16
Sep
Author: DJEquip // Category:
Dj Supply
This is a pretty solid product and for the most part REALLY impressed by it. The only thing I dont like is the fader is a little to firm for me when it comes to scratching. This shouldnt be called a “Scratch” mixer if you arent able to control how firm the fader feels. Oh well it still is a pretty solid product overall.
What equipment would i need to start DJ’ing?
Ive been looking on SamAsh’s website at DJ equipment but i dont know what i need to start off with. Im pretty sure i need two cd decks (i dont wanna work with vinyl), a mixer, and means of hearing my tracks. Ive had no experience besides switching songs on a 5-cd player at a party. Im 14 and i feel like that deejaying is something i could be really passionate about and actually make money off of eventually. I’ll post some links to the materials ive been looking at.1. http://www.samash.com/p/CDM3600%20CD%20Deck%20Mixer%20Combo_-499758132. Dj Mixer 3 http://www.samash.com/p/CDMIX1%20DJ%20Station%20CD%20Deck%20and%20Mixer%20Combo_-499632433. http://www.samash.com/p/Fusion%20111%20DJ%20CD%20Deck%20Package_-499619864. http://www.samash.com/p/DJ%20Control%20MP3%20e2%20USB%20DJ%20Controller%20for%20PC%20and%20Mac_-499538095. http://www.samash.com/p/DNX120%20Compact%20DJ%20Mixer_-49956945#TabSection…..I honestly dont know which one i should get or if i need more than just one of these things. i thought maybe the combo package or kit would work but im not completely sure so if anyone out there with experience can tell me or give advice thatd be awesome, thanks………….and about the DJ Hero thing, i kno how much people hate when other people wanna play instruments just cuz they play the game. i kno cuz i play guitar and i have friends who i hate cuz they think they can play guitar or they wana play guitar because they play guitar hero. ive never played dj hero. but i admit that i got the idea that DJing is something i’d wanna do from DJ Hero. so ya….what equipment would i need?
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Tags: Blog, Dj Mixer, Fader, Keyword, Musicalinstruments, Scratch
September 16th, 2010 at 5:54 am
The EQ settings are nice and so are the jog/scratchwheels. One thing I did not find out until I opened the box is that there are no motors in the jogwheels. The loop and Fx functions add some variation but they could do with a little more customization. Unless you have no idea on how to DJ I would definitely recommend not buying this and instead look towards a more authentic set up such as a Vestax, Pioneer or Numark. I like the portability factor and the fact that it fits in a backpack or suitcase perfectly. This is good for freelance DJs traveling light, and although it needs a laptop or desktop to run, it can make any music software that much more synchronized and easy to control. However, I would recommend purchasing the software first, as the CD contained in the box is only a trial/ basic version. Thanks for reading! Good luck DJs!!
September 16th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Cool mixing device but don’t expect any turntable tricks but it’s o.k. for mixing and f/x.
September 17th, 2010 at 6:18 am
I have been messing around with dj software for sometime, just using my laptop and sometimes a mouse. I wanted to get more into djing so I started researching dj equipment. Everything is quite expensive. I found this controller on Amazon for way cheaper than other sites have it for. It is very small and definitely serves it’s purpose for what I need it for. The size is good if you plan to be carrying it around. However, you have to be careful not to accidentally hit certain controls when using it. Not a big deal though. It’s excellent for learning how to dj. You can also reprogram the buttons to do what you want them to do. No soundcard included but I took Marks advice and bought an external sound card for $0.99 on Ebay to monitor music through the headphones. Highly recommended buy if you are on a budget and/or want to dabble in djing without spending major cash upfront. Also, if you graduate to better equipment, this can still be used as a midi controller for your dj software.
September 17th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
NOTE: When reading this review, keep in mind I didn’t install the bundled software (Virtual DJ 3 Limited), instead I opted to go with Virtual DJ 6 Pro. It worked right out of the box without any configuration.
== Pros ==
* High-quality faders. Volume faders are solid and don’t budge unless you intended them to. Crossfader moves freely, which would’ve been perfect for scratching if it weren’t for one fatal flaw (more on that later).
* Nice, intuitive layout. Everything is where you would expect it to be, and does (mostly) what you’d expect it to. That alone is the most important thing, and Hercules delivers.
* Working 64-bit drivers for Windows 7 were actually on the bundled CD (yeah, they were out-of-date, but that’s besides the point)! This has got to be the first piece of PC hardware I’ve ever owned that actually had working drivers on the CD. I applaud Hercules for doing what everybody else should’ve been doing to begin with!
== Cons ==
* Jog wheels use the same kind of that optical shutter tracking that the scroll wheel on your mouse uses. Therefore, while it’s fairly accurate, it’s not going to feel as good as an actual turntable or high-quality Denon/Pioneer/etc. unit. Turning down the jog sensitivity from within Virtual DJ helps with accuracy.
* Approximately after two weeks of ownership, the Pitch knob for Deck B simply stopped functioning. Thank God for Amazon’s great exchange policy!
* Speaking of the Pitch knobs: the knob moves in clicks (0.5% steps if you set the pitch range to ±25%, 1% steps with it at ±50%, etc.), which is fine for changing the tempo, but makes perfect beat-matching almost impossible. This is fine since VDJ does the beat-matching for you, but if you plan on using other software, keep this in mind.
* The unit itself is downright sexy from a few feet away, but get up close and you’ll see that it’s ALL plastic. It looks like something I’d expect to see bundled with a Guitar Hero/Rock Band sequel. I’m always very careful with the unit because it looks like a single four-foot drop would kill it. For the price I was expecting this anyway.
* The EQ knobs for mid-range “jump” when near the the lower part of the knob (nearing the “-” part), which means I can’t make my own breakdowns. I think part of the reason was because my unit was defective to begin with (broken pitch knob), so we’ll see if my replacement unit doesn’t have the same issue.
== Other Thoughts ==
* When in scratch mode, there is about a quarter second gap in the audio when you let go of the jog wheel. However, this appears to be a limitation of the VDJ software, and not a problem with the controller itself, so I can’t dock it there (this is the “one fatal flaw” I was talking about earlier).
* Not enough buttons! Thankfully this was easily fixed by remapping some less-than-useful buttons to more functional things. Pitch bend becomes key change, REW/FF are now Hot Cue 2&3, Automix turns into the Hamster switch, etc. Unfortunately I mapped things in a way that I can no longer pick songs without a mouse, but it works for me so whatever. Note that if you use the bundled software then you’re stuck with the default mappings.
* The lights on it are orange, not red like in the picture. Also unlike the picture, they only light up when the button is active, not all at once.
* Using my sound card’s own ASIO drivers I was able to get latency down to 8ms, even with CPU-eating features enabled, such as Advanced Master Tempo (highly recommended that you enable this option & using the highest complexity/spatialization settings your PC can handle, otherwise music will sound “robotic” when you adjust the BPM). You should try to avoid using latency higher than 20ms for accurate mixing/scratching.
== My Specs ==
* Core 2 Duo @ 3.6GHz
* 4GB DDR2 RAM
* 1GB ATI HD 5770
* ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Sound card
* Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
Having a low-spec machine is ok, but expect it to take at least 10-20 seconds for a song to “load” when you drag it onto a deck (on my PC it takes about 3 seconds). For highest sound-quality (which my PC can’t even do) and the smoothest experience, I would suggest a fairly modern CPU. Think Core i5/i7.
== Conclusion ==
I’ve only been DJing for six months now as a hobby and the occasional family party, and for the price this product has everything I need. Recommended for casual and bedroom DJs, but full-time pros will want to look for something more solid.
Bottom line is that I love my MP3 e2 to death for what it is, however, if I had the extra $100, I probably would’ve gone with the Hercules DJ Console Steel instead. It looks a lot less fragile.
September 18th, 2010 at 5:45 am
This mixer is perfect, except headphone jack location. It is in the front instead of on the top of the mixer. So, I have to push mixer back in my coffin to make room for the headphone plug.
Other than that, and it’s lack of fader start sockets, it is great!
I use the middle(2nd) channel for my laptop and Ch1 and Ch3 for my Stanton CD turntables. Great price. Get this mixer! My fellow dj also bought it.
Wooooooo!!!
September 18th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I’ve been usuing this mixer for about a month now and I’m very happy with it. I recomend this product for beginners or for someone that isn’t looking to spend a lot of money for all the extra bells and whistles that other mixers come with. If there is anything noticable that seems a drawback, it’s that the line inputs seem to play lower then the phono inputs. Nothing that can’t be corrected through the gain and EQ. I’ve had a lot of luck with Numark equipment, so I did not hesitate at ordering a new and unreview product. So far, I’m very satisfied and will continue to buy Numark.
September 19th, 2010 at 5:33 am
I was DJ on the 80’s and worked with several Numark Mixers they were good but this one is awsome. I really like all the features of this unit is well desing for the price… 3-band EQ awsome plus you can connect extra lines which is need… Recommended A++
September 19th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
I AM A FORMER DJ COMING OUT OF RETIREMENT AND THIS MIXER IS GREAT. I WAS A LITTLE RUSTY GETTING STARTED BUT ONCE I GOT THE HANG OF WHAT I WAS DOING, EVERYTHING WENT LIKE CLOCK WORK. I AM VERY SATISFIED. A FRIEND OF MINE, WHO’S A DJ, RECOMMENDED THAT I USE AMAZON TO GET WHAT I NEEDED AND I DID JUST THAT. THANKS AMAZON!!
September 20th, 2010 at 6:11 am
It’s got very basic controls, but it does what it says. Of course you need to purchase a separate sound card, any USB or PCI sound card will do the trick, that’s where you plug in your headphones. A big plus is that it works with Virtual DJ.
September 20th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
First i rated the product at one star because i havent used it yet.Why? well when i was looking the product over it never mentioned that you had to buy the soundcard or the wires for it. it said virtual dj so i thought it would have a headphone jack… and i dont recall anything saying your computer had to have windows vista(trash) or xp im running windows 7.. i hope it gets better