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VCI-380 w/ DDJ-SP1 vs. VCI-400

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Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
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  • July 16, 2017 at 5:42 pm #2590011
    Chuck Van Eekelen
    Moderator

    Upgrading to VCI-400 isn’t really that. Vestax the company no longer is around. Support through some distributors and user groups is somewhat alive, BUT with every new OS and DJ software update, the possibility that it will continue to work properly (provided you get your second hand one working at all in the first place) will rapidly diminish.

    So, imho, upgrading would involve moving into 2017 and finding that most controller today will have all the functionality that the DDJ-SP1 offers, even the ones in/near the price range of just an SP1.

    July 16, 2017 at 6:12 pm #2590031
    Gogi Sc
    Participant

    Most controllers I’ve seen are quite expensive, I’m using the VCI-380 and it’s wonderful. Adding two more channels and additional control to cover all SDJ functions is really very good. Also, completely midi mappable and a standalone mixer for a very good price.
    I don’t see the Vestax products as inferior to their Native Instruments or Numark counterparts.
    I don’t see any reason why a completely midi mappable controller would have issues with new software as long as it’s midi supported. Switching controllers every year isn’t really necessary imo, if the combination of the 380 with SP1 will add the functions I might want, and maybe give me more control than the 400. Other controllers that offer the same capabilities I’ve seen for at least twice the price of the VCI-400.
    If there’s anyone who has experience with a SDJ controller with the SP1 in the setup, I would love to hear your thoughts, as I couldn’t find much info online besides when using the SP1 with a DVS system (not my case).

    July 17, 2017 at 1:31 am #2590081
    Aaron Nicdao
    Participant

    I have both the VCI380 and VCI400 but not the DDPSP1.

    Id agree with DJ Vintage that at this point with product support its not advisable to pick up the 400.

    You are right and cannot add additional decks with the SP1 and I wouldnt consider adding it to either controller except for maybe the VCI400 if you really wanted to have the larger pads and slicer feature more accessible and easier to use.

    Maybe you can clarify if your looking to upgrade the number of channels or a particular feature and that could help us steer you to another option.

    July 18, 2017 at 7:19 am #2590841
    Todd Oddity
    Participant

    Guy, Vintage wasn’t saying Vestax was inferior (they built amazing controllers – I loved my 400), and he wasn’t saying you need to switch controllers every year. He was saying the company went bankrupt and support is no longer available. No drivers. No firmware. Nothing. You have no guarantee that it will be able to connect to a computer and work. And no remedy if it doesn’t. That also means no more payments to Serato, so they may drop support sooner or later.

    So no, the 400 would not be a good option for you, simply because you’d be investing in something that may not work tomorrow, assuming you could even get it working today. The SP1 may add the features you want and keep you rolling a bit longer. But at some point, you will be looking at a forced upgrade as your current Vestax gear will stop working. The upside here is that the SP1 would likely hold some resale value.

    July 21, 2017 at 8:41 am #2592571
    Terry_42
    Keymaster

    Todd nailed it, I too had a 400 and it was an awesome controller. But I needed to move on, as I need something with support and even now on my MacBook I am fine, but on the Surface Pro the VCI-400 drivers crash the system.
    So this really does not look that good…

    July 22, 2017 at 4:18 am #2593371
    Gogi Sc
    Participant

    Thank you for your responses!

    About Vestax, I know they are bankrupt and do not offer support anymore, but I had 0 issues with the VCI-380 and SDJ, and as far as the VCI-400, why would there be future software related problems if I can map pretty much every midi command to whatever I want?
    If I want to upgrade to a 4 channel controller, what would you recommend? I don’t want to switch from Serato so I’d rather stay with a dedicated controller or one that is comfortably mappable. Everything I see is very expensive, and frankly the VCI-400 looks like it could do the job for half (or even less) the prices I see on the market today.

    Once again, thank you all!

    July 22, 2017 at 9:19 pm #2593511
    Todd Oddity
    Participant

    Because Serato drops outdated hardware from time to time (just look at the switch from Itch to DJ to see how many people were left in the dust) and with no active partner in Vestax, there is nobody to keep paying Serato their fees so they don’t have a lot of motivation to keep baking in backwards compatibility.

    Or an OS change comes along and screws things up for you as there won’t be any firmware update for the hardware.

    Thinking “why would there be problems in the future” is short-sighted. There are countless examples of these problems cropping up, and either the hardware or software companies having to scramble to fix them. With Vestax gone, that won’t happen anymore.

    But the choice is yours. You can go out and buy a used car with no parts available anymore and maybe it will work for a long time, or maybe you’ll get 15 metres from the sales lot, it will catch fire, and they won’t even offer you an extinguisher because “you bought it as-is”. I would *never* take that chance with a critical piece of performance gear no matter how good the deal was. But that’s me.

    July 22, 2017 at 11:32 pm #2593581
    Chuck Van Eekelen
    Moderator

    We have already had problems of folks buying old Vestax gear and not getting it working because it wasn’t the proper firmware and the new one was hard to fine if at all. This will only get worse as more and more things in OS and DJ software change.

    July 26, 2017 at 12:21 pm #2595011
    Gogi Sc
    Participant

    So, any recommendations for a 4 channel Serato DJ controller?

    July 28, 2017 at 12:17 pm #2596401
    Chuck Van Eekelen
    Moderator

    What budget are you looking for?
    What things do you need? What do you want?
    What is your primary DJ-ing goal?
    Do you play out (or intend to do so in the near future) or is this home setup only?

    Well, you get my drift. This info will help define the advice we can give you.

    July 31, 2017 at 1:36 am #2596811
    Gogi Sc
    Participant

    Anything cheaper than a Pioneer option is considerable.
    4 channel (preferably stand-alone) mixer, filter knobs are a plus.
    My goal in DJ-ing? Help people have fun, I guess.
    I am playing out quite frequently. Also I have some ideas I want to try out, but it requires 4 decks.
    I think that today Serato DJ controllers come out with a fully equipped FX unit (meaning, controlling the 3 effect mode easily, rather than just one and trying to figure out how the other 2 work with the performance pads or whatever)
    Basically, I understand that a combination of Denon DJ MC6000mk2 with the DDJ-SP1 will pretty much cover all of it but the filter knobs, but I guess I could just map one of the FX knobs on the MC6000mk2 to do this, as I’ll have full control over FX and performance pads on the SP1.
    Another option I was told to looks at is Denon’s MC7000, but I don’t see many reviews and videos about it online, so if anybody’s got one – please share your experience.
    I don’t know what other controllers but Reloop (which I don’t think have stand-alone capability).
    In short, something that will last for a good while and be a good investment into the future.

    Thanks!

    August 1, 2017 at 11:18 pm #2598041
    Chuck Van Eekelen
    Moderator

    Yep, MC7000 would be on the shortlist. If you can forgo the standalone option there are lots of options. I know Terry_42 had lots of success using his Reloop Terminal Mix 8 before switching to the MXC8000.

    The MC6000 is great for mobile DJ-ing, but if you want to do lots of stuff, the layout and jogs can be a bit tight due to the 19″ form factor limitation. It IS still one of the best compact mobile DJ controllers imho. And it really is 4+2 channels as the mic channels are fully separate.

    It also has split cue which for me is a must if you ever need to mix in our headphones.

    August 7, 2017 at 8:41 pm #2602351
    Pete Lindemann
    Participant

    Yeah had a VCI 400 great bit of gear .. still have a Vestax 100 mk 2 as a back up .It’s sad that Vestax went out of business . Have a Reloop TM8 great controller for the price built well and is 4 channel and is not to big ( one of the reasons I chose it is that you can travel with it on as cabin luggage on the plane as I travel from Botswana to Australia and back a few times a year ) its going to be less expensive than the Pioneer SX2 .. Yeah the Denon MC 7000 looks great as does the Reloop Mixson 4 these are new love to see a comparison on these two controllers. . Both companies make great gear .

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