Isaiah Furrow

Thanks to whoever mentioned Reaper above, I’d read about that somewhere recently but didn’t know it was a free DAW. So far I’ve played a little with Maschine 2.0 and Audacity. I’m not looking to spend a fortune but would totally try something else that was reasonable. Have toyed with the idea of trying Studio One artist, but will play with Audacity, Reaper, and likely look into other free programs first.

I’ve been looking into stuff more, as I have a friend that I’m going to ask to collaborate with me, and he plays keys. I don’t play keys at all so I ended up picking up Maschine Mikro. But my buddy doesn’t have a lot of cash and I’m hoping to talk him into picking up something so we can work together, even if I have to help fund it partially.

Things I’m looking into, for us, and would be on my list if I played keys at all…….
MPK Mini Mk2 at $99
MPK25 at $199
APC Key25 looks cool at $129

My buddy said 25 keys isn’t enough, 49 would do though… his keyboard/synth thing(Yamaha) is the size up from 49, sixty something. I’d think 49 would be a happy medium as far as size, price, and usability.

With that said, I’m going to look into the Novation Launchkey 49, at $199 it looks to be cool. I’m gong to look into the software that comes with each of these as well. The Launchkey has a 25 key at $149 and a MINI at $99. I would guess that all of these would be good options unless there’s a reason you wanted the pads on a separate controller than the keys.

I play some simple percussion but no other instruments. That is part of why I chose the Mikro. Also, it’s SMALL….
Just my thoughts, hope it was somewhat helpful…. now to read the above comments again to see if I can snag a nugget or two besides putting Reaper on my list of stuff to check out…. Keep us posted, and best of luck…

I’d second the full Serato DJ advice…. but I did thoroughly enjoy Intro for about a year, so I’m sure you’ll have time to sew up the hole in your pocket first… 🙂 Keep us posted on how the Vestax works out for you…

I’d say save up another $100-200 and look at a 12″ EV ZLX powered speaker, or the new Thumps. Get one and do a couple house parties with just that one speaker. Use the $ from those parties to add a second, then sub/s….. Even if doing a free house party for friends/practice, or because you have only one speaker so far, you could make an announcement, pass the hat for $ for another speaker, etc…. Best of luck, let us know what you’ve decided to do and how it works out for ya…

I just saw a linky to this in my email… was going to ask if all is working as it should in Serato Intro…. Was going to suggest that as a way to check if it’s a hardware or software/configuration issue. If all seems well in Serato, have a good long play or two with it to make sure it’s all good, while you could still return/exchange if necessary. I’m sure eventually someone with Traktor may be able to help you out, best of luck to you. Let us know how it’s working out for you, the MC2000 and a Neon is on my list for compact/backup setup if/when my Mixtrack Pro2 ever fails. May pick up the Neon to use with the MTP2 in the meantime anyway, and to use with my TM8 just set up for a dedicated SP6 player mostly… When the time is right, I’m going to try some CorrosionX on my MTP2 and see if they play nicely together…. then in Ellaskins style I’m going to torture test it, not with a bicycle, but with a Budweiser and Mt.Dew, and see if the corrosion x spray is a DJs new best friend…. I’ve seen it make PCBs work underwater in person, but can’t bring myself to try it until I have funds to replace it with the MC2000…LOL Anyone ever hear of doing something like this?

I would imagine that something like the Reloop NEON would be great with a MC6000 Mk2. I may have to add that combo to my short list, and as I develop my workflow more I’ll know how that would fit. My next upgrade will be some sort of analog mixer or a controller with that functionality.

I would wager, that if used sparingly, say during the first bit of your set, and as part of some sort of routine including a little bit of performance, they’d be OK. That is the only way I’d use them live. Not that I’ve played a club though. I could see how that wouldn’t fit mixing the kinds of music you’re talking about though. If you can figure out how to fit it into the beginning of your set, and not be over the top, I’d go for it. Just my .02……. thanks D-Jam for the linky…. I think I came across that once before. Keep shining peeps……

DJRizki… it was not a situation where I was DJing, and I don’t care to elaborate on the forums really, but I’ve dealt with police under a few circumstances. Hit me up personally if you’d like to get acquainted on a personal level and maybe I would share more. Look me up on FB, or @gmail without spaces or capitals. I’m on youtube under simply my first and last name.
More on topic. Update 2.0 says that you couldn’t identify your gear and prove it was yours. Another reason to make that obvious, and this has me thinking about identifying gear as mine. Maybe some stickers with Property Of: and your name, company name, phone # , etc. Having other stuff on hand or in your vehicle, may also help. Sorry to have learned so much from your unfortunate circumstance, but thanks again for sharing, it was truly helpful. After I showed my wife this thread, she informed me that I am not to leave my gear at any gig ever again. I’d previously left some lighting, cabling, and my table at a gig in a friend’s garage overnight. I know the person well, it was kept locked overnight, and this is a small community, but things do happen…. Keep shining folks…. Isaiah

If you don’t need the mixer functionality, and the difference in layout isn’t a biggie to you, I’d say you really can’t go wrong with the Reloop TM8. The pads over or under the jogs can be a biggie for some folks. Also, the leds in the jogs may be a factor for some folks, having that spinning indication of where the track is at. Another difference is that the SX/SX2 can be used with a pair of mics, the TM8 has only one mic input. Not an issue for me, yet. Honestly, with the aux input, if I would set my iPod up to be an at the ready backup I’d be pretty set, for now…. I really like the TM8, and it seems to be built well, and really was well thought out in the implementation of controls over Serato, minus the newly added features like Flip. I’ve not been able to get SLIP MODE to activate from the hardware, but Reloop told me to update my firmware and that should fix it. I haven’t done that yet so cannot comment on whether or not it worked. Maybe Terry or another Terminal Mix 8 user can chime in and give you more feedback.

I have also noticed that Reloop is showing a hard case for it now on their site. My retailer/supplier cannot get them just yet in the states, but I’m sure it’s on the slow boat and will be here eventually. Deciding if I should wait for the hard case of get an Odyssey Redling BRLDIGITALXL as it seems like it would just fit the TM8. For the price and what you get that bag looks like a good deal. Another plus for the Pioneer is that it seems their products have almost immediate support as far as cases and decksavers. Flip does look like fun, but I’ve been working on learning to use Maschine(have the Mikro), and also Audacity, for making mashups and edits. I’m still getting to grips with the full Serato DJ, so it will be a while before I’m ready to start experimenting with additions to my workflow such as Flip. The Reloop NEON looks nice, and is priced nicely. I could see that being a great add on for people wanting the newest functions, such as Flip, or MC6000 users or others wanting some pads and the updated functions. Just my .02, and that’s US currency so probably only worth about .01….. 🙂 Glad my long winded post was somewhat helpful. Keep shining and keep us posted.