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Newbie needs help choosing a Controller

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  • April 6, 2015 at 11:39 am #2170001
    Big LittleMan
    Participant

    I’ll get speakers/amp later on.

    April 6, 2015 at 1:45 pm #2170031
    bob6397
    Participant

    When choosing a controller, first you need to decide which software you will be using as different controllers have different features depending on which software they are designed to be used for.

    The main choices out there are Traktor, Serato, Virtual DJ and Cross DJ.

    Once you have made a choice (they all have demo versions – apart from serato as you need a specific type of audio interface – so you can download them and try them out) then you should find that your job becomes much easier 🙂

    On a different note – those headphones are good. They are what I use when I am DJing/Producing and I cannot recommend them more. BUT headphones are a very personal thing – ones that are comfy on my head may not be comfy on yours – so I recommend trying before you buy (Or at least getting them from a site you can send them back to if they aren’t comfy).

    And when you come to get speakers, I recommend getting some Active speakers (with the amp built in) – most monitor speakers have this nowadays and roughly half/half in the PA Speaker market – the Alto speakers that were reviewed earlier this week on here may be an option??

    bob6397

    April 6, 2015 at 2:34 pm #2170071
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    Hey Big, good to see you know what you want.

    Bob is right about picking your favorite software first. In general, if you go for Traktor, I’d stick with Traktor gear, i.e. S2 at the lowest price point.

    As Serato now supports just about any controller (and most come with an intro version of Serato), and both Virtual DJ (VDJ) and Mixvibes Cross have a wide support for controllers (both officially released and through their user forums), I’d say your best bets right now are:
    DDJ-SB (Pioneer)
    MC2000 (Denon)
    Mixtrack Pro 2 or 3 (Numark)
    Beatmix 2 (Reloop)

    Hercules I am no big fan of, it’s consumer gear at best, imho. Nothing wrong with that, but from your words I gather you want something a little better, say prosumer. All the controllers mentioned above fit that bill.

    Headphones are indeed very personal. If you are on a budget, you ought to check out the Sennheiser HD201s. They are the proverbial hidden gem. Don’t look like much and yes, they can break if used intensively, but at about 20 bucks they beat any 150 bucks or less set of cans in sound quality. And even if you decide you want something else after using them for a while, you can still keep them around as a great set of spares.

    April 6, 2015 at 11:40 pm #2170291
    Big LittleMan
    Participant

    Bob so should I download and play with the software then choose a controller based on that?
    I have the M40x headphones already so that’s why I was asking 🙂 They sound good to me but I’m just a listener, not a producer

    Vintage, yeah I havent heard TO MUCH about Hercules from all the sites and threads I’ve read. Definitely not as much as other brands like Pioneer and Traktor.

    I also found this link but it feels like it’s to much to digest for someone like me
    http://www.digitaldjtips.com/dj-controllers-guide-2015/

    Also, this is really cool. I guess he has the accapella playing on one side mixed with the instrumental on the other?

    April 7, 2015 at 12:37 am #2170321
    Big LittleMan
    Participant

    Also I have heard that soundcards are sometimes required with certain controllers. Is this true?

    April 7, 2015 at 2:14 am #2170371
    Stazbumpa
    Participant

    All in one controllers come with a sound card built in. I would advise you to take your time and read the dj controllers guide you found because it’s probably the best guide currently in existence.
    As for the kit you want, Denon, Numark and Reloop all make excellent controllers that are well made and good value. Pioneer are good but you pay extra for the name in my opinion.

    April 7, 2015 at 11:58 am #2171051
    Big LittleMan
    Participant

    Thank you. Why do people add soundcards to their computer? Does this increase the sound quality and volume like connecting an amp to car speakers?

    April 7, 2015 at 11:59 am #2171061
    bob6397
    Participant

    Yes – you should choose software then controller.

    Most controllers come with soundcards come in – this includes most all-in-one type controllers and some modular type controllers. (Including all the ones that Vintage mentioned)

    BUT at the lower end of the scale, some controllers do not have a built in interface – I would avoid these for what you want to do. (Notably this is the Numark Mixtrack (NOT PRO)). The way to tell is basically this – if a controller has sound outputs on it, it has an interface built in. Easy 🙂

    Sometimes people use external soundcards to enable DVS systems to work properly – Traktor and Serato both have to use either their soundcard or a certified soundcard for this system to work – this may be what you have heard of. This is becoming less popular now as more and more controllers are being certified as being DVS compatible 🙂

    bob6397

    April 7, 2015 at 12:02 pm #2171071
    bob6397
    Participant

    People normally add a soundcard (or use the one in their controller) as they provide much higher sound quality than the one built into your laptop.. Once you have a controller, I suggest you try a back-to-back test between the soundcard in your controller and the one in your laptop and you will hear the difference, believe me 🙂

    bob6397

    April 7, 2015 at 12:54 pm #2171101
    Big LittleMan
    Participant

    Also…..should I stay away from a brand if I’m running Windows?

    April 8, 2015 at 2:56 am #2171501
    Stazbumpa
    Participant

    Not that I’m aware of mate, a clean install of Windows is usually enough to ensure that whatever you want to connect to your laptop will work properly. In most cases it will work regardless.

    April 9, 2015 at 2:39 pm #2173291
    DIY
    Participant

    Hey guys it’s the OP. I had to register a new name because I forgot my pw.

    How does everyone feel about the Vestax 380? They are around $400 right now because the company is no longer around. This review calls them the ultimate two deck controller
    http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2012/05/review-video-vestax-vci-380-serato-itch-dj-controller/

    I have music stored on an external HD. Will it be a problem when I use my controller if I just connect the HD to my laptop and work with the music that way?

    April 9, 2015 at 6:16 pm #2173591
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    I can’t endorse that choice. Not because of the controller itself. That is fine, but the fact that firmware and drivers are hard if impossible to find make it very tricky. Controllers do need all that stuff to work properly.

    April 9, 2015 at 6:17 pm #2173601
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    BTW. This was the 2012 review … we ARE almost three years down the line. I don’t think it would earn that reputation in today’s field.

    April 10, 2015 at 8:58 am #2173961
    DIY
    Participant

    Hey Vintage, thanks for the reply. So you think I should look into these 4? By the way, I read a Mixtrack 3 Pro (or something like that) is coming out soon…is that right?

    DDJ-SB (Pioneer)
    MC2000 (Denon)
    Mixtrack Pro 2 or 3 (Numark)
    Beatmix 2 (Reloop)

    How do you feel about the Traktor Kontrol s2?

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