Digital DJ Controller

2141 Posts

Thinking of making the switch, but not sure which controllers to shortlist.

I love Pioneer kit, but their controllers are pretty damn expensive. The Native Instruments S-4 looks nice, but I don't really need 4 channels. The S-2 would probably do me, but is it a bit basic!? I've heard good stuff about the Denon DN-MC 3000, but is it really worth £500? And what about Vestax!?

Would be grateful if anyone that has any experience could give me some tips or let me know pro's and con's.

Cheers.

3 months ago

Hoover slut
adamnrg Pic

22658 Posts

Southend

Nasty As Fuck

I still want the S4. Think they r fucking amazing! And you say you dont need 4 channels, but i bet ul start having a dabble if u did and then be glad you got a 4 channel one.

3 months ago

2141 Posts

It's tempting mate......but £700!!

The Denon looks just as good, but it's £200 cheaper. Would like to know if it's worth the extra dosh.

3 months ago

7664 Posts

Native instruments have dropped the price on the Traktor S2. its now retailing at £329. that is an absolute bargain considering Traktor Pro 2 is included.

3 months ago

2141 Posts

In reply to
Native instruments have dropped the price on the Traktor S2. its now retailing at £329. that is an absolute bargain considering Traktor Pro 2 is included.

Already got a copy of Traktor Pro 2. I guess I could sell that on flea-bay and put the cash towards an S2.

3 months ago

Aaron Kuruption
796 Posts

Sunshine Coast

Gurner Music!

Yeah pretty keen on getting 1 myself actually! Decks are far to expensive but I still like to play around with tunes before a gig.

3 months ago

2141 Posts

Damn it.............I can hear my credit card calling!!

3 months ago

http://www.numark.com/product/omnicontrol http://www.numark.com/product/mixtrackpro

Aaron Kuruption
796 Posts

Sunshine Coast

Gurner Music!

3 months ago

Uncle Albert
3306 Posts

London

During the war

vestax vci-400. better layout for traktor than most controllers and no plastic...

3 months ago

Uncle Albert
3306 Posts

London

During the war

you will want 4 channels even if you dont think you do now

3 months ago

2141 Posts

The Vestax does look bloody nice. And I particularly like the fact that it has XLR outputs. Still not sure I'd use more than 2 channels though.

3 months ago

sonic roksta
sonicroksta Pic

1101 Posts

Rockvegas

Doof,Doof, Cowbell, kick

In reply to
you will want 4 channels even if you dont think you do now

+ 1

3 months ago

1620 Posts

grindcore

In reply to
vestax vci-400. better layout for traktor than most controllers and no plastic...

If it's anything like the vci-100, the djtechtools modded edition of it should be very impressive.

3 months ago

2141 Posts

In reply to

In reply to
vestax vci-400. better layout for traktor than most controllers and no plastic...

If it's anything like the vci-100, the djtechtools modded edition of it should be very impressive.

I must admit, I'm swaying towards the Vestax VCI-400. It's supposed to be the best laid out for Traktor (other than Traktors own S2 and S4), but it's way more versatile in terms out input/output and much more solid. Can't stand the fact that the S2 and S4 are plastic.

3 months ago

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160730705241?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

JayBee

2174 Posts

Funky Hard House

I got this for sale if anyones interested...

3 months ago

Craig Stuart
craigyboy Pic

4465 Posts

i like that vci 400. for similar money the numark 4Trak is a beast and specifically built for Traktor...

Post edited by owner 06/02/2012 22:47:47

3 months ago

Gopal
1935 Posts

Auckland

Doof Doof

Thinking about the Pioneer Ergo V myself. Couple people I know have bought them and are in love

3 months ago

2141 Posts

In reply to
i like that vci 400. for similar money the numark 4Trak is a beast and specifically built for Traktor...

I know they're supposed to have some really good products these days, but I can't help thinking that Numark are......well......a bit shit!!

3 months ago

Craig Stuart
craigyboy Pic

4465 Posts

In reply to

In reply to
i like that vci 400. for similar money the numark 4Trak is a beast and specifically built for Traktor...

I know they're supposed to have some really good products these days, but I can't help thinking that Numark are......well......a bit shit!!

so did i till i had a play on their new stuff. all the buttons are a really nice rubber and the faders and nobs are really sturdy and feel quality.. just remember its only controlling the software so its all about build quality 4 me now.

but yeah until actually using their new stuff i wouldnt have even considered. i bought the v7 and love it. built like a tank and feels great. i wanted the closest thing to vinyl which the ns7 and v7s are.

id defo go have a play with one tho b4 u make a decision thumbsup

3 months ago

Danny Evo

3314 Posts

North Wales

Hard House - Drum & Bass

Thinking of getting the Numark 4Trak but keep going back to the Pioneer DDJ T1 just because it pioneer and i know i will like the feel of it lol

3 months ago

Craig Stuart
craigyboy Pic

4465 Posts

In reply to
Thinking of getting the Numark 4Trak but keep going back to the Pioneer DDJ T1 just because it pioneer and i know i will like the feel of it lol

make sure u look as cool as the guy on their advert if u do get the 4 trak laughing

it does look fucking sexy evil

only thing i dont like is the platters dont move coz its a bit shit 4 scratching but apart from that id bag it.

i'd defo like to have a go on both in a store if i was buying 1

dunno what there doing with akai aswell on this vid tho it looks weird as fuck..

Post edited by owner 08/02/2012 16:45:22

3 months ago

1639 Posts

Seriously, get 2x Numark V7s. They're fucking amazing. All the others are toys or cdjs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPpUi3lm_YI

Just bought a new Allen & Heath Xone: S2 Mixer to go with them. laugh

I'm happy as larry with the V7s, I never thought they'd get a digital turntable to feel just like a real turntable without the hassle of needles. The pitch slider feels great too. Rock solid. thumbsup

Post edited by owner 11/02/2012 12:22:34

3 months ago

2141 Posts

In reply to
Seriously, get 2x Numark V7s. They're fucking amazing. All the others are toys or cdjs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPpUi3lm_YI

Just bought a new Allen & Heath Xone: S2 Mixer to go with them. laugh

Now they DO look nice. But £500 a pop and do they even work with Traktor?

3 months ago

1639 Posts

I think you can use them with Traktor, but the scratching and vinyl emulation is nowhere near as good.

500 quid is a bit steep. I bought one for $550 au then the other for $400 new off ebay. If you look around you should be able to get one for a good price.

Post edited by owner 12/02/2012 5:29:39 AM

3 months ago

1620 Posts

grindcore

Nah I think you'll have a better chance of it working well with Virtual DJ Pro than with Traktor. Check out this Q&A of the product -
http://www.pssl.com/!ObgQBYdoxUNvqg-y3trnhA!/Numark-V7-Turntable-DJ-Controller-W-Serato-Itch

DJtechtools is located approximately five hundreds miles north of here. My guess is that both stores will get shipments on March 1st from wherever Vestax's manufacture plant is. For the US based peeps, if you did subscribe to its newsletter, make the purchase the moments you read the email or risk waiting at least another 6 months for the second batch to be shipped to San Francisco.

3 months ago

1849 Posts

I been playing with virtual dj pro - theres a control on amazxon for £80 but is it going to be shit?

I wouldn't mind being able to scratch using a usb input

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002HH9TO2/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d0_g267_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=002D1AZKJ8YFJFZA59PP&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294

Hercules DJ Control MP3 E2 PC/Mac Virtual DJ 4780583

3 months ago

Craig Stuart
craigyboy Pic

4465 Posts

i use the v7s with serato there mint 4 scratching smile

example...

best vinyl emulation ive used thumbsup

3 months ago

1620 Posts

grindcore

In reply to
I been playing with virtual dj pro - theres a control on amazxon for £80 but is it going to be shit?

I wouldn't mind being able to scratch using a usb input

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002HH9TO2/ref=s9_simh_gw_p267_d0_g267_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=002D1AZKJ8YFJFZA59PP&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294

Hercules DJ Control MP3 E2 PC/Mac Virtual DJ 4780583

Spring another 50 quid or so for the Behringer CMD Studio 4A, more solid built and will be worth it. No doubt we'll be seeing loads of different contributing custom mappings from the mobile dj community once it hits the shelves this summer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJTENhjhCq8

2 months ago

1849 Posts

Behringer already stung me for £150 for a djx700 that turned out to be shit and unfit for purpose, so I would never touch another behringer product again

2 months ago

Graham House
graham19 Pic

3287 Posts

House style

In reply to
Behringer already stung me for £150 for a djx700 that turned out to be shit and unfit for purpose, so I would never touch another behringer product again

Now I have never used one but could you be a bit more specific that 'its shit and unfit for purpose'.It's just surely if you bought a mixer to mix with then it should certainly be fit for that purpose.Like I said just curious as I always thought that said mixer looked ok and was sure that you would at least be able to mix with it

2 months ago

1849 Posts

honestly I had been mixing for 4 years using a gemini ps626 pro 2 and I thought I would treat myself to a mixer upgrade, alway nice to have a few more buttons and features, and for the cost and features the djx looked a good option, the fact it looked liked the pioneer djm600 but £450 cheaper should have set the alarm bells ringing.

Anyway I found the sound muddy and was unable to work out which tune was which, there was a variation to the sound when activating the fx unit, I was using tunes I was very familar with as well and I could definately mix before i brought the mixer.

The bpm counter would give false readings (not that I needed it but always nice to know, but any idiot can tell acid techno doesn't do 78 bpm.

selecting your cue channels was a knightmare as the sound seemed to shift and again wasn't crisp at all.

I used it three times in total and then put it back in the box and went back to the old ps626 picked out 2 tunes and mixed them perfectly in about 10 seconds.

What made it worse was as the box was damaged in transit the shop who sold me it refused to refund on the basis they wouldn't be able to resell it.

Its still in my attic boxed with manual and a sticker - yours for £100 if your interested, lol.

2 months ago

GeneticJunk
kingston Pic

3011 Posts

Hardhouse/Psy/Techno

In reply to
Behringer already stung me for £150 for a djx700 that turned out to be shit and unfit for purpose, so I would never touch another behringer product again

surely everyone knows that is one of the most gash mixers going, a got mine for a quid... laughing

2 months ago

1336 Posts

I just sold my cdj's and djm 600 and brought a MacBook pro and traktor s2 and I'm well happy with it!!

2 months ago

1849 Posts

In reply to

In reply to
Behringer already stung me for £150 for a djx700 that turned out to be shit and unfit for purpose, so I would never touch another behringer product again

surely everyone knows that is one of the most gash mixers going, a got mine for a quid... laughing

I do now, too late found out by paying for it, but thats why I go out of my way to tell others how unbelievably shit this mixer is. Funny thing is if you read the instruction manual behringer actually belive you have just brought the greatest bit of kit invented

2 months ago

GeneticJunk
kingston Pic

3011 Posts

Hardhouse/Psy/Techno

In reply to

In reply to
Behringer already stung me for £150 for a djx700 that turned out to be shit and unfit for purpose, so I would never touch another behringer product again

surely everyone knows that is one of the most gash mixers going, a got mine for a quid... laughing

tbf mines doing the job atm, works alot better if u mix with the eq and dont use the faders

2 months ago

Graham House
graham19 Pic

3287 Posts

House style

In reply to
honestly I had been mixing for 4 years using a gemini ps626 pro 2 and I thought I would treat myself to a mixer upgrade, alway nice to have a few more buttons and features, and for the cost and features the djx looked a good option, the fact it looked liked the pioneer djm600 but £450 cheaper should have set the alarm bells ringing.

Anyway I found the sound muddy and was unable to work out which tune was which, there was a variation to the sound when activating the fx unit, I was using tunes I was very familar with as well and I could definately mix before i brought the mixer.

The bpm counter would give false readings (not that I needed it but always nice to know, but any idiot can tell acid techno doesn't do 78 bpm.

selecting your cue channels was a knightmare as the sound seemed to shift and again wasn't crisp at all.

I used it three times in total and then put it back in the box and went back to the old ps626 picked out 2 tunes and mixed them perfectly in about 10 seconds.

What made it worse was as the box was damaged in transit the shop who sold me it refused to refund on the basis they wouldn't be able to resell it.

Its still in my attic boxed with manual and a sticker - yours for £100 if your interested, lol.

Fair play lee.I have a pioneer djm500, have owned it for about 10 years and have never needed to upgrade.The gemini 626 is/was the 1st mixer that I learnt to mix with, tis a solid little mixer.

Post edited by owner 3/25/2012 8:42:06 PM

2 months ago

8056 Posts

I got one of these just before christmas and got to say Im well happy with it. £160-170. thumbsup

Got to say after using vinyl and CD's for so many years its a breath of fresh air just having all my tunes in one place on a hard drive and able to browse through them so easily. thumbsup

Its a bit light and plasticy, but If your on a budget I reccomend one of these;

2 months ago

Craig Stuart
craigyboy Pic

4465 Posts

mate had that mix track pro. ok 4 the house aint they (do look a bit bab tho must say). quite responsive 4 scratching aswell which i totally didnt expect being so cheap i thought there would be loads of lag.

im still bumming my V7 into next week tho smile

Post edited by owner 26/03/2012 21:19:28

2 months ago

8056 Posts

In reply to
mate had that mix track pro. ok 4 the house aint they (do look a bit bab tho must say). quite responsive 4 scratching aswell which i totally didnt expect being so cheap i thought there would be loads of lag.

im still bumming my V7 into next week tho smile

Yeah thats it man, their fine if your just gonna use them for messing around at home. thumbsup

Got plenty of decent of reviews, most said it was suprising how much functionality there was considering the cheapness thumbsup

The copy of Traktor that came with it wont run on PC (only 1gb of RAM and it needs 2), so installed an older version of Traktor (scratch pro 2) and had to manually map everything myself, so I havent actually got the scratch side of it working, everything else works fine now though including LED's, and I dont scratch so no bother really.... I can mix on it and thats all that matters....

If I had more money I would have picked something else, it was a toss up between this and a Numark Omni Control on the budget I had, have used one of those and they are good too, but these just had a few more features.

Digital DJing is the way forward if you ask me. thumbsup

2 months ago

2141 Posts

Well my circumstances have changed, so I won't be making a purchase for at least a couple of months now. Which just leaves me more time to stew about which controller to go for.

I think (for now at least!) I've narrowed it down to either the Traktor S4 or the Vestax VCI 400.

I'm running Traktor Pro 2 on a MacBook Pro, so the S4 appeals due to the fact that it's made by Traktor. But the VCI 400 is metal rather than plastic and is supposed to have the best jog wheels in the business. I'm not too fussed about custom mapping, so it maybe a bit over kill for me? But then as it's cheaper than the S4 should I be worrying about the fact it has additional features?

I'm also thinking about ditching my current mixer, but I'd like to keep my CDJ's. Can anyone tell me about the options for using as a mixer for external CD players? Would I have to run them through Traktor Pro 2 on the MacBook as additional channels on both the S2 and the VCI 400?

1 month ago

2141 Posts

I just read that there is a firmware update coming out for the VCI-400 this month which will enable it as a stand alone mixer.

If this is true I'll DEFINITELY go for the Vestax.

Anyone know anything about this?

1 month ago

Craig Stuart
craigyboy Pic

4465 Posts

In reply to
I just read that there is a firmware update coming out for the VCI-400 this month which will enable it as a stand alone mixer.

If this is true I'll DEFINITELY go for the Vestax.

Anyone know anything about this?

5.45 here ?

1 month ago

2141 Posts