What controller should I buy?

empirix

djbproductions wrote: »

I have never used Itch either, so it will be all new to me. I have a feeling that after I buy a new unit I will move to Traktor Pro (already using Traktor 3.2) which is great software. Traktor LE is fine for most but I like the effects on the higher versions.

thats it im a traktor man myself which is why i went with a mixer, x1 and traktor, simple and neat and keeping some of the setup old skool!!:)

A V A

with uc33e its pretty straight forward mapping which fader/knob i want to associate with a control in traktor but what i dont understand and dont has a grasp on is the buttons on the side what would i use them for eg if i have a effects i want and i assign them to the knows on the top do i have to trigger them with the buttons n the side to turn dem on?? just making everything clear before i buy one because this seems to me to be the safer and cheaper option for starting off

Zascar

http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=16469&d=1258672434
http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=16462&d=1258554837
This is a very good mapping for Traktor pro with printout etc.

Zascar

Guys I saw an interesting post here: http://www.djtechtools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12338



The Vestax VCM-100 is a nice basic compact all-in-one midi controller and sound card for Traktor Pro etc. Basically its great value as it has a basic mixer (no jog wheels but it has nice rotary faders). It has what is effectively a Maya 44 sound card built in (these usually cost about 100 lids). It also has Traktor LE with a cheap upgrade to Traktor pro so its a very cheap option to get a full working solution.

It is only a basic mixer but its got everything you need. I'm sure you could plug in a second midi controller for effects etc if you wanted. it's small size means it fits just in front of a laptop so fits in a very small space. An NI Kontrol X1 could be a good add on for it actually.

http://www.vestax.com/v/products/detail.php?cate_id=35&parent_id=8

ianuss

Zascar wrote: »

Guys I saw an interesting post here: http://www.djtechtools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12338



The Vestax VCM-100 is a nice basic compact all-in-one midi controller and sound card for Traktor Pro etc. Basically its great value as it has a basic mixer (no jog wheels but it has nice rotary faders). It has what is effectively a Maya 44 sound card built in (these usually cost about 100 lids). It also has Traktor LE with a cheap upgrade to Traktor pro so its a very cheap option to get a full working solution.

It is only a basic mixer but its got everything you need. I'm sure you could plug in a second midi controller for effects etc if you wanted. it's small size means it fits just in front of a laptop so fits in a very small space. An NI Kontrol X1 could be a good add on for it actually.

http://www.vestax.com/v/products/detail.php?cate_id=35&parent_id=8

It's a real shame there's no jog wheels IMO cos those rotary faders are a class feature and jog wheels would have made it so much more desireable

Zascar

I'm sure you'd get used to it, it just forces you to be better with the pitch faders. It would be nice to have nudge buttons but with Traktor pro and beatgridding neither is actually necessary.

djbproductions

Any thoughts on the American Audio VMS4? Looks like it will be GBP400, so with phono/aux inputs along with digital mixing via usb, might be worth checking out? I like the platters.

http://www.decks.co.uk/products/american_audio/VMS4

ianuss

djbproductions wrote: »

Any thoughts on the American Audio VMS4? Looks like it will be GBP400, so with phono/aux inputs along with digital mixing via usb, might be worth checking out? I like the platters.

http://www.decks.co.uk/products/american_audio/VMS4

Looks really cool. Seems a bit like a 4 channel Xponent with bells and whistles. However, If you're getting it with Traktor Pro it comes to £530, which ain't cheap.

A V A

Zascar wrote: »

http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=16469&d=1258672434
http://www.native-instruments.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=16462&d=1258554837
This is a very good mapping for Traktor pro with printout etc.

you just gave me a great help there and the way its layed out is kool a usefull when i get the uc33e lets hope im able to map it im useless with that stuf

im also wondering Zascar were would i trigger/control the effects on the layout you showed me with the routary knobs

i see the likes of felix cartal,sukin and gtronic using these and they seem to do alot of good with the uc33e and for somereason i think if i was to play at a place/club in town i looked at differently or as some say "frowned upon" would this happen??? i know theres the odd dj out there that is a gear snob or what ever but im just wondering

cheers

AtomCannister

Hey guys.

I have Traktor and am interested in starting to use it. I have my onboard soundcard and a USB one. What other things does one need?

I tried to read through the topic but I don't understand a lot of the brand names and terms used. Basically what stuff would I need?

Thank you very much for you time.

Atom

Zascar

You can use Traktor just on a pc without anything else. However if you want to monitor the cued track in your headphones, you will need an external soundcard something like the Native Instruments Audio 2 DJ - which can provide 2 channels of sound, one master out to the speakers and the second to preview in your headphones. Then you have a multitude of options as to what external controller you use, most of which is detailed in this thread so i won't go over it but ask any questions if you need clarification.

A V A

A V A wrote: »

you just gave me a great help there and the way its layed out is kool a usefull when i get the uc33e lets hope im able to map it im useless with that stuf

im also wondering Zascar were would i trigger/control the effects on the layout you showed me with the routary knobs

i see the likes of felix cartal,sukin and gtronic using these and they seem to do alot of good with the uc33e and for somereason i think if i was to play at a place/club in town i looked at differently or as some say "frowned upon" would this happen??? i know theres the odd dj out there that is a gear snob or what ever but im just wondering

cheers

anyone clarify that for me

ED E

Just had a thought, I have a Creative 5.1 card here, anyone ever used something of the like for dual outs. Presumably if it can run 5 channel sound it can run 2 channel too?

electrogrimey

A V A wrote: »

anyone clarify that for me

You won't get odd looks in clubs as long as you sound good. Most of the people you deal with in a club aren't DJs anyway, they just do the sound, or open the place, etc, so they won't know the difference.

There are loads of ways to map effects on the uc33e. You can use super-knobs, so when you turn a knob it loads a specific effect, triggers it, and sets the paramater controller by the knob.

Or, you could use the set buttons on the end to trigger effects, and just use the knobs as knobs. Just do it however you'd like, all it takes it selecting what you want the button to do, and hitting learn. Simples.

If anyone's interested, my M-Audio Fast Track Pro arrived this morning, I plan to use it as a 4 deck soundcard, I'll let you know how it stands up to the Audio 2 DJ quality wise.

A V A

cheers for getting back to me ye i suppose i thought that but as i do go to clubs that play electro music and all i do see people standing behind them or to the side or what ever and i just thought if i turned up with the uc33e controller people would just look at me or what ever just because im not using the cdjs and im " dj'n" the right way

A V A

*** not "dj'n" the right way ******

electrogrimey

I've been using my X1, the club mixer and my Macbook in clubs for a while now, and I've never had that. In fact, I even had a lighting guy say he much prefers people using Traktor because he can see the breaks on the waveform, which gives him lighting cues!

A V A

ahhh kool i see man i have been told by a friend that he got it done to him in a club but it either he was **** or else they were snappin that he did a better set than them haha im sure if some one said it to me about having a midi controller i would think about it for a split second and then tell them to p*** off ha all depends on your mixes and the tunes you play and how you connect and run off the crowd

mk7775

Hey guys, noob question here. Im thinking of getting a vci 100 and Im just wondering about different soundcards.

Specificially the audio 2 dj and the 4dj, can someone point out the major differences in the two in terms of say, use in a club, or hooking them up to speakers etc.

thanks

Zascar

afaik you only need the Audio 2 DJ. That's what I have, not sure why you'd need more channels if you are just using the VCI

electrogrimey

mk7775 wrote: »

Hey guys, noob question here. Im thinking of getting a vci 100 and Im just wondering about different soundcards.

Specificially the audio 2 dj and the 4dj, can someone point out the major differences in the two in terms of say, use in a club, or hooking them up to speakers etc.

thanks

The difference between the Audio 2 and the Audio 4 is that the audio 4 has timecode functionality with 2 decks. So, if you wanted to use Traktor Scratch, get the Audio 4, if you don't want to use decks, get the Audio 2. The audio 2 can only output 2 decks, so if you either now or in the future want to use all 4 decks, go for the Audio 8.

cian1500ww

Has anyone any experience of using the Behringer DDM4000 with Traktor Pro ?? Been thinking of getting an external mixer for doing the mixing and effects and just use my numark omni for cueing up tracks.

Zascar

SteveDon speaks very highly about it

electrogrimey

cian1500ww wrote: »

Has anyone any experience of using the Behringer DDM4000 with Traktor Pro ?? Been thinking of getting an external mixer for doing the mixing and effects and just use my numark omni for cueing up tracks.

I've had a bit of time with one, and it's a pretty good quality mixer. Feels nice, and the effects are good. It's a bit of a mind**** to use though I found, because of all the MIDI stuff. The effects on Traktor are going to be better though, so I don't see why you'd use effects on a mixer...

cian1500ww

electrogrimey wrote: »

I've had a bit of time with one, and it's a pretty good quality mixer. Feels nice, and the effects are good. It's a bit of a mind**** to use though I found, because of all the MIDI stuff. The effects on Traktor are going to be better though, so I don't see why you'd use effects on a mixer...

I was thinking of getting it so I could mix with four decks in traktor, I'd need some sort of a second controller to control the extra two decks as my numark omni only has support for two deck mixing so I thought I'd be better to just get a four channel mixer like the DDM 4000.

electrogrimey

cian1500ww wrote: »

I was thinking of getting it so I could mix with four decks in traktor, I'd need some sort of a second controller to control the extra two decks as my numark omni only has support for two deck mixing so I thought I'd be better to just get a four channel mixer like the DDM 4000.

I think with the DDM you're paying for a lot more than you'll use in that case. You'd be better just getting a simple 4 channel, decent quality, mixer.

Good quality 4 channel simple mixer - Vestax VMC 004

I'd go with that. You're going to be using Traktor's effects right? So you don't need to pay for effects you won't use. Same with all the MIDI stuff. You'd be getting more quality for your money than functions.

brianc27

not sure if its already been mentioned in the thread, im not arsed reading teh whole thing but if your planning on getting the NI kontroll X-1 for traktor and you have a mac then make sure you have at least the Leopard 10.5 operating system otherwise its not compatible, im on the old tiger 10.4 OS and need to upgrade to leopard which is 170 quid for it to work.

it does say this on the system requirements but retards like me don't usually look at stuff like this.

djliquid

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Just for the looks

For the Numark - make sure you get the Omni Control (vs the Stealth). The Stealth (in the US) does not have the headphone jack and you need a separate audio card.

djliquid

I didn't read all 2x pages but the 100 does not have a separate headphone output for cueing (at least in the US) which is total bollocks.

Zascar wrote: »

EDIT: As this thread has so much info in it I have changed the title and we can use this to discuss what controllers people are thinking of buying etc.

--

So I need to buy a new controller. I was using an M-Audio Torq Xponent, which I loved and served me very well, but I think its time I moved to Traktor. There is a reason dozens of pros use Traktor and almost none use Torq...

But, what controller do I get? There are loads out there and I want to make sure I evaluate all options and make the best decision on what to get.

So, I really liked the Xponent, the layout etc. The Vestax VCI-100 seems to be the equivalent for Traktor, and www.djtechtools.com do a custom one they support for software etc (not sure if I can get it over here though). Also it needs an extra soundcard which is a pain. However Then there is the Vestax VCI-300 which has an inbuilt soundcard and is higher quality etc - however it comes with Serato Itch, and I am not sure if the Mappings for Traktor Pro are any good.

Apart from that, are there any others I should consider? Or different directions all together?

Cheers

joker77

djliquid wrote: »

I didn't read all 2x pages but the 100 does not have a separate headphone output for cueing (at least in the US) which is total bollocks.

It's a midi controller - why should it have a soundcard?

jimi_t2

electrogrimey wrote: »

If anyone's interested, my M-Audio Fast Track Pro arrived this morning, I plan to use it as a 4 deck soundcard, I'll let you know how it stands up to the Audio 2 DJ quality wise.

I'm guessing not great?

RMD

So lads from my searches I've pretty much narrowed it down to these 3

1) Numark Omni (built in soundcard and supposedly pretty durable) 300 quid
2) Reloop DJ 2 (Same as above but have heard it's bad for durability) 365 quid
3) Vestax VCI-100. 450 quid approx, problem is then I have to buy an external soundcard which will cost even more.

I know the VCI-100 has the biggest fan base of those but really I don't have the budget for it as I still also need to some decent cans and monitors with it as well. I was thinking of going with the Omni and then If I do catch the digital bug I can upgrade to something like the VCI-100 or 300 or maybe even the A&H Xone DX. What do you guys think, any experience with either the Reloop or the Omni.

jimi_t2

RMD wrote: »

So lads from my searches I've pretty much narrowed it down to these 3

1) Numark Omni (built in soundcard and supposedly pretty durable) 300 quid
2) Reloop DJ 2 (Same as above but have heard it's bad for durability) 365 quid
3) Vestax VCI-100. 450 quid approx, problem is then I have to buy an external soundcard which will cost even more.

I know the VCI-100 has the biggest fan base of those but really I don't have the budget for it as I still also need to some decent cans and monitors with it as well. I was thinking of going with the Omni and then If I do catch the digital bug I can upgrade to something like the VCI-100 or 300 or maybe even the A&H Xone DX. What do you guys think, any experience with either the Reloop or the Omni.

Add the Xponent to the list for the love of god. Purpose built software (TORQ) as well so you're not running some dodgy pirated version of something.

jimi_t2

So I need to buy a new controller. I was using an M-Audio Torq Xponent, which I loved and served me very well, but I think its time I moved to Traktor. There is a reason dozens of pros use Traktor and almost none use Torq...

Endorsement Deals

ianuss

I would defo recommend the the xponent myself. I got one a few months ago and I think it's perfect for what it is. It's a great way to get started. And if you want to upgrade you'll have no bother selling it on I'd say. They seem to hold their value quite well.

You can play it staright out of the box too. And Torq is grand. The search options and database interfaces suck ass but apart from that I can't fault it. Having never used Traktor I can't really compare, but Torq does everything you need to get started. Undoubtedly, there are better and more expensive set-ups out there, but if you're just starting out it ticks all the boxes.

I got m-audio studio-pro 3 speakers, headphones and the xponent for just over €400 - all new.

electrogrimey

jimi_t2 wrote: »

I'm guessing not great?

Bit late replying...But it turned out not to work as a 4 channel soundcard, 2 of the outputs just duplicated the other two. I exchanged it for an m-audio Profire 610, which is working great. Really good quality, very low latency, 4 stereo outs, and 2 XLR/jack ins. It's also firewire, which gets rid of any USB slot trouble.

YOP1992

I'm thinkin of getting the Xone Dx, anybody on here use it before or that?

Zascar

It looks amazing - are you going to use it with Itch or Traktor?

Zascar

Lads, a question:

Quite a number of people have been asking me advice on controllers recently. Many want to go the same way I did and get rid of their decks completely and just have a laptop + controller setup. Thing is that the VCI-100 + Audio 2 DJ is fairly expensive. For someone who is only looking to spend €200 - €300 or so, what is the best value controller for Traktor?

Are the Numark ones any good? Which one has built in soundcard? What about the Hercules RMX?

BigDaddyCan

Zascar wrote: »

Lads, a question:

Quite a number of people have been asking me advice on controllers recently. Many want to go the same way I did and get rid of their decks completely and just have a laptop + controller setup. Thing is that the VCI-100 + Audio 2 DJ is fairly expensive. For someone who is only looking to spend €200 - €300 or so, what is the best value controller for Traktor?

Are the Numark ones any good? Which one has built in soundcard? What about the Hercules RMX?

i have the RMX and its proper order! i do 3/4 gigs a week with it and its solid! the sound card is solid but the NI ones are nicer sounding....

was.deevey

I second the RMX .. its a very sturdy (Heavy METAL!) piece of kit for the cash, the only drawback (if it can been seen as a drawback) is no touch sensitive jogs.

Also Hercules brought out a custom midi mapper for it a while ago which made things interesting.

Really cant go wrong with it for the price, i've never had a crash with it + Traktor yet...

Sound is grand with Traktor But noticeably better if Autogain / Master limiter is off and you keep the gains lower than normal.

Oh and the headphone volume is feckin loud!

clarke1991

hey guys!

so iv been dj'ing using virtual for about a year, but just from the laptop and im looking into getting this controler.. hercules rmx, any oppinions???

thanks in advance

was.deevey

Ummm see the 2 posts above you :P

Zascar

Is there much of a difference in the sound card that is built in to the RMX versus the Audio 2 DJ for example? How noticeable a difference is it? It's once that I notived when moving from Xponent+Torq to VCI+A2DJ+Traktor was that the sound quality on the Xponent was not as good. RMX looks like a lovely unit but if the SQ is not up to scratch then.....

was.deevey

I reckon it sounds better than a pioneer mixer, not that thats' saying much :P not sure how it compares to the NI card though..

Once your not driving the b0110x out of it.. it sounds decent enough, I guess i'd put it on par with the maya88.. Sure you could use the audio2 with it or upgrade later.

YOP1992

@Zascar I'll prob use it with itch for a while , and wait for the traktor mappings to be perfected

ED E

I use the TC and IO. €270 for the lot. I like it. Platic but a reasonable weight and sturdy. Nice layout. You can change the skin and it comes with traktor LE and Cue LE.

milltown

Zascar wrote: »

Is there much of a difference in the sound card that is built in to the RMX versus the Audio 2 DJ for example? How noticeable a difference is it? It's once that I notived when moving from Xponent+Torq to VCI+A2DJ+Traktor was that the sound quality on the Xponent was not as good. RMX looks like a lovely unit but if the SQ is not up to scratch then.....

Not all that noticable at all IMO. I was using the RMX as a sound card for my VCI while I was waiting for my Audio2 to arrive, then did a side by side comparison while I had them all. My 37 year old ears couldn't find any discernable difference, although that was just at home playing through 30w monitors.

I've no doubt any minor differences would be amplified (sic) by a club sound system but, conversely, from following some of the discussions on here, there seems likely to be bigger issues with the systems in many clubs that may render minor sound card differences moot.

Zascar

Ah yeah then I'm sure its absolutely fine. As I said in a few other threads, I had an Xponent for ages and loved it, but when playing out one of my mates commented that the quality was not great. I thought he was being over picky I thought it was fine. I later got the VCI + Audio2 DJ + Traktor, and it was only when a mate came over with his Xponent to play with me, did I notice a real different in sound quality. It just sounded a bit muddled and the signal was not as strong I don't think. I'm guessing it was more down to the actual Torq software than the sound cards though. The EQ's just sounded crappy in comparison to the VCI/Traktor which emulates the A&H mixers.

€300 for a decent quality 3 channel midi is pretty dam good.

Zascar

Looks like a pretty good layout etc I have to say. Just the basics well laid out as you'd expect them, wouldn't mind a play with this to see what its like in comparison to the VCI...