DJ Vintage

Clearly we don’t use velcro straps and cable ties in the real world LOL.

There is only one way to go and that is with an endless supply of (Nichiban) Gaffa tape!

+1 for cable management though, it makes a lot of difference if things are nice and tidy.

+1 on the Hazer, I mentioned it in my first reply as something that makes even weaker lighting look better, it gives a venue a slightly clubby atmosphere and visualizes the beams and/or colors the air (with wash pars). Luckily Hazers don’t present too much of a problem with guests or fire alarms, quite unlike FOG which is an effect any way and shouldn’t/can’t be used to permanently achieve the needed result. I stopped using Fog years ago as both guests and venue manager started complaining the moment the saw the actual machine, let alone when it started to belch smoke.
I have not had a single Hazer problem since I switched. The only downside to Hazer is that they cost a LOT of money.

I just re-read the review and apparently it’s about the fact that the single stereo level meter has to show both master and cue levels, but the way this is implemented is not optimal and could lose to some confusion.

Only a few days ago version 10.11.5 was released, haven’t checked the release notes though.

This is way more common in the Windows world than it is in the Apple world, but it is never just a software problem, it is always a combination of the software and specific hardware configurations. Simple things as another mainboard, other RAM memory, other video card can cause problems that others don’t have on what at first sight looks like identical machines. So your conclusion that is must affect every Traktor DJ using Apple computers does not hold true. What I am guessing the pro’s do is wait a long time before upgrading their OS (under the assumptions that if it isn’t broken, you don’t fix it) and even do a roll-back to a previous version if possible if that restores fault-free operation.

I have no clue about the skipping waveforms on the Mac, I never installed Traktor on my Mac, I said goodbye to Traktor way before I got my first MacBook Pro.

Have you tried reinstalling the OS? This can be don without reformatting your disk I think and it should retain all your user settings and files.

Hopefully somebody else will chime in with some good thoughts and suggestions.

Frankly the whole “learn for a Nexus set” thing is a hype. They are nothing more than (according to some) highly overpaid media-players. RekordBox allows you to make USB-sticks. On the screens you can then do very rudimentary searches and such. It pays to be as prepared as possible, i.e. maximum use of playlists and minimum number of tracks on the stick.

Searching for tracks is a pain as all you have is a single rotary knob which you push for “enter”.

While they are nice in their own right as (I guess) the end of the line for the traditional, in essence analogue, media player, they are absolutely nothing special and “learning” for them is not necessary. At the end of the day all it has apart from the screens (which again only gives limited info and searching options) is control buttons (play/cue) and things like hot cue (only three), loop control, jogwheel and pitch fader. Nothing you won’t recognize from any DJ CD player or controller.

Anybody who knows his way around a decent controller will be off and away on CDJs in about 5 minutes and by the end of the first gig will wonder what the hoohaa was all about.

I sometimes wonder who keeps that “ohhhhhh Pioneer club gear is the holy grail of DJ-ing” myth in the air.

So far my CDJ rant 😀

If you do all your track/playlist management in iTunes (as recommended here at Digital DJ Tips Forums as well as in the DDJT courses), it’s very easy with the new RekordBox software (version 4) to transfer the necessary playlist and tracks straight from iTunes to a USB stick in preparation for a gig. All you need to do is set some cue points if you like and perhaps check beatgrids.

The true difference in using a controller versus a CDJ/DJM setup is in the use of FX. On a controller you will use the FX in the DJ software. On a club setup you will use the FX on the mixer. Not only are (some of) the FX different, the way you control them are also different. The XDJ-RX has just about the same FX section as the DJM800/900, minus the screen. So you can learn how to use FX on the XDJ-RX, something you can’t on the DDJ-RX. But, if you focus on using the RX in-built FX and not the FX in the DJ Software, the question is why would you consider DJ software in the first place.

Most people on here (this is DIGITAL DJ Tips Forums after all LOL) will agree with me that the laptop/DJ software/controller combination offers more creative power than a club setup.

To answer your question in it’s most basic form: yes, the XDJ is more like a club setup, but I would not buy it if DJ-ing with software was my first priority. The DDJ is more suitable to use with DJ-software and can’t be used standalone with RekordBox.

So it all depends on the decision if you want your workflow to be club setup like (and I really wonder how much the standard club setup will still be the club setup in 5 years) or if you want to fully harvest the potential of DJ-software.

If your workflow is served best by RekordBox DJ (the full software) then the DDJ-RX is probably your best bet currently. If it’s other DJ Software (primarily Serato, Virtual DJ, Mixvibes Cross, etx.) then the DDJ-SX2 would be my choice. If your workflow primarily revolves around working with other than your own gear (i.e. CDJ/DJM setups) with simple USB sticks, then the XDJ-RX will fit best.

Please read a few of the recent posts on the subject of new or upgrade controllers.

It’s a pity that somebody has planted the thought in your mind that there is such a thing as the “Real McCoy” and even more so that it would be the latest entry, Pioneer’s RekordBox DJ (which I assume you mean as RB itself is just glorified track management and not DJ software).

There is NO BEST DJ Software. It is that simple. There is only the best DJ software for YOU!

And that is based on your current and/or desired workflow. So if Traktor is the software that most closely matches your workflow and you have the controller that fits your workflow, software and budget, then you are all set. Even a move to the S8 is something I’d only undertake if my workflow included very heavy Stems use for example and my workflow could do without jogwheels (both negative for me personally).

Switching software WILL have you redoing beat grids, cue points and other Traktor specific things you might have done.

Unless you have a very good reason to move (other than the totally misguided “RB DJ is the real McCoy” notion), I’d stick with what you’ve got. With Traktor really only shining with NI gear attached, there isn’t too much room to upgrade other than the S5/S8 route, where you have to real check your workflow to even consider the S5 an upgrade to your S4.

Lightning for starters is a … well lets say tough call.

There have been quite a few posts on this subject about 6 months ago I think and I am not gonna rehash the topic here.

Can’t give you specific advice on the Chauvet gear. From what I have seen/heard of them, it’s comparable to American DJ which I know a bit better.

The most telling thing is your question that you are talking about 1 light as your primary light. That is, unfortunately, not how setting up light works.

A few things from my experience:
1) In lighting you should do it right or not at all. With light cheap more often than not looks like just like that, cheap and bedroomy. While good lighting can add to your image, low-budget stuff CAN potentially make you look a lot worse.
2) Lighting in my opinion is a symmetrical thing. Hard to get things right with singles hitting from the middle (plus you will be backlit all the time). I would normally suggest a lightstand on either side of the room for better effect and coverage. Also each should have identical fixtures to prevent it – again – from looking very unprofessional.
3) Lighting control. While most modern fixtures will have something like sound control, setting and forgetting them to that is boring and uninspiring. So you’d need something like DMX control.
4) Forget about low-end laser. Light output is usually limited, you absolutely MUST have a hazer for it to look anywhere near spectacular and it being a rather specific effect, you can’t run it all night.
5) Having a hazer (not a fog machine!) will help make what lights you have look way better.
6) You need static light (wash) as well as moving stuff.

To give you an idea of a set-up to aspire to:
1) 2x American DJ Revo (one 3 and one 4 if 3 is still available – aiming one at the floor the other at the ceiling)
2) 2x small LED moving heads (those you can place next to your booth – elevated or even on your speakers – secure them well). Something like InnoPockets
3) 2x 4-bar LED Pars for wash (room lighting)
4) DMX-control, for example CueLux or Cuety.
5) Hazer
6) Additions: Strobe light, ultraviolet, skirt for stands (backlight them with single pars)

Again, I picked some of the stuff I know well. But even if you shop, you are talking quite a bit of money there, not to mention space to transport it (does it still fit in your current transportation?), store it (same question). It also takes relatively much time (compared to setting up audio) to setup and take down.
And to top it off, next to being busy picking and playing music (and often having a few other things to do during weddings and such) you now have to worry about getting the lights right.

And at the end of the day you can’t really charge all that much extra for bringing lights. I found that with light of my own, I was cutting into my bottom line, adding lots of work and generally not reaping the rewards.

That said, (good) light CAN definitely make a change in atmosphere and enhance the party mood.

I usually play without lights or just set up single-color wall uplighting (I have 4 LED Pars for the purpose) that I set and forget. If a customer really wants lighting, I offer them a pro setup that I rent, including transport, setting up/taking down and, if it’s a big light rig, someone to control the lighting. A video wall is also an option. But again, I rent, charge the customer the full rental and take a discount from the rental guys. They’ll usually be there with a bigger transport than mine, be there earlier to set up (clearly I will be there to oversee the process, just indicating they will usually start setting up before I do) and they will be finished after I am done setting up all audio gear and sound-checking.

Don’t want to deter you and you can read the review over on the blog on the Chauvet all in one bars, two of which will get you started fine if you want to add something to your set: http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2015/07/review-chauvet-dj-jam-pack-silver-lighting/. Together with two stands and t-bars they will probably run you in the 300s or so. I seem to recall a similar setup already mounted on a t-bar and with stands, but can’t recall quickly.

I was at a gig last night where the DJ I was supposed to replace (it was warm-up for a concert, so not a very high stress “gig”) was using the slow time to update his Mac. The little progress bar got stuck at about 85% and never moved again. We did the boot to safe mode thingie, which worked. However, rebooting the Mac after that had the progress bar back and hanging again. He was playing off of RB sticks, so not having the Mac working was no biggie for that particular moment, but he needs the Mac for a gig on friday. Needles to say he was not a happy camper, even in the knowledge that he has a spare Mac just in case (which hadn’t be synced with his main Mac in quite a few weeks though).

So, I’d make sure I have a solid backup (TimeMachine) before starting the process and only starting the process when you know you have plenty of time to deal with any adverse consequences.

I’ll probably get to it this weekend.