How are 'converters' getting on?

holystungun9

Ok, I've had my decks for 14 / 15 years now and I still love them (even got a second set of 1210s 5 or 6 years ago - just to be sure ). I moved about a bit in the last few years and now I'm in Spain. Because of weight and size etc. I decided I wasn't going to bring them with me on the flight but I did bring my CDJs so that I could still mix away.
Recently I got Traktor Scratch Duo to hook up with the CDJs and I like it alright but gawking at the screen is not a lot of fun. I'm thinking about getting an X1 to make the system a bit more hands on.
As I research the X1 and other digital gear and new mixers etc., I have to say that I really see the appeal of all this new tech. I wouldn't ever get rid of my old gear but I can really see myself in the near future going strictly digital, a nice Allen and heath mixer and some X1s or an all in one unit - just buttons and knobs, no jog wheels or pitch sliders.
I'd like to hear from people who have completely jumped ship from vinyl or even CDs to digital. How are you getting on? Are you happy to be moving on? What system did you move to and do you have upgrades in mind?

dubsbhoy

I tried the digital and slid back down to the CDJs fairly quickly, you need to be a ****ing sound engineer to be messing about with that stuff, not knocking it but at the moment its too much to get my head around.

Every sunday around lunch time i play some vinyl just for some inner peace

that's probably the most useless answer you'll get in your thread but there you go

copeyhagen

had 1210s for about 8 years till about 3 years ago, since then i have had a lot of different controllers, still searching for the right one for me.

im thinking of going for a set of cdjs and traktor scratch, maybe a set of 800 mk2s or something.

i deffo miss the hands on approach of the vinyl but there is a tonne of tricks and stuff that can be done through the likes of traktor and a controller.

im hopin if i fork out on a set of cdjs ill like em.

holystungun9

Yeah, I do still like some tactile input too. Even though I have Traktor and can just press sync to mix, I'm just more used to moving and nudging a platter and messing with the pitch slider on the CDJs. I was looking at the Traktor S4 and it is such a nice compact bit of kit,it has sliders and little jog wheels but I still think it would be a real change.
Right now I'm just a bit annoyed that i can't easily use the nice effects and the loop function that Traktor has. I can squint and push the cursor around and click on the icons on screen but it's too fiddly. Having a funky interface like the X1 or something like it will unleash a whole load of fun for me.
And then that gets me thinking about the benefits of some of the newer kit. I suppose even with Pioneer still bringing out top of the range CD decks I think DVS systems are going to get kicked to the curb sooner rather than later.

copeyhagen

thats what i miss most, having a proper big platter to be able to pysichally touch and work with. if i can afford it im gonna go for

traktor scratch
ni x1
cdj 800 mk2 or 1000mk3
decent mixer

Daroxtar

If you want to go digital but still like the hands on feel why not use time coded vinyls?

was.deevey

I skipped over the whole CDJ "Revolution" and went straight from turntables to Midi Controllers.

I started off with one of the first "Dj controllers" ever the Hercules MK1 + Traktor which kinda shaped my outlook on the possibilites.


Then moved onto a Kontrol DJ + Numark USB Mixer



Moved from that onto a Hercules RMX



And from that onto my Current Akai APC40 + Ableton



If you wanna go digital and want the "big jog" traditional feel, you have a few contenders.

1. Numark NS7 - motorized spinny vinyl platters and all

2. Numark NS6 - REALLY good reports so far.

3. Pioneer T1 or S1 depending if you prefer traktor or Itch - pretty much 2xcdj400's + mixer and they are plug and play for the most part.

For Smaller Platters and mobile rig's ? ..

4. Native Instruments S4

5. Denon MC6000 or 2 x SC2000's + Mixer

Personally I'm thinking of the Denon or S4 as an addition to run traktor alongside with Ableton.

I'm getting bored using triggers in Ableton and +- buttons over Jog wheels, even the RMX's small ones made things more fun and more "spontaneous".

dubsbhoy

actually i've one of them hercules rmx things in the attic are they any use ?

holystungun9

Went and got the Kontrol X1 today. It's nice, just plugged it in and I was able to trigger effects, set loops, scroll through my music and assign tracks to whichever deck. Only need to look at the laptop screen to see where I am in the track itself and to look for music, not for setting loops and triggering effects.
I'm much happier now. Fiddling with the track pad to deal with sh1t on screen was a pain. Traktor, the X1, mixer and the CDJs is a pretty happy compromise for me at the minute as regards the useful features of digital but also the hands-on of the jogwheels for cueing.

DrGreenthumb

dubsbhoy wrote: »

I tried the digital and slid back down to the CDJs fairly quickly, you need to be a ****ing sound engineer to be messing about with that stuff, not knocking it but at the moment its too much to get my head around.

Every sunday around lunch time i play some vinyl just for some inner peace

that's probably the most useless answer you'll get in your thread but there you go

Quote of the day, cdj's are still digital,
and how exactly was it so complicated i mean a monkey could work it, be it a trained one but a monkey none the less

was.deevey

actually i've one of them hercules rmx things in the attic are they any use ?

Suprisingly yeah, they work like a charm, reliable as fcuk and built like a tank too and its portable as hell (if a little heavy).

I just started feeling restricted by the number of knobs and cue's - needed more and hence my move to Ableton APC

The Soundcard is decent enough for Reasonable size Clubs, Parties and Bars, wouldn't go throwing it on a funktion one or anything.

Get up into that Attic bud :P

ThirdMan

I started with CD's, then moved to Traktor, but I have just recently picked up my first set of Technics.

This isn't true of everyone, of course, but for me there was a disconnect between myself and the music I listened to, and it's because of how I was consuming it. I was downloading more music than I could listen to. I had a throwaway attitude towards it because of the format it was in.

With vinyl it's different. I bought an old dub album last week from the UK, and in the week I was waiting on it I found out loads of info on the artist, on the reissue series it was part of, and how it related to a later album in that artists back catalogue.

That might not interest many people, and some people may go about getting that info when downloading their music. But for me, an old pedantic anorak, it comes with buying a physical copy of something.

milltown

ThirdMan wrote: »

With vinyl it's different. I bought an old dub album last week from the UK, and in the week I was waiting on it I found out loads of info on the artist, on the reissue series it was part of, and how it related to a later album in that artists back catalogue.

That might not interest many people, and some people may go about getting that info when downloading their music. But for me, an old pedantic anorak, it comes with buying a physical copy of something.

Sadly, I ran out of room and money for vinyl and sold my decks just as the internet was starting to take off. By that I mean websites were proliferating, it was still fecking expensive as dial up was the only option. (give me a minute here to feel really old!).
I know exactly what you mean about MP3s being disposable, and that's from somebody who buys a lot of them!

I wonder how I would cope with consuming vinyl in the broadband age. I can't decide if it would be a good thing or a bad thing but I'm leaning towards "shouldn't be allowed possess a credit card". Having said that, an MP3 takes up fully no room in your home. Maybe if I was back to buying physical media, be it CD or vinyl I'd regain my fussiness.

ThirdMan

milltown wrote: »

Sadly, I ran out of room and money for vinyl and sold my decks just as the internet was starting to take off. By that I mean websites were proliferating, it was still fecking expensive as dial up was the only option. (give me a minute here to feel really old!).
I know exactly what you mean about MP3s being disposable, and that's from somebody who buys a lot of them!

I wonder how I would cope with consuming vinyl in the broadband age. I can't decide if it would be a good thing or a bad thing but I'm leaning towards "shouldn't be allowed possess a credit card". Having said that, an MP3 takes up fully no room in your home. Maybe if I was back to buying physical media, be it CD or vinyl I'd regain my fussiness.

Yep, the whole money/space thing. Space I have. Money I don't. I can only afford to buy one or two records each week right now, but that's the pains of being a collector I guess.

eeloe

When I started playing 10-12 years ago I was given a set of technics out of a club that was getting done up down here.

Played only vinyl for a number of years, then got a set of cdj's to accompany them.

Sold the 1210's reluctantly when I was broke, needed to pay for car insurance.

Started on traktor a few years ago and haven't looked back since.

Current set up is 2 x1's a djm800 and maschine and I love the whole set up, although I do sometimes miss manual beat matching and scratching and what not, but I'll make do!!

dubsbhoy

DrGreenthumb wrote: »

Quote of the day, cdj's are still digital,
and how exactly was it so complicated i mean a monkey could work it, be it a trained one but a monkey none the less

configuring the preferences on them was a nightmare, getting patches, compatible software, software updates

setting the Audio latency.................?????????????

then they crash too

I'm sorry but you can hardly compare that to putting a needle on a record, i stopped djaying for over 10 years i get back into it and all this technology is been used which was a bit of shock to the system

anyway i did get it all set up (traktor scratch pro) used for a few months.....sold it all and got a set of technics...........and i'm a much happier monkey because of it

es-cee

dubsbhoy wrote: »

configuring the preferences on them was a nightmare, getting patches, compatible software, software updates

setting the Audio latency.................?????????????

then they crash too

I'm sorry but you can hardly compare that to putting a needle on a record, i stopped djaying for over 10 years i get back into it and all this technology is been used which was a bit of shock to the system

anyway i did get it all set up (traktor scratch pro) used for a few months.....sold it all and got a set of technics...........and i'm a much happier monkey because of it

can't beat vinyl

ThirdMan

eeloe wrote: »

When I started playing 10-12 years ago I was given a set of technics out of a club that was getting done up down here.

Played only vinyl for a number of years, then got a set of cdj's to accompany them.

Sold the 1210's reluctantly when I was broke, needed to pay for car insurance.

Started on traktor a few years ago and haven't looked back since.

Current set up is 2 x1's a djm800 and maschine and I love the whole set up, although I do sometimes miss manual beat matching and scratching and what not, but I'll make do!!

I had a similar set-up. The problem for me was having no pitch control, so I was always forced to work with tracks that I could grid. That ruled out a lot of 2-step, breaks, etc, and ruled out all of my dub & funk. My equipment was deciding what music I could play, which was a pain. I guess that's not a problem with most EDM though, especially if you're anyway good at gridding.

ED E

dubsbhoy wrote: »

configuring the preferences on them was a nightmare, getting patches, compatible software, software updates

setting the Audio latency.................?????????????

then they crash too

I'm sorry but you can hardly compare that to putting a needle on a record, i stopped djaying for over 10 years i get back into it and all this technology is been used which was a bit of shock to the system

anyway i did get it all set up (traktor scratch pro) used for a few months.....sold it all and got a set of technics...........and i'm a much happier monkey because of it

I think if you're already very comfortable with computers, this is a non issue, but for many who just use their computer for email and met.ie then analogue has a huge advantage.

Only time I have any trouble is when I use my ipod touch for a controller