x

Tech Guidance for a Beginner

Home 2023 › Forums › Digital DJ Gear › Tech Guidance for a Beginner

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • January 31, 2014 at 8:50 am #1027688
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    I am sure you will get some advice on the shortlist. From what I can tell they are all good for starters, the Vestax perhaps beyond starter already? The MC2000 is an absolute genius bit of kit. Rock solid (as anything Denon makes) and with the same jogs as “big brothers” MC3000/6000. S2 will limit you to your choice of software, = Traktor. It won’t work (natively) with VDJ, Serato or Cross. So if you decide at some point to change software, the S2 has to go.

    There are quite a few threads where I have explained what I believe is the proper way to go about chosing DJ kit (soft and hardware). Might look it up. You should start at the top (your DJ-ing goals and ambitions) and work your way down the tree (workflow, then software, then controller). So the choice for software should be based on decision YOU make about the way you want to work and what you are trying to accomplish, not on what others think is good, better, best software. For the simple reason that what I deem important in software is probably not what you value most.

    Technical stuff:

    1) Yes. Sound quality will be the same and going RCA to RCA sound level should be ok too. 3 meters is about max. cable run I’d feel comfortable with. Provided there is no other disruptive equipment near (like dimmerpacks for lights).

    2) Shouldn’t be, but can be. More because a lot of USB-only powered controllers can be found at the lower end of the spectrum (there are exceptions, but as a general rule) and therefor they are budget in most departments including the soundcard. What you may find is that USB-only powered controllers can’t push the headphones hard enough. This is something that has been complained about here and there.

    Advice in relation to the tech questions: get gear with balanced (not necessarily XLR, balanced jacks do just as well).

    Greetinx.

    January 31, 2014 at 8:57 am #1027690
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    If you want plug and play, iZotope Studio Quality effects, tightest integration of jogwheels, easy to use sample player, option for video mixing, parallel waveforms and elastic beatgridding… go Serato.

    If you need Remix Decks go Traktor.

    As for the controllers you listed, the DDJ-SB prolly has the most features, the Mixtrack is a proven workhorse and the Denon is a tank. Of course if you can get the DDJ-SR then you are not so likely to outgrow the controller quickly.

    as for 1:

    Yes RCA is fine for bars. As long as you have very short wires (in bars most of the time you have 0.5 to 1.5m until you plug into their DJ or PA mixer) RCA is totally OK.

    Balanced Outputs (TRS/XLR) have the good thing going for them, that when the cable gets longer they are less likely to pick up outside distortions and also the signal does not degenerate as quickly (aka more juice will still come out at the end)

    as for 2:

    No there is no sound difference in most cases. With all the newer controllers the sound card powered via USB has enough juice to generate 0db inputs. Sound quality is only dependend on encoding and all of the controllers you listed have excellent sound cards with studio quality output. Why get an AC anyways? Well if the controller sports a standalone mixer you need AC power as it also has to work without the computer. Some people also like that option if their laptop dies to have an auxiliary backup hooked up (mp3 player…). On the other hand USB power eliminates a power brick and so you have less clutter on the DJ table/booth. I for one have almost exclusively worked with USB powered controllers (Terminal Mix 4) the last 2 years and had ZERO problems (but I have a MacBook Pro and that has not let me down in 6 years).

    January 31, 2014 at 4:58 pm #1027726
    Nathan Kelly
    Participant

    Thanks for the advice!

    My goals are pretty humble at this point. I’d like to just learn it for fun, do some sets at house parties and make my own mixes initially. Eventually I could see myself tagging along with a few friends who already DJ at smaller dance bars around town.

    In terms of software, I’m leaning heavily towards Serato. I think the interface is a bit better – plus the stacked parallel waveforms seem better to learn beatmatching. I’m definitely interested in video in the long run, so that’s a big selling point.

    I see the MC2000 gets a lot of love and great reviews. It certainly seems like the most “serious” entry level controller. The only thing I worry about is size – while it’s great that it’s super-portable, for someone with big hands I’d worry about it being cramped. The DDJ-SB is probably my top choice at the moment (plus it’s almost $100 cheaper). But it seems a bit more “gimmicky” with the filter fade function and performance pads. The layout, however, is a bit more spacious. Maybe I’ll wait for the review.

    Two final tech questions, if you’ll indulge me:

    (1) Ultimately, would you gig with a controller that only has RCA outputs? It just seems that there aren’t any controllers under around 500 bucks that have balanced outs. (Canadian dollars, keep in mind).

    (2) Is an AUX input a super-important feature to have? The MC2000 has one but the SB does not. I can see it being valuable if the program crashes just to run some tunes from your phone while you reboot, but couldn’t you also just run over to the mixer and plug something in?

    Thanks again for all the help!

     

    January 31, 2014 at 5:31 pm #1027734
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    1) you can, it’s just sub-optimal. There is no fallback IF rca connected gives you a problem. But they ARE starter controllers, not (semi)pro stuff.

    2) depends on what mixer you think you can plug into. there is not always another mixer you have to plug into with your controller. Could be you go straight into the PA. I rate an extra/aux input as a very nice and desirable feature personally.

    Greetix.

    January 31, 2014 at 5:50 pm #1027735
    Nathan Kelly
    Participant

    Thanks again for answering my questions.

    There’s a pretty big jump from the $300-400 controllers to stuff with balanced outs. I think the next cheapest Serato controller from there would be a DDJ-SR which is $650 and still runs on bus power. But it does come with full Serato DJ and has an AUX in. Much less portable though. Any other options around there with balanced output under $600?

    I’ve seen some RCA to XLR/TRS converters out there. Would that actually work in a situation where I need to run a longer cable?

    January 31, 2014 at 9:05 pm #1027756
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    Yeah, it would. They need power though. Another bit of clutter.

     

    January 31, 2014 at 9:18 pm #1027758
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    The Teminal Mix 2 and 4 have balanced TRS outputs and AUX in and is USB powered and are for Serato.

    January 31, 2014 at 9:51 pm #1027761
    Nathan Kelly
    Participant

    Hm, very true! I hadn’t thought about Reloop since the “smaller” brands are generally harder to find in Canada, but there’s a site selling it for $559. I’ll add it to the list.

    Are balanced/unbalanced converters and DI boxes essentially the same thing? What would you commonly find at a bar to plug into, a DI box or a mixer?

    February 2, 2014 at 10:52 am #1027871
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Depends on where you live, Canada I know Toronto best, but my knowledge is like 10 years old. Back then they always had a mixer.

    About DI box, yeah it is mostly the same, but for the added price of that you can most of the time get a controller with balanced outs.

    However I may add in 90% of the clubs and bars I use RCA to their club mixer (some Pioneer DJM or A&H most of the time) because it is only like 0.5m cable that I need. (But I do use very good RCA cables…)

    February 6, 2014 at 6:59 pm #1028519
    Shaun Pearcey
    Participant

    @NDK..

    I’ve been Djing now around 8 months, played a in a few bars and in one club. I use the Native Instruments X1 And Z1 combo USB’d to my Macbook Pro with just RCA outputs and the sound quality is still decent.. My other rig is A Denon MC3000 that I was using before the X1 and Z1 and again was using RCA cables in and out to the club/bar mixer and the sound quality was still very good.

    I wouldn’t worry about future proofing things like outputs on your first controller as RCA can be used everywhere as its an industry standard input.. If you ever feel you may get stuck get RCA to Jack (TRS) Adapters these may be used in some bars/clubs mixers.

    In terms of other Controllers check out the NUMARK MIXTRACK PRO 2 this is a bit of a beast and is compatible with Serato DJ and VDJ (Virtual DJ) I have a few DJ friends who gig regularly with this controller (IN CLUBS) and it seems the entry level controller to have Alongside the Pioneer DDJ-SB..

    As for AUX outputs these are great for putting a backup into your system (I.E an iPod, Phone, iPad) that has its own level control and simple transition from the AUX straight back into the mix. (This is a great option for people who need a backup option, have this in mind you never know what may go wrong in the club/bar environment).

    All in all its down to your preference, if you can figure out a software that works for you then carefully pick a controller you won’t outgrow in a few weeks then you will be in a good state to progress at a steady rate, not just going through smaller non efficient controllers every month.

    Hope this has been helpful!

    DJ Shaun Pearcey

    February 6, 2014 at 9:43 pm #1028534
    DJ Vintage
    Moderator

    http://www.bax-shop.nl/di-box/art-cleanboxpro-signaaltransformator/product-details.html

    I have one of these in my emergency kit. Has saved me on a few occasions. You can even stick in a 3,5mm jack in and get out a LEVEL ADJUSTED ! balanced signal.

    If need be you can also go the reverse route from balanced to unbalanced if you so desire.

    Not the first time I had to hook up a laptop near a beamer that sat about 10 yards from the booth. And they’d come up to me with a flaky rca 5meter with another 3 meter RCA extension with another 2 meter RCA to mini-jack. And look at you strange if the headphone jack is struggling to give you any kind of worthy signal level and if there is a nice 50 Hz (or 60 if you are in the US) happening.

    Stuck this near the laptop, ran two 15 yard XLR cables and had loud clear signal.

    Just one of the things this little box is good for.

    Greetinx.

    February 7, 2014 at 8:35 am #1028589
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Indeed the CleanBox is your friend…

    February 7, 2014 at 10:11 am #1028602
    Isaiah Furrow
    Participant

    good info….  love all the wisdom on this site…

    Moonshadow

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
  • The forum ‘Digital DJ Gear’ is closed to new topics and replies.