Controller Advise for a Beginner

Chuck van Eekelen, post: 37889, member: 2756 wrote: Obviously Phil’s reviews should give you plenty of info on all these.

There is so much out there that you can consider, it’s creepy :).

Things to contemplate are:

• feature list: does it do all the things YOU want/need it to do, or how close does it come to it
• budget: no surprises there, although you might want to consider waiting a bit to save up for a bigger budget, depending on the other things to contemplate
• software: this is a biggie. If you don’t own the software you want yet, getting it free with a controller might tilt the scales. Be aware that most new low-end controllers come with LE (lite) versions of the software and for any serious work you’ll end up wanting to upgrade to the full version anyway.
• bedroom/live: are you buying a controller for practice and to generally stay at home or are you planning on getting out there and do live gigs. In the latter case you might want to wait a little bit til your budget grows to where you can get a controller that is slightly more semi-pro.
• build quality: another factor that is dependent on the use the controller will get. If it just sits safely on a desk in your bedroom never to be removed, pretty much any build quality would do. If you plan on taking it on the road, it needs to be able to handle that abuse. And you should take into consideration that you’ll need proper protection for your gear while travelling. This can be a (custom) backpack or even a full blown flight case. Both have their price
• new/second hand: the good news is that a lot of new (digital) DJs ARE gear heads (sorry guys, truth be told :)) who like to trade up or newer, which means there is a relatively big choice of used equipment available out there (both thru Craigs list-like channels as well as stuff traded in by music/DJ stores). You might be able to pick up something way nicer than a starter controller for (close to) the same price. Just make sure you get everything with it (particularly the software license if it came with one).

I realize a lot of selection stress comes with this one. Balancing the bucks versus the buttons. More good news though is that whatever you get it most likely will be better than NOT having a controller and most entry level controllers give you all the important tools to get started with. Reading all the reviews written here I don’t think I have ever seen an advice NOT to buy a controller because it was unsuitable, which in my opinion means there aren’t real bad controllers out there anymore, just varying levels of good and better. In which case you should be able to be content with whatever choice you make.

Greetinx,
C.

Yes,indeed,there’s so much out there,so much information and stuff,that it’s extremely difficult making a choice.
Most of the controllers have all of the features I need now and in the nearby future,because I’m hoping to advance on a steady tempo. The most direct use of the controller will be ofcourse bedroom practice, and playing music at some friends’ houses if they’re giving a birthday “party” or whatsoever. (Previous source of music on such occasions was an Ipod on shuffle :p ) But I’m most concerned about the quality ; I’m hoping to buy something that’s relatively sturdy for the amount of money I’m spending. I don’t want to have a controller that I might need to replace every year or so.
Taking all these thing in account is really difficult, Price/Quality/”Future Proof”/… I’m not really aiming towards live-gigs yet,but the possibility might occur.
Considering all I’ve said so far (if it still makes sense :p ),I’m slightly prefering the VMS 2. It’s Aesthetically very pleasing to me,looks nice,sturdy and decent and seems to offer some more “Future Proof”-ability for what you can get for €240.
And can you explain ‘gear head’ to me,I’m not a native english speaker,so to me it just sounds like someone with nuts and bolts in his head :p

Greetings,
Robbe