Some questions

Hi,

1) Picking a controller is a very personal choice. Especially if you are just starting and don’t know what workflow works best for you, it’s hard to get a clear picture of what you need/want, what software works best for you and finally what you want in a controller.

All controllers these days are good. Some are better than others, but I don’t believe there is really bad stuff out there. Some things like build quality might not matter so much. If you play out of your bedroom most of the time with the odd party at a friends living room from time to time, it’s not gonna matter if a controller is built like a tank. If you play out weekly or even more and take your gear on the road, it’s a different story. And you can make that qualification for every feature on a controller.

Best thing to do is asking on the forum (which you did) and read up on the new 2014 Controller Buyers Guide by Phil.

2) Yes, you can go a VERY long way without ever scratching. I am in the game for over 36 years now and am just now beginning to learn how to scratch. Just out of curiosity, I don’t expect to do much scratching at the kind of gigs I play.

Use your time wisely. Learn about music choice, mixing techniques (the basics, again check out the courses – both free and paid – on this website) and other essentials. Don’t worry about scratching and other fancy stuff until you have the basics down.

Good luck and keep us informed of your progress.

Greetinx.

Well Chuck answered question 2 very nicely so I stick to question 1:

The WeeGo and Mixtrack Pro 2 are both very good choices, I would not consider the Behringer yet, as it does not give too many software options that the others do.

Now the Workflow on the WeeGo and Mixtrack will be totally different. The WeeGo is a really fun controller, but is meant as a consumer controller and has some limitations. In the Pioneer World the DDJ-SB would be more in the line of pro-sumer controller and has less limitations.

The Mixtrack Pro 2 is a padded up version of the original Mixtrack pro, has very nice jogwheels for a plastic jog and you can basically use any software with it (Serato, Traktor, VDJ, Cross) that is worth mentioning. So it gives you a lot of options, by still being able to DJ in a very traditional way. You can also easily expand it via addon MIDI pads etc.

Number 1: Numark MixTrack Pro definitely. The DDJ-WeGo is a little too rudimentary. Numark makes quality kit.

Number 2: I am actually somewhat inexperienced in DJing. I cannot do advanced scratches. I also cannot beat match by ear. My mixing capabilities are limited to matching BPM’s, using loops and FX. It is absolutely ok to be only good at basic mixing. I have done two live events without any issues. However, in that year or two span, strive to be as good as you can, look to go past simple mixing.