x

Djing without a controller

Home 2023 › Forums › Digital DJ Gear › Djing without a controller

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • July 2, 2015 at 4:18 pm #2219261
    Patrick
    Participant

    Hi,

    For the moment Im in a similar situation. Only laptop + software. Personally I think its ok to start figuring out basic stuff without the controller. You can do mixes to a certain level while training. When you have learned and getting a hang of it you do need a controller. Its seriously frustrating to do with few fingers change overs and other tricks when you lack the controller, trust me really annoying. I wouldn’t even think of performing live without a controller. When you have a controller you even get the option to train with out the sync function. Without the controller at the moment I need to use the sync function. Tried few times without it but I can’t get any longer and sharp mixes done then. With the controller you’re also able to control the hi/mid/low sounds on the fly, which once again without is almost impossible.

    Regards
    Patrick

    July 2, 2015 at 4:24 pm #2219271
    DJ Spars
    Participant

    If u r a total beginner, going down the only-laptop route can be a good place to begin. Although u will need to invest in a pair of headphones and an audio interface.

    if i’m correct, even phil began the same way…. after trying out the software of ur choice, u can map ur keyboard for various functions (beware of traktor tho)
    u can find it interesting and challenging to DJ only using software, but once u get the hang of it, u’ll be wanting more control than ur keyboard can offer u. even i used only software first and then when i found this setup limiting, i upgraded to hardware (i bought the TM8….. it is pretty overkill for a beginner but it’s loads of fum to use it…. u could get away with a cheaper controller that is made for beginner DJ’s)

    btw, where do u reside in India?

    July 2, 2015 at 5:46 pm #2219291
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    Yeah, our grandmaster Phil started that way, but that was because there were no controllers 😛

    July 2, 2015 at 6:16 pm #2219301
    DJ Spars
    Participant

    Patrick, i was able to pull off mixes that, in my opinion were decent enuf using only my laptop. and u can always map the keyboard for ur eq controls

    July 2, 2015 at 7:51 pm #2219381
    Aneesh
    Participant

    Thankyou everyone for your insights. An DJ Spars what exactly do you mean by “beware of traktor”. Is it more difficult to create keyboard mappings on traktor? I have yet to choose a software and i think the ease of creating mappings would be a major factor for choosing a software. I am confused between traktor and virtual DJ because in one of his videos phil said that we cannot create mappings in serato. Also i think i could also manage without an audio interface using a splitter cable since Im a complete beginner at the moment and thats what phil suggested.

    PS. I live in Chandigarh

    July 3, 2015 at 3:08 am #2219401
    DJ Spars
    Participant

    Traktor is the toughest software to map…… And the problem with Serato is that you cannot mix with it without a controller. U can play only using 1 deck effectively. So serato is obviously out of question.

    And between VirtualDJ and Traktor, VDJ is the easier to map

    July 3, 2015 at 8:09 am #2219541
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    Mapping shouldn’t be your biggest concern in choosing DJ software. You have to look at what kind of DJ you are/want to be and what you think your workflow will look like. Then pick your software.

    I would suggest you have a look at Mixvibes Cross as an alternative for Serato. Feature-wise a lot in common but a full mapping option. And pretty cheap. 49 USD/EU gets you the 1st full version, including updates.

    July 4, 2015 at 10:26 am #2220161
    A.D.
    Participant

    Hi As former Tractor user I know there are lots of mappings to find (look hard enough) for lots of controllers.

    There are also lots of cheap starter cntrollers second hand…. like the ones from reloop …
    There not to bad to start with…. you can buy under 60 bucks

    Then the matter of software… Try Tracktor, try Virtual DJ, Try Serato scratch… these seem to the way to go ..

    When time comes invest your first earnings as a DJ in a better controller …

    Why I switched to Serato from Tractor? Tractor produced alot of extra files…And I teamed up with my DJ mate and the logical choise was to upgrade to SERATO.
    No we do not use SYNC…. we sync on sight and hearing…. using minimal Headphones… We interact alot with our audience

    July 6, 2015 at 12:15 am #2220471
    Slimboyfat
    Participant

    grab yourself a label machine, print out stickers for each assigned key on your keyboard (cue, play etc), hey presto, a cheap starter controller with no external box…….you will however, be limited to a one channel output….unless you add a cheapy 2/4 channel USB soundcard (which I’ve never used, so couldn’t give any technical advice)

    July 6, 2015 at 12:17 am #2220481
    Slimboyfat
    Participant

    A.D…..pretty sure if you interact with your audience, they wouldn’t give two (swear words) if you were SYNC’ing or not, as long as the tunes were right 😉

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
  • The forum ‘Digital DJ Gear’ is closed to new topics and replies.