DJ Help!

[ssc456]

Hi guys,

with all these MAc threads floating around at the minute i didn't want to hi-jack any for my question.

Here's the deal at the moment i have the very best DJ equipment around i have a set of CDJ2000s and a DJM 2000 mixer which to buy new will set you back around £5,000 (which it did)

Now don't get me wrong i absolutely love the stuff and in an ideal world wouldn't trade it for anything. BUT heres the issue i'm starting to DJ in a few clubs and all of my songs are on my laptop as the CDJs link directly to the laptop and reads the tracks like it's connected to an external hard drive. The clubs i go to don;t have this kind of technology they just have the older CDJs for your more traditional CDs.

Not my cousin had a similar issue so he has gone out and got himself a Controller (Pioneer DDJ T1) it's on;y a grand brand new and it's an all in one unit so easy to move about and he's got himself a Macbook pro to run it from.

I'm thinking abotu selling my stuff for £4k getting this controller and a macbook pro for £2k and having 2k spare.

I'm just really in 2 minds at the moment as the stuff i have at the moment is literally the best DJ gear money can buy you and i think i might regret getting rid of it. But it's just too much stuff to be mobile enough for me to take to the clubs??

Maybe this is better saved for a DJ forum as apposed to computers but i know we have a wide range of members in here that can hopefulyl help.

also it's probably mroe about the principal than it is the details. If you had the very best of something which you had wanted for a very very long time then you realised that it it wasn't actually ideal for you and you could get something cheaper that's does everything you need but it's not the best would you make the downgrade?

 

[root]

I've got a friend who (aside from living only just down the road from you in Brackley). Had the same problem.

In the end (about five years ago). He just made a midi sequencer/controller
The setup is exactly the same as a regular dj deck so he kept the same feel of when he moved from vinyl. I gather it didn't cost him too much.

Whether you choose to make one or buy one isn't really important.

The main hint is that you're taking your computer win your tracks on it, so just take your own desk to, make sure your desk supports as many output options as possible,

(jack/RCA/xlr) and you should find that most clubs will be happy for you either to swap out your desk, or just let you put your desk as the channel in for the existing club desk.

If you're planning ontrying this show up early and at least talk to the equipment owner first to make sure that thy are cool with that.

If I were you I wouldn't sell the stuff you've already got at that kind of loss. (I'd try to get more than 4k)

But it does seem that you're a bit late to the party, probably should have been buying the controller to start with rather than the mixer.

But at the end of the day, you should definilty be getting the mac and the controller.

Having seen someone turn up to a gig with 1bag and play for hours I can't see how this won't be the future.

 

[ssc456]

What do you mean by he made a midi controller?

I can use my decks as midi controller but it's simpyl the fact that there is 2 big old seperate decks then the chunky mixer then all the power cables and audio cables and netowork cables. I take them down the pub once a month for a slot down their and it iritates me as i have all of my wiring down the back of my studio at home and have to take it out every time. (could be resolved with spare wires lol)

I have to admit there is a second reason behind this thought. I'm looking at proposing to my GF and putting some money away for a wedding so the £2k spare would come in handy

I think i'd be ok if the clubs upped their equipment to something that took USBs or LAN cables it's just i DO NOT trust CDs lately i don;t know if it's coz i dont take good enough care of them or what but i jus find they are not reliable enough for me? maybe its my CD driver on my computer but it probably has a failure rate of say 1 in 25 discs which is very poor in my opinion.

 

[root]

I mean he made a device like a midi controller.

He made a controller,
All his tracks were stored on computer as high bit rate mp3, then all the cue tempo pitch etc functions of a desk were controlled via a midi controller type device. And obviously he had appropriate software that would take midi commands and apply these to mp3 files.
the device connected to his MacBook using FireWire
Then he just used the lone out to plug into the house sound system.

Then he could take all his tracks that he wanted on a computer/removable hdd
And take his own control desk for the software inside 1 laptop bag, as the controller was no bigger than a 13" MacBook.

The tack that he used the line out meant he could plug into any system anywhere be it house party pub or club.