jezalenko

Alright mate, you’re going to need a sound card here. I would recomend an NI Audio 2, these things are the best 2-channel sound card on the market, and it even comes with Traktor.

From there you can either hook up one output as your main mix to the club mixer and the other as your cue (headphones), however, the way I would do it is have one output as Channel 1, the other as Channel 2, and run these both into Ch 1 & 2 in the club mixer. From there you can use the club mixer instead of the software (a much better option) and run your headphones from the club mixer.

You can re-map the controller with VDJ Pro and Traktor Duo & Pro if you want filters.

I’ve mapped mine so I press down on the FX knob, and that toggles the filter.

If you can stand to loose a gain knob, then the M-Audio Xponent might be worth a look, you could re-map the gain to filter if required?

Also the Reloop DJ2 series has a largish gain knob for each deck if you want to re-map that to a filter?

Unforunatly dedicated filter knobs seem to be restricted to higher end controllers.

Good question. For me, if I have some nerves/bad day and I’m at home, I’ll load up Gramatik’s Stairway To Heaven hip-hop remix and just go mental having a scratch 😀

Live can be difficult to get “in the mood” instantly, it usually takes me a few songs to get relaxed and in the groove of things. But once people start dancing, it’s usually good fun from there onwards 😎

For me, the attraction to Traktor is the fact that you can run both controller and DVS off the same software, no matter whether you’re using DVS in a club or using your controller at a party, no need to manage music libaries in two seperate programs. Plus the fact that it is custom mappable to whatever controller you want to use, unlike Serato Itch, which is locked, and seperate to SSL. If Serato could do both these things then they could be a serious compeditor in my eyes.

While I havn’t done any extensive testing on iPods running through house mixers, but I usually run the iPod at 100% volume to avoid speakers blowing if someone accidentally touches the volume controls. As for as levels on the mixer go, I just adjust them as necessary.

I think this attitude partly has to do with society’s culture of celebrity worship. The mainstream can’t recognise the fact that a person has a skill in selecting the right tunes to build the energy with an audience, and to be able to mix those tunes seamlessly, and to be able to combine effects, samples and cue points to be able to remix and reshape the music on the go – now free improvisation is not something all musicians can do well (if at all). Also it is of my opinion that there are a number of people who DJ simply for the image, not the love of the music. These are probably the people who are creating the most disrepute for DJing.

Personally, I’ve done pretty much everything within the music industry that doesnt involve creating your own music, yet it all requires a skill of it’s own. I’ve recorded and mixed rock bands, live acoustic artists, jazz bands, accapella artists, both in a live and studio environment. While the person on the stage or behind the mic has talent, it’s often not recognised that the person mixing or mastering what your hear makes them sound the way they do. I’ve had the oppurtinity to work alongside some of the best sound engineers in Australia, and I respect (and aspire to) the huge amounts of skill it takes to make a live band sound exactly the same no matter what venue you are in.

All I can say is like DJ GRE – hand them your decks and let them show you how easy it is!

I’m noticing how no-body has voted for vinyl at the poll at the start of this thread. Does this mean vinyl is effectivly dead as a storage medium?

(but not a as a control medium, I can’t see DVS dying just yet!)

It really depends how you’ll be using them. As a beginner they’ll be fine, but they wouldn’t last long in a professional environment.

I think the main issues with the Beats if I remember correctly were isolation, sound quality and construction.

Isolation shouldnt be a problem if you’re just practicing at home, as levels there won’t be as loud as a club or even mobile set-up. As for sound quality, the woofers are designed for hi-fi listening not the flat response required for DJing (or studio mixing). But again this should be fine as you’re not using a huge club sound system on which every EQ tweak makes a difference.

My advice would be give your missus a huge kiss and thank her for the ‘phones! 😉