Most people here would probably recommend:
Cleaning your computer
Maintaining it better
Updating all software (including OS)
Upgrading specs to at least min. requirement
Changing your settings (Optimization)
But most of all possibly changing user habits.
If you want to use a hard drive to store your music,you would need to use a program(traktor, serato) so i suggest you clean up your computer and make sure its stable anyways.
Mixer wise i would recommend the ecler and xone line of mixers. Great eqs and top notch sound and build quality. They have very good fx loops so you can add your efx on easily. Honestly pioneer mixers arnt that great. Their lower range mixers are way overpriced for what they offer. Their high end mixers are decent, they just get the “industry standard” which makes everyone want to use them.
pioneer and denon and other companies have units that support memory external hard drives. You’ll have to do a lil legwork to figure which satisfies your needs
or the cdj-400 is a wonderful alternative to the 900/2000. Plus if you want to get back into the pc realm of things it can send midi data to your pc via usb. You can also connect your usb drive to it as well. I spent the whole day playing with one and honestly found it more usable for what i do than the cdj-1000mk3. (i do miss the 1000’s hot cue)
clicky: http://www.skratchworx.com/reviews/cdj400.php
Also check out Rane mixers. Nice and simple designs that are amazing sounding, durable, reliable, and hold their value better than many others.
whoops i totally spaced out on the hdd players. The ones previously suggested would work for what you are looking for. Its quite alot of money to spend though, considering you could just fix your current set up and be doing the same things for a lot less.
if you want to go there
I can recommend my setup i’m pretty happy with em
Numark CDX or HDX (big but brilliant)
Numark 5000FX 5 Channel (3 Phone, 5 Line, no idea how many mic) great price good sound, interesting FX, decent sampler
To be honest while i am fond of pioneer 's mixers i had a djm 600 a few years ago and was really upset that the fx parameter buttons (the teeny tiny black ones) stopped working properly after 18months, i was told it was wear and tear, funny thing is back then i didnt really use them much, I was busier on three decks, so it made mea bit dubious as to how well they age, of course this is only one piece of kit my cdj 100’s are still working fine after about 6 years
I think to say Pioneer mixers are way overpriced is stretching it (check below and see what I mean). I’m a firm believer in you get what you pay for. The price disparity compared to the level of features make any difference pretty negligible when looking at Ecler or Allen & Heath products (in the same range). You can’t compare the build quality of the mid-line DJM’s with a Xone 92, or Evo4. Flagship to flagship, DJM-800 vs. Xone 92 vs Evo4, the differences are clear in features and sound.
Lets look at some examples taken from www.djdeals.com (reasonable prices):
Personally I think the full feature set that the DJM-800 offers beats the pants off either of those mixers. Not to mention I have a friend who owns a Xone 92 and prefers the 800. Only one I can’t truly speak for is the Evo4, which to be honest, I’d probably take over the Xone 92 if I had a choice.
Would I take a Xone 4D over a DJM-800? Probably so, because of the sheer amount of possibilities with all the midi (me ← big midi fan). But don’t ever put the sound and feature quality of a well cared for DJM-800 in the ‘decent’ category of mixers. They deserve more then that imo.
The 800 is common place in many club scenes where they are used and abused and not well cared for. So yeah, you’re going to see some with abnormal wear and tear from the excessive use they’ve seen, far more often.
lol i meant their lower end mixers and their cdjs. DJM400 vs anything in that price range and it gets blown out. CDJ’s vs Denon’s DNS line.
Anyhow its your opinion i dont want to start a debate over gear since no one wins. Back on topic.
I’ll rep Pioneers shit loud and proud till something better comes along. Don’t even get me started on CDJ-800’s (and up) vs your comparable Denon decks. Why anyone would buy anything less then CDJ-800’s boggles me. If you want cheap, go ahead, buy it.
look at the cdj 200-400 and compare it to the denons with the same features. DOUBLE the price.
Not everyone can afford top of the line gear. You buy what you can afford. Im just saying pioneer has a habit of pricing stuff pretty high in comparison to their competitors. And they still sell because they are known as the Industry standard. I never said that they are bad just overpriced for the features.
I’ll agree they price their mid-line high, but when you go that route, you can spend another bill or two and get the good shit man (IE> CDJ-400 vs CDJ-800). Save your money. And I’m sorry, but the feature set on a DJM-400 beats the Nuo 2 and Xone 22. Those two mixers are so bare bones. I’m not sure where the 400/600 Pioneers lack in feature? But I can clearly see how the lower level A&H and Eclers do. There is your price difference on the mid-line (do you want FX? Sampling?)
I will concede that Denons have nice decks / pricing on the lower end of the spectrum.
djm lack balanced output so if you output to a pa system it sounds horrible and sometimes hums. Have you heard the sound quality of the nuo and xone vs the djm. Blows it away. The nuo and xone have all you need and all the stuff you dont. An fx loop so you can use whatever fx unit you want. The fx on the djm isnt to good but you stuck with it. And the nuo and xone do it at half the price.
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