After so long a time very happy with my little Denon MC2000, Linux on an SSD with Mixxx, I've upgraded to an MC6000 MK1. Yeah yeah yeah I'd have loved to have splurged on a shiny new controller but .. profit & all that. Sadly the version of Mixxx I run doesn't support the 6000 & would need a lot of work. And really, in this day & age is a flanger enough to keep a creative DJ like me inspired? Nope.

Now, with 28 days left of a VDJ 8.0 trial I'm intending to play out a whole NYE set in Windows, using VDJ & a new controller. What could possibly go wrong? Loads, so I'll be running my backup laptop with the old mc2000 & mixxx just incase.

I've had a good old play with VDJ & the MC6000 over the last few nights & it seems pretty solid so far, and oh, so featureful.

In the new year I'll be installing Linux on my backup laptop along with the new version of Mixxx which supports the MC6000 natively & who knows maybe the effects & improved timebending playback will be enough to sway me... if it's as stable as the older one has been anyway.

I guess the £130 question is... do I enjoy using VDJ enough to justify BUYING playout software? For some this is an easy decision - of course - just buy the darn thing & put it through the books. But HNNNNNGGGG..... .me? PAY for software that isn't included with the machine I buy? Note: I did buy Ableton 9 once for Djing with - on a whim - and it was immense fun (sadly the club night didn't take off).