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Analog mixing – Browsing tracks

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  • September 29, 2014 at 9:26 am #2064711
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    Other than surprising us, like many before you, with the fascination that people have for outdated gear 😀 and that makes them spend an large amount of cash on gear with LESS features than what you already own or could buy for a fraction of the price.

    Frankly the only real CDJ setup to consider these days (if being “club-compatible is your goal) is two CDJ-2000 Nexus with a DJM900 (the DJM2000 is overkill in most peoples eyes). Generally a 5k euro investment.

    The most expensive controller available right now is the DDJ-SZ (effectively two CDJs with a 900 mixer) and that comes in at about 1600 euro. Sure, no CDs and no USB stick, but why “settle” for the hassle of track browsing on a CDJ when you can have a full laptop screen and keyboard.

    Your question confuses me though. Here is why.

    If you are gonna use your CDJs in HID-/USB-mode with your DJ software, you can use the track browsing facility on your CDJs and you don’t need anything on your mixer.
    If you have a need to browse tracks from your mixer, what are you going to use to control them? If that’s the CDJs, we are back at the previous statement and track selection from your mixer is superfluous.

    To concretely answer your question, the only way to get the mixer to do ANYTHING with your DJ software, is by buying a midi-compatible mixer (like the Denon X1600) which allows you to map buttons and knobs to any function in the DJ software (including for example one knob for browsing, one button for back and two for load deck a and deck b).

    As I am typing this I keep coming round to the question, why try to make band-aid and rubber band solutions with CDJs/mixer when you can have all that neatly configured in an all-in-one controller?

    Let us know what is what in your opinion.

    September 29, 2014 at 12:12 pm #2064761
    Marco Solo
    Participant

    I’ve now had some practise on CDJ’s (a CDJ2000, a CDJ2000nexus and a DJM2000) and I must say I prefer my DDJ-SR at home which costs about 10% of the CDJ setup (the laptop doesn’t count, I need that one for other stuff too). I don’t see the whole point of using CDJ’s being more fun or real and I don’t think their build quality is that good either. Most of the controls felt really cheap. I had no problems switching to the CDJ’s from my SR so there’s no reason for me to own some at home. As far as I’m concerned the CDJ’s are a bunch of overpriced and overhyped dinosaurs.

    If you want something that feels good, I’d look into a good quality controller if you don’t already own one. If you’re still interested in CDJ’s, try to have a go at a local store or try to find somebody that owns some and try it out for yourself. I don’t think you’ll be that impressed either. I know I wasn’t.

    September 29, 2014 at 3:44 pm #2064861
    D Pan
    Participant

    Dj Vintage thank you very very much about the answer. When i said browsing from the mixer, I meant the whole set of cdplayers and the mixer, so browsing from the cdplayers (hid or usb) is good, so i’m ok with the subject. Sorry for the confusion, but my english is not very good. As for the equipment, i know Pioneers and Denons are state-of-art models but i’m not going to use it for clubbing puproses and also my funds are very few. So I was thinking of two numark ndx400’s or ndx500’s (when they are available to my country), for home parties, little events and of course for home practise.
    As for the last subject you mentioned, I wanted to make a step to mixing with analog systems and learn on my own something new. I don’t have any help from anybody, noone in my family or from my friends has any sense with djing, so it’s often with me to have a little “silly” questions 🙂 But my opinion is that when you want to learn something, especially when it’s a life dream, you will start with that kind of questions 😉

    September 29, 2014 at 4:52 pm #2064921
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    Your english is fine. And glad we were able to answer your question.

    My question still remains, why go the CD-player/mixer route when you are already so invested in a controller?

    September 29, 2014 at 5:08 pm #2064961
    D Pan
    Participant

    Because i want to start and learn something new and different, to open my knowledge to different ways of mixing and technologies, to do something more “traditional” (except from vinyls), generally to practise to something more “difficult” and complicated

    September 29, 2014 at 5:27 pm #2064981
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    Quite frankly, you can simulate what you do on CDJs with your controller (just hang some cardboard over the relevant part of your laptop screen. Other than that, it’s no more difficult.

    Like Marco said, not worth spending money on.

    Personally if you want to “upgrade” I’d sell my current controller (if you feel you have outgrown it) add the money for two players and a mixer and just get a more advanced controller.

    Just my two cents, as usual.

    September 29, 2014 at 5:32 pm #2064991
    D Pan
    Participant

    I will consider your opinion very seriously 😉 thank you again, you and this site are the first to help me in a professional way, i hear a lot of “specialists” here every day

    September 29, 2014 at 5:37 pm #2065001
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    We aim to please. Thank you for your kind words.

    September 30, 2014 at 1:59 am #2065091
    Tuomas Helander
    Participant

    Well I wanted to have a go on CDJays too, guess what I did? I Conctacted the manager of a local nightclub (a big one, high profile) and asked, If I could come to try some day. Guess what he answered: “Why I don’t see a reason why not! You could come on fri or sat night berofe the residents come in around 10 pm and give a go, if the band’s soundcheck is done already. Or then again I’m working on weekdays (hours), maybe we could settle this?”

    Really. He said sure, and even (kinda) offered me a gig while at it ^_^

    Why don’t you try too?

    September 30, 2014 at 8:58 am #2065191
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    I am closing this, as the same question pops up every week and nobody watches the forum video, where everything is answered. CDJs are a thing of the past.

    September 30, 2014 at 11:34 am #2065331
    D Pan
    Participant

    DJ Tuomari, that would be good idea, i’ll try to find maybe a friend’s friend or something like that…

    Terry_42, i don’t know if it’s past, present or future and i don’t care what it is. My opinion about that is you shouldn’t say that this is old or this is new or something, because a new thing will be old maybe in a month, or next day, you can’t say that 🙂 all that matters is what you want to do and how you want to do it, and as far as mixing is concerned, every way of mixing can be “new”. And that, because every way of mixing has its own beauty! Have you ever tried to mix with turntables and vinyls? It’s a unique feeling, a vintage style. In conclusion, and of course with no offense in your opinions, nothing is old in mixing, apart from the technology. It’s how you make it sound 😉

    September 30, 2014 at 1:23 pm #2065451
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    Hi,

    Actually he CAN say that. Like me, Terry has been around a long time. We both come from the days that vinyl was not ONE of the options, but the ONLY option. We learned the hard way.

    So, questioning Terry’s good judgement on this is something you do at your own risk.

    On a second note, the DIGITAL DJ Tips blog and this forum cater to DIGITAL DJs, young and old, total starters and recent converts from vinyl and CDJs alike. We aim to inform, educate and assist.

    It is not very fair to expect us to be big advocates of “old” technology here. And it is old technology. I am not disputing that what is new now will one day become the old, but the then new will not be vinyl or analogue media players, that much I can assure you.

    Obviously you should feel free to decide what it is you want to do, but don’t fault us for giving you due warning based on many decades of experience and in-depth knowledge of the scene and our predisposition towards digital DJ-ing.

    To ask 25+ year experience DJs if they ever tried to mix with turntables is a bit of a joke, really. What you call a “vintage style” (did you check my DJ name?) is really just old, period. It serves a few purposes for niche DJs, but as more and more DJs are proving, you can scratch just as well with controllers as you can with vinyl. Limited access to music (not much coming out no vinyl that isn’t also available on digital, while the other way around LOTS of digital music not available on vinyl), high maintenance costs (expensive vinyls, needles, etx.) and a few other reasons make it a less than optimal platform for most DJs. Again, your choice to pursue that avenue, just don’t tell us we can’t tell you WE THINK it’s not the logical path to follow.

    On a final and personal note. I DO like vinyl, exactly because of it’s vintage appeal. It reminds me of my early days as a DJ, when life was wonderful (and I was still 21 years young LOL). I will take the chance to play vinyl maybe once or twice a year for 1 or 2 hours. After that I realise how lucky I am that things have progressed to where they are and how much more I can do with my controller that I could never pull off with vinyl.
    There is no force on earth that can make me go back to vinyl or even make me play it more than I do now.

    September 30, 2014 at 4:31 pm #2065681
    D Pan
    Participant

    Well i have to admit i didn’t know that you have so many years in djing, i didn’t know your age, so asking if you have ever tried vinyls is obviously big joke, so i have to apologise about the question 😛 and respect your experience (you have more years of experience than my age, i’m almost 24) 🙂 And it’s obviously a great thing that technology has progressed, i’m not against it…i just put things in a more emotional way 🙂 Thank you again for this great conversation!

    October 1, 2014 at 9:45 pm #2066641
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    You’re welcome

    October 2, 2014 at 10:57 am #2066831
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    And yes indeed I still sometimes go to the basement of a buddy of mine where he has his 2 technics and an old A&H mixer and we flip some old vinyls and have a few beers with some friends.
    Is this emotional: You bet.
    Is this the way I would like to perform today: No way.

    There is not a single thing I cannot do on my controller (Terminal Mix 8) that I can do on those vinyls. Actually I can scratch better on the controller, since there will be no problem with hopping needles, tone arm adjustment, thumping if you do not EQ it, destroying that vintage vinyl etc. etc. etc.

    Same goes for CDJs. Yes they had their time, but they have not a single advantage over my controller (which is considerably cheaper) in any way, except for playing CDs, which honestly after carrying Vinyl and CD cases for 20+ years I can do without.
    Only having to carry a controller backpack which easily also hold my laptop and a backup USB stick, going with that to any big club (Ministry of Sound, Octagon,…) and just get going is a BLESSING.

    The reason why we so vehemently advise against CDJs is simple: The only good setup currently is 2 CDJ 2000 Nexus and a DJM 900 Nexus at least. So you shelf out 5k at least. Now if you would shelf out that money and then realise afterwards that it is actually not as good as a 700 bucks controller would you be mad?
    So by saying this out loud we think we did our job and warned you and you can go into that purchase with open eyes (hopefully).

    Also about some DJs thinking CDJs are more “pro”: The last festival I DJed at the only DJ actually using the CDJ setup (full Nexus) was heavily sponsored by Pioneer, so he had to use it and admitted to us he would like to use a controller in the future (which is why I am not naming him).

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