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Laptop Dj&Midi Controller Versus CDJ

I have been wanting to Dj the last couple of months because the exposure, and because I got the chance, thanks to a friend to play in alot of good events if I become a Dj.

I have seen two options, but I still feel not very sure about to go for the CDJ stuff, above all because how expencive 2 good CDJ players and a Mixer are, besides how heavy to move around if you need to travel alot, etc, compared to the virtual solution, wich I was thinking could be Torq with the M-Audio Torq Xponent DJ Midi Controller, or Traktor with an USB Midi controller aswell, or Ableton.

How valid do you see a DJ mixing with a Laptop&Midi controllers, compared to a CDJ Dj?

I heard some people says u can cheat because the auto options, but let's say we are talking about going manual with the midi controller.

As I stated before, I would like to go for the CDJ stuff, but I am not spending right now about 2000 dollars on it, compared to the 700 (I have the laptop already) I would be spending with the virtual solution.

So maybe, if all goes well, after to be a virtual DJ, and to get into in more seriously, I would be able to spend the 2000 bucks in the CDJ stuff, but right now, to start to get into the DJ stuff, I dont find it very good idea for me, above all because I spend alot of my time producing, and I will use all the money posible to improve my studio wich I have been doing since some years.

Please tell me the Pros and Contras, and no, I am not trying to start an argument about what is best, or not, just looking some honest feedback about both options, so I can get a better opinion .

Thanks in advance.

Kopi =o.

From the little I know..

Digital DJing is looking like the way forward, I used a Midi Controller with Traktor for a few days and the mixes I did were amazing. It's true that you can use autosync features but these arn't always reliable and you'll come a cropper if you rely on it. The main aspect of Digital DJing is the creativity side; throwing loops and samples in, using multiple effects and dragging out mixes to create new sounds. I love mixing progressively and I was dragging out minimal mixes to 5+ minutes by relooping all the while dropping effects over the top.

On the flip side CDJ's are industry standard now, learn now to mix on them and you can turn up at a club anywhere in the world and play.

I've got access to CD Decks and I'm about to invest in a Torq Xponent when Torq 1.5 arrives. If I was you get the CDJ's, simple reason being that you'lll learn how to be a better DJ as you have to do everything yourself. If you go straight to digital then you'll never fully grasp the basics. Then again I'm not sure you have to anymore...

Well, CDJ's ARE digital of course, it's not like any of us BUY the music on CD, it's just a transport medium...

I think we are going to see a bigger divide coming with some of the new products on their way...

For laptop DJ's, you'll have the so called "microwave" (not my term) DJ's who use Traktor/Virtual DJ/Torq with MIDI controllers, and then you'll have the really talented people who can do a live performance with Ableton (IMO, if you aren't doing something amazing with Ableton, please don't bother using it in a performance application).

Now where CDJ's are headed, with the Pioneer CDJ-400, MEP-7000 and the Denon DN-S1200 and HS-5500, is for a physical hardware deck that can not only play CD's, but also files off of USB storage.

Currently we have a middle ground... the DVS's like Serato, Traktor and Torq. Those aren't going anywhere, but unless you are using them with vinyl tables (meaning using them with CDJ's), these new products are really going to make using a DVS with CDJ's unnecessary.

You'll have all your music with you on a USB memory stick or drive, with a nice browser (see pictures of the Pioneer MEP-7000), effects, loops, etc... AND you'll have the reliability of hardware players versus software.

As good as the software has become, it can still be glitchy, with dropouts, driver issues, and so on. CDJ's don't tend to break often, and when they do, you will often have two other players as standby.

Personally I use Traktor Scratch with CDJ-1000's and my Technics 1200's. It lets me play real vinyl, real cd's, or use timecode vinyl and timecode cd's to have full access to my music on my computer.

BUT... I would certainly LOVE to ditch using the DVS at all (at least on the CDJ's, I'd keep it around to rock out new tracks on the 1200's for fun) and get some of these new CDJ decks. So much less hassle to deal with.

If I haven't confused you enough by now, I would say look at these new decks. Check out the Pioneer CDJ-400, and get a decent mixer like an Ecler or Rane or A+H (I don't like the Pioneer DJM-400, but the 700 and 800 are nice as well).

This would let you play CD's, play your digital files directly, and learn to mix using real hardware... MIDI controllers tend to feel like crap compared to quality DJ gear, and things like the Xponent have some build quality issues. If you decide to add a software package at some point, the CDJ-400's can control some of the DVS packages directly.

Of course budget always comes into play...

Thanks guys, I see opinions are split, some of my friends consider a laptop dj not a real dj, and other does.

I will try out torq and if all goes good will gte some cdjs .
Thanks for the help .

Kopi =o.

I started off with turntables because I am a Hip-Hop and scratch dj first and foremost. However, when my interest in djing digitally peaked I bought a laptop. CDJs have, and always will be, a waste of money. I just could not see any reason to buy a pair. Analog is not the same as digital, but digital is digital no matter how you slice it.

Be honest with yourself; you are playing other people's music. One way of spinning does not have more merit than the other. As long as the sound coming out of the speakers is hot, the patrons will not care.

Laptops are the future, but for certain styles (and for fun) I still use vinyl.

Gotta agree with Watts, CDJ's are a flash in the pan and will not last too much longer. Laptops are so cheap nowadays and have many advantages over CDJ's. Its true that laptops can crash but CD's can skip and there's nothing worse than a CD skipping during a mix so that you sound like a twat and there is nothing you can do but take the tune back out and try again.

I've heard a lot more laptop crash issues than CD's skipping... come on now. And it's a simple redundancy model: You have one point of failure with the laptop, versus 3 way redundancy with say 3 CDJ's.

Laptops are fine, but you still need to combine them with traditional gear (turntables, CDJ's, a real mixer) to get the full hands-on experience.

Like I've said before, the MIDI controllers out there get the job done, but feel like crap. Vestax is making some headway in that department at least.

The Torq package (Xponent) is actually probably a good way to get started though. It's all in one, small, and much, MUCH cheaper than good CDJ's, and a mixer.

You could even get a Conectiv box down the line and a couple used TT's (or even CDJs) and a nice mixer and still use the software.

Take a look at this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Aaru6pSB-q8

I currently use Traktor with Numark Total Control and a E-MU X-Board49 Midi Keyboard controller. It gives me all the basic functions as if i had two CDJ's and a traditional mixer. What i find convienent is that everything in traktor seems good enough for me.(the xone:92 emulation on traktor is fantastic!) I use my keyboard controller to control mostly the master FXs and the two gains on deck A and B. When i want to run 4 decks, i have deck C and D on the keyboard while Deck A and Deck B is controlled by Total Control. So basically i can do close enough to what anyone else could do with just a CDJ and a mixer. I never had a chance to actually spin on real CDJ's so i cant account on whether which is easier or better. The only problem i have with using two midi controllers and traktor is that the pitch fader is a bit too flimsy for me. I rather enjoy the same pitch slide like those on a 1200. I've never crashed while playing live on my computer or had any serious issues either.

I also find it as being inexpensive at the moment. I don't have the ability to get a decent pair of CDJ's that i would enjoy and a reasonable mixer. So i'm content with what i'm using at the moment.

personally i think, it is just a matter of taste the only bad thing i could think off, is getting your laptop stuck while you are playing, but i mean is all part of the risk of djing, could be a damaged cd too so yeah, at the end of the day you decide

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