Who made the switch from vinyl? Gear advice needed
Hi all,
I’m a former dj who’s been out of the scene for the past 5 years. I started djing in the 90s on 1200s, did my rounds at the clubs for about 10 years. When the whole dvs revolution started to take place, I thought it was amazing and got myself Final Scratch. This thing was a nightmare filled with bugs and I immediately sold it. I was traumatized enough to refuse to make the switch. (At the time I was also anti-cd, lol.)
Couple years later I did try Serato, which did seem a lot more reliable but found myself having trouble adjusting. Then between work and grad school I decided to focus on other things. Now I’m looking to get back into djing and have found myself in a whole new world of tech. I feel like a dinosaur in this digital dj world. Last week I found out that Technics stopped making 12s and I had to stop and think about that for a minute.
Well we all have to adapt and I think if I want to get back in, I’m going to need to accept that it’s just not feasible to lug crates of records around anymore. (Nevermind I can’t even buy vinyl because all the stores closed down!) So anyway, here are the options I’m looking at:
Denon X1600- run Traktor with my 1200s ($1k)
Pioneer DJM-800 with Traktor Skratch ($1k used + $~600 for TSPRO)
Traktor S4 ($1k)
Full Pio setup to spin CDs(DJM and some CDJS) $3k+
What I’m looking for right now is something to play with while I get comfortable again. If things go well, I’m going to want to get back in the club scene so most important is that whatever I’m practicing on will let me immediately feel comfortable in a club. I live in NYC where there’s a lot of tiny cramped inhumane dj booths. I doubt it’s possible to bring an S4 to the club, which has me worried of practicing on one of those.
At the same time, I think my fear of going DVS 5 years ago kinda left me in the dust, and if the world is going the way of the controller, I’m thinking maybe I should just suck it up and make the switch now.
So after all my rambling, my question is for those of you who have made the transition from actual vinyl, what do you think my best option is?
It depends on how you feel about control surface really. I started on vinyl, then moved to cd’s (no more lugging records and needles? SWEET!) and have recently been using a controller and TPro. Some of my friends are still in love with vinyl as a control surface and love using serato/traktor scratch. Personally I dont really give a damn what I use, as long as its reliable and my sets sound good.
Man if i had the money i would go full pioneer cdj/djm set up with TSP audio 8 or audio 4 to run a DVS though, and maybe a kontrol x1 so you could reap all the benefits of TSP. Your setup would be very light when playing at clubs (just the audio interface, kx1 and control vinyls/cds, and the DVS would be kinda close to what your used to.
I have been leaning towards the Pioneer setup for every reason except the biggest one: cost! Going all pioneer is going to cost me like 4x every other option. One reason I like the denon mixer is its midi and has some extra buttons and the interface is built in.
I started on vinyl, then on cd’s, then on serato but the piece of gear that made me totally comfortable on traktor is the vci-100 with an audio 4 dj. I got like 3 years on that setup when I am on “compact” mode. If the venue has decent turntables definitely I go with serato but cd’s and DVS is pointless for me in that case I prefer my vci100 or my xone 4d. I suggest the denon route, get tspro and after, when you are comfortable with traktor, pick a controller (vci100 is great, sturdy and fully customizable ). I got serato as well and I prefer over traktor as a DVS but traktor all the way to use with a controller.
Do not like s4 because is not a standalone mixer and no booth out. Best advice: xone 4d you get the best of analog and digital worlds
Haha, I was in exactly the same boat as you with the original finalscratch. That was utterly horrid. I never felt comfortable enough to gig with it due to its persistent crashes and I could never afford enough vinyl on a students budget so I stepped away for a few years.
When I started working I purchased the latest incarnation of Traktor Scratch and was blown away - it was fantastic. But I found that when I was back into the club DJ scene, turntables were no longer considered the industry standard. Rather than purchase 2 CDJS I looked further afield and that’s when I discovered this site, along with the VCI-300. I had to put up with a lot of derogatory comments from other DJ’s (in addition to being disqualified from mixing contests) who don’t understand that it’s not what you use, but the results you achieve.
But in short, it’s dependent on what FEELS right and what gets you the best results. If you feel right at home behind a pair of 1200’s, look at traktor scratch. If you want to explore the sonic possibilities of controllerism, then look at an S4.
On another note, it might be worth taking a look at the DDJ-T1. It’s pricier than the S4 and less compact, however, I feel right at home behind one of them. The S4 is a nice piece of kit but I’ve been using DJM’s since I first started mixing.
Has way more midi controls , analog filters and great sound . If you analyze by features the denon it is great deal but the AH has a pedigree and it is true in the way how does it sounds and is analog mixer and sounds great when you peaked a little bit about 0db. I considered the denon also but if you have the cash I will go for the xone. Nowadays you can find it for 2000 bucks . The ideal scenario it is to try both because definitely is a plus In the denon the input matrix and all parameters for eq and effects that you can manipulate.
It really depends what kind of dj you are too I suppose. I went from vinyl to vci-100 (1.1) to now 2 times kontrol X1 and a mixer.
If you’re conceirned about portability with the S4, i would say X1’s would be a good bet. BUT, I understand where you’re coming from. It’s bloody hard going from vinyl to anything else when it comes to feeling. In that way a good question would be if you’re looking for a one-to-one replacement of vinyl or willing to take a deep dive into the world of midi with all it’s pro’s and cons (and probably change your style of djing in the proces).
I guess the first question still stand, what kind of a dj are you?
I used to spin hip hop but am now into house which I was I’m much more open about moving away from vinyl than I used to. On the occasions I had to use cd’s instead of vinyl, I did find pushing buttons had a lot more possibilities, but in the context of hip hop I still felt limited.
So I guess to answer your question, I’m more in an open-minded experimental mindset than I was say ten years ago.
I would say CDJ-800’s or 850’s and a DJM-400 & ur DVS of Choice: Traktor or Serato. If you goto the serato route, it would be easier for you to setup and most clubs its plug and play. Plus the Pioneer & Serato gear has good re-sale value. If you decide to sell the Traktor gear its tough to get what you paid for.
If you plan on going the route of the CDJ’s I’d suggest straying away from the Pioneers at least for now. They’re really expensive and honestly aren’t much better than the Denon S3700s, which also has full functionality to spin CDs and use any software you would like. If you are going to get a mixer, if you invest in the S3700s you save a couple grand instead of getting the top of the line Pioneers and could probably invest in a used DJM-900 or find a used DJM 2000 for around the same price of a new 900 or cheaper.
I’m no expert in external mixing, but I did use 1200s and a denon mixer for a while until my serato box mysteriously disappeared…
I highly suggest at least considering the S3700, maybe calling around and seeing if you can use a set at a store for a little while just to get the feel. It should remind you of the 1200s without being too dated.
Nuport
I had a hands on with the Denon 3700, and it is THE closest representation to turntablism that I’ve tried. The NS7 was really clost, but those smaller platters kinda got to me (NS7 = 7 inches , 3700 = 9 in). I know it’s 2 inches, but it does make a difference when your crossing over to digital, which was why I stayed away from platter based controllers till this past year, when i started using cue point juggles, and looped rather than back cue then find the beat again.
It is all up to what you like. . .gear can change, but with the skills you learn/master from digital just adds to the fun of Djing again.
I would highly recommend the Denon 3700, you will love it. If I had the money, that’s the setup I would go with.
Forget about the S4, you won’t like going from vinyl to that. Three words, tiny jog wheels. The fanboys on this site say that to every “what should I buy question.”
What I use is the Numark V7, it’s very nice and has excellent build quality. The thing weighs around 20lbs and is solid metal! It’s definitely not a toy. It was my second choice over the 3700, but I found a really good price on the V7, and it comes with the excellent Serato Itch software.
Wow thanks to everyone for your thoughts. This used to be so much easier, either you had 1200s or you had crap. didn’t consider the s3700s ill look into those but right now seem to be leaning towards the xone dx or 4d.
didn’t consider the s3700s ill look into those but right now seem to be leaning towards the xone dx or 4d.