Stars don't use controllers?

Honestly: If I would play infront of 10k to 50k people all the time with that kind of budget, I would also never use a controller and a laptop. Just because I have to look big. In all honesty it would be rather underwhelming if he did.
Even though I would prolly only use a view midi keyboards and ableton to produce my stuff I would at least make it look like I am using A TON to deliver on stage, even if it is all pre-recorded or I just push timed buttons (quote Deadmau5) to show off. A part of entertaining such a big crowd is to show off and hence you need that kind of setup.
Also hopefully half his gear is from endorsement contracts anyways (hopefully if his management arent dopes).

So even if a controller is all I needed I would go for the same crap he has…

You do know that PvD isn’t using all this equipment right? This is a booth set up so 3 or even 4 DJs can play without any hassle of changing gear and unplugging things. PvD uses Ableton for most of his sets and almost exclusively controllers now…did you not notice the heap of controllers + keyboard in front of him? I doubt he’s even touching that CDJ in this set.

Porter Robinson….. enough said.

Just watched it on youtube… 90% of the set he uses:
– the laptops keyboard!
– the keyboard in front of him on the picture
– the launchpad style thing to the right of the keyboard
– I think he used the CDJ once for the jog, so I supposed it is hooked up via midi
– the pioneer thing is a effect thing and no controller

[media=youtube]vZJf4_QrnBg[/media]

Crowd viewpoint, but you can easily see where he is standing and where is hands are… and he really has 3 nice MacBooks… although it might not be exactly the same event your foto is from, at least the pioneer is still there and he goes nowhere near the CDJ I can see to his right (far off it seems).

David Ellsworth, post: 24191, member: 2692 wrote: Apparently there’s a big difference in what the “top of the heap” djs use and what we use. No controllers on Paul’s table of electronics?

I see a booth full of controllers. What do you see???
CDJ2000 = controller
DJM900 nexus = controller
Possible APC 20 or 40 = controller

KristjanKaluza, post: 24231, member: 2733 wrote: Big time Djs all use cdjs, because they have learned to dj on them. There were no controllers, when they started to dj.
But time is changing. I bet in 5 years there will be more Djs who will use laptops, than djs who will use cdjs. Even new Cdjs can controll traktor pro or serato scratch :p
Time is changing….

I’d actually say most of the big name, established DJ’s learnt on vinyl, then moved to CDJs – although the transition wasn’t over night, there was a very similar dismissiveness to CDJs when they appeared on the market. In some scenes vinyl is still king.

David Ellsworth, post: 24191, member: 2692 wrote: Apparently there’s a big difference in what the “top of the heap” djs use and what we use. No controllers on Paul’s table of electronics?

Um…the two keyboards?

AND…what’s your point?

With the rash of DJs miming sets, I often think most of those electronics are there for show. They want to make him look “big” with loads of gear.