I want a home setup just so I can make the occasional mix for myself and my friends. I don’t plan on doing anything other than mixing A to B with a bit of looping and basic fx ( filter, delay etc.). No beat juggling, remix decks etc. I produce a bit and know my way around ableton live but I think going that route is too complicated (I have maschine and push but I think it’s overkill for what I want to do). I’ve used Traktor before and had turntables years ago. My budget is around $1000. The main thing I want is something that feels solid and high quality and this is what puts me off the controller and software options (always feel a bit cheap to me). I’ve been looking at the Xdj R1 (which seems to have reliability problems) and the Xdj-rx ( which is above my budget). Another option I’ve thought about is Traktor plus S2 or Z1, but they look a bit crap and I’m always worried that in 5 years the technology will be obsolete (I.e. You’re stuck with buying the next set up). Of course I’d love a pair of CDJs and mixer but I can’t justify that outlay for a hobby I might only do once a month!
I use an X1, Audio4 and a DJM 250. Very basic. I am not an FX junkie or beat juggler but it would be easy to map the X1 to anything you need (or just get a second X1).
APC40 Mk1 … cheap n’ cheerful and works great for DJ’ing in Ableton live, tons of features and dirt cheap these days, solid as hell though (IMHO feels a million times better than the Mk2)
DJ’ing in Ableton does open up a pandoras box of possibilities which can be either amazing or a complete nuisance
A > B mixing is no problem with ableton, if anything its “too easy”. Personally I just set up the channels loaded up with my entire playlist of a few hundred tracks color coded.
Vestax VCI 380 - great controller, full version of Serato, really cheap currently.
DDJ-SR - REALLY solid controller and small enough that it’ll fit in a backpack - I had one but wasn’t using it enough to justify it hanging around unused. Everything feels like a “proper” mixer.
Vestax VCI100 Mk2 - Can be had for as little as $150 NEW ! (I just bought one for the same reason as you).
S2 - obviously pretty cheap and comes with Traktor
The Pioneer Standalone series IMHO is overkill Maximus for the sake of a few hours a month.
To me it sounds like an S2 is exactly what you need, buy one second hand for €200 and when it becomes obsolete in 5 year’s (like many contollers) you can sell it with minimal losses and buy something else. Only disadvantage to the S4(exept ofcourse the lack of deck C&D) is the absence of filter knobs on the mixer section.
track down any used controller from pioneer, Native Instruments, Numark, Vestax… and hopefully it comes with software for your needs they all do the same thing lol
[quote=“GreatExpectations, post:10, topic:71956, username:GreatExpectations”]
No love for the XDJ R1? These can be had for $750 or so. Anybody comment on the reliability/performance and quality?
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The XDJ-Aero is IMHO a “more interesting” controller as it can utilize Rekordbox directly from a phone or table. So unless you specifically require CD’s…
And they can be had for a couple hundred than the R1 but lacks effects and channel meters. That might change with the new Rekordbox software thats being teased though and might give more options.
Quality wise I personally thought the DDJ-SR felt more solid than either unit when I tried them out briefly in a shop.
for your needs they all do the same thing lol