Laptop

[mg ents]

Hi all,

We are going to invest in a Laptop in the January sales.....anyone using one at the moment? What would you suggest..... what kind of programmes are available for Disco use??

[Corabar Entertainment]

If you have a look through the 'DJ Help Guides' (link near the top of every page of this site - in the grey box on the right), you'll find a few helpful articles there :teeth: :teeth:

[Danno13]

Personally, i reckon you're better off going for a normal PC rather than a laptop. You get more for your money, can upgrade bits and peices easier when you need to. And easy to build into a normal DJ console for an easy set-up.

Also, my personal preference for Software is the original PCDJ Red along with the DMC controller.

[Thames Valley Discos]

Personally, i reckon you're better off going for a normal PC rather than a laptop. You get more for your money, can upgrade bits and peices easier when you need to. And easy to build into a normal DJ console for an easy set-up.

Also, my personal preference for Software is the original PCDJ Red along with the DMC controller.
agree, get a desktop pc, i think they are more stable and better spec, easy to upgrade.

[Sam]

we use Sony Vaio Entertainment laptops.. very good (have a couple of desktops too)

Sam

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

we use Sony Vaio Entertainment laptops.. very good (have a couple of desktops too)

Sam

How many of you is there then Sam?

[Sam]

bro has a vaio and i have one and dad has one..
Bro is my roadie (he is 24) normally so thats the 'we' bit.. so from personal POV i should say that i personally use a VAIO :)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

bro has a vaio and i have one and dad has one..
Bro is my roadie (he is 24) normally so thats the 'we' bit.. so from personal POV i should say that i personally use a VAIO :)

I see.

I thought from your other post, there was quite a few of you!

[Corabar Entertainment]

...and are you the only one who actually DJs with a laptop? (you say your brother is a roadie and don't mention your dad)

If that's the case, then what laptop they have isn't relevant to this thread, is it? :confused:

[Sam]

lol.. im still working on that!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

...and are you the only one who actually DJs with a laptop? (you say your brother is a roadie and don't mention your dad)

If that's the case, then what laptop they have isn't relevant to this thread, is it? :confused:

Watch out, Angela's getting technical now! :omg: :teeth:

[Sam]

Angela,
Point being
1) they are well recomended
2) they ALL get used at different points for DJing

[DMX Will]

I see.

I thought from your other post, there was quite a few of you!

"They're" breeding :omg:

[jamesh]

I used to use a laptop with PCDJ Red 5.2 but last year moved over to a Desktop type system as could get more powerful system and better options for less money than a laptop.... Never looked back since...

Software of choice these days is Virtual DJ 4.1 with a Dac 3 controller .... Nice and stable on my machine and can not only manage audio but video and karaoke and visuals within the same package and mix from one to the other to another.... Also works out cheaper than PCDJ with Karaoke option!

[Silver]

I use a sony Vaio as my dj laptop with Traktor software. I have a Toshiba as a a back up unit.

I would suggest it's a tad cumbersome to carry around and set up a pc at gigs.

My Sony, so far has been reliable (touching wood! :) ) wide bright screen and nice touch keyboard.

Both machines are MORE than man enough to run Traktor and I couldn't endorse pc dj'ing strongly enough. :teeth:

[CRAZY K]

I used to use a laptop with PCDJ Red 5.2 but last year moved over to a Desktop type system as could get more powerful system and better options for less money than a laptop.... Never looked back since...


Jamesh, im looking at various options at the moment, how does your set up work out cheaper than a Laptop?

Can you possibly give a breakdown of costings using PC set up and what you use ---

thanks

CRAZY K

[Silver]

Jamesh, im looking at various options at the moment, how does your set up work out cheaper than a Laptop?

Can you possibly give a breakdown of costings using PC set up and what you use ---

thanks

CRAZY K
Crazy, I know it's not answering your question but I thought I'd tell you anyway! :teeth:

My Sony was £900, external hard drive £120 and Audiophile firewire £120. No doubt this has been of absolutely NO USE to you but hey ho. Somebody find it of benefit, cheers :D

[Vibrant Sounds]

I use a laptop, and I bought a new (end of line HP NX6110 (http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/113270/rb/22503753436)) added 256MB memory and bought a 240GB external hard drive for about £100 total cost was about £580.

I use Sam DJ V3.4 (http://www.spacialaudio.com/products/sampartydj/) as I like the interface, but I would suggest you download all the demos of various DJ software and choose what you like best.

Once you have decided on your choice, Re-install XP with the minimum items, only install your chosen software package (no other software) and NEVER connect the laptop to the internet.

You may need to invest in a "ground loop isolater" between £9 and £30 depending on make and type I have both a £9 Maplins (http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=33172&criteria=ground%20loop%20isolator&doy=18m10) one and also a Behringer (http://www.behringer.com/HD400/index.cfm?lang=ENG) £15 one which also converts an unbalanced input into a balanced output.

I also bought an external USB 24bit Soundblaster Audigy 2NX (http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=205&product=9103) Soundcard for better sound reproduction and control, the soundcard in most "business laptops" is very basic to say the least.

I could have built a better spec desktop system for considerably less, even taking into account the need for a copy of WindowsXP, flightcases and LCD monitor.

Hope this helps.

[Sam]

The VAIOs are now 700.. in pc world the other day.. and forgot to mention that they have a widescreen..

So far no problems at all.. (built in wireless too)

[CRAZY K]

Hang on---I dont need laptop costs--I need PC costs---

i.e. Tower, Flat screen, DJ Mixing Programme, extra Hardrive, etc.

Something that worries me slightly is that my home PC has developed a fault that means everytime I play music theres a horrible crackling sound across the speakers--Im told its not the sound card---

mind you it is an old TIME COMPUTER--arrrrrrgh!

thanks

CRAZY K

[Sam]

Either by a good one in or make one or get one made for you.

When you look for one make sure you look for good procesor, large hard drive (eg. 90gb) , Flat screen and all the jazz..
I think it is a matter of looking around and finding the one best suited to your needs.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

mind you it is an old TIME COMPUTER




Is that because you're an old time DJ and caller Alan? :teeth: :teeth:

[CRAZY K]

Could be---but not necessarily :)

:teeth: :teeth: :teeth: :teeth:

Now come on PC DJs spill the beans!

Ive got to look at PC versus Laptop versus Cortex/ Dee squared

Yeah, maybe vinyl was easier!

CRAZY K

[Dragonfly]

ok lets put this in perspective im in the same boat as crazy looking at the digital options im not wadded and have a budget of around 600 quid and really not a great deal more than that maybe 700 if the wife never knows but thats tops.

what would be the best route to tavel down in your pro opinions ?

[Danno13]

Much cheaper to build the PC yourself, or get a friend/member of family who knows how, to do it for you.

A tower to run most DJ software shouldn't cost more than £400. 15" flatscreens are less than £100 now. Soundcard - £50 or so.

And the point about a PC being cumbersome.. well thats why i said in my original post you can build it into a normal console case. Either by using a rackmount PC case, or just using the internals from a tower case and fixing it in directly. I've attached a pic of my old console to show you what i mean, although my newer one is a 2ux10u box so is about half the size.

[Danno13]

And its not too big..... its the forum thats too small :D:D:D

[Silver]

I use Traktor.

Have a look at the site and see what you think

http://www.nativeinstruments.de/index.php?id=traktor3_us

I'm not that 'up' on posting web sites on messages, if you have probs with the link go to native instruments, than look for Traktor 3

Good luck. :teeth:

[Dragonfly]

I use Traktor.

Have a look at the site and see what you think

http://www.nativeinstruments.de/index.php?id=traktor3_us

I'm not that 'up' on posting web sites on messages, if you have probs with the link go to native instruments, than look for Traktor 3

Good luck. :teeth:

i use a vauxhall zafira must take you an age to get to gigs on a traktor????? sorry couldnt resist.

[CRAZY K]

Danno, two things here--firstly the cost of the PC, Screen etc doesnt sound very much cheaper than a laptop which is a lot more compact.

And whats your back up?

I guess the modern towers can be smaller and just use an extra hard drive--do you use just the hard drive in the tower on your set up?

Whats the dimensions of the PC set up ---in inches or cms---

Do flat Screens get tipped over easily when using on DJ work?

Doesnt seem much to keep them upright :sad:

thanks

CRAZY K

[Silver]

i use a vauxhall zafira must take you an age to get to gigs on a traktor????? sorry couldnt resist.
GIT!

Did make me laugh lots though :D Good one

[Danno13]

Danno, two things here--firstly the cost of the PC, Screen etc doesnt sound very much cheaper than a laptop which is a lot more compact.


True.. but for the figures i gave, you'd get a much higher speced PC with large hard drive. Internal laptop drives only go so big and using an external is just something extra to carry.. plus i don't trust USB all that much!



And whats your back up?


Well i have a laptop too with an external drive with the music on. No reason why you can't just use CD players though...



I guess the modern towers can be smaller and just use an extra hard drive--do you use just the hard drive in the tower on your set up?


Yes, just the internal hard drive, which is a 200GB one. Even a 300GB drive will only cost you £70ish these days...



Whats the dimensions of the PC set up ---in inches or cms---


Well currently its built into a 2U x 10U case.. and fits comfortabley in the base with mixer, DMC controller etc. above.



Do flat Screens get tipped over easily when using on DJ work?


I've not had it happen yet.



Doesnt seem much to keep them upright


Not sure what you mean here...??

Here's another pic of the new console...

[jamesh]

Jamesh, im looking at various options at the moment, how does your set up work out cheaper than a Laptop?

Can you possibly give a breakdown of costings using PC set up and what you use ---

thanks

CRAZY K


Breakdown of my system... Which mostly was bought from ebay but will do a new comparison too for you! Oh and i've put the price i paid for it at the time - so would probably be cheaper now!

1U Rack computer (P4 2.4ghz, 512mb Ram, 40gb Harddrive) (£220)
(also have a shuttle system slightly less spec than this as backup as well as cd players)
1x 250Gb Harddrive installed into computer (£150 althoughcheaper now)
1x External USB Soundcard (£20)
1x 15" TFT Screen (£55)
1x Keyboard with built in trackball mouse (£20)

Total cost for a fully working 19" Rackmountable DJ Computer - £465.00

Only thing i may do in the future is add another 512mb Ram but at the moment it runs fine as it is..

Software price will come into it whether you run a laptop OR desktop so i;'ve left that out for now!


or if you were looking at everything brand new...

Standard Desktop System - £200 (3.06Ghz Processor, 512MB Memory 80GB Harddrive, DVD-RW 16x Dual Layer Optical Drive, Keyboard Mouse

Additional Harddrive 320gb £65.00

1x 15" TFT Screen £79.89

1x soundcard £20.00

Total NEW cost: £364.89


Cheapest laptop i could find anywhere near those specs were....

Laptop - £400.00 (Intel Pentium-M 735A 1.7GHz, 512Mb Ram, 60GB Hard Drive, 14.1 screen

External 320Gb Harddrive £69.99

External Soundcard £20.00

Total New Laptop cost: £489.99


SO not a great deal in it price wise Fors and againsts for both really.

the desktop PC route is allot easier and cheaper to upgrade in the fuutre as software and hardware develops and have allot more hardware available to put in them.... But then is heavier and more to carry around to a gig,....

Laptops on the otherhand although are smaller and less to carry may overheat more easily and are harder to get the parts for and upgrade.

Many fors and agaist either really - having tried both routes in the past i do perfer the built in system route rather than a laptop - and personally think it looks better too and you dont have the image of a digital downloader chav :p

[CRAZY K]

JamesH and Danno thanks for that --really helpful--DRAGONFLY MAKE A NOTE

Just one question whats the problem Danno with USB leads---do you have bad experience?

thanks

CRAZY K

[Danno13]

Well on my gig PC the connection is always dropping out when i connect the external drive to it.. although i think this is just due to the motherboard.

I've never had this problem on my laptop, but it just makes me wary of using USB rather than a normal IDE hard drive connection as you have inside the PC....

[dj-matt1989]

yes i have been running my music off a laptop for 6 months now using an external hard drive, and the programe i use is called virtual DJ. Its the best software i have seen yet and have never had any problems with using it, it can be found at www.virtualdj.com :)

[dj-jaym]

yes i have been running my music off a laptop for 6 months now using an external hard drive, and the programe i use is called virtual DJ. Its the best software i have seen yet and have never had any problems with using it, it can be found at www.virtualdj.com :)

matt dont u find it cuts of some of the begginging and endings of the mp3s ? and sometimes put beatlock on and makes the mixes seem a little strange ?

I did use to use it but because of those reasons swapped to pcdj and otsdj

[CRAZY K]

Well on my gig PC the connection is always dropping out when i connect the external drive to it.. although i think this is just due to the motherboard.

I've never had this problem on my laptop, but it just makes me wary of using USB rather than a normal IDE hard drive connection as you have inside the PC....


OOOOOER--The Cortex has a USB Connection :sad:

Anyone tried the Cortex properly yet?

CRAZY K

[Dragonfly]

crazy just sent u a pm ...... no not yet ill be calling emsl again on monday to see whereabouts we are with it ???

[colinm345]

We still like our Sony BX 1P Vaio with a 1,7 processor and I gig of ram coupled with Traktor 2,6 PCDJ KJ Plugin and a 180 gig external hard drive

[CRAZY K]

Colin, remind me whats the cost of your Laptop new?

thanks

CRAZY K

[jamesh]

matt dont u find it cuts of some of the begginging and endings of the mp3s ? and sometimes put beatlock on and makes the mixes seem a little strange ?

I did use to use it but because of those reasons swapped to pcdj and otsdj


I use Virtual DJ 4.1 too and yes it does cut off some of the beginning and end of the mp3's but only IF used on auto mix mode.... You not telling me that you go 100% through gigs using automix and beatlock are you??? :omg: I agree every now and then that it might be useful - if you go to the toilet or something like that but if you time it right you can do that within one song anyway....

You can actually change it to not cut out the beginning or end but if i told you i'd have to kill you :p

JUST DONT BE SO LAZY AND DO SOME ACTUAL DJING AND MIXING and it wont cut off the beginings or ends!....

Don't know about the beatlock making the mix a little stange as i don't use it when i mix - i use my ear and do it manually - you know proper djing.... :)

[dj-jaym]

I use Virtual DJ 4.1 too and yes it does cut off some of the beginning and end of the mp3's but only IF used on auto mix mode.... You not telling me that you go 100% through gigs using automix and beatlock are you??? :omg: I agree every now and then that it might be useful - if you go to the toilet or something like that but if you time it right you can do that within one song anyway....

You can actually change it to not cut out the beginning or end but if i told you i'd have to kill you :p

JUST DONT BE SO LAZY AND DO SOME ACTUAL DJING AND MIXING and it wont cut off the beginings or ends!....

Don't know about the beatlock making the mix a little stange as i don't use it when i mix - i use my ear and do it manually - you know proper djing.... :)

I dont go through gig 100% but i wouldnt even use it 1% at a gig would rather use pcdj for its smoothness in mixing and not chopping bits of songs of

[colinm345]

Colin, remind me whats the cost of your Laptop new?

thanks

CRAZY K

Hi Alan

It was £1200:teeth:

[LastMinuteDJs.net]

Sony Laptops are good but way over priced for the spec you get. There's a 'sony premium' on everything they do.

I'd reccomend HP - packed with power for the price. Just bought a HP Pavilion DV2058 for £849.99 - 1.66 Processor, 120Gb Hard drive, 2Gb RAM. Very smart looking machine, with remote control, widescreen, quickplay... The business...

[CRAZY K]

Wow Colin---thats a fair bit of wonga :sad:

Now wheres that CD player I bought in Tescos for £7-99 :teeth:

Thanks for the input guys

CRAZY K

[colinm345]

Sony Laptops are good but way over priced for the spec you get. There's a 'sony premium' on everything they do.

I'd reccomend HP - packed with power for the price. Just bought a HP Pavilion DV2058 for £849.99 - 1.66 Processor, 120Gb Hard drive, 2Gb RAM. Very smart looking machine, with remote control, widescreen, quickplay... The business...

You are right they are over priced ,but I would not trust anything else 2 do the same job:teeth:

[Silver]

You are right they are over priced ,but I would not trust anything else 2 do the same job:teeth:

Colin, spot on, nor would I. Mines a Vaio VGN-FS415M, cost me £900 in February and it's a good un, nice wide bright screen - much needed!

[dj-matt1989]

na i have been using it for nearly a year now and i have never had any problems with it, all the songs play from start to finish without any problems and beat lock only comes on if i put it on.

[superspindiscos]

i use a vaio and dont think you can go wrong with them to be honest even though the price is a bit higher than most

hp have a rubbish aftersales service which usually means sending your laptop to them for them to do nothing with it and send it back 4 weeks later - ive had bad experiences here.:mad:

vaio for me .....:)

[soundscapes]

im running a fujitsu-siemens laptop (german build quality ) with bpm studio which i personally prefer to pcdj

[jamesh]

I dont go through gig 100% but i wouldnt even use it 1% at a gig would rather use pcdj for its smoothness in mixing and not chopping bits of songs of

As i said earlier in my post with Virtual DJ you can set it to be as smooth as you want and NOT chop off bits of the song - you just have to know how to set it up properly!!!...

[axeman]

i use a lap top, purely for space saving reasons. Also although a lot of what ive read in this thread is spot on, some other things could be considered for gary and mike to keep the cost down,

pc-dj red functions well enough,

A 40gb laptop will hold around 9 thousand mp3 format songs depending on their legnth and quality of course,

the sound card issue can be resolved using a external usb soundcard adaptor (usually around £12)

[Silver]

If you're unsure of which software package to use have a look at this...http://www.nativeinstruments.de/index.php?id=traktor3_us I've used it for the past two years and can't speak highly enough of it. Plus there's a new version due out in November with lots more features.:banana: :banana:

[superspindiscos]

ahh the software debate ----

love pcdj red and its simplicity, and if your a karaoke jock, using the KJ product works well,

virtual dj is good also...

personally i think a controller opens up a whole new world when using dj software thats why id go the pcdj / vdj route and choose a dac 2 or dac 3

[Silver]

ahh the software debate ----

love pcdj red and its simplicity, and if your a karaoke jock, using the KJ product works well,

virtual dj is good also...

personally i think a controller opens up a whole new world when using dj software thats why id go the pcdj / vdj route and choose a dac 2 or dac 3

You're right about the controller, next on my shopping list, probably the fader fox. http://www.planetsmilies.com/smilies/happy/happy0088.gif

[jamesh]

ahh the software debate ----

love pcdj red and its simplicity, and if your a karaoke jock, using the KJ product works well,

virtual dj is good also...

personally i think a controller opens up a whole new world when using dj software thats why id go the pcdj / vdj route and choose a dac 2 or dac 3

Dac 2 and Dac 3 are also fully supported in Virtual DJ 4 along with various other controllers that have just been released by numark and others...

did i mention it also does karaoke and videos as well as audio and works out cheaper than buying PCDJ and then PCKJ add on :p

Not to get me started on stability.... you'd never be able to tell i'm a convert from PCDJ to Virtual DJ would you :D :D :D

[superspindiscos]

did i mention i had a dac 3 going spare if anyone needs one? :)

james - i didnt realise virtual dj did karaoke - is this the same as pcdj kj with the third player etc...?

never had any problems with my pcdj red to be fair but i may take a look at vdj if its karaoke feature is easy to use....

[jamesh]

Nope you still only have the 2 players but both players can do video, karaoke and audio at anytime....

To be honnest the karaoke side of things is pretty basic at the moment in that it will play CDG and allow you to add text over it and other bits and bobs BUT There are rumors from the Virtual DJ camp that they are working more on the karaoke side for the next update to include allot more karaoke features.. to go with the already very impressive video and audio side of things.... If all is true it really will blow all the competition out of the water!!!

Having said that the features Virtual DJ has right now for karaoke are fine for karaoke nights... I've run many karaoke nights from it so far and never had any problems with not enough decks/players or features...

One feature that is going down really well for me at the moment is taking pics of the singers and during the night then adding them into a slide show within virtual dj during the night - so when you are just playing and audio track it displays them as a slide show - have had nothing but good reactions doing this.....

[superspindiscos]

sounds great james ill have to look into that -how does the dac 3 work with vdj? i hear you have to map the buttons out or something?

[jamesh]

Nope again with Virtual DJ 4 and above it is fully supported without the mapper....

Although i personally recomend the mapper as it allows you to change what the buttons do so that you can customise it to your exact needs.

Out of the dac 2 and dac 3 i highly recomend the dac 3 if working with virtual dj as there are so many different features the extra buttons come in very very handy.

For anyone going to the speaker Demo and DJ meet in coalville on the 19th November i'd be happy to take you through both virtual DJ and the Dac 3 as i will have the system there (along with a few others taking their system).

[jamesh]

Just to say as well......

Anyone thinking of getting Virtual DJ it's a great time to as for a Halloween special (may end anytime!!!) they have knocked off $100 off the price...

So now you can get the full proffesional Version (version 4.1r2) with free updates for just over £100.....

Now that really is a great offer!

[Corabar Entertainment]

Just to say as well......

Anyone thinking of getting Virtual DJ it's a great time to as for a Halloween special (may end anytime!!!) they have knocked off $100 off the price...

So now you can get the full proffesional Version (version 4.1r2) with free updates for just over £100.....

Now that really is a great offer!You on commission James?!?!?! :lol:

[jamesh]

Nope just love the software and know it's perfect for the job we do :).... Oh and if you missed the offer you've missed out... It's now back to the price of $299..... Although that still works out cheaper that PCDJ + PCKJ add on and also the new version of OTS with it's video and karaoke plugin!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I tried the demo of Virtual DJ a few years ago, and thought it was like a toy - how has it improved in your view James?

I know they do different skins for it now.

[jamesh]

it's about 1000000000000000000000000% times better....

I was the same as you but tested back at version 3.3 and although it was an improvement it still was too toyish for me.. Although i could see some of the features were worth keeping an eye on...

Since the influence from Numark (Numark Cue software is virtual DJ rebadged!!!) the audio engine got re-wrote so it sounds better, it uses less resources, the skin looks more professional and has lots more features and is stable and reliable.

If you haven't looked at it recently it's WELL worth giving it another chance and downloading the demo - It really does blow the competition out of the water! and this is coming from someone that has tested and used most of the competition too.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

it's about 1000000000000000000000000% times better....

I was the same as you but tested back at version 3.3 and although it was an improvement it still was too toyish for me.. Although i could see some of the features were worth keeping an eye on...

Since the influence from Numark (Numark Cue software is virtual DJ rebadged!!!) the audio engine got re-wrote so it sounds better, it uses less resources, the skin looks more professional and has lots more features and is stable and reliable.

If you haven't looked at it recently it's WELL worth giving it another chance and downloading the demo - It really does blow the competition out of the water! and this is coming from someone that has tested and used most of the competition too.


I'm just having a look now.

Is there master tempo on it anywhere?

I like the fact you can play video through so easily - did you say you can display photos?

Does this work with a DAC-2?

[jamesh]

Yes there is a master tempo... cant remember off the top of my head where as it's on the gig box and not on this machine but its there somewhere :)

Yeah can display photos, pre recorded video, LIVE VIDEO, karaoke

And yep the DAC 2 and 3 are both fully supported in verions 4 and above... Mappers are available for them both too so you can choose what button does what on the dacs....

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Yes there is a master tempo... cant remember off the top of my head where as it's on the gig box and not on this machine but its there somewhere :)

Yeah can display photos, pre recorded video, LIVE VIDEO, karaoke

And yep the DAC 2 and 3 are both fully supported in verions 4 and above... Mappers are available for them both too so you can choose what button does what on the dacs....

Mmm. I am getting tempted now:)

Should have bought it when you said...:(

[jamesh]

i did try to persuade all :p and not even on commission

so you like it then....

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

i did try to persuade all :p and not even on commission

so you like it then....

Some things I like - especially the ability to use video - does it do karaoke?

Not keen on all the sampling stuff on the interface either - can you get rid of that? Is there a virtual mixer you can use if need be?

[jamesh]

Yes it does karaoke...

Yeah there are some features that aren't needed... Although i find the sampler very handy for karaoke.... I've set all the samples to things like the intro to sexyback or get up get on up.. part of of sex machine and othr songs like that...

as if the karaoke singer takes a while to get to the stage i can hit a bitton and have something there in the background playing rather than silence (if the last track runs out that is)- and means the karaoke track and everything in the players are still setup and ready to go....

Not sure about the virtual Mixer pretty sure there is one but never had to use it with my setup as use an external mixer...

have a look on the forums at virtualdj.com as there are many users on it and most who have been using the software allot longer than i have..