Help getting my head around a DJ setup (Traktor + DB4 + X1)
Help getting my head around a DJ setup (Traktor + DB4 + X1) Posted on: 15.10.2013 by Brain Pealer Hi all,1st post so please be nice! I've been slowly getting myself into DJing over the last 18 months after a friend started teaching me on his setup. I learned the basics on his totally analogue vinyl setup which I love, but I haven't the space for it. I also spend a lot of time travelling with work between two cities, so I tend to take my kit with me wherever I go, which makes vinyl a no no. So when I decided to start myself, I bought myself a Traktor S2 and started tooling around with mp3's and my laptop. I outgrew this fairly quickly and traded up for a Traktor S4 which has served me very well for just over a year now; its very portable so I can take it with me on my travels, and has all of the functions I want to make a decent mix (mostly drum & bass but I'm branching out). The S4 however is starting to get a bit worn from travelling, and some of the buttons are starting to get a bit iffy in their operation so I'm believeing of upgrading and branching out a bit more. My friend has an Allen & Heath mixer, and frankly the feel of it, and especially the sound of the filters (especially in DnB) are a massive draw and so I would love to get myself one, and have been believeing about a DB4. To retain some of the functions I've come to love from the S4, I'd also like to combine this probably with a pair of Traktor X1s, so I can still travel with these, and plug them into a mixer wherever I happen to be with my laptop & Traktor. I'm a little unsure though of how this setup would plug together. Particularly, I'm not sure how the Traktor software interfaces with both the DB4 - Do I require the Scratch Pro box, or can it be plugged in directly via USB? In which case, is this an easy thing to set up? I imagine then that the X1s also plug in via USB and all are managed by Traktor. My thought is that for my core setup at home, I'd do this, but if travelling, I'd probably need the scratch pro box and the X1s, and can then use that scratch pro box as the sound card and use whatever mixer is available to me. Is this correct? I'd love at some point to have a go with CDJs just so I would be able to use a club system if (when) I pluck up the courage to do some evening s at bars etc so I guess this is the right way to go. Finding this stuff to go and actually try in person seems quite hard though. There is a shop near me that does a lot of DJ gear but they're not well versed to offer advice or demos so I thought I'd try here..! | |
| Hipolito Scionti 18.10.2013 |
Originally Posted by Shishdisma
For the record the DJM900 has a built in traktor "scratch" certified soundcard if you ever wanted to use decks with timecode and not add a traktor soundcard... But if you're set on a db4 then do it |
| Latoria Kavulich 17.10.2013 |
Originally Posted by 450nick
Definitely worth picking up an auxillary soundcard for gigs, as mentioned you would not always take your own mixer with you. I do this, most evening s i would just take an x1, my audio 6 and a midifighter and leave my mixer at home. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 16.10.2013 |
Originally Posted by 450nick
If you buy a new Audio 6 or 10 the software and timecode discs are included. Otherwise if you buy a standalone card second hand you can get the software and timecode media here: http://www.native-instruments.com/en...e-kit/pricing/ |
| Tera Baragan 16.10.2013 |
Originally Posted by robdquick
|
| Brain Pealer 15.10.2013 | Hi all, 1st post so please be nice! I've been slowly getting myself into DJing over the last 18 months after a friend started teaching me on his setup. I learned the basics on his totally analogue vinyl setup which I love, but I haven't the space for it. I also spend a lot of time travelling with work between two cities, so I tend to take my kit with me wherever I go, which makes vinyl a no no. So when I decided to start myself, I bought myself a Traktor S2 and started tooling around with mp3's and my laptop. I outgrew this fairly quickly and traded up for a Traktor S4 which has served me very well for just over a year now; its very portable so I can take it with me on my travels, and has all of the functions I want to make a decent mix (mostly drum & bass but I'm branching out). The S4 however is starting to get a bit worn from travelling, and some of the buttons are starting to get a bit iffy in their operation so I'm believeing of upgrading and branching out a bit more. My friend has an Allen & Heath mixer, and frankly the feel of it, and especially the sound of the filters (especially in DnB) are a massive draw and so I would love to get myself one, and have been believeing about a DB4. To retain some of the functions I've come to love from the S4, I'd also like to combine this probably with a pair of Traktor X1s, so I can still travel with these, and plug them into a mixer wherever I happen to be with my laptop & Traktor. I'm a little unsure though of how this setup would plug together. Particularly, I'm not sure how the Traktor software interfaces with both the DB4 - Do I require the Scratch Pro box, or can it be plugged in directly via USB? In which case, is this an easy thing to set up? I imagine then that the X1s also plug in via USB and all are managed by Traktor. My thought is that for my core setup at home, I'd do this, but if travelling, I'd probably need the scratch pro box and the X1s, and can then use that scratch pro box as the sound card and use whatever mixer is available to me. Is this correct? I'd love at some point to have a go with CDJs just so I would be able to use a club system if (when) I pluck up the courage to do some evening s at bars etc so I guess this is the right way to go. Finding this stuff to go and actually try in person seems quite hard though. There is a shop near me that does a lot of DJ gear but they're not well versed to offer advice or demos so I thought I'd try here..! |
| Hipolito Scionti 18.10.2013 |
Originally Posted by Shishdisma
For the record the DJM900 has a built in traktor "scratch" certified soundcard if you ever wanted to use decks with timecode and not add a traktor soundcard... But if you're set on a db4 then do it |
| Brain Pealer 17.10.2013 | Thanks for the info guys, what a great community I will probably leave the DB4 at my house and either use the S4 or X1's and head phones for practicing when I'm away. I'd still like an Audio X so I can start playing out in the next 6 months or so and use bar/club mixers without having to take my own, though its less of a priority for now. Thanks a lot also for the recording link - very useful and looks like its a great bit of kit. Just need to save some money up now! |
| Nancey Inderlied 17.10.2013 | Considering that the DB4 comes packed in it's own travel bag, and is one of the lightest 4 channel mixers around, you'll probably be able to travel with it fairly effectively, provided you aren't playing in any crowded booths. An Audio X isn't really going to be needed, given that it's several hundred added to an already pricey setup, purely for the sake of shaving a couple pounds off of a bag. |
| Ciara Cuttill 17.10.2013 | just make sure you get the appropriate amount of stereo outs for the amount of decks you would like to use on the soundcard of your choice |
| Alphonso Deitchman 17.10.2013 | No physical cabling is needed to record with the DB4, you simply use one of the upstream USB channels http://xoneblog.allen-heath.com/?p=163 |
| Latoria Kavulich 17.10.2013 |
Originally Posted by 450nick
Definitely worth picking up an auxillary soundcard for gigs, as mentioned you would not always take your own mixer with you. I do this, most evening s i would just take an x1, my audio 6 and a midifighter and leave my mixer at home. |
| Edwardo Rothenberger 16.10.2013 | When you travel are you planning on playing to others, or just for yourself? If it's just for yourself, I would just take the X1's and listen on my laptop with headphones. I've got an A&H Xone92. I wouldn't want to be taking it with me all over the place, but if you're driving I suppose it wouldn't be much of an issue. |
| Alphonso Deitchman 16.10.2013 |
Originally Posted by 450nick
If you buy a new Audio 6 or 10 the software and timecode discs are included. Otherwise if you buy a standalone card second hand you can get the software and timecode media here: http://www.native-instruments.com/en...e-kit/pricing/ |
| Horacio Stranathan 16.10.2013 | I just got me a DB2 and two S3700's. I now have the best of both worlds as I will be picking up a couple of X1's so I can do CD, midi or whatever else my heart desires. The DB2/4 are amazing mixers and work very well with traktor out of the box. Totally plug and play and the built in sound card is convenient. |
| Dione Haimes 16.10.2013 | Your gona be travelling with a db4 lugged over your shoulder? What kind of travelling are we talking here? Town? State? national? Rather you than me mate. |
| Brain Pealer 16.10.2013 | Thanks guys, that seems fairly clear cut. I'll probably start by getting hold of a DB4 and a couple of X1s and then will pick up one of the Audio boxes so I can travel with it. Last question - I currently record mixes using the internal Traktor recorder, but this will obviously no longer fully work if I'm adding in effects externally via the DB4. What would be the best way to record in this case? Do I take a monitor feed out of the DB4 back into the laptop via some medium? |
| Alla Bluemke 16.10.2013 | if you are planning on playing out anywhere and controling 4 decks and the place doesn't have a db4 or djm 900 or whatever you will want a soundcard. |
| Tera Baragan 16.10.2013 |
Originally Posted by robdquick
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| Cassie Sangermano 16.10.2013 | He only needs an Audio 4/6/8/10 if he's planning to use timecode. Otherwise the DB4 has a built in soundcard which can be used. |
| Tera Baragan 16.10.2013 | If you want to use traktor you need a native instruments audio 4/6/8/10 as mentioned above. You seem to have everything else right for working with NI |
| Cassie Sangermano 16.10.2013 | Unless you're planning on using timecode, you don't need the 'scratch pro box' (Audio 4/6/8/10), just plug the mixer directly into the laptop, select the DB4 in the sound settings and you're done! When travelling, once again, if you're not using timecode, just pick up an Audio 2, connect it to whatever mixer you have at the time and run traktor in internal mode. If you do ever decide to go timecode though, might be best to pick up an audio 6 straight off rather than spending money on the Audio 2 as well (although the audio 2 is great as a backup sound card!) |
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