Todd Oddity
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Todd Oddity
ParticipantAh, bags and backpacks… I get way too excited about these things for some reason…
So, here is what I’ve owned recently:
– Magma Riot XL pack – way bigger than what you need, but after about 4 months of use is holding up well, and it water resistant (seriously, the guys at DJWorx threw a loaded one into the shower for a bit to see what would happen). While the XL would be WAY bigger than what you’d need (I carry a 12″ mixer in mine, plus various controllers, laptop, Crane stand, cords, etc, etc – ya, I’m not good at being compact) they do have smaller models which should fit your needs. My only beef is I sometimes find the zippers on the main compartment to be a little sticky to get started. Pricey, but so far solid.
– Big Namba Studio Backpack – I used this when my main piece of kit was still a Denon MC6000 or a Vestax VCI-400 and loved it. This pack was crazy comfortable to wear, held everything beautifully, and looked just lovely as well! This was my daily use pack for over 3 years and while it does have a few loose threads on it, it has held up beautifully. Again, this one is bigger than what you’d likely need, but they make a smaller model (which was reviewed here). Also pricey, but highly recommend.
– Oddessy Redline DigitalXL – this was a messenger style bag, not a backpack, but I’m adding it to the list just because of the experience, and in short – it wasn’t a good one. Threads coming out all over the bag. One of the zipper pulls broke off on the main compartment. One of the clips that held on the shoulder strap broke off. You get the idea, it was falling apart. And all of this was after less than a year of use. No excuse for that lack of quality for the prices they were charging, and hence why I listed it here – stay away from anything you find from them.
Bags I haven’t used, but that look interesting:
– Fusion bags (that zip away stuff would be great).
– Slappa bags (these are more style oriented, and boy do they win out on that front)
– Jetpack (hey, if it’s good enough for Jazzy Jeff, and they’ll print your logo on it)Good luck!
ParticipantMeh. People love to rag on Windows, but go to the technical support forums and there are piles of Mac users experiencing issues as well – they just choose to ignore that fact when they preach “it just works”.
The bigger question is this – what else is on your PC? Most PC issues are caused by conflicts, and those start happening when you have a lot of crap on your system. Is this a dedicated PC or are you using it for day-to-day stuff too? Did you do a clean install of Windows? Do you run an optimizer before you DJ on it? There are lots of ways to make a PC run smoother than anything else available, but you do have to know your way around a little and take some time maintaining it (I do give Mac points on this front – you don’t need to be as knowledgeable about maintaining your system).
ParticipantI normally use a few hot cues to mark various start points in the track, and then yes, drop them live to start a mix. The next few mark breaks and such and are just there so I have a little clock reminding me exactly how many seconds I have left to pick another track. In some cases I will also use them to hop over parts of songs (ie. if there is a long break I don’t want to sit through I’ll drop a hot cue at the end of it and on the last beat before the break, hit the hot cue and, boom, skipped that).
With most controllers having 8 per deck available, play around with them and use them however you feel works for you.
ParticipantI second Yamaha. I install MGs as distribution boards at the bars/clubs I do sound for – specifically the MG10. It would do everything for you BUT the turntable (which you could just run through one of your controllers as needed). Very high quality. Solid build. And some models have a USB soundcard in them so you can even use it as a backup should your controller fail.
ParticipantSounds like a sound configuration issue to me. As with all audio problems – start with the basics:
– Make sure your speakers are plugged into the right jacks on the back.
– Make sure you have the upfaders down on the channel being cued, and (if using it) the crossfader to one side.If you go over all the switches and such and they seem to be where they need to be, then it’s likely a configuration issue. Take a screenshot of your audio configuration window and I can try to help. As it’s LE, there shouldn’t be too much to tinker with.
ParticipantI tend to use the logic “get as many channels as you can afford” – and if you buy into that logic, then having access to 4 is better than access to 2. With any used gear it’s important to make sure it’s in good shape and you’re buying from a verified source. But from what you’ve described, a used SX in good shape will be far more valuable to you than a new SR. I just looked quickly at the two you linked to, but my first thought was that $699 seems a little high… Haven’t really priced them out though.
ParticipantJust to be sure, when you downloaded the software (I’m assuming you got a code and not a disc), this is the page you went to?
ParticipantHi Jim — That’s what got my attention. The LE version should not have a 10 minute limit. You should open a support ticket with Atomix and try to get the issue fixed and a refund for the monthly subscription (which is $19.99, not $9.99, and will add up quickly).
ParticipantJim, that doesn’t sound correct. Are you sure you installed the correct version? I believe the Mixtrack 3 comes with LE.
ParticipantAs the format is brand new support is still quite limited, and exclusive to NI gear at the moment.
In theory it is open source and could be adapted by anyone. In theory.
ParticipantYou can’t. To do what you want everyone needs to be using the same software.
Participant^ Um, if there is always a buzz sound when you connect your computer to power you have a serious issue somewhere in your setup. That shouldn’t happen. Ever. It indicates a serious grounding issue.
Participant“4. Standalone seems to be only quite rock solid option, if you want stability. Sad but true.”
Not true at all actually. I wouldn’t trust standalone units any more than anything else. I’ve had CD players die mid show. USB keys that won’t read. Anything that requires digital processing of one sort or another to run is subject to the occasional glitch.
ParticipantAs already said, waiting for unannounced technology is pointless as no matter what you buy and when, there is always something else newer in the pipe. Don’t let yourself get sucked into that “must always have new shiny” cycle. If you want to go without a computer, and you’ve set the RX as the high end of your budget, then you have a few options but not a lot.
– There is the unit from Stanton, and it is very affordable although no longer even close to being cutting edge, but a recent software update for it shows that they are still giving it some love…
– You could get a pair of CDJ350s with USB sticks and a small battle mixer. It wouldn’t be the most portable of options but it would give you that result, and might be a little cheaper depending what mixer you settled on.
– Or you could just go with the RX. It has more than enough features on it that you should be happy for some time.
ParticipantStatic isn’t a controller problem – static is a hardware problem. All electronics can do wonky things when they get hit with a blip of it. It also really isn’t that common. If you go reading the forums for all the threads about problems, you have to remember the thousands of people who had no issues at all and therefore didn’t start a thread. To put static in perspective, I’ve had an issue with in once in five years. And after that incident I upgraded my cabling and don’t expect to run into such problems again.
All of this to say, a quality controller will be quite reliable. Just as reliable as CDs ever were (they did skip every now and then too), and don’t even get me started on the non-stop glitches that can happen with a pair of turntables… Chopped up tennis balls anyone?
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