Isaiah Furrow

Oh man, wow…. So sorry to hear that… I’ll be pulling for you to get some more good paying gigs soon to recoup. Did the police make a report of the missing stuff? Do you know any of the people from the party or the homeowner? Hope you can track it down, and recover it, plus interest…. that’s just wrong.
I guess we can all take a lesson from this, DON’T ever leave your gear at a house party, in a situation like that I would have to insist to the cops that I’m not leaving, not without my gear. I don’t think they could really MAKE you leave, nor keep you from taking your gear. Maybe they’d take down your license info and such in case the homeowner came back and tried to say you stole “his” dj equipment or something. I would have just hung around, or if I left it would be cause the cops forced me to via handcuffs and cruiser, or let me load out my gear. Maybe a buiseness card and other “evidence” that you really are the DJ and it’s really your gear may have helped in that case. Things such as contracts, other portfolio type stuff, your business license, showing them your speaker covers and other bits in your vehicle/trailer. I’m considering magnetic logo for my vehicle. Explain to the cop that this is your business and livelihood. Also, another reason to look into insurance, something I’m hoping to be able to get done soon.
Again, so sorry to hear of your loss. Wishing you the best.

Hello,
I’m still pretty new, I spent about a year playing around with Serato Intro and a Mixtrack Pro 2, along with some analog toys I was using for recording stuff and just playing vinyl. For the last few months I’ve been playing with Serato DJ and the Terminal Mix 8, also still using the MTP2 with the full Serato a good bit. I’d say the TM8 is a great controller. I ended up choosing it over the DDJ-SR, was wanting something with/for the full version of Serato, and just managed to squeeze the TM8 into the startup budget. I liked the jogs, 4ch mixer section, RGB pads, long pitch faders, etc.
At the time the Denon MC6000 Mk2 or DDJ-SX2 weren’t around yet. I’m already looking to upgrade in another year or so, to a controller with the standalone mixer feature. I like that the TM8 has the aux thru, and I’ve used it for a couple things already, such as recording a cassette demo tape into digital. Someday I’d like to be able to try DVS though, and having the ability to have a mixer still, with a pair of backup media players would be optimal. Hoping a couple more options similar to the SX2 come along, and definitely going to look into the SX2,and MC6000 Mk2 further while my finances recover… 🙂 Hoping in the meantime Reloop makes Terminal Mix with a standalone mixer built in, as I really love the TM8, for reasons above and similar to something Terry mentioned in another thread. Layout. It’s similar to what I started on, with pads above jogs. You mentioned not knowing if you’d prefer jogs or not, coming from the Twitch. With that in mind, preference might be toward the layout like the SX/SX2. I’m not sure I could go back to not having the RGB pads, but will still give the Denon another look to be fair and thorough.
If you can squeeze it in your budget, and not figuring in headphones and other bits, I’d say you should seriously consider the SX2. I’d also say that if you’re squeezing other bits into the budget, or just not needing the analog mixer function, that you should not overlook the TM8 either. It is mains powered with an aux, so you have that backup when needed. It will run the analog input source through software, so it is recorded. I haven’t checked on the mic being in recordings. Terry might be able to chime in on that. As Phil stated in the DDJT review, it really does give outstanding control of the functions in Serato DJ, the views, SP6, etc… Well thought out. It did come out before Flip though, so if that matters to you, it doesn’t have buttons specific to that.
I’m sure others will chime in, let us know how your thoughts progress. Especially if you’re able to check them out at a retailer. Thought I’d chime in though, as a TM8 user who loves it, but is already thinking about a future upgrade and drooling over the SX2, while praying for a standalone Terminal Mix to come along before I do enough gigs to end up buying the SX2. Surely the TM12 or whatever it would be called would come out soon after, Murphy’s law. I hope Pioneer DJ keeps it together, having just been sold, same for Denon although that’s a little different. And I say again, I’m still a NOOB, so my .02 may only be worth the USD equivalent… 🙂 Sorry for the book, best of luck!

Those would be for different software I believe, at least in the “out of the box setup”. I would echo advice I’ve read on DDJT and other sites, choose the software, then the controller to go with it. I’d consider the price of adding the full software of choice, or the value that having the full version adds to the price of a more expensive controller. Also, consider starting with a full version and a controller designed to make full use of the software’s features, at least if you’re fairly serious. The new Reloop add-on controller is something worth checking out, as it adds all the extras to something like a Mixtrack Pro 2 or MC2000, etc. Again, that would leave you paying for the full version of Serato.
My first controller choice was a VDJ controller made by Gemini, and after having to send back 2 in a row to AMS, I tried a different controller and now I’m a Serato user. I wasn’t heavily into VDJ yet at that point and am quite happy with Serato. I’d love a go on Traktor someday, but from what I’ve read and seen it’s probably not the right fit for me, at least at this point. Not bashing on Gemini, just my experience and the reason why I’d be hesitant to buy any other product from them.
Let us know where you’re at 2 weeks later, oh, and there’s a great buyers guide and such on DDJT if you hadn’t already found it. Signing up for some of the free trainings will also get you some more info on this, I can see the “JOIN FOR FREE” bit at the bottom of this page right now, and it gets you a “How To Choose A DJ Controller” book. I’ve taken the 50 Part free course, found it and DDJT through YouTube actually, and it had a wealth of info. I’m getting that series of e-mails again now and still find it valuable. Look at it this way, it’s worth doing the leg work when you’re thinking of making a purchase like a new DJ controller. Keep us posted.

Had an issue with my last attempt at making this post, hope this isn’t a “double” once the last one shows up….
I’d have a look at some lower end PA speakers such as the EV ZLX series(I have 2 12″ ZLX tops and love them), or the new Thump series from Mackie. These are at the lower end of pricing for PA speakers from well-known companies, and should be a quality product. There are others out there I’m sure, in a similar price/performance range. An option might be to save for a single speaker, and then save again for the second one, and go from there. You could do a small house party or two from one decent 12″ full range PA speaker, for friends or family, and that might help supplement the saving process for the second one. Hey, $50 extra going into the jar one weekend always helps…
Let us know your thoughts after auditioning some speakers in a store.

With the recent news of Serato and the DVS espansion, giving DVS capability to a whole slew of products and more to come, this is a good time to be looking into DVS setups I feel. I would have a look at the software choices, Virtual DJ, Serato DJ, Traktor, Mixvibes, etc…. (no particular order) As I’ve seen advised on here and elsewhere, it would likely be best to think about the workflow you’re looking for and decide on a software, THEN look into the hardware suited for that choice.
I am a Serato DJ user, and until the recent news of the DVS expansion pack, I didn’t see myself spending the $$$ that would be necessary to give DVS a try with Serato. Until recently the choices were Rane or Pioneer mixers, DDJ-SZ, and little else. Now the Denon MC6000 Mk2, DDJ-SX2, and some others have all been given the ability to do DVS. I’m hoping for a mixer for Serato similar to the Kontrol Z2 for Traktor. I had actually been considering picking up a Z2 and giving Traktor a try, but may think about that more now as more options are becoming available.
If you mean that you’re looking for a software controller that will allow you to plug in your turntables for playing actual vinyl, then there are quite a few options for that. Not all of them have inputs for both of your decks, such as the aux input on my TM8.
Let us know a little more about what you’re hoping to do, and your budget. Also, if you’ve had a look around since the OP, let us know what you’ve found, what you like or is on your short list, etc…. Personally, the next controller I buy will have a standalone mixer function. I can’t justify the DDJ-SZ but may have another look at the new SX2, and hope that in the time it takes for the current setup to pay for it’s self, more options will become available, such as a Terminal Mix with hardware filters and standalone mixer with DVS functionality. Keep shining, and I’ll keep an eye on this thread…. Hope my .02 was helpful. Looking forward to input on this from Chuck, Terry, and others with more knowledge/experience than I. Take my input with a grain of salt, as I’m still a NOOB myself. Best of luck…..

I somewhat agree with the above statement about beat matching and using club gear not being that far off of what you have at home. The question I have about this topic is this: When using my gear at home I have developed a workflow and use features that aren’t on CDJs and DJM mixers. Such as hot cues. Why anyone would spend the amount that a pair of CDJs cost, and buy a product without cues is beyond me. So, how does one go about practicing their set the way they will have to play it on a CDJ/DJM setup? Do you just practice mixing the tracks and leave out the rest of your performance for a gig like that? To me, this doesn’t seem like a good plan, and having to go in and compromise your performance to use their “industry standard” gear is just BS in my book. I don’t live in an area where there are many “clubs” or venues that have their own gear, so I don’t see that being an issue personally. Eventually I’d like to get some gigs at “clubs” in nearby cities, but I will likely NOT take on a gig if the venue won’t permit me to perform as usual. Just thoughts…. I’ll check back later to see what others have to say to the OP. Keep shining and keep us posted….

I can give no input on the Vestax gear, as I’ve never used it or even seen it in person. I can however say that the TM8 is NICE! I haven’t used mine a great deal yet, but I would say that build quality and sound quality are good. Volume level is plenty loud, mic sounds good. Buttons, knobs, faders, etc… all feel sturdy and well built. The Aux input works great either through the software or straight through, although I did notice a lower volume when not routing it through the SW. There was plenty of volume left on the knob to bring it up to the proper level though, and it sounded good either way. Keep us posted.