I've brought forward my move to digital!

[rob1963]

This evening I've been playing with my new D2 which arrived yesterday.

I don't even have a hard drive for it yet, so I just loaded about 20 songs from my computer onto the free 2gb usb stick that came with it.

After playing with it for a couple hours, I have to say it's an absolute joy to use & I'm really impressed.

So much so, that I now can't wait to get a new mixer, mount them both in a carpet case & start using it on the road.

I've therefore brought forward my move to digital from early next year to as soon as possible...hopefully in a few months time!

I'll keep you posted!

:D

[Tom]

Congrats on the move there Rob. :)

Will you be taking one of your cd players for backup???

[Penfold42]

Told you....you old fart.......great in'nit........welcome buddy! :D

[rob1963]

Congrats on the move there Rob. :)

Will you be taking one of your cd players for backup???

One player? I'll actually be taking THREE, Tom!

There will be a single CD player mounted in my new console, partly in case the client hands me a CD to play & partly for back up.

I'll also carry two single desktop players (Numark Axis2) as well.

:D

[One Vision]

Good onya Rob :thumbsup:

[rob1963]

Told you....you old fart.......great in'nit........welcome buddy! :D

Cheers Tony!

Have you used your digital set up out on the road yet?

[Penfold42]

Cheers Tony!

Have you used your digital set up out on the road yet?

:o ...errr.....:o ......No!

Have played it once at a school gig a couple of months back....worked really well.......

I'll be honest....had to talk to "Yoda" to sort other bits out.........:o

BUT NOW..............."ROCK 'N' ROLL"........:D :D :D
Oh and 'Batman'............:D

[Jiggles]

I want to get a D2 but my dad aint lettin me :( Dont like the cortex and the Denon is well Denon expensive! Good luck Ron

[rob1963]

:o ...errr.....:o ......No!

Have played it once at a school gig a couple of months back....worked really well.......

I'll be honest....had to talk to "Yoda" to sort other bits out.........:o

BUT NOW..............."ROCK 'N' ROLL"........:D :D :D
Oh and 'Batman'............:D

Ohhhh...maybe I'll beat you to using it regularly then...unless you get a move on, of course!

:D

[Penfold42]

Ohhhh...maybe I'll beat you to using it regularly then...unless you get a move on, of course!

:D

:moon: :moon: :moon:

In all seriousness....you wont regret it......

I have been playing with it ....:eek: ....:D ....and whatever you use.....it's fast.........REALLY fast.........

Enjoy.......:)

[CRAZY K]

This evening I've been playing with my new D2 which arrived yesterday.

I don't even have a hard drive for it yet, so I just loaded about 20 songs from my computer onto the free 2gb usb stick that came with it.

After playing with it for a couple hours, I have to say it's an absolute joy to use & I'm really impressed.

So much so, that I now can't wait to get a new mixer, mount them both in a carpet case & start using it on the road.

I've therefore brought forward my move to digital from early next year to as soon as possible...hopefully in a few months time!

I'll keep you posted!

:D

We told you:D :D :D

Dont leave home before checking the tracks you need for most gigs actually play--:D

CRAZY K

[BeerFunk]

This move to digital has been dragging on longer than the inquest into Princess Di's death... :p

Rob, how come you've got the D2, yet you're bringing the move forward to a few months time?? :confused:

Surely you could target a few weeks, possibly less if you put the time in?

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I've been using the Cortex for 2 weeks now and I have had no problems whatsoever (only forgetting to tab across with the keyboard). I have taken back up CD players with me on every occasion apart from friday when I had the opportunity to use it on it's own (any problems and the landlady wouldn't have minded if I needed to get the players out of the van...unlike at a party).

As was said to me Rob, you'll wish you did it sooner. I still think I will take players with me anyway and a case of the basic cd's to get me by should anything go wrong but I don't think I'll need them. Better to be safe.

[CRAZY K]

I want to get a D2 but my dad aint lettin me :( Dont like the cortex and the Denon is well Denon expensive! Good luck Ron

What dont you like about Cortex then?

CRAZY K

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Don't wanna turn this into a 'mine's better than yours' type thing but I didn't go for the Numark as I preferred the 2 screens on the Cortex rather than just the one plus I got it half price.

[Jiggles]

What dont you like about Cortex then?

CRAZY K

Its too small at 2U while the D2 is 3U

[DazzyD]

Up to now, I've only been using a laptop with external HDD and Virtual DJ and BPM software (no hardware front end setup). I was looking in to buying the PCDJ DAC 3 but I can pick up the D2 with a free 2GB USB stick for under £310. Can anyone tell me the pros/cons for each?

Cheers!

[rob1963]

We told you:D :D :D CRAZY K

And you were right, Crazy! :D


This move to digital has been dragging on longer than the inquest into Princess Di's death... :p

Rob, how come you've got the D2, yet you're bringing the move forward to a few months time?? :confused:

Surely you could target a few weeks, possibly less if you put the time in?

Let me clarify, Beerfunk.

I was going to move to digital late this year or early next year. However, when I heard the D2 (my chosen control unit) was being discontinued, I decided I'd buy one now (before they're all gone), and get the rest of the gear I need later in the year, as previously planned.

Having played with the D2, I now can't wait to use it on the road, so I've decided to make the switch over as soon as possible. It will take a few months, though, as I have to get a new carpet case, mixer & single CD player to go with it!


As was said to me Rob, you'll wish you did it sooner.

I'm already thinking that, Gary...and I haven't even used it out on the road yet!


Don't wanna turn this into a 'mine's better than yours' type thing but I didn't go for the Numark as I preferred the 2 screens on the Cortex rather than just the one plus I got it half price.

That's interesting, Gary, as the Numark's screen was one of the things that swung it for me. It's larger, clearer & holds more information than the two small screens on the Cortex.

I also believe it's better than the Denon, as apart from the players at the very top, it uses the full screen width, so there's plenty of room for artist & track information, whereas I think the Denon screen is split down the middle, giving very little width for the artist and/or track name...although if I'm wrong here, I'm sure one of the Denon users will soon correct me!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I want to get a D2 but my dad aint lettin me :( Dont like the cortex and the Denon is well Denon expensive! Good luck Ron

If you are a supporter of this site, it is very important that you speak unto myself before purchasing anything. ;)

[rob1963]

If you are a supporter of this site, it is very important that you speak unto myself before purchasing anything. ;)

...apart from a D2!

:rolleyes: :boxer2: :D

[Jiggles]

What are you my dad :D:D :p

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Up to now, I've only been using a laptop with external HDD and Virtual DJ and BPM software (no hardware front end setup). I was looking in to buying the PCDJ DAC 3 but I can pick up the D2 with a free 2GB USB stick for under £310. Can anyone tell me the pros/cons for each?

Cheers!

Completely different things really. The DAC-3 controls DJ software whereas the D2 is a media reader/player.

If I was you, I'd pick up the D2 and get a DAC-2 to control your software and you have the best of both worlds.

I recently bought 2 x DAC-2s for my guys for £80 each. ;)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

...apart from a D2!

:rolleyes: :boxer2: :D

But you did speak to me first though. ;)


What are you my dad :D:D :p

No, just a man who could save you money. ;)

[BeerFunk]

Completely different things really. The DAC-3 controls DJ software whereas the D2 is a media reader/player.

If I was you, I'd pick up the D2 and get a DAC-2 to control your software and you have the best of both worlds.Then again, the HD2500 now has MIDI support, so it can do both! Not being the slightest bit interested in PC DJing, couldn't tell you which software it's compatible with, mind you.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Then again, the HD2500 now has MIDI support, so it can do both! Not being the slightest bit interested in PC DJing, couldn't tell you which software it's compatible with, mind you.

It does have both, but that is no good if you need back up of some sort.

[CRAZY K]

I've been using the Cortex for 2 weeks now and I have had no problems whatsoever (only forgetting to tab across with the keyboard). I have taken back up CD players with me on every occasion apart from friday when I had the opportunity to use it on it's own (any problems and the landlady wouldn't have minded if I needed to get the players out of the van...unlike at a party).

As was said to me Rob, you'll wish you did it sooner. I still think I will take players with me anyway and a case of the basic cd's to get me by should anything go wrong but I don't think I'll need them. Better to be safe.

Glad to hear the Cortex is going well-I would recommend instead of CD back up take a back up Cortex or even a D2 ( cheaper) that way all you need is two Hard Drives.

I was using the Cortex Saturday and thinking how amazing it is that you run the evening with a box measuring 9 inches by 2 inches ( hard drive)
:D :D :D

CRAZY K

[CRAZY K]

Its too small at 2U while the D2 is 3U

Eh?

Do you mean it wont fit your set up so you prefer something bigger to fill the gap?

CRAZY K

[rob1963]

I was using the Cortex Saturday and thinking how amazing it is that you run the evening with a box measuring 9 inches by 2 inches ( hard drive) :D :D :D CRAZY K

In my case, it will be a box measuring about 4 inches by 2.5 inches.

Mr Ipod is my friend!

:D :D :D

[Penfold42]

Mr Ipod is my friend!

Bloody iPod DJ's.............:D

[rob1963]

Bloody iPod DJ's.............:D

Lol Tony!

I thought long & hard about whether to use an ipod or an external hard drive, and the ipod won, as it has one intial disadvantage, but this is outweighed by several permament advantages, to do with flexilility & ease of use.

The obvious disadvantage is the cost. My 80gb ipod (which should arrive tomorrow) was £135, and I'm aware I could have got a standard external drive for about £100 less...but this is the only real disadvantage I can think of, and once you've bought it, you can forget about that.

The first advantage of an ipod over a hard drive is that it will double up as a personal music player (with the headphones) when I'm relaxing at home or out & about, whereas a normal external hard drive won't.

Secondly, if the D2 packs up at a gig, I can plug the ipod into my mixer & use it to search for & play songs...which I can't do with a normal hard drive.

Finally, all my music is ripped into itunes, and the ipod is designed specifically to work with this...so all I have to do is plug the ipod into my computer & it will automatically synchronize the two, whereas there would be a bit more to it with a standard hard drive.

Next things on the shopping list...carpet case, single CD player & new mixer.

:D

[Penfold42]

Forgive me if i'm wrong or have the intelligence of a 'wash basin sponge'......:D ....but if the main player went down and you needed you iPod.....:eek: .......you would only be able to line one track at a time up......is that correct??

So what's the infill.........you on the mic........:D :D :D

[rob1963]

Forgive me if i'm wrong or have the intelligence of a 'wash basin sponge'......:D ....but if the main player went down and you needed you iPod.....:eek: .......you would only be able to line one track at a time up......is that correct??

That is correct, Tony...

...except there will also be a single CD player in my console & I'll carry two spare CD players as well, so no need to panic!

It's just an extra option the ipod gives me which a standard hard drive doesn't.

[CRAZY K]

In my case, it will be a box measuring about 4 inches by 2.5 inches.

Mr Ipod is my friend!

:D :D :D

Rob,

Unless anyone else on here has GOOD evidence to the contrary I would RECOMMEND YOU DONT USE I POD.

Ill tell you a story ( no my name is not Singalonga Max Bygraves) ;)

Last year I worked with a "singer" who phoned me and said can I use your PA
to put my I pod backing tracks through as well as my microphone.

Fine I said--"singer" turns up with a CD--wots that I said?

Oh I need to use a CD--eh? Why?

Ahhh my ipod keeps freezing and I cant risk using it:eek: :eek: :eek:

REAL PROFESSIONAL EH?

You have been warned:D :D :D

CRAZY K

[rob1963]

Rob,

Unless anyone else on here has GOOD evidence to the contrary I would RECOMMEND YOU DONT USE I POD.

Ill tell you a story ( no my name is not Singalonga Max Bygraves) ;)

Last year I worked with a "singer" who phoned me and said can I use your PA
to put my I pod backing tracks through as well as my microphone.

Fine I said--"singer" turns up with a CD--wots that I said?

Oh I need to use a CD--eh? Why?

Ahhh my ipod keeps freezing and I cant risk using it:eek: :eek: :eek:

REAL PROFESSIONAL EH?

You have been warned:D :D :D

CRAZY K

Thanks for the warning, Crazy, but I'll carry a spare ipod just in case, as well as a couple of usb sticks loaded with my top tunes, and 3 cd players & a wallet of CDs...so I think I'll be covered!!!

It sounds to me like the person you mention either had a dodgy ipod or maybe some dodgy music files on it. After all, ipods are the most popular hard drive players in the world!

Last year I also had a chat to a member of this site who uses a hard drive controller (Cortex, I think) with just an ipod plugged into it, and they were saying they've had no problems at all.

:)

[Penfold42]

Thanks for the warning, Crazy, but I'll carry a spare ipod just in case, as well as a couple of usb sticks loaded with my top tunes, and 3 cd players & a wallet of CDs...so I think I'll be covered!!!
So you have a lot of confidence in Numark then........:D

[Danno13]

Why carry a spare IPod? Just get a much cheaper external drive and use it as your spare. And isn't 80GB a bit small anyway?

[rob1963]

So you have a lot of confidence in Numark then........:D

:Laugh:


Why carry a spare IPod? Just get a much cheaper external drive and use it as your spare. And isn't 80GB a bit small anyway?

I might do that, Danno.

80GB certainly isn't a bit small...it's actually a bit BIG! I only have about 5,000 songs (ripped at 256), so they only take up about 35GB, which leaves more then enough room for expansion!

:D

[CRAZY K]

Thanks for the warning, Crazy, but I'll carry a spare ipod just in case, as well as a couple of usb sticks loaded with my top tunes, and 3 cd players & a wallet of CDs...so I think I'll be covered!!!

It sounds to me like the person you mention either had a dodgy ipod or maybe some dodgy music files on it. After all, ipods are the most popular hard drive players in the world!

Last year I also had a chat to a member of this site who uses a hard drive controller (Cortex, I think) with just an ipod plugged into it, and they were saying they've had no problems at all.

:)

Well if its tried and tested good luck--most of us are a year down the hard Drive Route and some others even further--so far fairly good results with one or two notable exceptions--Steve at Corabar I believe lost one?

I would certainly not go down I Pod route--when you think about the hard drive on the I pod which is designed to play out music in logical order--i.e. playlist--will it stand up to being jerked backwards and forwards every 3 minutes searching for new tracks ?

And also being used by you personally--none of use our HDs much other than for the Disco so the hours usage per week is quite low.

Time will tell:D :D :D

CRAZY K

[Penfold42]

Should have got a Denon.......:sofa:

[rob1963]

Well if its tried and tested good luck--most of us are a year down the hard Drive Route and some others even further--so far fairly good results with one or two notable exceptions--Steve at Corabar I believe lost one?

I would certainly not go down I Pod route--when you think about the hard drive on the I pod which is designed to play out music in logical order--i.e. playlist--will it stand up to being jerked backwards and forwards every 3 minutes searching for new tracks ?

Time will tell:D :D :D

CRAZY K

Crazy,

I will be using the ipod purely as a hard drive storage device...so It won't be jerked about searching for new tracks...all the controlling will be done on the D2.

When you're using an ipod simply as a music storage device, there is even less to go wrong than when you are moving it about & using the built-in controls & buttons to navigate through tracks & menus.

Have faith!

:D :D :D

[CRAZY K]

Crazy,

I will be using the ipod purely as a hard drive storage device...so It won't be jerked about searching for new tracks...all the controlling will be done on the D2.

When you're using an ipod simply as a music storage device, there is even less to go wrong than when you are moving it about & using the built-in controls & buttons to navigate through tracks & menus.

Have faith!

:D :D :D

All I will say is the hard drive I own is a mechanical device that goes round and round--you can hear it whirring if you plug in the lead that hasnt been adapted for an earth loop:D :D :D

I assume the I pod Hard drive is similar i.e. its not a piece of solid state electronics that never moves.

If im wrong--my apology.

On that basis and if thats true I know which I would rather trust to last:D

CRAZY K

[rob1963]

All I will say is the hard drive I own is a mechanical device that goes round and round--you can hear it whirring if you plug in the lead that hasnt been adapted for an earth loop:D :D :D

I assume the I pod Hard drive is similar i.e. its not a piece of solid state electronics that never moves.

If im wrong--my apology.

On that basis and if thats true I know which I would rather trust to last:D

I have not owned an I pod--does it have an USB port to connect to the D2 presumably?

CRAZY K

Yes crazy, the ipod contains a hard drive, and nearly all hard drives contain moving parts. It also has a USB port to connect to the D2.

I see no reason why the ipod should be any less reliable than an external hard drive, as that's all it is...the only real difference being the built-in screen & buttons to control the music...which I won't be using.

I have a feeling that the ipod maybe more reliable than you think.

There is also a DJ I know who for the last 3-4 years has simply used two ipods straight into his mixer, so he's using the ipod buttons every 3 minutes to search for the next track to play...and he's had no problems at all.

I've never owned an ipod before, but mine should be arriving tomorrow, and as you said, time will tell.

:)

[CRAZY K]

Yes crazy, the ipod contains a hard drive, and nearly all hard drives contain moving parts. It also has a USB port to connect to the D2.

I see no reason why the ipod should be any less reliable than an external hard drive, as that's all it is...the only real difference being the built-in screen & buttons to control the music...which I won't be using.

I have a feeling that the ipod maybe more reliable than you think.

There is also a DJ I know who for the last 3-4 years has simply used two ipods straight into his mixer, so he's using the ipod buttons every 3 minutes to search for the next track to play...and he's had no problems at all.

I've never owned an ipod before, but mine should be arriving tomorrow, and as you said, time will tell.

:)

Ah well see how it goes:D

CRAZY K

[Excalibur]

Don't wanna turn this into a 'mine's better than yours' type thing but I didn't go for the Numark as I preferred the 2 screens on the Cortex rather than just the one plus I got it half price.


:D



Let me clarify, Beerfunk.

I was going to move to digital late this year or early next year. However, when I heard the D2 (my chosen control unit) was being discontinued, I decided I'd buy one now (before they're all gone), and get the rest of the gear I need later in the year, as previously planned.

Having played with the D2, I now can't wait to use it on the road, so I've decided to make the switch over as soon as possible. It will take a few months, though, as I have to get a new carpet case, mixer & single CD player to go with it!

That's interesting, Gary, as the Numark's screen was one of the things that swung it for me. It's larger, clearer & holds more information than the two small screens on the Cortex.

I also believe it's better than the Denon, as apart from the players at the very top, it uses the full screen width, so there's plenty of room for artist & track information, whereas I think the Denon screen is split down the middle, giving very little width for the artist and/or track name...although if I'm wrong here, I'm sure one of the Denon users will soon correct me!

Rob, in the past we have had the odd disagreement over various matters, but you have simply gone too far this time!:mad: :mad: :mad:
I now hate you with a vengeance.

Having decided I must reluctantly embrace this new fangled technology, I did a little research. I went to see Justin at work, and impressed as I was by the lad's dexterity, a laptop based system was not even considered.
Denon is outside my budget, so Crazy's beloved Cortex appeared to be exactly what I needed, affordable, two screens, looks like a CD player. No probs.:D Then you, great pillock that you are, tell me this Numark has a bigger display!:eek:
What am I going to do now? :confused: :confused: :bang: :bang: :bang:

[DazzyD]

Completely different things really. The DAC-3 controls DJ software whereas the D2 is a media reader/player.

If I was you, I'd pick up the D2 and get a DAC-2 to control your software and you have the best of both worlds.

I recently bought 2 x DAC-2s for my guys for £80 each. ;)

Bit late in replying to this one but I've been busy today (first time for everything!)

So, if I got a D2 it would take away the need to carry the laptops? And with the DAC-2/3 I would still need the laptop and the ext HDD. Just thinking, if I were to use both, would a external network HDD be able to connect to them both simultaneously? I know my HDD enclosure has two sockets (USB & Firewire) but I can't use them both at the same time. Would a Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive achieve this? I know it works in the computer world but I don't know if it would be viable in a mobile DJing environment.

Something to consider, though.

[Excalibur]

Bit late in replying to this one but I've been busy today (first time for everything!)

So, if I got a D2 it would take away the need to carry the laptops? And with the DAC-2/3 I would still need the laptop and the ext HDD. Just thinking, if I were to use both, would a external network HDD be able to connect to them both simultaneously? I know my HDD enclosure has two sockets (USB & Firewire) but I can't use them both at the same time. Would a Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive achieve this? I know it works in the computer world but I don't know if it would be viable in a mobile DJing environment.

Something to consider, though.

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

Think I'll stick to the CD players after all! :eek: :D :D :D :D

[BeerFunk]

Yes crazy, the ipod contains a hard drive, and nearly all hard drives contain moving parts. It also has a USB port to connect to the D2.

I see no reason why the ipod should be any less reliable than an external hard drive, as that's all it is...the only real difference being the built-in screen & buttons to control the music...which I won't be using.

I have a feeling that the ipod maybe more reliable than you think.

There is also a DJ I know who for the last 3-4 years has simply used two ipods straight into his mixer, so he's using the ipod buttons every 3 minutes to search for the next track to play...and he's had no problems at all.

I've never owned an ipod before, but mine should be arriving tomorrow, and as you said, time will tell.

:)
A decent MP3 player will be very reliable, bearing in mind they are designed to withstand a lot of movement and bumps.

However, I always recommend agains't buying the 'brand name' ipod, and to get the Creative equivalent - much more for your money. Apple and their marketing :rolleyes:

[CRAZY K]

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

Think I'll stick to the CD players after all! :eek: :D :D :D :D

No no, go with Robs mate---2x I pods.

Then you can be a real Ipod DJ :D :D :D :D

And as Dave Dragonfly puts it--- a great big flashing Jukebox:D :D :D

CRAZY K

[Excalibur]

No no, go with Robs mate---2x I pods.

Then you can be a real Ipod DJ :D :D :D :D

And as Dave Dragonfly puts it--- a great big flashing Jukebox:D :D :D

CRAZY K

There are times when I think you are even dafter than me!:D :D :D
And I'm supposed to be asking you for advice? Now how am I going to find out which one to get? :confused: Even Rob's taking six CD players as backup!

[rob1963]

Rob, in the past we have had the odd disagreement over various matters, but you have simply gone too far this time!:mad: :mad: :mad:
I now hate you with a vengeance.

Having decided I must reluctantly embrace this new fangled technology, I did a little research. I went to see Justin at work, and impressed as I was by the lad's dexterity, a laptop based system was not even considered.
Denon is outside my budget, so Crazy's beloved Cortex appeared to be exactly what I needed, affordable, two screens, looks like a CD player. No probs.:D Then you, great pillock that you are, tell me this Numark has a bigger display!:eek:
What am I going to do now? :confused: :confused: :bang: :bang: :bang:

Excalibur,

I was seriously considering the Cortex for a while, too, but I don't like its screens. They are small & appear to use a fairly cheapo looking dot matrix for the characters.

The Denon has one screen, but it's split down the middle, with each half relating to each player. This results in very little width to discplay the track & artist details.

The Numark D2 is 3U and has a decent sized screen (4.75" from corner to corner) with room for about 10 lines of information. Also, the screen is only split at the very top where the players are. This means you have the full screen width available to display artists & song titles.

Of the 3 makes, I honestly think the Numark has the best screen.


:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

Think I'll stick to the CD players after all! :eek: :D :D :D :D

:eek: :eek: :eek:


A decent MP3 player will be very reliable, bearing in mind they are designed to withstand a lot of movement and bumps.

However, I always recommend agains't buying the 'brand name' ipod, and to get the Creative equivalent - much more for your money. Apple and their marketing :rolleyes:

I agree about a decent MP3 player being very reliable. I've been googling today & looking on some forums for more information. There was one guy who has used his ipod for 12 hours a day every day for the last couple of years with no problems. Mine won't even be used for 12 hours a WEEK!

I also saw a number of comments from people who had dropped their ipod, in a few cases more than once & on a pavement...but the ipods still worked perfectly afterwards.

I've discovered the hard drives in ipods are made by Toshiba...which are hardly the equivilent of a company like soundlab!

You are certainly right about having to pay more for an ipod in the first place.


There are times when I think you are even dafter than me!:D :D :D
And I'm supposed to be asking you for advice? Now how am I going to find out which one to get? :confused: Even Rob's taking six CD players as backup!

I've decided 6 isn't enough, Excalibur...so I'm going to take 10 CD players as back up...just in case!

:rolleyes:

[djqacy]

Ive been using the D2 for a year now. Im very happy with it.

And of course I have my ipod :) for back up.

[Corabar Steve]

Just thinking about this from a punter's boint of view, what would you think if you went up to the DJ for a request & saw that all he had plugged into his playout system was an iPod?? I for one wouldn't be impressed even if he was doing a good job.

It's a piece of equipment that is designed for domestic use. You might as well put a couple of Hi Fi system CD players into your rig as well & be done with it. You wouldn't think of using Home mix (of whatever Argos are selling as their toy DJ kit for home use) for a professional gig but iPod is OK?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

It's a piece of equipment that is designed for domestic use.

But so is a laptop.

[rob1963]

Just thinking about this from a punter's point of view, what would you think if you went up to the DJ for a request & saw that all he had plugged into his playout system was an iPod?? I for one wouldn't be impressed even if he was doing a good job.

It's a piece of equipment that is designed for domestic use. You might as well put a couple of Hi Fi system CD players into your rig as well & be done with it. You wouldn't think of using Home mix (of whatever Argos are selling as their toy DJ kit for home use) for a professional gig but iPod is OK?

Steve,

I'm afraid I disagree...as you might have expected!

Firstly, the punters won't even know I'm using an ipod, as I'm planning on having it in a recessed area in my console, probably with a hinged cover over it, therefore all they will see is the screen of my D2, so with all due respect, that completely blows the argument in your first paragraph out of the water.

I know you say you're thinking about this from a punters point of view, but I feel you're actually thinking about it from a DJs point of view.

Even if clients or punters COULD see an ipod, do you REALLY think they wouldn't be impressed?...especially if they also saw the D2 controller? How many potential clients say to you "I hope you don't use ipods to store your music"? You know as well as I do that clients & punters want us to give them a good party and play the music they want. As long as the equipment is up to the job, they couldn't care less whether that music comes from records, CDs, an ipod, an external hard drive or a laptop.

You say you wouldn't be impressed if you saw me using an ipod.

You also wouldn't be impressed with my lightshow, which usually consists of 8 pinspots on a bar, a mushroom light & a 50 watt gobo flower. But again, that's because you're looking at it from a DJs point of view. The fact is there's nothing wrong with my lightshow, which is why I've never had a single negative comment about it from any client or punter...out of well over 100,000 people that have attended my gigs over the years.

The negativity about ipods being used at gigs seems to be largely to do with the fact that they were not designed for mobile disco use, and also that many people already have them at home, so it's very easy, but not very professional to use them at gigs.

Couldn't the same be said about laptops?

At least my D2 controller is designed specifically for use by mobile DJs.

You state that an ipod is designed for domestic use. I'm sure plenty of use have used some bits of equipment designed for domestic use (apart from laptops), such as extension leads for example.

If you went for a meal in a restaurant which was absolutely delicious, and you later found out it had been cooked in domestic pans from Argos rather than professional industry standard ones, would you suddenly decide you weren't impressed & wouldn't go back? Of course not, because it's the end result that matters. You went there for a lovely meal & that's exactly what you got.

The bottom line is that all equipment needs to be up to the job in question, and until anyone can give me good reason to think otherwise, I will continue to hold the view that the Toshiba hard drive inside an ipod is totally up to the job of storing my music.

[rob1963]

But so is a laptop.

Exactly!

...and I had typed my reply before I saw that comment from you, Darren.

Great minds think alike!

:D

[Corabar Steve]

But so is a laptop.
Depends on the spec, a lot are used for business use as you well know.

How many potential clients say to you "I hope you don't use ipods to store your music"?

...........................You also wouldn't be impressed with my lightshow, which usually consists of 8 pinspots on a bar, a mushroom light & a 50 watt gobo flower. But again, that's because you're looking at it from a DJs point of view. The fact is there's nothing wrong with my lightshow, which is why I've never had a single negative comment about it from any client

Strangely enough I did have somebody say something along those lines on Saturday night, after hearing that I used MP3s. They mentioned that they had seen a DJ using an iPod & how unprofessional it looked, which lead to my from a punters POV comment.

As for the light show, we all know that it's really just there for the DJ in most cases & the majority of punters couldn't care less, as long as there's some flashing lights. (Why bring this up? it's not the issue in hand. You are however right in as much as if I did see it I would (personally) probably look at it from a DJ perspective & therefore be less impressed than in say Darren's or Ian's rigs, but if it does the job..........

[soundtracker]

I know this is going slightly off the topic - but more and more punters ARE now telling me they don't want the old fashioned flashing lights!

[reemicks disco]

I know this is going slightly off the topic - but more and more punters ARE now telling me they don't want the old fashioned flashing lights!

Sorry off topic, but agree with this, as we are also getting told the same.:)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Depends on the spec, a lot are used for business use as you well know.




Just playing devils advocate as I use one...:sj:

[rob1963]

Strangely enough I did have somebody say something along those lines on Saturday night, after hearing that I used MP3s. They mentioned that they had seen a DJ using an iPod & how unprofessional it looked, which lead to my from a punters POV comment.


Steve,

If they told you they'd seen a DJ using an ipod & thought it looked unprofessional, I'm guessing they just saw the ipod being used on on it's own (with the built-in controls) and plugged straight into a mixer.

I'd be very surprised if they said that if they'd seen it being controlled by a Cortex, Denon or D2.

To be honest, I think the average punter WOULD be quite impressed if they came up & saw my D2, complete with its screen listing the songs I was about to play.

After all, the average punter probably expects to see either a double CD player (as DJs have been using these for years) or maybe a laptop, as many DJs use these (despite the fact that they aren't designed for mobile disco use).

Therefore, if they see something like a D2, I think they WILL be impressed, partly because they're less likely to have have seen anything like it before, and partly because it's clearly been specifically designed for DJs...regardless of what type of hard drive is plugged into it.

[Corabar Steve]

If they told you they'd seen a DJ using an ipod & thought it looked unprofessional, I'm guessing they just saw the ipod being used on on it's own (with the built-in controls) and plugged straight into a mixer.Just "the DJ had an iPod connected to his gear"

To be honest, I think the average punter WOULD be quite impressed if they came up & saw my D2, complete with its screen listing the songs I was about to play.

After all, the average punter probably expects to see either a double CD player (as DJs have been using these for years) or maybe a laptop, as many DJs use these (despite the fact that they aren't designed for mobile disco use).

Therefore, if they see something like a D2, I think they WILL be impressed, partly because they're less likely to have have seen anything like it before, and partly because it's clearly been specifically designed for DJs...regardless of what type of hard drive is plugged into it.
As long as they're not like me. I personally think whatever the material is that the D2 is made of, it makes it look very toy like, or at best only really suitable for domestic use.

With apologies to all who use them (& yes I do know the cost of them), but I think they look cheap.

[rob1963]

Well, my ipod arrived today, and I've charged it, loaded my 5,000 songs & used the latest librarian software to create a library.

I've also downloaded & installed the latest firmware onto the D2.

Having just tried the two together, I have to say I'm really impressed. When searching my entire music library for a song, the results are appearing on the screen in less than 2 seconds, and loading a song to the crate or a deck is only taking 1-2 seconds.

I haven't made the final decision yet, but I'm now thinking of dispensing with the keyboard & just using the D2's rotary control for track searches. After all, I'm finding it's only necessary to enter 3 or 4 letters from the artist or title I want, as this reduces the results enough for it to be very easy to scroll through for the track I want.

Also, dispensing with the keyboard will save the cost of a sliding drawer.
More importantly, it will mean I can use a standard 2U single CD player in the space under my new console, rather than the 1U player I thought I'd need...which will probably save me £200-£300, as the range of 1U players is limited & they aren't cheap!

Are there many of you who use a hard drive controller (especially a D2) without a keyboard?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Nope, definately easier with a keyboard, especially if you need to find something very quickly.

2 seconds to find a song and 1-2 seconds to load? That's ages!!!!!!!!

[rob1963]

2 seconds to find a song and 1-2 seconds to load? That's ages!!!!!!!!

It's slightly faster & easier than my current system...

...look it up in my binder, find the correct CD, take it out of it's jewel case, open the CD drawer, insert the CD, close the CD drawer, wait for it to load up, read the TOC & cue itself at track one, then press the track advance button to move through to the track I want!

:D

[Penfold42]

It's slightly faster & easier than my current system...

...look it up in my binder, find the correct CD, take it out of it's jewel case, open the CD drawer, insert the CD, wait for it to read the TOC & cue at track one, then press the track advance button to move through to the track I want!

:D

Yep ....leave's a lot more time for checking the movement on the dancefloor....:rolleyes: :D

[CRAZY K]

Excalibur,

I was seriously considering the Cortex for a while, too, but I don't like its screens. They are small & appear to use a fairly cheapo looking dot matrix for the characters.

The Denon has one screen, but it's split down the middle, with each half relating to each player. This results in very little width to discplay the track & artist details.

The Numark D2 is 3U and has a decent sized screen (4.75" from corner to corner) with room for about 10 lines of information. Also, the screen is only split at the very top where the players are. This means you have the full screen width available to display artists & song titles.

Of the 3 makes, I honestly think the Numark has the best screen.



:eek: :eek: :eek:



I agree about a decent MP3 player being very reliable. I've been googling today & looking on some forums for more information. There was one guy who has used his ipod for 12 hours a day every day for the last couple of years with no problems. Mine won't even be used for 12 hours a WEEK!

I also saw a number of comments from people who had dropped their ipod, in a few cases more than once & on a pavement...but the ipods still worked perfectly afterwards.

I've discovered the hard drives in ipods are made by Toshiba...which are hardly the equivilent of a company like soundlab!


You are certainly right about having to pay more for an ipod in the first place.



I've decided 6 isn't enough, Excalibur...so I'm going to take 10 CD players as back up...just in case!

:rolleyes:

Toshiba eh? just had one of their rubbish TVs replaced after 6 months--but hey this is a different product.

So you cant read a Cortex screen ?

Well I can easily without glasses and im not a youngster:D

Cheap dot matrix-- --whats that got to do with the price of fish--the public dont see it--only you.

Im worried about your eyesight Rob:D

What you need is this laser treatment available in London by Harley Street specialists to sort your eyesight out:D :D :D

Whats that--youve got the T Shirt?:eek: :eek: :eek:

Oh dear:rolleyes:

CRAZY K

[CRAZY K]

Nope, definately easier with a keyboard, especially if you need to find something very quickly.

2 seconds to find a song and 1-2 seconds to load? That's ages!!!!!!!!

Agreed about keyboard--you dont need extra storage space though--buy a mini one from Maplins £20 --store it in your bag of odds and ends if necessary.

Dont forget to carry a spare though:D

CRAZY K

[CRAZY K]

Just "the DJ had an iPod connected to his gear"

As long as they're not like me. I personally think whatever the material is that the D2 is made of, it makes it look very toy like, or at best only really suitable for domestic use.

With apologies to all who use them (& yes I do know the cost of them), but I think they look cheap.

Re-the look of D2 , Cortex and Denon -I imagine the Denon looks a lot more "professional" though I havent seen one-but will be admiring yours Steve on the 30th:D

I dont do DJ work every week but my experience so far has been that as im working in the dark( LITERALLY) no b----r can really see whats going on anyway when they come up to chat--generally they seem to go away as soon as I say yup ill play that--without pausing to make comments on my kit.

I spose if your working somewhere where theres a lot of ambient surrounding light its different--I dont do that--

If my Cortex wasnt in a rack and was supported by two pieces of wood no one would notice:D :D :D :D

Just my take!

CRAZY K

[rob1963]

Toshiba eh? just had one of their rubbish TVs replaced after 6 months--but hey this is a different product.


Strange...my Toshiba TV also gave up the ghost last year...about 16 years after I bought it! As you say, though, that's a different product!


So you cant read a Cortex screen ?

Well I can easily without glasses and im not a youngster:D

Cheap dot matrix-- --whats that got to do with the price of fish--the public dont see it--only you.

Im worried about your eyesight Rob:D

What you need is this laser treatment available in London by Harley Street specialists to sort your eyesight out:D :D :D

Whats that--youve got the T Shirt?:eek: :eek: :eek:

Oh dear:rolleyes:

CRAZY K

I can see the Cortex screens, but they are smaller & have much less information than the large screen on the Numark.

And as you know, my eyesight is better now than it's EVER been!

:D :D :D

[wensleydale]

use the keyboard rob- it will save a lot of hassle in the long run.

[BeerFunk]

Rob, it does sound to me a bit like you've got ideas into your head which will be hard to move out! :p

I'm not sure why you'd want to use an MP3 player as storage, especially considering the masses of external USB drives now on the market. Another thing to take into consideration is that external USB hard drives are designed with a constant live USB connection in mind, whereas portable MP3 players only have to be connected via USB now and again for loading and unloading songs. It may mean nothing in the long run, if the MP3 player is built for reliability, but no-one can really complain to the manufacturer if they're not using the player as it was intended.

As for screens, I've seen all three in use, and they are all easy to view, so I don't see an argument for a bigger screen!

[spin mobile disco]

I think trouble with this subject is that everyone is right up to a point so it comes down to opinion in the end.
My experience of the subject as I have had a d2 and a cortex for nearly 2 years now is as follows.
The cortex is the fastest of the 2 units and is the easiest to control. The matrix screen is actually very visable and is pretty reliable.
The Numark screen is bigger so it gives a nicer view. And for those who have used the extra features on the numark will realise sometimes speed in loading as not as important as the over all featurers and ability to load songs into a crate for fast retieval.
On hard drives I have done a lot of trying and testing on this subject and it is very important to have a good shop around for these products as there is a lot of pitfalls for the unwary.

Ipods are a quite shockproof external drive however they are the slowest of all external drives due to the slow spindle speed and lack of internal cache. Slow drives will mean it take longer to transfer songs to the decks and complete searches or looking at the file list on a D2.

Laptop type. These are in my opinion the best as they are light in weight designed to be shockproof and do not require and external power supply in most cases as they get their power for the usb connector on the D2 or cortex. Downside is they are not as fast as desktop external drives although n most cases more than enough for general use.

Desktop type external hard drives, these are the fastest and biggest and in most cases the cheapest version. However they have no antishock protection so compared to the laptop and ipod version they are fragile. But they are fast and cheap and to some that is worth the risk. They also require external power supplies so make them heavier and a bit more of a nuisance to setup.

I use 3 of the laptop type myself as I feel the light weight and no need for external power (for most anyway) make them far better for mobile disco's.
They have proved reliable under stress and being dropped (oops).

[rob1963]

Rob, it does sound to me a bit like you've got ideas into your head which will be hard to move out! :p

Indeed I have, Beerfunk, but only after considering various possibilities & the good & bad points of each.


I'm not sure why you'd want to use an MP3 player as storage, especially considering the masses of external USB drives now on the market.

Partly because I can just plug it into my computer & it will automatically synchronize with my itunes music library without me having to press a single button, and partly for flexibility...because if my D2 packs up, I can plug an ipod directly into my mixer, whereas an external device would be useless.


As for screens, I've seen all three in use, and they are all easy to view, so I don't see an argument for a bigger screen!

The argument for a bigger screen is simple...it has the ability to show much more information. I believe the Cortex screen can show 4 lines of information, whereas the D2 can show about 12 lines worth. Which of the two is best? I know what I think!

The other big advantage of the D2's screen is that it is not split down the middle, so again there is more room...as the full screen width is available to display track details (unlike on a certain much more expensive controller!).

[rob1963]

Ipods are a quite shockproof external drive however they are the slowest of all external drives due to the slow spindle speed and lack of internal cache. Slow drives will mean it take longer to transfer songs to the decks and complete searches or looking at the file list on a D2.

That's interesting, Spin, as I find search results are returned in 1-2 seconds, and it also takes about 1 second to load a track to a player ready for use.

However, I only have about 5,000 songs, and have downloaded & installed the latest firmware for the D2 & built a library using the latest version of the librarian software...so this probably helps to speed things up.

:)

[Corabar Steve]

Re-the look of D2 , Cortex and Denon -I imagine the Denon looks a lot more "professional" though I havent seen one-but will be admiring yours Steve on the 30th:D If you're talking about Newlands Park, you won't see it on the 30th. The gig is on the 26th. :sj:


The other big advantage of the D2's screen is that it is not split down the middle, so again there is more room...as the full screen width is available to display track details (unlike on a certain much more expensive controller!).
Denon are working on a firmware upgrade to allow you to switch between the split screen & a single screen (if preferred)

[spin mobile disco]

I know a sure way to demonstrate the problem with a slow device Rob. Start playing a song on deck a, then cue a song on deck b while it is still playing on a. Then switch to file view to search for another song. This normally creates a stutter on slower drives while it is waiting on the drive to respond. Also the transfer to a deck after a search should be instant on a faster drive (it is on mine anyway) the 1-2 seconds is the lag of a slower device. But if it works for you I see no reason for you to change.

[CRAZY K]

:zip:
If you're talking about Newlands Park, you won't see it on the 30th. The gig is on the 26th. :sj:


Denon are working on a firmware upgrade to allow you to switch between the split screen & a single screen (if preferred)

AHHH YES STEVE--WORKING FROM MEMORY--DANGEROUS :D :D :D

See you and the Denon on the 26th :)

regards

Alan

[CRAZY K]

I know a sure way to demonstrate the problem with a slow device Rob. Start playing a song on deck a, then cue a song on deck b while it is still playing on a. Then switch to file view to search for another song. This normally creates a stutter on slower drives while it is waiting on the drive to respond. Also the transfer to a deck after a search should be instant on a faster drive (it is on mine anyway) the 1-2 seconds is the lag of a slower device. But if it works for you I see no reason for you to change.

Suggest you play at being Bedroom DJ Rob 1963 for an evening and simulate a gig--

Then you will know if its going to be ok for you.

Must admit I find using the USB throughly relaxing--unless you make a typo on the keyboard :eek:

CRAZY K

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Denon are working on a firmware upgrade to allow you to switch between the split screen & a single screen (if preferred)

Are they? Where did you hear that then?

[Corabar Steve]

On their forum.

It was said they were looking into it.

(when they say that, unless it's impossible, it usually happens in the near future)

[rob1963]

I know a sure way to demonstrate the problem with a slow device Rob. Start playing a song on deck a, then cue a song on deck b while it is still playing on a. Then switch to file view to search for another song. This normally creates a stutter on slower drives while it is waiting on the drive to respond. Also the transfer to a deck after a search should be instant on a faster drive (it is on mine anyway) the 1-2 seconds is the lag of a slower device. But if it works for you I see no reason for you to change.

Thanks Spin. I tried it, but there was no stutter. The biggest lag seems to be when searching by genre, as I find the clock comes up for a few serconds after I select the genre I want to search under...but I can live with that.


Suggest you play at being Bedroom DJ Rob 1963 for an evening and simulate a gig--

Then you will know if its going to be ok for you.

Must admit I find using the USB throughly relaxing--unless you make a typo on the keyboard :eek:

CRAZY K

Absolutely, Crazy...that's exactly what I'll be doing, just to make sure there aren't any obvious problems.

I will probably re-create an entire 4 hour disco, complete with background music playing on automatic for the first hour or so.

That way, hopefully I'll discover any issues before using my new system live. If I DO find the drive in the ipod is not fast enough or causes problems, it won't be a problem to replace it with a different hard drive.

:)