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 Cd dj recommends, anyone? |
J. Wells 
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Registration Date: 10-02-2006
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Everyone knows I'm a hardware freak, and that I produce all my own music. The upside to this is that I get to feel l33t all the time, but the down side is that I have to lug ten grand worth of equipment with me when I play out, then set it up, sound check it, and fret over the very real possibility that something could "happen to it" before the end of the show.
Sometimes, being a LivePA artist sucks. 
As an alternative to all that frustration, I'm looking into buying a cd dj setup instead, so I can still play my own stuff my own way, and just unplug the unit from the board and leave when I'm done. Only, I haven't the foggiest when it comes to the damn things.
Any suggestions or recommendations out there? How many of you lot have tried the whole cd thing? Did you stick with it, and why or why not? What should I look for (and look out for) in a unit? For what it's worth, I'm not looking to spend more than, say, five or six hundred (American)
Peace be,
J.
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I only post here when I'm drunk.
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18-03-2006 17:50 |
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djfreemc
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So If I understand correctly you just want a basic dj setup with 2 cd players and a mixer right?
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The mysteries of the distorted snare...
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18-03-2006 20:00 |
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J. Wells
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| quote: |
Originally posted by djfreemc
So If I understand correctly you just want a basic dj setup with 2 cd players and a mixer right? |
Mmmyep, that's right. Preferably with bells and whistles.
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I only post here when I'm drunk.
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18-03-2006 20:07 |
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djfreemc
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I'd say 2 pioneer cdj 200's or a denon double cd deck, with something like an ecler nuo2 or 3. But that's gonna be a bit over your budget I'm afraid.
How many/which bells and wistles do you want exactly? Onboard FX in cdplayer/mixer, possibility to route external effects, making loops, ....?
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The mysteries of the distorted snare...
Can't win if u don't play
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18-03-2006 22:45 |
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cynik
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18-03-2006 23:04 |
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J. Wells
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| quote: |
Originally posted by djfreemc
I'd say 2 pioneer cdj 200's or a denon double cd deck, with something like an ecler nuo2 or 3. But that's gonna be a bit over your budget I'm afraid.
How many/which bells and wistles do you want exactly? Onboard FX in cdplayer/mixer, possibility to route external effects, making loops, ....? |
Onboard fx aren't big on my list, but an external fx send/return on the mixer is. I haven't decided if I want to go with a 1-peice unit or a 3-peice setup, I'm trying not to rule anything out just yet. Also, looping isn't an issue for me-- I have a sampler for that.
I guess I'm more concerned about things like quality, variety/depth of controls, and overall performance than having a handful of neat tricks on an otherwise sub-par peice of hardware-- I invent tricks, after all, I don't buy them. Though, if there's actually a cd deck that can do a convincing imitation of scratching, I'd be down for that too. 
When it comes to a mixer, something proper with an extra channell or two would do well, a good crossfader, a nice wide EQ range, filters, knobs galore would be ideal, whatever... since I'm new to the cd-dj thing, I don't even really know wot's wot with these things. However, I'm a tech freak and a filter junkie, so keep that in mind.
Would you recommend a standalone unit, or a pair of decks and a regular mixer? Would I be missing a lot of features and connectivity if I went that route?
Cynik: I want something I can actually PLAY.
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I only post here when I'm drunk.
This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by J. Wells: 18-03-2006 23:28.
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18-03-2006 23:23 |
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djfreemc
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| quote: |
Originally posted by J. Wells
I guess I'm more concerned about things like quality, variety/depth of controls, and overall performance than having a handful of neat tricks on an otherwise sub-par peice of hardware-- I invent tricks, after all, I don't buy them. Though, if there's actually a cd deck that can do a convincing imitation of scratching, I'd be down for that too.
When it comes to a mixer, something proper with an extra channell or two would do well, a good crossfader, a nice wide EQ range, filters, knobs galore would be ideal, whatever... since I'm new to the cd-dj thing, I don't even really know wot's wot with these things. However, I'm a tech freak and a filter junkie, so keep that in mind.
Would you recommend a standalone unit, or a pair of decks and a regular mixer? Would I be missing a lot of features and connectivity if I went that route? |
I certainly wouldn't go for the 1 piece solution. All integrated mixer&cdplayer thingies I've seen yet can only be categorized in 1 way: crap.
I did some webbrowsing, it was kinda hard to find something decent in a 600$ budget, but this is what I found on www.zzounds.com
Numark DXM06 2 Channel digital mixer with effects, 199.95$
I don't have any personal experience with this one, but it should be fine according to the reviews.
Numark CDN88Double CD player with loop, scratch,.... for the reasonable price of 399.95$
I used a similar numark cd player at a party once and it's quite decent.
There are some better sites with more (better) equipment, so i'll do some more searching...
edit: I couldn't remember the urls of the american sites I wanted to, but I also found this: topdjgear
Some more adviceble gear if you want to be 200% sure you get quality (going well over your budget here, but it's quality...)
2 pioneer cdj200 cd players, 399.95$ each.
an ecler nuo3 mixer, which gives you a free channel very good EQ, send/return functionality, and very good overall quality. Ships for 499.95$
downside of this: 1300$ in total. Which I think is still a good price for such a setup.
__
The mysteries of the distorted snare...
Can't win if u don't play
This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by djfreemc: 18-03-2006 23:51.
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18-03-2006 23:31 |
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Nasty&Twisted
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| quote: |
Originally posted by J. Wells
Though, if there's actually a cd deck that can do a convincing imitation of scratching, I'd be down for that too.
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numark cdx, the only cd-deck that feels like a turntable, or serato scratch maybe?
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18-03-2006 23:45 |
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syneptic
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19-03-2006 01:14 |
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baz
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cdx all the way 
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"shotgun ; slammin in yo chestpiece ; blaw"
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19-03-2006 10:20 |
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J. Wells
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Wicked!
Thanks for all the suggestions and input, I think I'm pretty close to choosing-- the numark digital mixer actually looks kindof wicked, and I think I'm just going to get 1 cd player to start, probably the pioneer cdj, with the intention of running something I already own on the other side of the mixer (maybe an Electribe ES or something) 
Final Scratch is out of my range at he moment, plus I don't own anything to interface them with (like tables, dj mixer, etc)
You've all been mad helpful. 
Good karma come to you all.
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I only post here when I'm drunk.
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19-03-2006 18:29 |
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Surora23
Agressive Melodic Disorder
Registration Date: 05-07-2004
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| quote: |
Originally posted by J. Wells
Everyone knows I'm a hardware freak, and that I produce all my own music. The upside to this is that I get to feel l33t all the time, but the down side is that I have to lug ten grand worth of equipment with me when I play out, then set it up, sound check it, and fret over the very real possibility that something could "happen to it" before the end of the show.
Sometimes, being a LivePA artist sucks.
As an alternative to all that frustration, I'm looking into buying a cd dj setup instead, so I can still play my own stuff my own way, and just unplug the unit from the board and leave when I'm done. Only, I haven't the foggiest when it comes to the damn things.
Any suggestions or recommendations out there? How many of you lot have tried the whole cd thing? Did you stick with it, and why or why not? What should I look for (and look out for) in a unit? For what it's worth, I'm not looking to spend more than, say, five or six hundred (American)
Peace be,
J. |
the new stantons are really really nice... but IMO id go with the technics... most acurate and like the numarks the platter spins like a real turntable...
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Rinse it OUT!!!!
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21-03-2006 05:21 |
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djfreemc
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Surora23
but IMO id go with the technics... most acurate and like the numarks the platter spins like a real turntable... |
From what I've heard the quality and user friendlyness of the technics cd decks is not as good as the denon or pioneer cd decks, (probably numark too). Also the first versions of the technics had some firmware problems, I believe the key correction and scratch didn't work properly when used together- something like that. I guess Technics should keep doing what they are good at: making turntables, not cd players.
| quote: |
Originally posted by TechDiff
LOL!!!! Not to be rude or anything, but you'll get a hell of a lot more playability from a laptop than you will from a pair of CD decks. Using a laptop live does not mean you have to use Ableton. There are pleanty of other (better) alternatives. 2 wav players and a mixing desk with effect sends etc. would be piss easy to programme in reaktor, plus all the other stuff you can do with that software. I dont really think you appreciate quite what you can do with a laptop live. But honestly, its a hell of a lot more than what you can do with CD decks. A friend of mine has one of those Numark all in one jobs. Its quite fun but really limiting. The most fun Ive got out of it was to route the whole thing through my laptop and use some patches I built in reaktor to sample loops of the CD decks and pull everything around with effects and stuff, but I could do the same thing without the CD decks using just reaktor. If its more for the fact that you want hands on interaction, get a midi controller. Or if its just that you have to have hardware, then get a pair of CD decks, although I think you'd regret it after a while since you dont get nearly as much playabilty as you seem to think. |
You got a point that a laptop is more versatile than a pair of cd players, but your example kinda sucks :p. You can also make loops with those cd players, and with a bit of practice you can make them about as perfect as you ever will in a live situation. If the effects in the cd player aren't enough for you, you can add an external FX unit to add more. I think If he uses one cd player together with an electribe, as mentioned above, It would open up a lot of possibilities. You could even connect the mixer record out to the electribe input to resample your previous stuff, and work from there, etc... So with the right hardware you could probably do just about the same.
__
The mysteries of the distorted snare...
Can't win if u don't play
This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by djfreemc: 21-03-2006 23:18.
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21-03-2006 23:18 |
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TechDiff
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I guess it depends on which direction your coming from. If youve got a huge pile of hardware, outboard effect units, sampler, and synths, then you might as well use those in conjunction with your CD decks (although the portability thing goes out the window. If you havent got a huge pile of hardware synths and samplers etc. Then I guess you could do a similar thing with a pair of CD decks, but I still think the use of a Laptop is far more future proof. If you decide you want to incorporate a particular type of delay, you can just programme one. On the other hand, If your using hardware, you'll have to save up for one. Its a lot quicker to use a laptop, not to mention cheeper. However, to me the idea of having to lug around a pair of CD decks, mixer, a sampler, a synth plus whatever else you need, when you could just carry a laptop and a midi controller, the choise is a no brainer really. I also think you still underestimate the ways you can use a laptop live. Its more than just mixing, you can literaly compose on the spot, the entire set can be improvised, which is far more "playable" than a pair of CD decks and countless, expensive, heavy pieces of hardware. IMHO, the only advantage I can see of using hardware over a laptop is that it'll look like your doing more.
( I appologise for bad spelling grammer or not making any sence what so ever, I had a few too many tonight)
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22-03-2006 01:01 |
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J. Wells
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Techdiff: To each their own, mate. I actually started out software-only, back in the days of DOS tracker programmes, but I ditched it in favour of hardware. I realise that software's grown leaps and bounds since then, but I still find it too sterile. After experimenting on others' setups with softsynths, control surfaces, etc., I'm still not convinced. Everything's to predictable and clean (too clean for my gritty, bombastic style anyhow) and it's hard for me to be creative if I'm interfacing with a computer. The thought processes and workflow are different on a computer; hardware suits my "flow" better.
Nothing against laptop performances or anything. I already -have- a laptop, and I've done a decent amount of experimenting with it, too. Aside from the portability factor, I've discovered some serious drawbacks to laptops, especiallly if (like me) you're broke most of the time and have to pirate all your software. For me, it's not worth it to bother with. And the idea behind wanting to go to a cd deck is so I won't have to haul a good portion of my studio out for shows, like I do now-- instead, I'll switch over to a handful of hardware boxes, a dj mixer, and a cdj unit. Sure a laptop setup would be smaller, but ah... fuck it.
Besides, everyone turns their noses up at laptop performers, I've noticed. (an injustice, for sure-- my friend Sam does some incredible stuff with just a comp and a control surface) Regardless of whether or not you're rocking the house, people still perceive it as "cheating" to use a computer. I want to -look- like I'm working as hard as I am. 
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I only post here when I'm drunk.
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24-03-2006 00:50 |
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