DJ [midi] Controllers

[Aeros]

I'm talking about things like this:

http://www.hercules.com/uk/DJ-Music/bdd/p/...2-traktor-3-le/

 

and this:

http://www.behringer.com/BCD3000/index.cfm?lang=eng

 

What are you guys using and what are the ins and outs, the compatibility probs/ the hardware shortcommings etc that I should consider before deciding to get a toy like this.

 

Speak

[Getafix]

My girlfriend has a BCD 2000 & it works great with Virtual DJ. It's quite fun to use & the knobs, faders etc are quite sturdy. All the buttons come automapped with Virtual Dj, so using it is quite easy.

 

If you can afford to push your budget then i would give the Vestax VCI 100 or M-audio Torq Exponent a try too.

[TRohr]

If you can afford to push your budget then i would give the Vestax VCI 100 or M-audio Torq Exponent a try too.

The Vestax VCI 100 is absolutely amazing. I had one for about two weeks and was pretty damn rough with it, but even then it showed no signs of wear and tear. The faders are a little stiff but if your not into turntablism it's great; it's the size of a laptop but even thinner, it can control any program with midi in/out.... It's awesome.

[frosty]

My girlfriend has a BCD 2000 & it works great with Virtual DJ. It's quite fun to use & the knobs, faders etc are quite sturdy. All the buttons come automapped with Virtual Dj, so using it is quite easy.

 

If you can afford to push your budget then i would give the Vestax VCI 100 or M-audio Torq Exponent a try too.

ive got an m-audio torq exponent. it's realy fun and easy to use. but i want some cdj's now. dont know what people would say if i rocked up at a party with my laptop & xponenet

[Getafix]

^^

I doubt most people would even know or care what the dj is using to mix his tracks, as long as the music is good. Though i agree, mixing with cdj's is much more fun!

[acidkills]

^^

I doubt most people would even know or care what the dj is using to mix his tracks, as long as the music is good. Though i agree, mixing with cdj's is much more fun!

Yeah but is not as fun as with turntables

[dharma lab]

Having used a few different midi controllers for DJing, I can say alot of it comes down to preference, and to what level you want to take your sets to. I'm currently using 2 korg pad kontrols, and lovin it, cause I've mapped controls to all sorts of VST effects as well the DJ controls.

 

However, I will make 2 general reocmmendations:

 

1) Stay away from cheap equipment. Trust me, they all break & you end up paying again to replace it. I've come to live by the motto of buy less equipment, & buy quality equipment. Better gear also tends to hold it's value longer too, in case you decide to sell it later.

2) Stay away from controllers with USB only midi connections. I say this because most manufacturer don't mount the USB to casing, rather they have it soldered into the cicuit board, and sooner or later, the conenction goes wonky. It just doesn't stand up to the regular plugging & unplugging. I've had several pieces of gear no longer be detected properly because of this. I pretty much only buy midi equipment that has a standard midi port as well as as USB.

[TRohr]

most manufacturer don't mount the USB to casing, rather they have it soldered into the cicuit board, and sooner or later, the conenction goes wonky...

Ah, I never thought of that ; ;.... It's good that you brought that up; I use a lot of USB based hardware to record/produce to my laptop. I'll have to start being a bit more careful when I am yanking them around by their cords ^ ^;.