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Considering Serato...

For the last year or so I have been mixing entirely off my CDJ-1000s. Vinyl simply costs too much for me, as I have very broad musical tastes, and enjoy spinning fresh music.

Tonight, though, I started seriously thinking about Serato. I'm booked to spin at a small afterhours club next weekend, but they only have CDJ-200s. Don't get me wrong, I am fully capable of getting the job done on those, but to tell you the truth they don't excite me very much. In fact, if it weren't for the Vinyl mode on my CDJ-1000s, I would probably be bored with them too. The fact of the matter is that just about anywhere has a pair of Technics, but few places outside of established clubs have CDJ-1000s.

Now that I have a MacBook, Serato is actually a viable option. I'm about to have $300 extra bucks from selling and old dirtbike... and I realized that between that, and the $1500-1600 I could get for my CDJ-1000s, I could easily get Serato and a Xone 92. The Xone would be a serious step up from my old Vestax PCV 275...

I just don't know, though. My CDJ-1000s are precious, and they do have functions that you can't get on vinyl/Serato, so I'd have a hard time letting go. And if my laptop was occupied by Serato, I wouldn't be able to incorporate Ableton, as I have already been taking steps to do.

Then again, I treat my laptop like it was made of eggshells. It's a lot safer to carry a wallet of burned CDs then a $1300 Mac Book.

I guess I'm just being fickle. Anyone have any advice?

That's one of those decisions that's all about personal preference, so it's hard to make for you.

Have you looked into M-Audio Torq as opposed to SSL? This you can actually rewire into Ableton, so you could still use ableton.

Obviously the Xone would be a HUGE step up from your current mixer...so that's no question.

I'm assuming you already have turntables?

By the way, I sent you a PM.

Yeah, I've already got 2 Tech 1200s.

I think the possibility of getting a Xone 92 might be unfairly balancing this consideration, though...

quote:

Originally posted by nrjizer Yeah, I've already got 2 Tech 1200s. I think the possibility of getting a Xone 92 might be unfairly balancing this consideration, though...

Not really - I mean a big part of the reason you would do this is that by selling the CDJ's you'd be getting some significant cash that you could potentially buy the mixer with. Being able to get a better mixer really is an advantage of doing what you're thinking about doing.

the only thing i don't like about this comp stuff is playing after the guy who has it set up. usally they have to plug shit in and unplug it when thier done which can mess up the flow.

if you're just playing tracks off your hard drive that you can simply just burn to cd i don't see the point. but, if you are doing something with the laptop that you can't do on cdjs then more power to ya. if not just play cds.

quote:

Originally posted by IntegraR0064 Not really - I mean a big part of the reason you would do this is that by selling the CDJ's you'd be getting some significant cash that you could potentially buy the mixer with. Being able to get a better mixer really is an advantage of doing what you're thinking about doing.

I meant to say UNbalancing, heh.

quote:

the only thing i don't like about this comp stuff is playing after the guy who has it set up. usally they have to plug shit in and unplug it when thier done which can mess up the flow. if you're just playing tracks off your hard drive that you can simply just burn to cd i don't see the point. but, if you are doing something with the laptop that you can't do on cdjs then more power to ya. if not just play cds.

Yeah, but I could easily continue to burn my music to CD, and just take CDs to gigs that do have proper CD decks.

And I DO have the desire to do more with a laptop than mix 2 tracks back to back--in fact, that's why I bought the damn thing to begin with. Hawtin has to carry two laptops to his gigs--one with Serato, one with Ableton. Of course, he gets paid obscene amounts of money.

The thing is, if CDJ-1000/800s were as standard and commonplace as Technics 1200s, then I'd be perfectly content, and this thread wouldn't exist.

FYI, you can't rewire Torq into Ableton if you are running with full timecode vinyl control, so that's not really an option, nor does it make sense (why would you do it? Torq has a sampler for launching clips anyway). Anywho... you are considering SSL.

I've actually got:
2 CDJ-1000's
2 Technics 1200's
1 Xone 92
1 Macbook
1 Torq (Serato like thing)

So I understand your dilema. I actually bought Torq just to get some more use out of my 1200's. It's really fun to spin with, but at the end of the day I still use my CDJ-1000's for recording demos and serious things. The advantage with the CDJ's is that they are so damn accurate. Don't forget, however, that you can use Serato/Torq/etc. with CDJ's as well as 1200's.

I only spin out occasionally, but when I've done so I've brought CD's. Walking into a club with a laptop, SSL, etc. will tend to make the technical people cringe. I mean lots of people do it, but there's just a lot of things that can go wrong. And if you have to play before or after someone else, it can get complicated.

What is it about the CDJ-200's that you really don't like? Are you doing turntablism type things?

Also, if you are willing to bring: A macbook, SSL interface, timecode vinyl, cables, etc... would you be willing to bring your own CDJ-1000's to the club? That's another option.

quote:

Originally posted by nrjizer I meant to say UNbalancing, heh. Yeah, but I could easily continue to burn my music to CD, and just take CDs to gigs that do have proper CD decks. And I DO have the desire to do more with a laptop than mix 2 tracks back to back--in fact, that's why I bought the damn thing to begin with. Hawtin has to carry two laptops to his gigs--one with Serato, one with Ableton. Of course, he gets paid obscene amounts of money. The thing is, if CDJ-1000/800s were as standard and commonplace as Technics 1200s, then I'd be perfectly content, and this thread wouldn't exist.

FYI---I'm still using FS2.0

not issues what so ever flawless!

Serato was the best software I have ever purchased. I love it to death. I use it with both CDJ's and 1200's. If I were you, I wouldn't sell my CDJ's. Instead, I would just save up to get SSL.

Unlike most Serato competitors, Serato's software updates are always free. In the future, Serato will also be able to support Midi and video. That has already been officially announced.

Plus, the Serato community is very close, the support team kicks ass. Let me put it to you this way. Last summer at Remix Hotel, I met a Serato marketing guy. I told him I had a pop once in a while. We talked and exchanged numbers. Two days later, Serato called me inquiring about my problem. They wanted to fix it. I'm sorry, but that is some excellent customer support not found on any of their competition.

Don't worry about having to take your gear to the venues. I play out every weekend all over the place. Lately, a lot more venues have been installing Serato permanently.

quote:

Originally posted by Ryan0751 What is it about the CDJ-200's that you really don't like? Are you doing turntablism type things?

I'm not really a turntablist. I just like the tactile feel.

I really never cared for traditional CDJ control--if it weren't for the vinyl mode on the CDJ-1000/800s, I'd never have gotten them. I like to manually wind the record/platter to find my cue points, and to nudge it by hand to adjust the speed. I guess it's just because I learned to spin on vinyl.

And I know that CDJ-200s have platters, but they don't hold a candle to the CDJ-1000/800 in the least.

I guess it's just personal preference. I can play a solid set on CDJ-200s but I just enjoy using Technics or CDJ-1000/800s so much more. I know the music is the important thing, and it's not that I'm ungrateful for a gig. But it just got me thinking, how Technics are so commonplace and standard, but CDJ systems in different clubs can vary (or sometimes not even exist).

quote:

Also, if you are willing to bring: A macbook, SSL interface, timecode vinyl, cables, etc... would you be willing to bring your own CDJ-1000's to the club? That's another option.

I'm very anal about my CDJs and they do not leave the house. Funny though, if I did go the SSL route I'd have to take my $1300 MacBook everywhere with me, but somehow I'm more okay with the idea. I guess it's because laptops are designed to move and would probably stand up to it better (plus they ride easier/safer in their laptop bags), and also because I intend to fully incorporate Ableton into my DJ sets someday anyways.

Well, if I DID go the SSL route I'd only be taking it to places that only had Technics, otherwise I'd keep burning my music to CD and take it with me instead.

quote:

Originally posted by DjWoody Serato was the best software I have ever purchased. I love it to death. I use it with both CDJ's and 1200's. If I were you, I wouldn't sell my CDJ's. Instead, I would just save up to get SSL.

Well, I'm about to sell an old dirtbike for a few hundred bucks, so I could buy SSL anyways. The thought of selling them occurred to me when I realized that I could still play digital music without them, but I could get a Xone 92 or something in their place (I currently have a Vestax 275, and that would be a HUGE step up).

I'm really fickle. Honestly, I don't think I could ever sell my CDJs, or any piece of my setup for that matter (maybe my modest mixer). I don't have children and I don't know if I ever will, but I imagine that my attachments to every last piece of my DJ setup are similar to what parents feel.

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