I had posted previously about getting some decks, but I never did get them because I didn't have the money at the time. Now I do, but I'm still not sure what I want to get (and the "dj" in my name comes from an old joke, not because I think I'm a deckless DJ, =).
I have some PC speakers (bedroom dj, maybe I'll get some better ones later), headphones, and all the appropriate cables/adapters (1/4" to 1/8") and $1012 waiting to be turned into some gear.
I want to be able to play mp3's, so I'm going to need either some CDJs or a Serato setup.
I tried to work it out with CDJ800's, but I couldn't get it into the pricerange. So I was looking more and more at this Scratch Live deal- has anyone used it? (well obviously, but have you used it?) If so, is there any kind of delay?
I realize that I'd need a laptop, but there's plenty of those around here, I'm sure I can find some friend's broken one and fix it up.
So the first question is do I want to get a Rane mixer with the Scratch Live capability already? Or do I want to get something else, and then the separate Rane box? I've only seen one all-in-one type deal, and that was outside the price range in itself.
Next question: how much to spend on the mixer and the individual decks?
And finally: which decks to get? When I first started looking, I pretty much dismissed vinyl decks because of my vast library and utter lack of any actual vinyl.
So I'm not sure what to do about those. I know very little about them, but I got that I want direct drive. I know that people always have good stuff to say about technics decks, but am still concerned about the price. I've heard good stuff about the 1200's, but if I get two of those, they'll also be out of the pricerange by the time I get Serato.
Should I go back to looking at CDJ's?
The thing about the mixer is that I'm not going to be doing any heavy scratching, if any- I mean, I'm probably going to try to learn, but honestly speaking, its not going to happen very much.
I plan on playing mostly house/trance, if that makes any difference at all.
Yeah, I would like to keep it all digital.
I went over to the guitar center, and got to demo virtual dj with just the keyboard and mouse- I could use it, but it was rather tough making fine adjustments to the pitch, and I couldn't nudge the track when I was cross fading. I've heard of people killing the bass of one channel when they're bringing a song in- but, again, having a mouse instead of hands was limiting.
I tried the deal that put the master on the left channel, and the headphones on the right channel (for actually using headphones), but it felt kinda weird.
So I was hoping to have some physical devices (mixer, deck).
I've seen stuff where people have used just one deck with programs like serato, vdj, tracktor, virtual vinyl, etc. Would there be any disadvantage to that? (other than not being able to simultaneously manipulate the decks, but I'm no turntablist, so i think) that is fine.)
So if I was to do this, I'd need an external soundcard, right? If worst comes to worst, I can use my desktop (its beefy enough). What am I looking for in a soundcard? RCA inputs, and....2 outputs? Is this something that I could get from a computer store/site, like say, newegg? Or would I have to get it from something like the guitar center?
I know that some CD players interface directly with some of these programs (like the numark icdx or something... but I didn't like it because you actually had to push in on it), and I'm assuming some mixers do as well? Any recommendations? I've been looking at the Gemini PS-02, but that was before I was considering just one deck.
No, you can't get a setup for less than $1,000. Don't get CDJ's if you eventually want to play out at clubs, they're obnoxious and take up space, most clubs will be phasing out CDJ's soon if they haven't already, so any DJ's still using them soon will have to bring their own.
180sx wrote:why would clubs be phasing out CDJ's if the majority of club Dj's use them these days?
The majority of club DJ's do not use them. The majority of club DJ's use Serato, and use turntables to control it. They have already been phased out of some clubs that have smaller booths, and needed to remove the CDJ's to make room for a laptop stand.
Maybe the majority of UK EDM club DJ's still use them, but they are not DJ's. They are producers looking for the easiest medium to use to invade another profession's market, to greedily make extra cash. Since they're only in it for the money, they won't switch because they don't want to spend time or more money on DJ'ing, so maybe in the UK things will stay the same. Go you, and good luck with that.
Haha this makes me laugh because i'm just coming OUT of the same situation...I was a producer/bedroom DJ mostly, and when i finally wanted to make the jump i was in the dark.
so heres what ya do buddy:
* Buy a laptop. No matter WHAT type of setup you go with, unless you scratch like Qbert, then a laptop is a BACKBONE for clublife.
* Get a virtual software. Traktor makes an AMAZING virtual set. (Get a soundcard too)
*Try some gigs with JUST you're laptop, and see how it all works out...to do so, you'd have to be using somones seup so this step isn't really useful unless you know someone....sorry.
*Once you get familiar with all of that rot then you should buy one of those Stanton VINYL packs or something similar to that (coes with 2 tables and a mixer). You can go with CD players, but get some less expensive ones.
*When you finally have made enough cash THEN you can get serato!
*Finally...mix come back to me and throw one of my songs in your mix
Greg, whilst we appreciate your input, please don't insult that of others, we're all entitled to our opinion.
That said your sheer ignorance cannot go unnoticed. CDJ's (namely Pioneer CDJ1000's mkI, mkII and MkIII) are pretty much defacto in nightclubs this side of the pond. And funnily enough, the few nightclubs i've been to in the states (georgia, florida, texas) have also had pioneer cdj1000's (one had cdj800's but that's just splitting hairs)
EDM, i'm presuming you're referring to electronic dance music? they're real dj's. Anyone who can mix two tracks seamlessly are dj's. Remember what DJ actually stands for:
DISC JOCKEY
whether you want to add to the fundamentals of what a Disc jockey is or not is entirely up to you. That's what makes one DJ better than another. However, doesn't mean they're not a DJ.
If Tiesto (who DJ'd at the OZ olympics a few years back) isn't a DJ, i will personally down a canister of petrol and ignite myself.
MySpaz Facebook DJ page Your Residential Bi-Polar Bear Moderator type thing Bmore, Dubstep, Breakbeat, DnB and a cup of Coffee...and i'm good. Soundcloud •• mixcloud
180sx wrote:Well Im positive that just about all clubs in Australia have CDJ's and TT's....... unless the Dj brings their own setup of ableton/serato.
all of the clubs in the US were like that until very recently, it's only been the past few months that they have shifted more towards catering to Serato DJ's, and clubs now have their own built in Serato boxes.
The primarily EDM clubs still of course have CDJ's set up, but I personally don't think that will last for more than another couple of years.
But this guy is just starting out, and a couple of years (at least) is how long is takes to learn how to DJ in a semi-mediocre fashion, thus the suggestion that CDJ's aren't a good idea for him unless he wants to keep it in the bedroom or learn a new format later on if he does eventually want to DJ at clubs.
Juggernaut wrote:Greg, whilst we appreciate your input, please don't insult that of others, we're all entitled to our opinion.
A warning for me, but not for the initial insult? I was just retorting, and thought my reply was obviously not serious.
Juggernaut wrote:That said your sheer ignorance cannot go unnoticed. CDJ's (namely Pioneer CDJ1000's mkI, mkII and MkIII) are pretty much defacto in nightclubs this side of the pond. And funnily enough, the few nightclubs i've been to in the states (georgia, florida, texas) have also had pioneer cdj1000's (one had cdj800's but that's just splitting hairs) EDM, i'm presuming you're referring to electronic dance music? they're real dj's. Anyone who can mix two tracks seamlessly are dj's. Remember what DJ actually stands for: DISC JOCKEY
whether you want to add to the fundamentals of what a Disc jockey is or not is entirely up to you. That's what makes one DJ better than another. However, doesn't mean they're not a DJ.
If Tiesto (who DJ'd at the OZ olympics a few years back) isn't a DJ, i will personally down a canister of petrol and ignite myself.
How is anything I wrote ignorant? Did I not type that over on your side of the pond it's obviously done differently, and also allude to the high probability that I don't really know the exact specifics of the inner workings of the UK club scene?
What a DJ is or isn't is debatable, and you have your opinion, and I have mine, and we disagree, and no amount of debate will probably sway either of our opinions. So we should save both of ourselves some time and leave that be.
What goes on in US clubs is something I'm very familiar with, I've played in just about every club in San Francisco (the only spots I've missed are dive bars and some really small clubs), and have also been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to play in most major US cities, a fair amount of Canadian cities, and some in Europe also.
And there are clubs I've played in that packed up the CDJ's, or moved them, for a front and center laptop stand. Some clubs have gotten rid of 1 CDJ, and kept 1 so that there can be multiple DJ's in the same night and they will have another option to transition and switch laptops, and of course any club large enough to comfortably keep everything and have a laptop stand as well will do so, but it's obvious to me that most clubs are favoring Serato by now, and most professional DJ's in the US are using it.
Conversely, as far as I know, there are no clubs whatsoever that are getting rid of turntables. That seems pretty well informed, based on first hand experience, and not at all ignorant to me. I am of course biased, however, since it's my own opinion ........ however, I think your opinion is very biased, and I'm reasonably certain that the average person would not find my opinion to be "sheer ignorance".
180sx wrote:Hmm interesting, I take back my original statement.. sorry bout that.
I reckon it would be easier for clubs to just keep the CDJ's but also chuck serato in. Because of course some DJ's won't have laptops with serato on them.. and even if the club had its own laptop, how are the DJ's going to put their own songs on the computer?
You're definitely right, bigger clubs would just keep everything. I'm really noticing these changes in venues that have less space. We have A LOT of clubs here called "Ultra Lounges" .... small upscale spots that try to pack as much private table / bottle service into them as possible, thus usually leaving a very tight space for a DJ booth.
I was hasty and misleading in my first post ... it's not like every club, or that I think every club, is abandoning CDJ's and has that intention, it's just that I'm noticing that club owners are very aware of Serato, most DJ's are using it, and club owners are catering to and are showing more preference to those DJ's as of late.
professional DJ's do have to have their own laptop. I've seen or heard about guys trying to use a USB hard drive and playing off of someone else's laptop, but that's a bad look and very unprofessional. A laptop is now someone's personal crate of records (except it's really like 10 crates, or 1,000 crates), and professional DJ's didn't really share their records with each other back in the day.
amadeus wrote:Haha this makes me laugh because i'm just coming OUT of the same situation...I was a producer/bedroom DJ mostly, and when i finally wanted to make the jump i was in the dark.
so heres what ya do buddy: * Buy a laptop. No matter WHAT type of setup you go with, unless you scratch like Qbert, then a laptop is a BACKBONE for clublife. * Get a virtual software. Traktor makes an AMAZING virtual set. (Get a soundcard too) *Try some gigs with JUST you're laptop, and see how it all works out...to do so, you'd have to be using somones seup so this step isn't really useful unless you know someone....sorry. *Once you get familiar with all of that rot then you should buy one of those Stanton VINYL packs or something similar to that (coes with 2 tables and a mixer). You can go with CD players, but get some less expensive ones. *When you finally have made enough cash THEN you can get serato! *Finally...mix come back to me and throw one of my songs in your mix
LOL, decent advice .... but it sounds like this guy is really on a tight budget, and therefore, not wanting to spend a ton of money on upgrades, but is rather trying to research to make the right purchase from the get go.
Greg J wrote:Maybe the majority of UK EDM club DJ's still use them, but they are not DJ's. They are producers looking for the easiest medium to use to invade another profession's market, to greedily make extra cash. Since they're only in it for the money, they won't switch because they don't want to spend time or more money on DJ'ing, so maybe in the UK things will stay the same. Go you, and good luck with that.
That's all i was getting at as far as "sheer ignorance" goes. It's a grossly unfair generalisation. i could say something of equal substance about the US scene but i'm not bothered, plus i know it's not like that as i've been there too.
Mebbe serato will become king, but i see no need to get rid of CDJ's as well, seeing that you can use Serato with CDJ's anyway. Makes the transition from a Serato dj to the erm..."old skool" DJ's amongst us who prefer having their entire night on 50 mp3 cd's playing on cdj1000 mkIII's much easier.
MySpaz Facebook DJ page Your Residential Bi-Polar Bear Moderator type thing Bmore, Dubstep, Breakbeat, DnB and a cup of Coffee...and i'm good. Soundcloud •• mixcloud
Greg J wrote:Maybe the majority of UK EDM club DJ's still use them, but they are not DJ's. They are producers looking for the easiest medium to use to invade another profession's market, to greedily make extra cash. Since they're only in it for the money, they won't switch because they don't want to spend time or more money on DJ'ing, so maybe in the UK things will stay the same. Go you, and good luck with that.
That's all i was getting at as far as "sheer ignorance" goes. It's a grossly unfair generalisation. i could say something of equal substance about the US scene but i'm not bothered, plus i know it's not like that as i've been there too.
Mebbe serato will become king, but i see no need to get rid of CDJ's as well, seeing that you can use Serato with CDJ's anyway. Makes the transition from a Serato dj to the erm..."old skool" DJ's amongst us who prefer having their entire night on 50 mp3 cd's playing on cdj1000 mkIII's much easier.
I used to carry 4 or 5 crates a night.Try doin' that drunk.
Good thing for bouncers!
well, returning to the original topic of the thread:
I picked up a vestax pmc 170a for 60 bucks, and a friend's old laptop with vdj on it for 20 (it was in the closet at his friend's house. it doesn't crank on the performance, but it gets the job done), and then I bought a maya44 USB for 108 USD. So, I've got $812 left in my budget, and all I really need is an HID. I was thinking of a CDJ 800, or maybe a 400, because it directly interfaces with vdj. But I really, really liked the 800 alot.
I had mostly started looking at CDJs because I could use loops and would be able to put lots of tunes on a disc, however since I'm using vdj, I guess I don't have to use CDJs now...
I suppose I could get 2x vinyl turntables, and timecoded vinyls for that much... any recommendations as far as decks go (for 400 ea)?
And what kinds of things can you do with CDJs with timecoded CDs? I mean, the auto beat loop wouldn't work, any onboard effects wouldn't work...is there ANYTHING a CDJ can do that a vinyl deck can't when you're using timecoded cds/vinyls?
snowsubi wrote:Well if you are looking to buy serato, you are staring down about $500 US at least just for the serato box, software, cables, and serato lps and cds. The Rane Mixers with the serato box built in are costly too usually around $700 US. I use serato hooked up with an Allen and Heath mixer($500) with an Macbook Pro($1900) at home and the club I spin at has the rane mixer which i just hook my mac into. I mainly spin mp3s with a bit of vinyl and the serato program really works great for scratching and basically beat matches for mixing. There is so much stuff I have yet to really touch upon with serato, but i don't really notice any lag to speak of. I use ortofon concorde needles($125) and the quality is quite impressive. I spin on 1200's($500 each new) as well, which is the standard in most clubs. I want CDJ 1000's($1500+++) but can't afford them just yet, as I am into French house and the benefits of CDJ 1000's with a serato box is amazing. You should check out Tracktor software as you can actually mix mp3s just with a laptop...there are a lot of great features on that software as well that allow for mixing live without tables. Considering the prices I would suggest getting a laptop first and working from there, as you sound like you want to keep it all digital. Check out software that you want to use and would actually benefit what you want to do. Scratch live is good for club djing, but Traktor may be more what you are looking for if you just want to mix.
I would think that would answer any question you had.
Yes, I read snowsubi's post when it was first posted. It was very thorough, and answered my questions, but I have since posed a few more that his post did not address, because they were not yet posed.
DJThuht wrote:... any recommendations as far as decks go (for 400 ea)?
And what kinds of things can you do with CDJs with timecoded CDs? I mean, the auto beat loop wouldn't work, any onboard effects wouldn't work...is there ANYTHING a CDJ can do that a vinyl deck can't when you're using timecoded cds/vinyls?
If I was to get the SL1200's, that are 500 each, that puts me at $1000, which is outside of my budget. This is why I was asking about recommendations on decks for $400 each, not 500.
Just got $75.
^That's not really relevant to the rest of this post:
What kind of things would I have to watch out for when buying a used turntable?
I mean, buying a used mixer wasn't too hard- make sure the kill switches worked, EQ worked, the pfl switches worked, the faders didn't leak, the mic worked, headphones worked- didn't really require any kind of knowledge about HOW it should sound- just that it did what it was supposed to.
Buying a used turntable seems like I'd have to be more concerned with the platter, making sure its spinning at the right speed- and I have no idea how to check that. And other things that I wouldn't even know to look for. There's gotta be a tutorial somewhere that someone's written about buying a used deck, right?
Although Allen & Heath are highly touted engineers, and their equipment DOES rock harder than life...STAY AWAY FROM IT. Its WAYYYYYYYYYY TOO EXPENSIVE, and (unkess you're Paul Van Dyk's mix teacher) DONT waste your time. They make stuff for mixers that mix like GODS. Its not neccessary at all if you are a mortal, so don't waste your money...unless you're a god...then go on ahead
amadeus wrote:Although Allen & Heath are highly touted engineers, and their equipment DOES rock harder than life...STAY AWAY FROM IT. Its WAYYYYYYYYYY TOO EXPENSIVE, and (unkess you're Paul Van Dyk's mix teacher) DONT waste your time. They make stuff for mixers that mix like GODS. Its not neccessary at all if you are a mortal, so don't waste your money...unless you're a god...then go on ahead
apparently so. I've got an entry level Vestax mixer now xD
This thread is actually pretty old, I've already got all my gear.
Pretty good, I haven't been able to mix the past two weeks because school's been killer, but now that's calming down again, so I should be able to practice some more.
I think I've got the hang of beatmatching pretty well (not as tight as I'd like it to be, but coming along), but I really never know what song to play next. Its just kind of a hit or miss on whether they sound good together or not.
lol, this is an old topic, and i've had my gear for ~2.5 months. I got a CDJ800mk2, vestax 3ch mixer, usb soundcard and vdj for <$1000, so not the greatest setup, but decent enough for me to practice for a while- until i can get another cdj...
much easier.
