Terry_42

Reloop Terminal Mix 4 is now available (and really awesome I have to say)
VCI 380 according to our shop will be delivered next week or the week after

Really would love to see reviews of those 2.

First you would have to tell us, where you are from. It is not the same in each country, but every country at least want’s you money in form of taxes… they are pretty consistent in that.

DJ basics are independent of the software you use, when I read Phil’s description, thankfully his course is software independent too.
But with these basics you will easily be able to master the software on your own, as all you need to do is look through the features and you are then able to decide how to use them to their full potential, without having to refer to traktor specific videos or tutorials. Even exploring new features will be easier if you have a solid foundation.
For example I had no idea about sample decks etc. when I crossed over to digital, but utilizing them was quite easy after I got the mechanics down, as I already knew what I was doing and what I was expecting from the feature, since I had used hardware sequencers and samplers in the past.

And there is no BEST software. There is the software that you feel most comfortable with and if that is VDJ, then by all means go Pro.

How many times do you guys gig within a month?

2-6 varies on my other jobs and hobbies

What type of music do you play?

Balearic/Ibiza-House, Italo-Dance, Dance, Eurodance, House, Latino-Dance, Crossover, EBM, lately a little Dubstep and Hip Hop also … a lot more actually (man I love so much music hehe each genre has some killer songs)

Where about’s do you play? (Bar, Pub, Club, Bedroom, Wedding, House Parties)

All of the above.

How much do you get paid a gig?

Depends

How Long are your sets usually?

2-6 hours (I try to keep it below 5, but sometimes weddings you work overtime…)

What do you Play on?

Currently S4+Traktor Pro or my old CDJ Setup, I am looking into Switching to Itch, but did not find the right controller yet (maybe the VCI 380 when its there…)

It is good to find one of the excellent DJ music pools out there, some are free and others cost you considerably less than buying 10 tracks a month. Most have excellent pre-listen on their webpage which mostly also works in the iPad. I like to pre-listen when I have downtime at work etc. and then download what I like at home or on the weekend. I find such pools very cost effective and due to excellent lists (comparable to mix cloud) made by fellow DJs nice to browse through. Some even allow you to make you own list to share with others.
I will not recommend any pool as probably each caters to other types of DJs and what I like might differ from what you seek.

I cannot give you pro advise on traktor as I have been evaluating which route I will go.
However I have played several gigs on a borrowed S4 of course using traktor and have been playing around with VDJ on a buddies ddj-ergo (yeah he is a bedroom DJ, but I just wanted to test-drive VDJ not really into the Ergo).

I have to say after a few weeks: Traktor get’s the job done, the S4 is OK, but IMHO very overpriced and the sound quality especially of the effects is excellent. But you pay with some lacking things, that some “Pro’s” might consider obsolete (you dare to use sync???) and that Traktor to me at least was not very intuitive and customizing it is a royal pain.

Playing with VDJ I have to say this software is hugely underrated and probably has a bad rep from older version (no idea). It worked well for me and at least through my monitors it sounds excellent and not unlike traktor. However some of the built in effects and the EQ are rather sad. However I found VDJ extremely intuitive and easy to customize, skins, VSTs etc. etc. etc. all really easy.

Now the software I liked most for sound, precision and effects was Itch, however I really dislike the Twitch I had for testing and I really do not find any Itch controller very appealing. I wish Serato would allow us to buy Itch for a controller of our choosing….

DJ Hessler, post: 10538, member: 537 wrote: That is totally wrong! The fact is that the ordience and clubs only suffer from kids who wants to be cool and plays for themself and not for the ordience! And to compete with a kid that has not payed for his music/sw and that does play for nothing is not the easiest, because most club/barowners I know has no knowlage about music/gear or how a good or bad DJ sounds like. He only count the money spent on DJs every week. The DJ who takes zero money in sallary is the best DJ to him! It is for me not a good thing that more people are being able to DJ because they have no barriers and nothing to struggle with today and that is not a good thing. It is too easy and to cheap to become a DJ these days IMO.

I cannot disagree more and I am someone who has the skills, has DJed for 15+ years on vinyl and CDJs.
Yes there are some club owners who will let the cheapest DJ win and you know what: Usually their clubs or bars suck beyond beleave and they will usually be out of business sooner than you can say zippo. If people do not like the music or mixes played they will go elsewhere, if the club is empty and not selling any drinks… it will die.
Thankfully there are still more than enough club owners or bars that hire DJs by reputation or by auditioning them. The crowd will then tell if you play the right tunes, the right effects and the right music at the right time. If you do, you will get hired as word of mouth propaganda is the DJs bread and butter and always has been.
Love and passion for your music cannot be bought.
So if the first poster buys his DDJ-Ergo, which actually is not as bad as you make it (ok the lightshow is a bit… off), and he has this love and passion for music, then he should go for it. Hell he can use a Mixtrack Pro if he does it right he might even win an audition and get a residency.

I welcome that the entry into DJing has become more and more easy. It makes it possible for people that have this love and passion for music, but cannot afford a 4k entry investment, to express themselves and possibly one day become excellent DJs all by themselves and I do not care if they use the SYNC button or not as long as I like what they play and how they mix it.

I for one, I am going digital. I do not even have my own controller yet (still researching which to get), god forbid as long as I do not have it, I use old CDJs or a borrowed S4 as I sold most of my other gear already.

Also on the topic in paying for music: It is really easy to get good music, legally, very cheap these days. iTunes and beatport are actually quite expensive, there are easy ways to get promos etc. In the old days do you really think I payed for the 5k+ vinyls I have in my cellar or the 3k+ CDs? 80% are promos, whitelabels etc. etc. etc. and today with DJ internet services it is even more easy to get those, back then we had to beg the labels to get a DJ listing even if you had a good residency, today you pay a small fee a month and you are hooked. I love that fact.
The hard thing: Choosing what music you actually will play and take out however has remained as hard as ever and will have much more impact.

I think those haters of young DJs using cheap controllers are just afraid of the competition, that they actually have to listen to music again and feel the audience to win an audition or to keep a residency.

So Darren, buy the Ergo if it is the right controller for you. Play out for audiences, let the feedback decide. Have fun at what you do, love the music you play and try to get better at it every day. This is what makes a DJ, not the gear he uses.