Todd Oddity
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April 27, 2017 at 4:16 am in reply to: macbook pro 13 or 15 (retina, non retina) for DJing? #2552251
Todd Oddity
Participantmacbook pro 15 2011, 2012
I feel like I read there was a serious build quality problem with the 15″ non-retinas of this age. I’m not a Mac guru though, and I can’t remember exactly what it was that I read. In any case, might want to Google it just in case it was something relevant to the unit you’re looking at.
Participantpick tracks that no one will have heard of so you can stand out
Ummm…. no. lol
While Allen hasn’t really given us much to go on, if it is indeed a “bar”, as Vintage pointed out, it’s more than likely an open-format kind of place. Picking tracks no one will have heard is a surefire way to come off as someone who won’t appeal to a mainstream crowd.
ParticipantReloop hands down – I’ve used the Wego1 and Wego3 and as Vintage mentioned, while they might be okay for just goofing around, the layouts make them rather non-intuitive for DJs. It’s nice in the latest version that they’ve added a filter, but still no gain adjustments – which leads to worse sound from an already average-at-best soundcard.
So the Reloop has better pads, better jogs, better channel controls, way better pitch faders, better output options… You get the drift.
ParticipantI vote with Vintage here – regardless of what people think of Denon and their new Prime series, it is absolutely about to shake up the old “industry standard”. Pioneer will be forced to upgrade their lineup or risk losing market share. Other companies will see this change as a chance for them to jump in too as these types of shake ups don’t happen very often (about once a decade from my experience). Throwing down good money on even the top of the line NXS2 line right now would run the risk of getting quickly devalued as new ‘next generation’ models hit the market.
All of that said, even if none of that was true, a controller still sounds like a better fit for you. Easy to take with you and easy to use at a gig. More features equals more fun to be had! SZ/RZ are getting to be pretty large – you’d have to REALLY want that extra large jog to justify the space and the expense. You will need to narrow down what software you want to use, and that will help with the next step of selecting gear you’ll be happy with.
ParticipantWhat are your computer specs? Win 7 means it is older so possibility it is under-powered for the task.
ParticipantCurrent setup:
– Denon SC2000 (x2)
– Reloop Neon (x2)
– Denon X1600I actually have two of these systems – one stays loaded and ready for transport to my shows, one stays set up in my home studio. If I have a smaller show I replace the mixer with an Akai AMX and drop the two Neons. That makes for a nice little compact system for smaller parties. All of this is connected to a Win 8.1 laptop running a custom mapped version of Virtual DJ 8.2.
I ended up going the modular route because I just was never fully satisfied with the all-in-one controllers available. I didn’t like being forced to use the internal software mixer even on units advertising stand-alone functions. I didn’t like that controllers were becoming bigger and bigger (defeating the portablity idea) and being one solid chunk there was no negotiating on how to make them fit. The mixer was the biggest issue for me. I really like having a full-sized hardware mixer in the middle of my setup.
While I’ve been pretty satisfied with this setup, I’m making a major switch and losing the laptop soon. I’ll be keeping the X1600 mixer, but pairing it off with a set of the new SC5000’s. All the same features of my modular controller setup, easier to setup, and no laptop required. I’m pretty excited.
ParticipantOof. Ya, upon a closer inspection, I stand corrected. I didn’t realize they had made quite so many changes between the RB and the SB2. The SB2 is a fun little unit to play on. The RB looks like it maybe cuts back on a few too many of the basics.
Consider my recommendation for that route revoked. lol
Participant“No sellers are currently delivering this item to the United States”
Bah! FFS… Vintage and I were just talking on another forum about how stupid it is for companies to insert regional roadblocks in front of their customers. Dumb, just dumb as a business model.
Oh well, good luck!
ParticipantI won’t argue with Peter about his troubles, but I can’t agree with them. I experienced almost the opposite. But everyone has different experiences.
A couple of places I used to play switched out their Denon dual-decks for the Pioneer CDJ-100S (those little silver ones). I liked the nice big jogs (big compared to rack mounts, not compared to modern tabletop units), but reliable they were not. So many disc read errors. Minor scuffs rendered discs unplayable. The only significant issues I had with Denon dual-decks were the very early generations didn’t like some of the cheaper brands of CDRs – but that issue wasn’t limited to just Denon. My car didn’t like them either, nor did the Pioneer deck in my home stereo. Well that and a lot of bars didn’t take very good care of their equipment, but I can’t fault any manufacture for that. Don’t clean or care for something for 6 years and ya, you should expect trouble.
But I do have to take some serious issue with you saying the SC5000 isn’t a significant advancement over the comparable Pioneer units. If you don’t see the differences, then you are willfully not looking. I don’t get excited about DJ gear that often – but these have me full-blown excited. All the features of modern software and controllers in a completely stand alone unit? Yes please! Now if you aren’t interested in those features, that is fine. Everyone likes what they like. But to try and downplay them as nothing new? That’s just silly.
ParticipantA quick click through to their site showed me links to Amazon. Find what you want, order, ship, voila! Shiny new gear on your doorstep.
ParticipantAs a hobby? Ya, I think you’ll be fine with the RB too (I assume that’s what Vintage meant to suggest). It’s nicely laid out and has everything you are likely to need to play around and have some fun.
Later on down the road if you decide to move from hobby to something more defined, you can upgrade then.
ParticipantHaha – yes, if you can manage to sneak the budget in – the Prime series are absolutely amazing. Real gamer changer stuff there.
My suggestions were based on keeping you inside the Rekordbox ecosystem. And I was referring to any of the R-series, RZ, RX, RR or RB. They’d all give you similar compatibility. Unless you **really** needed the size, RX over RZ. Not enough difference to justify the significantly extra cost.
But back to the amazing Prime series for a moment. Fedde LeGrand just switched over too. Posted an unboxing on Instagram this morning. Woot woot! (Sorry, letting a little of my Denon bias slip out there! ha)
April 6, 2017 at 2:37 am in reply to: Difference between Dance Music Formula and Music Production for DJs?? #2546291Participant@NewDJ – Not that Vintage needs me to jump to his defence, but his reply wasn’t “snarky” and lecturing moderators how to speak to you isn’t going to win you a lot of friends. But more importantly, if an off-the-cuff comment like that set you off, let me be blunt – this isn’t the right industry for you.
The bar business, the DJ business, and the music industry as a whole are full of people who will be snarky with you, for no better reason than they don’t like your shoes. They’ll bad mouth you behind your back to get ahead. All kinds of nasty. Not trying to discourage you, but you’re going to need a thicker skin.
This site on the other hand is normally a pretty welcoming place full of friendly people. So try to be a little more appreciative of the delightful goodness that is DDJT. 🙂
ParticipantKeep this in mind – you’re never going to run into XDJ 700s nor XDJ 1000s in a bar. If they provide equipment at all (many no longer do) it will most likely be some vintage of CDJ – anywhere from ancient old CDJ 1000s up to the newest of the new 2000NSX2. None of those have the same workflow as the 700 or 1000 you’re looking at. Yes, there are similarities and you’d be able to adapt quickly, but the same could be said moving between a controller and a CDJ.
“I kind of like the setup of separate devices…”
Now this I can relate to, I’ve dabbled with the all-in-one controllers but always end up back with some kind of modular system. The thing is, I’m making my life difficult, but I’ve been doing this a very long time and understand what I’m doing to myself. lol I’ve weighted out the pros and cons of longer setup times vs. very specific niche features I want to have access to and decided to go the modular route. From how you describe what you want to do, I’m not sure you’re making a strong case for the extra work involved.
SO… My thoughts on your situation (and keep in mind, these are just my thoughts and you are in no way obligated to listen to me in the slightest – ha) is if I were you, and the bars/clubs you want to play at indeed have newer generation CDJs that you want to be able to use (make sure they actually do – “industry standard” is a rapidly fading term these days), I’d get myself a new laptop, one of the Pioneer R-series controllers, and set yourself up on Rekordbox DJ. Boom – best of both worlds.
– You have a good controller and laptop for whatever shows you want to do that don’t provide gear.
– Your music is already setup in Rekordbox should a show provide equipment you do want to use (just export a playlist to a stick and off you go)ParticipantOh – I’ll also add that Long & McQuade staff around here are insanely helpful. If you do in and tell them what you want to do they can talk you through all the options and show them to you in person.
Good luck!
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