Professionality vs. Saving Money
Professionality vs. Saving Money Posted on: 19.06.2011 by Eugenio Cheverie Hey DJTT...So. Right now I'm running traktor 2 pro with a numark mixtrack and midifighter classic, macbook pro 15" and a NIO 2|4... a nice lightshow and a nice soundsystem. I run a mobile dj business and have had quite a few gigs this past month. My problem isn't the music or lights or sound or dj's (me and my friend)... but our controller. The damn mixtrack, as great of a beginner deck as it may be, just makes ME feel really... cheap and unprofessional. It does work.. and pretty well, besides the tactile buttons that just give me hell (though the left jog has been a little TOO sensitive recently... 'specially when we spin a dubstep track with lots of table shaking bass...). I'm wondering... Is it worth it to sell my mixtrack and soundcard (I figure I could get... 250$ for them both?) and upgrade to something that looks, feels, and responds with a little more beef? Back in my gear shopping days (when I was oogleing over the mere thought of having a pitch fader...) I loved the Numark Mixdeck and what it seemed to offer. After more recent research, however, it seems like the Mixdeck is not what I thought it might be... kinda cheap, problematic, and not awesome. I love the pioneer CDJ's... but they're way out of my budget of <$600 and they don't all have midi functionality... Do I just have massive GAS or is a small midicontroller slightly unprofessional? And if it is worth the money... are there any good beefy controllers that feel, look, and respond better than the mixtrack? | |
| Loralee Erban 22.06.2011 |
Originally Posted by Street Knowledge
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| Loralee Erban 22.06.2011 | the good days... having someone else to blame... still dunno if id have a use for all that shit.... you'd press summit and be like "wow, so thats what that button does"......."oooo ima press this... kool that makes it louder"....... "what happends if i do this"....."bollocks no fucking sound again"!!!!! |
| Kiyoko Wellisch 22.06.2011 | oh to be a world famous DJ, capable of employing a team to do nothing but set up your gear... |
| Loralee Erban 22.06.2011 | still be annoying having to set that up :P get a 2 hour slot and be like alright i need 14 hours to setup and about 3 to take stuff apart..,, |
| Kiyoko Wellisch 22.06.2011 | tbh man he's go so much gear it'd be like "woops no sound. oh well fuck that I'll just start using the next controller" :P |
| Loralee Erban 22.06.2011 | Yeah just watched the video ha and realised theres 3 lemurs fuck having to controll that... "I HAVE NO SOUND" * where the fuck do i check first * |
| Kiyoko Wellisch 22.06.2011 | Dude, that mixing desk is part of the setup. That's how many channels he's using. |
| Loralee Erban 22.06.2011 | Jebus 2 ipads 2 jazzmutants a machine and a. Behringer??? 0h em geee haha mental setup though i wants one for my bedroom |
| Kiyoko Wellisch 22.06.2011 | He was using that for a while I believe. This year I believe he's using this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugnSmDu4a3c |
| Loralee Erban 22.06.2011 |
Originally Posted by Street Knowledge
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| Loralee Erban 22.06.2011 | Nah, link me |
| Kiyoko Wellisch 22.06.2011 | Ahaha fuck the 4d man. The ableton rig he takes on tour with him. |
| Loralee Erban 22.06.2011 | 4d?? Or a new one? |
| Kiyoko Wellisch 22.06.2011 | Have you seen richie hawtin's set up? oh my. |
| Loralee Erban 22.06.2011 | Or get a mixing consol and midimap that... If you spend like over 5000 on a consol you WILL look serious! |
| Kiyoko Wellisch 22.06.2011 | Honestly man I feel that the best way to come across as professional is to ditch controllers that are designed to look like CDJs + a mixer. A whole bank of knobs looks much more serious than jog wheels. |
| Quiana Sedey 22.06.2011 | Do you ever absolutely NEED the cd mechanisms? If I were you I would just get a nicer controller, and ditch the cd stuff. All your music is on your computer anyways right? I have RARELY had someone actually hand me a cd during a gig, and if they are insitent/paying my booking/etc, I have a crappy old discman that works just fine. I am currently running a numark stealth and a midi fighter, but am probably going to sell the stealth off and buy an X1. I absolutely love the stealth, but it is HEAVY, and carrying it out 3+ evening s a week is getting tiring. |
| Ralph Alderette 21.06.2011 | I dont know about American Audio stuff, or cdj.s.... but Ive heard good things about the Stanton C.324's and you could prob find them for the same price or cheaper |
| Eugenio Cheverie 21.06.2011 | Hmm this mc6000 looks pretty damn good... Anyone have anything on the American audio 1000's? A guy wants to sell me two of them, a mixer, and case for 700. Am I getting a good deal? |
| Delma Tuskey 21.06.2011 | I had a play around with the denon MC6000 when I was buying the DN-SC2000. The thing is built like a tank - exactly what you want for mobile set ups - can also take external inputs to it as well. The jogs are not that bad for a controller - certainly no patch on CDJ's though(mainly due to size). If CDJ's are out of your league the denon could certainly do a job. best thing to do though is get a demo of it. It is quite cramped but thats due to the sheer number of buttons and knobs on the thing. Sounds excellent as well |
| Eugenio Cheverie 20.06.2011 | Thanks for all the replies.... An after a evening
of sleeping I certainly have less gear lust.. Haha. That denon looks really nice.... How are the jogs... Too small? I like the bigger jogwheels because I believe they feel really nice... I actually really like the size of the Mixtrack jogs... But I read the denons are smaller than the s4? Honestly, I wish there was a cheaper version of the ddj... The size and IDEA (i understand it's pretty mediocre...) but it's just too pricy for me... As far as the itch goes... No jogs :O. And serato! :O ay! Haha. I looked bit also at the reloop jockey 3... Any thoughts? |
| Tatum Ansaldo 20.06.2011 | *cough*TWITCH*cough*..... small and portable but much higher quality and better featured than the mixtrack. And within your price range i believe. |
| Audrey Pinda 19.06.2011 | For a mobile DJ, the mixdeck is pretty stellar in what it can offer. But then, I totally understand where you are coming from. The problem is, if you want "professional" it comes with a "professional" price tag. I'd honestly just save up the money you are earning on gigs, and try and get a pair of CDJ's when you have the chance. And if this is your business, I'd go with the CDJ 2000's. Part of your setup and sale of your business IS "wow" factor. Also, people "in the know" are going to know the amount you've put into your system, from speakers, lights, and especially the gear. I dunno. It's one of the things, that to me, seems so difficult to get into with a mobile business. It's something I've talked about with friends, whom we've talked about it. What it comes down to though, in all honesty, is operating within your budget to the best of what you can afford. If it takes time and a few more gigs? Well that's what it takes. And having the mixdeck is always something good to hold onto, so you can have a back-up if you ever DO need one. |
| Vita Kleine 19.06.2011 | Word. Not to mention, sometimes less is more. It all does come down to preference. Although I must admit it is difficult to avoid 'gear porn' impulses... Some people love to see DJs with an arsenal of gadgetry, but really, is it worth it? |
| Ralph Alderette 19.06.2011 | Traktor S4, Denon MC6000, etc.. well I used to feel that way when I first got my Numark Stealth, even though its VERY well built and never gave me any problems. Really though, its all up to your personal preference. I now mix with my External mixer and soundcard bc I like to believe there's a sound advantage.. As for controllers being slightly "unprofessional"- not at all, as long as you pick one thats high quality. Ean use to only use the VCI100 and a novation keyboard before that. I've seen S4's in clubs, and with professionals (Pete Tong, Porter Robinson,...). Why not try your luck with an external mixer and an X1 if its bugging you? Personally, I prefer a simplified setup with spacious controls, so I now use my Stealth strictly as my FX/Transport controller next to my mixer. What other controllers are you considering? |
| Vita Kleine 19.06.2011 | Yea definitely man... Numark's NS6, NI's S4, you might have heard about them over the last year... no big deal! I wrote up a pretty decent comparison of those two (link below) along with Pioneer's DDJ T1. Definitely worth taking a look at as I am currently in the same boat, upgrading from the Mixtrack Pro. http://www.djranking s.com/community /showthread.php?t=31888 Someone had mentioned elsewhere how underrated the Denon MC6000 is, and considering the features and price point offered, I'd have to agree. So definitely give that controller a gander as well. Too bad it wasn't on display at Guitar Center otherwise I would have included it in my post. I imagine my only complaint would be that the layout looks a bit cramped... Btw, good job with the name. Glad to see some fellow Chicago residents! |
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