What equipment would you buy for your first setup if you had
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What equipment would you buy for your first setup if you had Posted on: 28.05.2013 by Bernard Pulizzi Hello all, this is my first thread on this community
, and I'm happy to be here!I am a practising producer finally ready to pick up some gear to take DJing seriously and put in the time. Therefore, I am looking to create my first setup with a budget of around | |
| Antone Kazim 07.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by makar1
The SC2900 does have hot-cues, seperate start/stop time adjust, jog-wheel torque adjust, and a BPM master sync type thing (similar to the 2000nexus I believe) in addition to all of the CDJ900s features. It also has (in my opinion) a noticably superior jog-wheel, in fact I'd say it's the best jog-wheel I've used. It is butter-smooth and doesn't feel at all mechanical, and the different torque settings are each sufficiently different to be useful. The pitch slider I felt is marginally better on the CDJ900 (I just prefer the feel of them) but after a couple of weeks with the 2900 I'd almost forgotten this. The SC2900 is also noticably heavier than the 900 and feels somewhat more solid. I doubt there is any real difference in build quality between them, and neither feel anywhere near the old CDJ1000 in terms of weight/cost ratio (a ratio I may have just made up), but the 2900s hard casing and extra weight is noticable over the 900. The screens are comparable- the 900s is slightly bigger but this extra space is just used to display an extra line of text (useful when using the player's screens to browse music -see below- and to space things out a bit) and the waveforms are pretty much identical on both. I don't use my 2900s with an iPad (Apple products just arn't my thing), but I do use them via D-Link connected to a network switch, and then into a small 10" netbook running Engine software. This way the tiny netbook is just used to the side as a music browsing screen (controlled 100% via the 2900 onboard controls so no need to touch the netbook) as I've never been a fan of using a laptop when DJing. For me the Engine software does have a slight edge over Rekordbox (and I am a big fan of RB)- I find Engine much more intuitive when using it simply as a linked record crate, and I've had zero stability issues when linked to the players unlike Rekordbox with my 900s. So overall they are very similar- (and indeed anyone who has used any full sized Pio-CDJ could play on an SC2900 blind-folded, they are laid out & function exactly the same) but for me the 2900 has the edge over the 900, particularly in terms of the extra features and the excellent jog-wheel, in this sense it sits somewhere between the CDJ900 & CDJ2000mk1. The fact it costs less than a CDJ850 is remarkable and does make you realise how much you have to pay simply for the Pioneer name. That said, I would still swap these in for the CDJ2000nexus in a heartbeat given the funds, but I would happily recommend the SC2900 over a CDJ900 all day long unless the user is regurlarly playing in Rekordbox-player-equipped venues. The CDJ850 for me is a complete white elephant at it's current price- not even having D-Link or Quantize (vastly improving the use of the auto-looper) and costing more than the SC2900. For me: CDJ900 < SC900 < CDJ2000. For me the 850 is so far behind these three that unless a pair were available for an absolute bargain of a second-hand price they wouldn't get considered. Think that covers most of it Makar! Apologies for the slight thread divergence, hopefully some might find some of that useful though |
| Antone Kazim 05.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by HigherFi
I traded my CDJ900s for the SC2900s and I couldn't be happier with them and the x1600 (that I brought with my CDJ900s) is incredible. With that budget though I would likely be looking at second hand CD/media players (at least CDJ 900s / SC2900s /SC3900s) and then the best mixer I could afford depending on my needs- assuming all the other components were covered (e.g. headphones, monitors / sound system etc). |
| Alphonso Deitchman 04.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by HigherFi
|
| Gaynell Rydberg 02.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by johney
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| Kristofer Krauel 02.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by manchild
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| Augustine Mitzen 01.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by makar1
for me personally - nice filter >>> fancy fx |
| Rena Estabrook 01.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by manchild
If I had to start over again, a pair of Audio Technica LP1240 and a Rane 62. Under 2500 if you know how to shop around. |
| Shan Bauerly 07.06.2013 | I'm a very happy camper with the Denon kit. It feels and functions as great as it looks and Engine is coming along nicely. I have both 29s & 39s. 39s are every bit the turntable my techs were, and more. 2900 are my 1st CDJ but I actually prefer them to the spinning platters most of the time. |
| Antone Kazim 07.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by makar1
The SC2900 does have hot-cues, seperate start/stop time adjust, jog-wheel torque adjust, and a BPM master sync type thing (similar to the 2000nexus I believe) in addition to all of the CDJ900s features. It also has (in my opinion) a noticably superior jog-wheel, in fact I'd say it's the best jog-wheel I've used. It is butter-smooth and doesn't feel at all mechanical, and the different torque settings are each sufficiently different to be useful. The pitch slider I felt is marginally better on the CDJ900 (I just prefer the feel of them) but after a couple of weeks with the 2900 I'd almost forgotten this. The SC2900 is also noticably heavier than the 900 and feels somewhat more solid. I doubt there is any real difference in build quality between them, and neither feel anywhere near the old CDJ1000 in terms of weight/cost ratio (a ratio I may have just made up), but the 2900s hard casing and extra weight is noticable over the 900. The screens are comparable- the 900s is slightly bigger but this extra space is just used to display an extra line of text (useful when using the player's screens to browse music -see below- and to space things out a bit) and the waveforms are pretty much identical on both. I don't use my 2900s with an iPad (Apple products just arn't my thing), but I do use them via D-Link connected to a network switch, and then into a small 10" netbook running Engine software. This way the tiny netbook is just used to the side as a music browsing screen (controlled 100% via the 2900 onboard controls so no need to touch the netbook) as I've never been a fan of using a laptop when DJing. For me the Engine software does have a slight edge over Rekordbox (and I am a big fan of RB)- I find Engine much more intuitive when using it simply as a linked record crate, and I've had zero stability issues when linked to the players unlike Rekordbox with my 900s. So overall they are very similar- (and indeed anyone who has used any full sized Pio-CDJ could play on an SC2900 blind-folded, they are laid out & function exactly the same) but for me the 2900 has the edge over the 900, particularly in terms of the extra features and the excellent jog-wheel, in this sense it sits somewhere between the CDJ900 & CDJ2000mk1. The fact it costs less than a CDJ850 is remarkable and does make you realise how much you have to pay simply for the Pioneer name. That said, I would still swap these in for the CDJ2000nexus in a heartbeat given the funds, but I would happily recommend the SC2900 over a CDJ900 all day long unless the user is regurlarly playing in Rekordbox-player-equipped venues. The CDJ850 for me is a complete white elephant at it's current price- not even having D-Link or Quantize (vastly improving the use of the auto-looper) and costing more than the SC2900. For me: CDJ900 < SC900 < CDJ2000. For me the 850 is so far behind these three that unless a pair were available for an absolute bargain of a second-hand price they wouldn't get considered. Think that covers most of it Makar! Apologies for the slight thread divergence, hopefully some might find some of that useful though |
| Alphonso Deitchman 06.06.2013 | How do you compare the SC2900s and the CDJ900s? I'm guessing the Ipad integration makes a difference as they're pretty similar otherwise? |
| Antone Kazim 05.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by HigherFi
I traded my CDJ900s for the SC2900s and I couldn't be happier with them and the x1600 (that I brought with my CDJ900s) is incredible. With that budget though I would likely be looking at second hand CD/media players (at least CDJ 900s / SC2900s /SC3900s) and then the best mixer I could afford depending on my needs- assuming all the other components were covered (e.g. headphones, monitors / sound system etc). |
| Shan Bauerly 04.06.2013 | Wow, that really sucks, eh? |
| Alphonso Deitchman 04.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by HigherFi
|
| Shan Bauerly 04.06.2013 | http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=REG&A=details http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search...op+Nav-Search= Done deal. |
| Gaynell Rydberg 02.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by johney
|
| Kristofer Krauel 02.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by manchild
|
| Augustine Mitzen 01.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by makar1
for me personally - nice filter >>> fancy fx |
| Rena Estabrook 01.06.2013 |
Originally Posted by manchild
If I had to start over again, a pair of Audio Technica LP1240 and a Rane 62. Under 2500 if you know how to shop around. |
| Addie Engbrecht 31.05.2013 | If I had $2500 to spend on a set up........I'd prob get a Rane 62 and two technics 1200.....might set me over the limit a little. Again, Im talking about me. Best of luck w/ your decision |
| Alphonso Deitchman 01.06.2013 | It's a nice mixer at a good price, and the main difference as you've noted is the lack of FX. |
| Bernard Pulizzi 29.05.2013 | I've been looking over the past day and it looks like I'll actually be able to get a pair of CDJ 900s in good - excellent condition for less than brand new 850ks which quite excites me! Do you guys still believe the DJM 250 would be a good 2 channel choice for this setup? Although I know most of the features of DJ and production gear, I'm pretty thick when it comes to mixers, e.g how much better could the top of the line possibly be from the lower ranges (aside from additional effects etc?). What do you guys the DJM 250 to use with the CDJ 900s? I'm pretty dense when it comes to mixers.. I'm not sure how the price can vary so much between mixers, when it SEEMS (please correct me) the only additional features to note are more effects? |
| Anissa Perusek 29.05.2013 | Refurb products aren't in stock 95% on the pioneer store. I call EVERY day. Seriously. It's the same lady answering the phone. Poor lady. |
| Gaynell Rydberg 29.05.2013 | Ahhh. That sucks Refurb store is the only reason why I consider Pioneer. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 29.05.2013 | There is no Pioneer Refurb store here, and the 900s are about |
| Gaynell Rydberg 29.05.2013 | It's a pretty big budget IMO. You can pick up a pair of refurbished CDJ900s from Pioneer for 1700 and have enough leftover to get a very nice mixer. |
| Audrey Pinda 29.05.2013 | Honestly, it really depends on what you want to do. After investing in my Macbook Pro (which I needed for more than just DJing because my old computer's motherboard fried) I had to make a similar decision. For me? I decided to go with Turntables, Serato, and a 2 channel mixer. That being said, turntables vary drastically on price depending on what you get, Serato SL1 is $200-300, and a decent 2 channel mixer is pretty straightforward. Using Serato, I don't really worry about if I'm going to show up to a club and have to play on CDJ's or turntables, I'm always prepared. And I prefer turntables, but they just aren't always there. I can use CDJ's in HID mode, or I can just use timecode CD's. That being said, it does require a decent computer. Most of the time I honestly just run the SL1 box off bus power and don't even plug my computer in. I've NEVER run into an issue doing that so far. I was really looking at the CDJ-400's at the time before I made my investment into turntables though. There really is something to be said for mixing with just USB sticks or CD's. But honestly, I really like the visual waveforms, and it's something that really helped me learn. I'm believeing about in the near future picking up a set of CDJ-850k's because it's a good thing to practice what you're going to be playing on. But I don't know if I'll ever fully make the switch away from time-code vinyl as my main playing device. I bought a Novation Twitch, and I sold it in about a month. I really liked it, but I found I never used it. It just didn't keep me nearly as interested in spinning as using turntables. There's just something about the moving platter that really just speaks to me and gets me really into the flow of things like nothing else. All of my best sets have been when I've been able to really just use turntables and not believe about it. Do what you believe is right. If you can't right away, save to make it happen. Buy once, don't regret. |
| Bernard Pulizzi 28.05.2013 | do you really believe that is a large budget? do you know of any reputable places to buy second-hand DJ products? |
| Gaynell Rydberg 28.05.2013 | What makar1 said. Although I believe you could probably fit a 4 channel mixer with that large of a budget. |
| Bernard Pulizzi 28.05.2013 |
Originally Posted by makar1
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| Alphonso Deitchman 28.05.2013 | I would go with a DJM 250 or Xone 22 over the Reloop, as Pioneer and A+H are what you see in clubs. You also get filters which are otherwise very rare on 2 channel mixers. You can also save a huge amount of money by getting used CDJs. |
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