What Decks?

RosstheBossa said:
Have you considered the Pioneer XDJ-RX?
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Ross,
Both the 900 and the XDJ are viable options in a financial sense. There is a kid selling 2 brand new 900's on theftbay at the moment but they only have a feedback of 9 (?). Last week, they were 1500 for the brace, sounds too dodgy to me?
Its something (an idea) that I need to introduce gently to the missus really or she will feed my nuts to the dog!
 
Ive decided im going to take the plunge and have a dabble at doing a bit of mixing myself. Im not looking to earn money from it or anything like that. Just want to have a go and putting some mixes together for fun. having a 4 month old baby at home and a wife that wants him to do every baby class known to man means money is very very tight as is space.

So having had a look about it looks like the pioneer ddj sb with full serato upgrade for £249 is my best bet. Does this sound like a good place to start? Maybe later down the line if im any good and money isnt so much of an issue then i can progress to some cdj's.
 
My mate uses Sertao and I use Traktor. I would go down the Traktor route every time.
 
We both play a mixture of vinyl and MP3, so use the scratch facility on both playing through Technics.

Personally find Traktor has better response when using vinyl, but also it is aesthetically more pleasing than Serato and just more fun to use due to additional functionality.
 
So......
I never did manage to get some new CDJs. My DJ mate has just changed his DJM 2000 Nexus for a Traktor S8. Its a lovely bit of kit, but no jogwheels, he has some CDJ 2000nxs either side
Any thoughts on the S8?
I run Traktor PRO 2 still, but on a Macbook Pro that I still haven't paid for (IFCC) and don't know how to approach the missus about it lol!!
 
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Don't mean to hijack this but since there's quite a few knowledgeable heads watching this thread, I thought I'd pose my own questions regarding purchasing some decks...

So to cut a long story short, I've been laptop mixing for years but never invested in any hardware. Finally bought some cheap turntables last year and learnt to mix vinyl, then borrowed an old Allen & Heath Xone DX off a mate to get better acquainted with using actual hardware to mix electronically. Played a few house parties and surprisingly don't suck at it!

So it's now time to invest some money into my hobby... and I've had my eye on a couple of units:

http://www.thedjshop.co.uk/packages...-dj50x-and-hdj-700-dj-controller-package.html

Or...

http://www.thedjshop.co.uk/pioneer-ddj-sx2-s-dj50x-hdj-500-pro-dj-package.html

They're essentially the same unit, the RX being an upgraded version of the SX2 for Pioneers Rekordbox. I've used Serato since I started learning to mix electronically so I'm familiar with it (which has drawn me toward the SX2).

The price difference is fairly negligible (a tenner) and I figured for the price I'd pay sourcing 2 old CDJ's and a mixer, I'd rather buy into a new piece of kit I know is going to work for roughly the same money. Also, I don't really have the space required for a full size mixer/cdj combo so an all-in-one would suit my needs. I'm decided on the bundle since I need speakers for my room, although I'm currently negotiating with the sales reps to take the headphones off to save a bit of cash since I don't need them.

It's also worth mentioning that I'm not doing this as any kind of job (maybe one day) just want to invest in some good hardware that will last me a while.

So basically what I'd want to ask you lovely people are:

1. Is it worth it?
2. Would you recommend Serato or Rekordbox more?
 
BeachCava said:
Finally bought some cheap turntables last year and learnt to mix vinyl
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If you can mix on vinyl why not spend the money on upgrading your turntables/buying a good mixer and then just running digital vinyl? That's the system I use - I really find that you get the flexibility of mixing digital and vinyl and that way you aren't restricted musically. Also with the dvs traktor system you can still make full use of looping etc?

Why learn to mix with vinyls only to go down an entirely different route?
 
elmooreo said:
If you can mix on vinyl why not spend the money on upgrading your turntables/buying a good mixer and then just running digital vinyl? That's the system I use - I really find that you get the flexibility of mixing digital and vinyl and that way you aren't restricted musically. Also with the dvs traktor system you can still make full use of looping etc?

Why learn to mix with vinyls only to go down an entirely different route?
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@elmooreo is bang on with this advice. Ive just bought a used Traktor S8 (picking up tonight) for 500 sovs) I got some mint Technics 1210 decks 18 months ago, okay they set me back a bit but it will be a nice set up. I had been very foolish and sold my original 1210's on eBay a few years ago and they went for a song.

Anyway, one of the reasons I've gone down this route is that I just cannot afford what I really want in the Pioneer dept. Ideally, some cdj900nxs and a djm900nxs would be fine, but its anywhere between 2-2.5k for used. I can't commit to that at the moment. The S8, ticks all the boxes and I like Traktor.
 
Interesting Mr Diver, didn't realise you could run turntables through the S8, you'll have to let me know how that goes mate.

The good thing about holding onto a pair of technics is that they won't lose very much value and there will always be someone out there looking to buy a pair. I've just had mine serviced for the first time in 15 odd years and even then they didn't really need it just wanted to give them a clean up.

I've been dreaming about getting a rotary mixer for years now, that'll be my next purchase hopefully but god knows when I'll be able to justify it to the Mrs....had my pioneer DJM 600 for yonks now as well but still serves me well...
 
elmooreo said:
Interesting Mr Diver, didn't realise you could run turntables through the S8, you'll have to let me know how that goes mate.

The good thing about holding onto a pair of technics is that they won't lose very much value and there will always be someone out there looking to buy a pair. I've just had mine serviced for the first time in 15 odd years and even then they didn't really need it just wanted to give them a clean up.

I've been dreaming about getting a rotary mixer for years now, that'll be my next purchase hopefully but god knows when I'll be able to justify it to the Mrs....had my pioneer DJM 600 for yonks now as well but still serves me well...
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Yeah man, switchable on 4 channels between line in and phono.
 
elmooreo said:
Why learn to mix with vinyls only to go down an entirely different route?
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I see your point, but a few things stopping me from really considering this:
  • Not enough room for a full set up, a smaller condensed unit would be preferable
  • Turntables I have dont work very well, they're fine for mixing casually but the headshells and needles need replacing and the tempo tends to slip occasionally making any real DJ'ing a pain when the BPM's slip!
  • It would cost almost as much as the new unit to replace them completely and need speakers anyway
  • Cant afford put down a lump sum on used gear, a finance option is what I'm looking for in this case
  • I suppose the most important point is I just prefer mixing through a CDJ, since I switched from vinyl I just like it more
I guess I justified it to myself there, but I appreciate the advice lads.
 
BeachCava said:
Turntables I have dont work very well, they're fine for mixing casually but the headshells and needles need replacing and the tempo tends to slip occasionally making any real DJ'ing a pain when the BPM's slip!
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Are they technics? Should only cost around £100 per turntable to get them serviced and replace needles etc if so...

Fair play if space is an issue turntables not ideal and its true you will get better options on financing etc.

Really started thinking seriously about this little babe last night off the back of all this...really want to make it happen! Frustrating that the 2 channel version isn't a bit cheaper. May as well just pay the extra £400 for the big daddy...

https://www.decks.co.uk/products/mixers/rane/mp2014?gclid=CJmpx5z88coCFSwW0wodJHAPqQ#.Vr2ts7KLSUk
 
elmooreo said:
Are they technics? Should only cost around £100 per turntable to get them serviced and replace needles etc if so...
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Citronics PD1 Mk2, they're the same as these bad boys: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citronic-pd1-mk2-direct-drive-turntables-/252283846576

Picked them up a lot cheaper though, about £60 for the pair.... and this mixer: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gemini-PS2-Professional-Channel-Mixer/dp/B00DDPZSJW for £30. So we're talking as simple as you can get really.

It really does just comes down to space and finance for this new bit of kit.
 
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Best way to learn!
I learned on a very similar setup...Numark dj in a box...belt drive turntables! Those were the days!
 
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