The age-old Digital DJ Gear question…. But with a twist

I always felt the longevity of the gear depends on the DJ. One big reason why I stayed away from Pioneer mixers was mainly because every one I’ve encountered in a club/bar setting was broken/falling apart. As technologically advanced as they are, they don’t handle wear and tear. My last mixer was a Vestax PCV-275. Loads of metal and very sturdy. Built to last…even if it didn’t have all the big bells and whistles.

With midi controls, I’ve seen the same issue. Some DJs (like me) treat their gear carefully, while others slam on sliders, knobs, and buttons. It’s no surprise when their gear breaks. I’m not sure where you fall into all this, but if you happen to be rough on your gear, then five years would probably speak highly of of the gear.

There are two realities though to all this:

1. Gear is much like the Project Triangle (Good, Fast, or Cheap…you can only pick two). Gear can be high tech, durable, or affordable. You only get two or one, but not all three. I’ve seen enough wishing for an S4 or S8 with a full metal build and high-end faders, but scoff at the thousands it would cost in retail. Thus you can only get two.

2. Tech companies now think in terms of “planned obsolesce”, which has drawn fire from many critics. Ever notice how much your smartphone seemingly “isn’t that good” after two years? Maybe your battery is going, or the speed, or the manufacturer cut off updates? The rationale is they want you to chuck it and buy a new one.

I’m sure NI, Rane, Vestax, and others more or less would rather you buy a new controller every few years than you maintaining and keeping the same piece of gear for years on end. Look why with many phones you can’t change the battery, or why you can’t change out sliders or knobs on your controller…or when your controller suddenly doesn’t work as well with the newest version of your software of choice.

I’d love yo demand more out of them, but it’s become pointless. I have a feeling most of these companies make their bank on the amateurs who buy gear and later sell it off. Again, turnover and sales mean more revenue over long-term purchases with requests for support.

While I don’t know how this develops under new ownership, Denon has always been a company with long lifespan of their products (in-store) and they have always been of a very durable build quality.

I agree with D-Jam about the life gear in clubs has. DJ’s paid exactly ZERO dollars to use that gear and act accordingly. Mobile DJs generally get to use their gear longer. They paid for it and will take better care of it (generally speaking). Even then stuff wears. Where with club gear you’ll find broken knobs and faders, scratch surfaces and such, on personally owned gear it’s more often the innards that go south.

Then again, if you lease a company car, you are supposed to get a new one after three years or 160.000km, whichever comes first. And with technological advances in the tempo they occur, it isn’t all that bad to have a look at what is new and exciting every three years.

Financially if you use your gear a lot (like 200 times a year for the OP) and you put away 5 bucks a gig – which you won’t miss out of a regular fee – in a jar for gear replacement, three years down the line you’ll have a free 3.000 dollars for upgrades.

I agree with Vintage if you are being paid then it makes good business sense to put money away for the upkeep or complete renewal of your gear and just to be on the safe side I would personally give any Digi gear a 3 year lifespan and plan financially for 2. Incidently I still use a 2nd hand Vestax VCI 300MK2 with an Vestax VFX-1…archaic according to some but still works a treat and I believe it is the perfect size for a controller, unless your The Thing for the Fantastic 4!