Purchase advice

Hi James,

You’ve come to the right place to get talked into going fully digital! LOL. Just kidding m8. We respect everybody’s choice, but we do have rather strong opinions on the matter here.

Clearly you have three options open to you:
A) Analogue. Buy some new tracks and continue with your gear as is. Not the path you envision, so not going into that.

B) Semi-digital. For lack of a better term. Using your 1210’s (or CDJs for example) and an analogue mixer (that you probably have already), but this time using Timecode vinyls and a supported sound card to control decks in DJ software. This can be augmented by slicers for example (some good stick-on types for SLs) and performance pads (like the Reloop Neon). DVS (Digital Vinyl System) setups appeals to lots of DJs that have come from vinyl, you’ll be losing quite a bit of functionality. If you want to use the FX in your software for example you’ll need extra hardware to operate it. All this extra gear also means more setting up, more cables, more hassle if you need to transport, set up and break down and more stuff that can go wrong.
Going DVS has some (in my eyes) major drawbacks. Operating cost is about 100 bucks a month if you are serious about practicing regularly. Stylii and timecode vinyls do deteriorate and need to be replaced frequently. Even more so if you are into scratching or other turntablism hocus pocus. And if you want to play regular vinyls (in which case you are back to option A) ), then the price of tracks is a lot higher than you would pay when buying digital tracks online.

C) Fully Digital. I consider this a setup with either modular pieces or an all-in-one controller gear. You control your DJ software from your controller and don’t need anything else but a laptop and a pair of speakers. Clearly going fully digital offers a host of other options as well. Lots of controllers will fit in a (big) backpack together with your laptop and can easily be carried to a gig. Music purchase is cheap (certainly compared to your vinyl days) and there is no real operating cost.

Essentially there are two area’s you need to look at when going (semi)digital:
1) Software
2) Gear

To even begin answering questions pertaining to those two areas, you first need to get a clear view of your goals. Are you gonna be happy just sitting in your (bed)room and be mixing just for yourself, maybe recording a few mix-tapes and eventually maybe venturing out once or twice a year to play a (friend’s) house party. Or do you want to look for opportunities to play out (semi-)regularly. And if so, do you want to do corporate events, weddings, clubs, perhaps even get a one night a week residency somewhere? Do you want to be an all-round DJ or do you look into being genre-specific. Are you musically inclined and do you want to explore creating your own tracks, mash-ups and/or remixes? Are you set on using your TTs and timecode vinyl and do you need DVS options. Do you need standalone mixer capabilities (not too important at home, but highly recommendable if/when playing out for backup purposes).

Lots of questions to answer, but all important as they will help you make the right choices going forward (or at the very least prevent your from making really horrible choices 😀 ).

From the answers to the above questions, you can pretty much start putting together your (preferred/intended) workflow. This will lead you to a list of features you will need/want which will lead towards a DJ software platform that will most closely fit your workflow and style of DJ-ing. Why is this important to try to get right? First, there is a learning curve to getting comfortable with your DJ software. Each software has it’s own specific features you might get used to. Switching software might cause you to lose one or more features you’ve integrated in your workflow. Second because switching software is a pain, IMHO. While technically feasible (easy even), you will lose a lot of prep work you have done in your DJ software, even if you keep your collection and playlists organised in something like iTunes (recommended). But you will lose beat grid correction, cue points, loop points and whatever other software-specific adaptions you have made. It can be done and if you DO decide after a while that your first pick wasn’t the right one, you will have to change. But better to be as sure as you can be at this time when making that first choice.

At some point you have decided what DJ software will most likely work best for you (you can try various software packages out for free (with limitations, like software only and no controller support, or fully functional with a time limit)). Next comes the question of what hardware do you need. By now you’ll have a pretty good idea of the direction you are taking. Reviews on this blog, the Controller Buyers Guide and posts on these forums all help finding the information you need to make an informed decision.

Now it’s down to match DJ software, needed/wanted gear features and budget.

I know folks who’d rather have an arm amputated than sell their SLs (although I’d expect that if you did have the amputation you could easily get rid of ONE SL1210 😛 ), but if it were me (been there, done that), I’d sell my SLs (or keep them for old times sake) and mixer, get a nice all-in-one controller with full version of my chosen software and a good bag/flightcase for it and go fully digital. But hey, that preaching to the choir here, as it IS DIGITAL DJ Tips after all.

600 GBP will actually buy you a pretty decent controller (Reloop Terminal Mix 8, Pioneer DDJ-SR and Numark NV come to mind). A hundred more will get you a DDJ-SX2 which supports DVS, so you could have the best of both worlds. If DVS is your thing you can integrate things (and have control over FX through your controller) and if you think digital is better, you have 4 digital decks/channels to play with. And it’s a standalone mixer too. So you could keep the SLs, sell your mixer, add that money to your current budget, buy the SX2 and start cooking (it comes with full version of Serato, albeit it you need an upgrade to use the DVS option).

All this assuming you have a laptop that you can use for DJ=ing already.

Hope this wall of text helps some.

The SX2 would go well with Serato obviously, the S4 with Traktor. The S4 lacks standalone mixer capability though, which would be a turn-off for me. It does support DVS right in the box, so you are safe there too. I’d not use them the other way around. While technically doable, Traktor is on the road to supporting only NI-gear with their software. Integration is best between S4 and Traktor Pro 2. The SX has an actual Serato mode that makes for excellent out of the box compatibility, mapping and such.

Yeah, was kinda thinking you’d maybe had an old faithful Pioneer DJM or something. Those, in general, will fetch around the 100 mark which would make up the difference you’d need for the SX2. The S4mk2 is actually in your budget already.

Look at it this way. You get a sh*tload of creative and other features that you never got (or will get) with an old fashioned analogue setup. So at a minimum you will have all this extra functionality forever. And depending on what the new killer features is, they’ll either change the mapping or they or a third party manufacturer will make an add-on controller for it.

It’s like slightly older controllers without performance pads, you get a reloop Neon or comparable unit and you have even better control than with most pads on regular controllers. Clearly you only do this if you think you really need/want those pads (I for one don’t have a great need for them, as a mobile DJ the versatility and build quality of a Denon MC6000 and it’s dual mic inputs with seperate gain/eq is way more important).

And if the killer feature is such that you really, really, really think it’s the missing link for you … well, then you’ll probably end up selling your controller and getting a new one. Both the SX2 and the S4mnk2 still hold their value pretty good.

After all, we are talking about 600-750 GBP controllers, not 4000 GBP CDJ/DJM Nexus setups.

Hi

I don’t think TRAKTOR scratch was mentioned… Which would be perfect for a dj that loves vinyl… Learning curve is minimal as you already have skill set, plus maybe a Kontrol X1 ( original, much better controller and cheaper )

All is £300 with money to spare to buy the essentials… Tracks

Happy mixing