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Serato Integration
This is all hypothetical, but it's got me curious, and I figure I may as well pose the question here:
Given that equipment manufacturers are really integrating digital vinyl systems into their products, what are your thoughts on what the best integration would be? (for the most direct comparison, I'll talk about using CDJs)
For example, there's the new-fangled CDJ-2000s/900s, and the Rane 68 mixer. Both offer native support for a myriad of serato control functions, and different combinations of possible components offer different pros and cons.
You could go with newer CDJs, and a different mixer. On the plus side, you'll have very similar functionality to the Rane 68, and you'll even get waveforms and track data piped into CDJs and displayed right there for you. On the downside, you'll still have to incorporate the serato box itself into your kit, you'll have to deal with the disconnection issue for swapping djs, and no support for 4 deck mixing. (or, more likely, back to back/tag team mixing with 4 decks) And to get really nit-picky, you'll only have buttons for 3 cue points available to you, as opposed to the 5 serato offers. Also, if you plan to use the new features serato's rolling out, such as effects or video, you might need to devote space (or bundle midi-mappings with pre-existing functions) on a midi-mixer, or seek out a separate midi controller.
You could go with older cdjs, like the 1000mk3s, and the Rane 68. On the plus side all of that super-cool mixer functionality, however you lose the native support for the CDJs themselves. Using the CDJs for loop cutting/tweaking, library navigation, and visible waveform might be a whole lot more "tactile" and easy to use with the CDJ interface than with the 68. (The cdjs seem to have a "one to one" mapping between the cdj interface, and serato result. The 68 seems to have cue buttons, loop buttons, and two knobs per channel to control everything else.) Finally, this setup still keeps a laptop generally between you and a crowd. If the CDJ integration is done well, you might not even need your laptop within arms reach...
The last option would be to just get both. This could solve everyone's problems. However, first of all, it's the most expensive and definitely redundant to a point. Also, there may even be the chance of incompatibility: if you assign native control to the CDJs, could it override the 68 functions, or vice versa?
Anyway, clearly I'm a design/engineering geek for thinking about this, and I'm sure the true answer lies somewhere along the lines of "personal preference." But, I doubt many of us will have the chance to test-drive all these options, so for now, I hope its least worth the thought.
Lol and of course, you could just get traktor and not have to deal with the need for a serato box, period... but that answer's no fun.
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huh?
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