expensive xone mixer
i used to dj with vinyl and never did anything else… but i didn’t get to it anymore because i was only @ home in the weekends and carrying around two turntables is just not possible . so i’m looking for a setup that would allow me to carry it with me without to much problems and i can hook up with my mixer when i come home… is this possible or am i asking to much?
i’ve been looking @ the vcm 600 from vestax but it’s made for ableton…
other option i am considering are:
-waiting for the vestax vcm 400: but it has the controls for deck 3 and 4 combined with those for deck 1 and 2 and that seems not very handy to me
-the numark mixmeister control… but it’s made for mixmeister… and i’m not really liking that product because of that sales womam in all their videos on youtube… and those corny buttons on it that say “mix now”.
-the livid ohm 64 that is bound to come out… but again for ableton..(and can i use all those buttons anyway? i’m used to a regular mixer with knobs and faders… no buttons: so from my newbie point of view i’m not really seeing what to use them for yet…)
-the apc 40: but again for ableton…(same as the ohm 64)
-and the xone 2d: but i don’t know wether that is possible to mix on just alone the 2d
so maybe i should just get me ableton live instead?
i hope somebody can help me with this… maybe i made a bit too complicated for myself…
off course i would need a soundcard with some of these options…
i would like to keep it under 1000 euro if that is at all possible
any suggestions?
i think more ppl are struggling with this problem but i couldn’t find a real thread that discusses a 4 deck setup except with modifiers…
vci -100 with firmware 1.3 (or 1.4 when it comes out)
you don’t have ‘complete’ hands on control of 4 decks but with the push of 1 button you can control decks C and D. and plus the vci 100 is sexy and will get you mad babes lol
yeah but you can’t do eq an deck 1 and 3 at the same time? or can you choose wich deck you control with wich side of the controller…? if you know what i mean…?
yeah i know what you mean, you can kinda get your way around it but i see where you’re coming from. i think there’s a clear line between tuntablism (jog wheels, traktor pro etc) and what i call abletonism where you use controllers like the vcm 600 and such. And those allen and heath zone controllers cost far too much i reckon
what just came to mind the the Novation remote SL Zero MKII, just came out and looks pretty nice.
Proxy uses the first Remote SL zero (without the led rings round the knobs) when i saw him like a month ago
i was looking for an all in one controller… just so i would b able to carry it around easily… that’s why i like these controllers… they look far more compact than a mixer… but maybe it’s the only possible way.. it’s also one of the reasons i wouldn’t want to spend all that money on a xone… they don’t look that travel ready to me…
If you integrate Bomes into your setup you can make the VCI-100 a lot more customisable.
Also, I’ve used the Remote 25SL to switch decks on either side, so there are a whole lotta options.
You really want to narrow down what direction you want to go and what kind of DJing you want to experience. You want four decks, but that isn’t very limiting these days, which the right MIDI knowledge. Hell, you can use the MPD32 to control four decks pretty easily as well.
So yeah, you need to decide a few things: Do you want jog wheels, do you want touch pads, do you want keys, do you want sync, do you want… etc. etc. etc.
Then come back and we’ll go from there.
thx for the answers… i guess i got some things to figure out…
as i see now, i don’t need any jogwheels (and guess i don’t really want them either)… the problem is more of figuring out what i do want… because i’m a newbie in this digital dj world i don’t really know how much knobs, pads or faders i really need or want…
i would like to get a controller that looks a bit like a mixer but with all the functionality the software brings in…
eq’s on each channel… loop functions… enough control over effects.
with the apc 40 and the ohm 64 i don’t really know how to use the pads grid… i’ve seen it in action on youtube but don’t really know in wich ways it can be used really or how you go about it… only thing i know is: it looks really dope . i understand that you can use these pads to trigger samples… but is are there more options??
also on the apc 40 i can’t see how i would controll my eq’s in a handy way…
the reason i liked de vestax vcm 600 is because it looks the most like something i can relate to… meaning my mixer i have now… (also from vestax btw)
so the choice between these options is quite hard for me…
how did you guys go about it in the beginning? or did you all start out with the vci 100?
I would recommend first thing, to make absolutely sure which program you are going to want to use first. Granted, it makes more sense when you have a controller in front of you to do all the tricks and truly show what’s possible with each software, but the software I beleive is the first thing to nail down. There are a lot of choices these days, the top two I in my mind are Traktor and ableton, but there are others that can acheive the same product, like mixmeister fusion, dj decks, PCDJ, mixvibes, and a whole slew of others.
I say program first, because you will have to have a foundation to base your controller needs on. Secondly, you will also know the limitations of the program so you will have an idea of what other expenses might come up, ie other controllers, midi translators, extra vst’s. You can always expand your foundation later, but it’s good to know if you’re going to need jogwheels for Traktor with manual beat matching, or if you would like endless encoders because you will be controlling 10+ channels in Ableton. This will save you some money and frustration of trying to adapt a controller to your specific software needs instead of having the closest match to what you’re trying to accomplish.
Also, make sure that you know the basics of the mapping procedures for each software and each controller you look at, because some are far superior to others and allow you to do more without a midi translator or other software.
I did , but I think the best beggining is to download a demo of the software and get to know it, play around with your mouse. This can give you some idea of what you are going to do with the software and with that information you will have an idea on how many knobs and buttons per deck are you going to need.
Your question about a controler for 4 decks is something that about every Traktor user is going to ask himself at some point. And the answer is quite similar for everyone, you can look at the Xone4d which is good for a stable setup and if you have the $ available. If not the answer would mostly tend to be a combination of controllers that suite your style of playing, and if you are going to mix internally or externally. The vcm 600 seems to have enough fader and knobs to control all 4 decks, but as I tell you it will depend on your style of playing and the way you like to handle your workflow.
My first start was DVS. Then when I went digital I got the VCI-100. The main reason I’d recommend getting a cheaper VCI-100 to hold you over is so you can understand how to use MIDI with a familiar interface. Once that becomes a breeze then you can start figuring out how you want to integrate a less average style of DJing.
so i’m lookin for a controller that works well with Traktor and most importantly - can provide control over all 4 decks.
btw i’m aware of what xone offers - in fact i would love to have mr. hawtin’s setup - but its just too pricely.
the way i see it the VCI-100’s pretty popular around here and i’m seriously considering getting it. but can it do what i need, all by itself and just hooked up to a laptop?
Battlestar, yeah, read around the forum and there are lots of solutions. With TPro, if you have the patience to code the modifiers in Traktor then you can do it all out of the box.
If you are willing to use Bomes and learn some more advanced MIDI work then you can also do it, and a lot easier. There is no “out of the box” solution yet, though. Still requires some hands on work.
i’ve had an entirely pio setup for some time now (cdj400s, djm600) and sometimes i borrow my mate’s turns; but honestly, i’m hoping to make a complete switch to digital djing and traktorscratchpro - already have it on my macbook, been messing around a little but just with the mouse.
i checked out some of the stuff y’all recommended, like the behringer/novation controllers, but i do want something with jogwheels tho. just doesn feel like right without them, for me
from what i’ve read online bomes + vci100 still doesn enable full control over all 4 decks yes?
tekki: Quote: -and the xone 2d: but i don’t know wether that is possible to mix on just alone the 2d Again… Why(not)?
how does that work out? i mean i once watched richie hawtin using just a macbook pro and a xone 1D/2D (i couldn see, too drunk).. is it true that u can pretty much map anything u want to any button/knob?
thanks peeps, and sorry again for bein so clueless
Why not start out with 1 VCI-100, familarise yourself with that and the software. Then when you want to move onto 4 deck mixing with complete control buy another one, you can run 2xVCI-100’s on a single computer with firmware 1.2.
I think you should read a bit more about midi and mapping…
Every key on a Midi controler can be programmed into a specific function,
Basicaly you make your own controler… You don’t have to be stuck on a pre mapped Ableton box…
I had the same problem… How to control 4 decks.
I came from a vj background, so I already own a Hercules Rmx (CH1)
(used for Modul8).
So I learned how to use modifiers and yesterday I got myself an M-Audio Oxygen8 keyboard (CH2) to add control to the decks CD and Fx, I have not found the perfect mapping yet but first test try were pretty cool.
I’m planing to use CD for fx and looping… and it’s very cool to trigger loops via keyboard..
Not the perfect solution but when you can’t afford an expensive 4 decks controler this solution works…
Just wished I had more than 10 fingers…
Hope i make sense..
Good Luck
. so i’m looking for a setup that would allow me to carry it with me without to much problems and i can hook up with my mixer when i come home… is this possible or am i asking to much?
