Upgrade Ideas
Upgrade Ideas Posted on: 31.03.2013 by Abby Beeny Hey everybody,Lately I have been wondering when the time comes if I should upgrade to CDJs or turntables. Currently I have an S2, F1 and akai lpd8. I have played a few gigs and I am currently about to start getting more and starting to try and put up posters and do events like parties, Stag and does, maybe weddings.Hopefully I will eventually play clubs but for now just events. Right now I am in a partnership with a neighbour that has been DJing since the 70's and I am suppose to take over for him eventually. He hasn't really kept up with the different gear and primarily been using just a laptop for sometime, so gear is my department. I like my S2 and its worked fairly well but I'm worried about if it starts malfunctioning or if I play somewhere with different gear and won't be able to use my own I won't know how to use it. So I decided to ask my fellow DJTT'ers. What would be a good idea to upgrade to? I've seen a lot of people use CDJ. I like the idea that with CDJ's that you can use CD's a usb stick or a SD card to have music. | |
| Alphonso Deitchman 31.03.2013 |
Originally Posted by Clilley13
|
| Abby Beeny 31.03.2013 | that mixer looks sweet!!! A big advance from the current mixer I use. This is the mixer that we use currently lol IMG_5742.jpg |
| Abby Beeny 07.04.2013 | So lately instead of buying gear and upgrading I have been making new maps for what I have and I'm really glad I didn't dish out any cash yet! I mapped my S2 for more effects, Eq on decks c&d, and to change the tempo of decks c&d. On the F1 I made a user map thats used from the insta grat map from the Ultimate Fx thread in the mapping section. I'm so happy the F1 map is so fun to play with! |
| Abby Beeny 01.04.2013 | good idea I've just been feeling like acquiring more gear lately but maybe I'll save up and get something really worth it |
| Alphonso Deitchman 01.04.2013 | Save your money for decent upgrades and additions. |
| Abby Beeny 01.04.2013 | I could do that too and not spend money lol |
| Alphonso Deitchman 01.04.2013 | You can learn to beatmatch fine on the S2, you just need to turn off the laptop screen. Or change the Traktor layout to one that doesn't have the phase meter and BPM. |
| Abby Beeny 01.04.2013 | Yeah I looked into it and they are pretty basic and older but maybe a good back up and helpful to beat match and mix without a laptop.if I can get them for a good deal. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 01.04.2013 | 100s are extremely basic so there's no point switching to them from your S2. If you want CDJs I'd at least go for 350s or 400s at the bare minimum. |
| Abby Beeny 01.04.2013 | Actually I found on Kijiji a pair of Pioneer CDJ 100's and a DJM mixer. The ad doesn't have a price on it but I emailed him if he had them and how much he was looking for. What do you guys believe of that? |
| Christene John 01.04.2013 | If you have spare cash, Gumtree can be quite good for picking up second hand CDJ's. Unfortunately it's not in everyone's price range, but i've seen sets go for half price and you can usually get all the gear you need. |
| Abby Beeny 31.03.2013 | I had the problem before I got the mapping, but I do have the mapping now. I'm debating about going back to the standard map and map whatever else I need too myself. |
| Farrah Manygoats 31.03.2013 | This isn't related to your decision, but I was wondering if you use Beaubryte's S2 mapping? I have the same problem with audio cutting out sometimes and I'm wondering if that's the problem. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 31.03.2013 |
Originally Posted by Clilley13
|
| Dedra Kreinbring 31.03.2013 | See if you can have a go on some CDJ's or turntables and see how they feel to you. I have an S2 and was in the same position as you, got some turntables, and never really gelled with them. Then got an F1 and enjoyed getting to use that on top of my s2 and getting a bit creative. |
| Abby Beeny 31.03.2013 | Depending on the functionality of the mixer I might even replace my S2 with it. Especially if features you could midi map it. |
| Abby Beeny 31.03.2013 | I'd say something more along the lines actively mix. For now I'm going to use my S2 but if I get CDJ's or turntables I would use it mainly for mixing. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 31.03.2013 | Are you looking for something to actively mix on, or something to connect everything up through? |
| Abby Beeny 31.03.2013 | @markar1 yeah I'm looking for more of investments in gear . Something I could use for a few years and that is solid and reliable. |
| Abby Beeny 31.03.2013 | that mixer looks sweet!!! A big advance from the current mixer I use. This is the mixer that we use currently lol IMG_5742.jpg |
| Alphonso Deitchman 31.03.2013 | The DDM is fine if you want lots of features on the cheap for bedroom use, but I believe the idea of the thread was to find something solid and more reliable for taking to gigs. |
| Georgie Lukowiak 31.03.2013 | heres the link , sorry haha ! http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/DDM4000.aspx |
| Georgie Lukowiak 31.03.2013 | I know Behringer was never really known for "quality" , but I have to say , the DDM4000 offers A LOT of good features for its price at 350-400$ 4 Channels, 2 mic inputs, 2 freely assignable and BPM-synchronized, high-quality FX engines (Bitcrusher, Resonator, Reverb, Flanger, etc.),Digital crossfader with flexible curve adjustment, reverse button and automatic, BPM-synchronized crossfading Not bad eh? |
| Abby Beeny 31.03.2013 | Good idea with the mixer. My neighbour has a mixer not sure what kind it is but maybe I'll just keep with that for now and playing gigs if anything happens I'll throw my Ipod on till I get things rolling again. |
| Abby Beeny 31.03.2013 | I'm believeing possibly 400-600. Depends if I will keep or sell my S2 cause I personally like the controller. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 31.03.2013 | Getting a hardware mixer would be a good place to start. You can easily route something like an Ipod though a mixer if anything goes wrong with the computer setup. |
| Neil Daavettila 31.03.2013 | Hmm dunno why that is. Never had any issues gigging with my S2. How much you looking to spend? |
| Abby Beeny 31.03.2013 | Ok I've gotten beat matching down pretty good. I also play drums, so what I learned playing drums has helped me a lot out in starting to DJ. I'm mainly looking for something that is pretty reliable. I've noticed that my S2 audio cuts out sometimes when I'm practicing at home and I have to turn the S2 off and on to get it back which could turn out bad if I was in the middle of a Gig! |
| Neil Daavettila 31.03.2013 | Turn all the visual aids off in Traktor, and then use the S2 as if it were a couple of CDJ's and a mixer |
| Alphonso Deitchman 31.03.2013 | The main thing to learn is how to manually beatmatch by ear. If you can do that, most gear transitions will be easy. |
<< Back to General DiscussionReply