Chuck Van Eekelen
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Chuck Van Eekelen
ModeratorThanks again.
Q1: There are mixers in all price ranges. I have had several Yamaha’s and I know some of our readers have the AG- or MG series mixers as well and are very content with them. It will do the job perfectly well. Good build quality, good sound. I wouldn’t say it’s over-qualified perse. Perhaps that 1 or 2 extra channels, but that would not be a worry to me.
Q2: No idea what happened to the question LOL
Q3: Mixer means that, mixer. An interface is a sound card, which it is not (at least not in the MG06, it IS also a sound card in the AG06). And yes, it would have a rotary button as opposed to a fader, but can be done. The line inputs do not have EQ, so any EQ effects your friend would have to do in his iPad software. Both mixers have their strengths.
Q4: Adding guitar/cello and such, it would tempt me to go AG06, but you’d have no volume control over the aux (iPhone/iPad) input, meaning and volume controlling would have to be done on the iDevice. You would be getting the computer connection (recording! and playback), a more instrument-friendly mixer and the option of setting some effects on the mic/instrument channels.
Q5: I’d stick with my MG06 recommendation, with an AG06 as a solid alternative. Choice depends a bit on budget (AG is about 25% more expensive) and what you intend to use it for most.
Q6: We are not talking about an interface. Your primary tool would be your Mixon. The Yamaha is an addition to give you backup, (better) mic options and better (balanced) outputs. So no, unless you want to go modular (with separate decks and a separate DJ mixer), there is no reason to not continue on the path you are on.
ModeratorWell, you’d need to attach both decks by USB to your laptop and set the decks to be midi 1 and 2 (or A and B, or whatever designation they use). Then you can assign the correct outputs in your software (assuming you use RekordBox DJ – also called performance mode, not “regular” RekordBox).
ModeratorPitch’N Time is good. As is the built-in time stretching in the new Denon Prime SC5000 players.
I agree with Hanginon that up to about 5% it shouldn’t be noticeable to a degree that the floor notices. After that it can become an issue and probably WILL become an issue at higher %.
Expensive DAW’s have better time stretching options. You could, theoretically time-stretch in a good DAW (we are talking ProTools level, not Audacity!) and then bounce it to a new track, i.e. save it at the new speed. Lot of work though and it will still only give you ONE new speed.
ModeratorThank Wee Man!
I know in Holland, in order to protect your rights, it’s customary to file with the Tax Authorities (musical score and lyrics). Apparently, while you hold the rights (as you stated upon creation), there is always the bit of proving you actually created it. The filing formalizes the process.
ModeratorWhat you haven’t told us what budget you have to work with :-).
For all-in-one controllers the XDJ-RX is an option, as well as the Denon MCX8000.
For modular, looking at the obvious candidates, DJM900NXS2 and the new Denon Prime series X1800. If you decide to sell the XDJs you would want to complement the Denon with the SC5000 Prime players. It is the closest you’ll get to digital DJ-ing without a laptop (there is actual a full i5 “computer” in each player).
If you are looking for rotary, I’ll leave that advice to other readers. It’s a niche market and one I am not too interested in. I stopped using rotary mixers when they came out with affordable fader mixers LOL
ModeratorMINUS 1 on the Vestax!
The company is gone. What support is out there (either help or drivers/software/mappings) is done by the odd ex-distributor and user groups. With each new OS and/or DJ software upgrade, the chances of it continuing to function properly (provided you get it working correctly in the first place) will diminish rapidly.
They were a very interesting brand when alive, but since they have moved to the relic corner, imho.
Buying a used Vestax today is totally at your own risk.
You can scout the forums here, there is plenty written on the process of going for an entry-level controller. This is more than just picking hardware by the way.
ModeratorUpgrading to VCI-400 isn’t really that. Vestax the company no longer is around. Support through some distributors and user groups is somewhat alive, BUT with every new OS and DJ software update, the possibility that it will continue to work properly (provided you get your second hand one working at all in the first place) will rapidly diminish.
So, imho, upgrading would involve moving into 2017 and finding that most controller today will have all the functionality that the DDJ-SP1 offers, even the ones in/near the price range of just an SP1.
July 16, 2017 at 5:38 pm in reply to: Seeking help from someone who knows about speaker and controller setups #2590001Moderator<what Maxy said!
ModeratorIt will primarily impact the use of FX as this asks for processing power and memory.
ModeratorYou are trying to get that magical thing in audio, quality for (nearly) free 🙂
The Audio Kontrol 1 is primarily aimed at (home) producers, it has a mic input/preamp and such and the outputs (4 for 2 stereo channels) are Jack, which is rather unpractical. The sound quality is high. I think it’s a 24-bit/192KHz sound card.
More importantly though, is the way you want to hook things up. If you want to keep using the headphones through the controller, you would only need a 2-channel (1 stereo) USB soundcard. The one that gives you output to your speakers. This will only work if you can set things up properly in your DJ software.
If you were to use the Audio 2, which is more geared towards DJ purposes and doesn’t have the quality sound card of the Kontrol 1 but should sound fine for the purpose (CD quality track playback), you could hook up both speakers and headphone to it, with less setup problems.
As for Linux drivers … well …
Hope that helps some.
ModeratorNope … ZIP (or any of it’s alternatives) will only compress what it can. Since audio files are compressed already, it won’t do much compression there.
So you should be safe getting them packed in a single ZIP file.
Moderator1) You don’t buy the intellectual property (IP). The ONLY person who can decide how to distribute/protect the IP is the copyright holder.
2) As the copyright holder is the only one that can decide (see 1)), he/she is the only one that can decide to give their work away for free/demo purposes. There is no such thing as fair use. The use of the IP is limited to personal or small family circle use. Wanna play it in public spaces or as a DJ? Most countries demand extra payment for that.
3) Copyright does not stop at the threshold of heaven (or hell). It simply goes to whoever gets the inheritance.
4) There are evergreens. This only means you don’t need the permission of the original IP holder to perform their music (cover it). However, if an artist covers music like that, the new work CAN again be copyrighted. So you would be able to share the ORIGINAL version without problems, not the covers.
Having had many discussions on the subject with a Dutch (music) IP lawyer, I am pretty confident about 1) through 3). The only uncertainty I have is about the free sharing of evergreens.
As for public domain, this is only valid when -again- the copyright holder specifically puts it there. Say something like offering a free download on SoundCloud.
As a whole I’d say this guys behavior is at the very least unethical (you are giving away something that belongs to someone else) and for the most part illegal. Not making any money off of it is not a relevant issue here. If I steal your phone and give it away for free, it’s still illegal to steal it in the first place.
ModeratorKeep doing what you believe in. Those owners might come back to you if patronage drops too much. You can ask more money LOL.
Seriously, THE skill that makes a DJ is “knowing what must come next”, which is impossible with premixed stuff. Add to that good technical skills (manual/beat-matching, scratching, FX use, live mashups, etx.) will enhance your value as a DJ.
July 13, 2017 at 8:48 pm in reply to: Seeking help from someone who knows about speaker and controller setups #2589151ModeratorThe RCA cables are usually stereo (i.e. red for right/white for left). If you use PA speakers like you have, you’d have to split a regular cable in order to go to both left and right speaker.
If you are using something like this now: http://www.simplifiaudio.com/speakers/images/dsp_rca2xlr.jpg you have the wrong cable.
If you are using one of these: http://www.avacab-online.com/WebRoot/StoreES/Shops/63690703/51CA/CDE6/E611/D8EF/A34B/C0A8/29B9/37EF/CORDIAL-CFU-MC-Avacab.jpg you had to split this into two separate “mono” cables.
That would make it look something like this: https://images.monoprice.com/productlargeimages/47771.jpg
Never mind the male/female end in this pics (you need male to go into speakers) or gold connector (waste of money for PA). Just to show you the options.
That said, you are right that going more than a few metres/yard, you should be using balanced cables.
Good thing is there are some options for you:
1) Unbalanced to balanced converter: http://artproaudio.com/isolators/product/cleanbox_pro/ This will not only give you balanced XLR outputs (they have a DTI box that does that too), but also changes the levels. RCA output levels are different than balanced output levels. These boxes fix that for you. They cost about 80 euro here.
2) Get a small PA mixer. I am a big fan of the Yamaha AG and MG series. Go for the 6 channel options in your situation. You plug in your unbalanced controller, have an option for a backup music source, (more) microphones with some EQ/FX options, an option to also plug in a guitar (if you have a sing-a-song writer performing for example).
The AG series has a built-in soundcard, so let’s you record or play stuff direct from a laptop too. AG06: https://www.yamahamusiclondon.com/sites/ymlv5.90/productimages/big/CAG06_e.jpg
Pricing is about 130 euro. So 50 euro more gets you all the extra features. It would be my choice (I actually have an AG03 on my desktop hooked up to my computer and monitor speakers).ModeratorI have an SX, but in the process of switching over to MCX8000 (I can’t use my old software, so there is a bit of a migration issue still). The SX(2) is nice as is the RX. The latter one obviously is RekordBox “locked”, where the SX2 gives you the option of using just about any other DJ software. So if you are not sure if RekordBox is THE software for you (as in most closely supporting your -intended- workflow), the SX2 will give you more flexibility. The MCX8000 is great controller, adds screens and a (backup) option of DJ-ing without laptop. We are waiting for the new software for it, in which case the stand-alone (no laptop) option will become good enough to use that full time to.
You WILL see massive increase of options over a CDJ set-up imho.
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