Cant see the wood from the tree's

Unfortunately, nobody can tell you which software and controller are best for you. They can only tell you what is best for them.

If you use the search option you will soon find lots has been written on the topic of picking gear. That is not where it starts though. It starts with workflow, then software choice, then setting a budget, making a shortlist and finally picking the controller.

I would always suggest getting a starter controller first, you can always upgrade when you have figured out what it is you really want/need once you have some experience under the belt. It would be very nasty to find out that you bought an expensive high-end controller and 9 months in you have to conclude that it does not have some of the features you then know you want.

There is a list of likely suspects for starter controllers. You will also find those looking for earlier posts on the subject.

Non-tablet controllers that we think qualify an are a good fit for a starting DJ are, in no particular order:
* Pioneer DDJ-SB (both 1 and 2)
* Numark Mixtrack Pro (1 thru 3)
* Denon MC2000
* Traktor S2 (preferably only use with Traktor software)
* Reloop Beatmix 2

Tablet controllers:
* Reloop Beatpad (both 1 and 2)
* Numark iDJ Pro (best physical iPad integration ever)
* Pioneer WeGo 3 (different button lay-out making it my personal least favorite)

I would not worry too much about connections and such, the controller will most likely spend most of it’s maiden year sitting inside in your practice room and for the occasional house party you can always hook something up even if it isn’t an all-pro approach.

Some things like have dedicated filter knobs for example or track gain/trim options are way more important at this stage of your “career”.

You mention a few other things as well, like being able to use two different softwares. Apart from the cost component of having two separate platforms and the learning curve and keeping current on two softwares, there is more to DJ-ing with software than just putting tracks in that software. You need to prepare tracks (beat grids, cue points, loop points, etx.). If you have two platforms you have to do that for both and there is no way to easily sync them.Let;s say you are out at a gig and you come up with two cue points and a loop for two tracks where you get an amazing mix. You’d have to write it down in order to make sure you have that info next time you play with the other platform.

Something like this (if you are set on using both) could lead to selecting DJay Pro on both Mac and iPad if the track info can be synced between both.

There is no shame in not knowing what you don’t know yet. It’s where everyone started at some point or another. If you follow the best practice described you will soon end up picking something you feel confident will get you through that first year of practicing basic skills, building your collection and gaining that uber-important experience and knowledge to determine where to go after your starter controller.

In short, go read up on previous posts and if you have any questions left, please drop them here.

Hope that helps some.

I read the OP to say that he wants to use VDJ on his laptop/mac and DJay on his iPad.

No no no !!! That is certainly not what I am saying, I am saying that it can take up to a year (depending on effort and time invested) to get to the point where you have mastered the basics, built up a suitable collection with all that entails and have developed a style (workflow) of your own giving you enough knowledge, experience and understanding to better formulate your wishes and demands and make an informed decision on what to get for yourself to last you through the next years of DJ-ing. BTW, there are plenty of guys who still play their SB or Mixtrack Pro after many years!

But what I never said was that you shouldn’t be enjoying yourself from day 1!

Because you most definitely should be loving it from the get go. It’s fun to learn, discover and notice your skills improving, to find things going from deliberate action into subconscious action. It’s a wonderful journey, so by all means celebrate every minute of it 😀