Justin

squarecell, post: 5452 wrote: Just wanted to update since I just got my LPD8 in the mail and I’ve taken the last little while setting up a custom mapping to use it alongside the DJ2GO.

So far I think it’s a brilliant set-up. I’ve mapped the EQ to the faders on the AKAI and looping, hot cue and effects controls to the pads.

For a whopping total of about $100CAD, I’ve got a killer ultra-portable DJ system.

What strikes me right away is how similar these two are in build. Their bodies are nearly identical in size and form, they have the exact same fader knobs (small, but good) and the pads have about the same feel. It’s almost as if these two units were made side-by-side in the same factory.

So what I’ve done with the mapping is use the top row of knobs to control the EQs on the left deck in VDJ and the bottom row for the right (this leaves two knobs on each row I’m going to use for controlling effects when I figure out the proper VDJ Script).

The cool thing about the LPD8 is that you can create four different programs for the 8 pads and faders. I’ve got program one set to hot cues (four for left deck, four for right); program two is loops; program three gives me eight hot cues for the left deck; program four does the same for the right.

I still have some work to do on figuring out how to map the effects properly, but when I’m done I’d be happy to send along my mapping file to anyone else interested in duplicating my setup.

Actually, Akai owns Numark (as well as Alesis, Alto Professional, and Ion Audio), so that would explain why the two have the same build quality. 🙂

I personally use an M-Audio Axiom 49 for Ableton Live and Traktor 2, and it’s a pretty darn good MIDI keyboard. If you can’t shell out the $200+ USD for it, you could go for it’s little brother, the Axiom 25 for a little bit less.

Incredibly overpriced, and overrated. They’re great if you’re used to Apple’s stock earphones, but to anyone who has used quality headphones, they’re a POS. I highly suggest saving your money for a pair of the Sennheiser HD 280s – they boast up to -32db of isolation, in addition to the crystal clear sound reproduction! Plus, they cost a fraction of the Beats.

I use my Akai LPD8 for cuepoint juggling and effects, Midi Fighter style! I’ve found that I’m mainly using it in CC mode for effects. I’ll post a video soon. I’m also using an Axiom 49 as a controller in addition to my Mixtrack – I’ve made a custom mapping that allows me to control 4 decks this way.

I highly recommend it. It has all the other features of Audacity, and is much easier to use. I mainly use it to convert .wavs to .mp3s though. It’s a lot more user-friendly (in my opinion), and I think there are a couple more built-in effects than Audacity.