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Which software and controller?

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Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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  • November 6, 2012 at 12:05 pm #31441
    gullum
    Participant

    If you want to go Serato the VCI380 might be your best bet. In spring 2013 all Serato suported controllers are geting Serato DJ suport. the VCI380 has hardware buttons for many of the futures offered by the new Pioneer DDJ SX and the upgrate(more like switch to Serato DJ from Itch) is free so no extra cost. VCI 300 MKII don’t offer the same amount of controlls for Serato DJ but will also get a free switch. The VCI400 on the other hand has 4 chanels and has more controls then the VCI380 and cost about the same, although it comes with Serato DJ Intro and the upgrate to Serato DJ is $199. They are all good serato controllers so it’s realy what you want from a controller 4 vs 2 chanell, hardware button for sampler and so on. I do think reading you demands of a controller the VCI380 would be best choice, but you might keep in mind that the VCI400 can have 2 audio sorces conected to channel 1 and 4 and use 2-3 for Serato( Or all 4 for serato DJ) The VCI 380 can also work as standalone but is only 2 chanells so to do the same you need to switch between.

    November 7, 2012 at 8:12 am #31503
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    All the controllers you listed are very good quality and at what they do, but are hugely different in their workflow.
    The VCI 380 is 2 channels and has some limitations as it does many things via its velocity pads rather than dials, which some love and some hate.
    The VCI 400 is the 4 channel controller with a huge load of buttons, so if you are easily intimidated it can overwhelm you, but if you are looking for absolute controll over anything, it is excellent and will receive an update to Serato DJ (although 200 bucks) soon.
    The VCI 300 is a good unit, but more geared towards traditional DJs and does not offer the huge varienty or level of control of the other 2 units.

    The DDJ SX from Prioneer is indeed good, I had my hands on it just a few minutes, however it is not the unit for me since it has no mirrored layout and I have so got used to that workflow with mirrored layouts that we could not get along 😛 love the unit otherwise.

    November 8, 2012 at 2:53 pm #31563
    Dorso
    Participant

    Thanks for your opinions and advice Gulli and Terry.. I think the VCI 380 might be the one for me as it offers more scope for development of my skills (and sound) although I’m going to visit my local stockist to check out the pads and that ribbon feature needs some investigating ( anyone know how they wear over time?..kind of concerned it may pick up dust etc too)
    The VCI 400 does look like it’s got a lot of scope for the future but I’m not sure I can see myself progressing to 4 decks anytime soon..lol

    I’ve looked at the DDJ SX too but I don’t like the layout at all as the jog wheels being above a huge bank of pads, and for me the Vestax layout seems so sweet.

    Finally do you think it’s worth getting the unit while it comes with ITCH, as it seems that eventually I’d then get a free upgrade to DJ and have both to play with in the future…

    Cheers anyway, and just have to say I love this site it’s been great for me over the last year.

    November 8, 2012 at 3:44 pm #31566
    Bunyip
    Member

    Hi Dorso, I’m an old school vinyl spinner with very similar taste in music to you – soul, funk, acid jazz, old school house, plus a big grab bag of eclectica. Getting back into DJing this year I loved playing with djay (on the ipad), as I could get my head around the GUI very easily. I also use my trusty 1210 in my setup as I still like to play vinyl. The more I played out, the more I realised I needed real buttons and knobs instead of a touch screen, so went on the hunt for a controller. I wound up with a Twitch off ebay, and love that little guy. Mapped it to djay on my Mac and have been playing out with that for about 6 months. But I really wanted a controller with a built in stand alone mixer so that I didnt have to take an extra bit of kit to my gig. Long story short, I picked up my VCI-380 a couple of weeks ago. I was hoping to map it to djay as well, but that has proven to be far less successful than mapping the Twitch. So I’ve just gone through the learning curve with Serato Itch, and I gotta say, I really like it, and the VCI-380. The jog wheels feel fantastic, and it’s a piece of kit you really feel comfortable working at. The touch strip, I really only use it for needle drop. I find it not nearly as accurate as the strip on the Twitch, but it’s fine to get you close to where you want to be, and then use the jogs for fine tuning. All in all, I love this bit of kit.
    Hope this helps.

    November 9, 2012 at 12:45 am #31606
    Maximlee
    Blocked

    In my opinion you only need a four track controller if you are mixing techno… or want to have one or two of the remix decks droppping samples for builds etc. Personal i dont get why everyone is so mad about Serato… to me it look amatuerish compared to traktor… it feels cluttered and eqing and effects dont sound as good as traktor. This is coming from a person that has used traktor on and off from nearly the beginning….lol

    In the end its not about the software but how you use it to play records… expect a change in yout mixing thou when you change software… ther is alway a transition when using new software of any kind.

    As for hardware mixer vestax 380

    November 14, 2012 at 8:52 pm #31887
    Dorso
    Participant

    Thanks Maximlee, as someone who started on vinyl a long time ago ( until it was all nicked..). I have now been pottering about with Djay 4 for a year on my Hercules RMX I’d already decided I’d not go four track,as two is enough for me for the forseeable future..and although I like the build of the VCI400 it’s probably a step too soon for me..so at the moment it’s 380 by a nose..and I’m hoping the the new Serato DJ software will be as good as folk say when it comes..and meanwhile if I go with the 380 I’ll dabble with ITCH and see if it’s any good..Traktor has never appealed to me as I really don’t like the way it looks on screen..

    I guess I’m also old school in thinking that you should be able to do enough with two tunes and with the addition of a handful of effects I reckon that should do me for a while. I really admire technical skills but to be honest I think sometimes djs get a little carried away with showcasing their skills…don’t get me wrong, I do admire Madlib, Yoda and many others, but usually after half an hour I just want to hear a good tune played through and I appreciate why a lot of djs have to add frills to a lot of techno tunes…as they can be incredibly soulless and repetitive..lol…(might be the dancer in me but if it’s got no soul it leaves me cold-whether it’s deep house or ghetto funk..)

    I’m on the verge of getting a VCI380 as I said before I love the layout and build quality, but after reading other forums (especially the Serato one) I’m feeling slightly nervous about the reliability of the 380 re glitches in it’s hardware etc…..or is that just the curse of reading too many forum posts?..

    If anyone has any really strong opinions let me know asap, as so far it’s the VCI380 and ITCH, and I’m thinking about getting one before the weekend..lol

    Cheers!

    November 14, 2012 at 9:42 pm #31892
    Bunyip
    Member

    Dorso, I read all that stuff about the 380 problems AFTER I bought it. Doh! Got me nervous. But to date I have experienced none of them. I kind of get the impression that there may have been a problem with early units which has been resolved. Don’t know if this is correct or not.

    But you’re right, it may just be the curse of reading lots of forum posts can make a problem seem bigger than it is.
    From what you’re saying about your style of playing, I think this unit will offer you plenty of options to explore and grow. I had a great time last weekend just fooling around with mine, learning ITCH. I was quickly able to do more things than I ever could on djay – which I still really like for its simplicity.
    Good luck making your decision. Let us know what you decide.

    November 14, 2012 at 10:16 pm #31894
    Dorso
    Participant

    Hey Bunyip

    Thanks for the quick response.. and have decided that I’ll be ordering the 380 tomorrow..comes with a free decksaver too which is a result..so cheers for the post….I just hope that the Vestax build quality shines through..
    I agree about djay, it’s been great, a bit like when I first used decks and a mixer- might be pretty simple but with good tunes who cares!- and it’s what really got me back into playing out again…and as I have a few interesting offers for next year it’s time to move on up to the next level and get busy with some skills..I’ll let you know what I think when I surface again….not sure I’ll see the light of day this weekend..

    Cheers.

    November 14, 2012 at 11:29 pm #31902
    Bunyip
    Member

    No worries Dorso – your history, musical tastes, and return to DJing story are very similar to mine.
    You lucky bugger getting the Decksaver. I am looking at my 380 sitting at home thinking I need a Decksaver for it.
    Mind you I was very lucky and got my 380 for $200 less than sticker price.
    djay totally got me out and playing again – certainly made it easy for me to make the digital transition looking at spinning disks rather than waveforms. I’ve actually got a MIDI map for the 380 to control djay on the computer, if you’re interested at any stage in the future.
    Have fun this weekend!

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