Pioneer or Numark

Hutt

Hutt

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2016
I'm fairly new to mixing, I bought myself a cheap controller from Maplins for £80. Very basic, link up to iPad/iPhone and you're limited to one app. Beatmatching isn't ideal as there is no tempo slider, just buttons which broke within a week of getting the controller.

Below is an image;

iDJLiveII_ortho_web_lg-624x390.jpg


Basically I'm fucking sick of the thing, I'm enjoying mixing but just don't like how restricted I feel, trying to make progress using this.

The scratch on this controller is whack as well.

Am I being impatient?
Should I give it more time using this? (It's been 2 months)
Any tips for utilizing this controller?

Would also like to hear what recommendations you have for my next controller as I don't have a scooby what is good value for money.

Realistically I am looking to spend £300 when I upgrade, if I do - provided I would use this for a couple of years before feeling the need to upgrade.

Safe
 
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B, replies would be appreciated - surely someone on this forum can help a man & recommend a controller
 
I don't own a controller but have used a couple owned by friends etc.

I think £300 is very much limiting the options you have.

One that if money was no option I would have one just for how much fun it was
http://www.dawsons.co.uk/pioneer-ddj-sz-professional-dj-controller
At £1500 its a wee bit over your price range.

I mix on 1210's myself. Saw your from Brighton and saw these on Gumtree in East Sussex - not too far from you?
https://www.gumtree.com/p/decks-turntables/technics-1210-mk2-direct-drive-turntables/1206072424

At £750 they are half the price of a controller. Might be worth keeping an eye out for a decent pair IMO.

CDJ's are another option. I managed to pick up two CDJ 900's around a year ago for £400. I can't find anything for that kind of price at the moment, but again its worth scouring advertisements in your local area in case you find that bargain like I did.

Happy hunting and all the best in your quest.

(y)
 
Agent Smith said:
I don't own a controller but have used a couple owned by friends etc.

I think £300 is very much limiting the options you have.

One that if money was no option I would have one just for how much fun it was
http://www.dawsons.co.uk/pioneer-ddj-sz-professional-dj-controller
At £1500 its a wee bit over your price range.

I mix on 1210's myself. Saw your from Brighton and saw these on Gumtree in East Sussex - not too far from you?
https://www.gumtree.com/p/decks-turntables/technics-1210-mk2-direct-drive-turntables/1206072424

At £750 they are half the price of a controller. Might be worth keeping an eye out for a decent pair IMO.

CDJ's are another option. I managed to pick up two CDJ 900's around a year ago for £400. I can't find anything for that kind of price at the moment, but again its worth scouring advertisements in your local area in case you find that bargain like I did.

Happy hunting and all the best in your quest.

(y)
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Safe for taking the time with the reply, I'll probably keep an eye out in local ads like you mentioned.

Unfortunately I don't have 1k+ to spend on decks atm, as much as I'd love to :(

Probably sounding stupid, but how is that turntable alone 750? It look's pretty basic, I don't have a clue about vinyl mixing.
 
Hutt said:
Probably sounding stupid, but how is that turntable alone 750? It look's pretty basic, I don't have a clue about vinyl mixing.
Click to expand...

That deal was for 2 turntables so £375 a pop.
They have been the industry standard for decades now so I guess in theory that is part and parcel of the price.

Agreed they do not have the thrills of the CDJ's or controllers with a million buttons all over the place, a lot of those extras in DNB mixing you do not necessarily need however.

Think of it this way.
You buy a nice car. The car drives great looks the part.
However on the inside it has loads of buttons that do not work, or are just empty buttons because they aren't part of the models spec.
You can go out and buy the same car, BUT it has all the buttons working and can fire rockets at pedestrians whilst warming your coffee

The car is the same. It drives the same. It just has a lot of extra features.
Everyone wants those blank buttons to work...but do we really need them? Are they a necessity?
 
Pioneer are a club standard brand. Always go for Pioneer.
The wego series are affordable but I believe you may need a tablet or smartphone to use with it. Failing that, the DDJ series are great controllers for a laptop setup.
 
At the minimum you should have gotte (look into) a Pioneer DDJ-SB. Has all of the basic stuff you can use now and also practice with for a while without feeling restricted. You'll need a computer though to run Serato DJ, which is free.
 
I've only been mixing for a year or two but would really recommend going for Pioneer.
It's much easier to use and even from basics to club standard the layouts are really consistent.

I bought a Numark Mixtrack Pro II for myself last year, and using Serato, I found it really helpful for getting into DJing but I really wanted to move over to Pioneer rather quickly as their equipment is much more professional.

If you're inclined to use Serato, go for the DDJ-SB2
If you're inclined to use Rekordbox, go for the DDJ-RB

I would upgrade to the full software as the lite versions are really lacking in detail.

From what you've been using I'd start small and then build as you need.

Hope this is helpful and if you need, feel free to ask me anything if you're unsure :)
 
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