Cutting down setup time... Controllers and Mixers!

[DJ Jules]

In the absence of there being a MIDI controller out there that is compact and has both Mic inputs with EQ on them and a decent layout with hot cues, etc, I've been using a Pioneer SB2 coupled with a small 8 channel Mackie mixer. I then usually have two AKG wireless Mic receivers and a USB-DMX dongle with a wireless transmitter coupled to it. This setup has kind of evolved over time and now takes between 5-10mins just to plug all the cables together so I want to reduce the number of bits and put it all in one box.

It also still needs to be around 50-60cm wide so I can keep the option of using a compact booth and/or putting a full 16 channel mixer for Karaoke or a backup laptop next to it. I think I can achieve this by using a deep case and slinging the Mic receivers, Wireless DMX and all of the power supplies underneath whatever controller I end up with.

To get there though I've been looking at cutting out the mixer by switching to a VMS 5, but I'm really not keen on the layout of the buttons (hot cues and loops have become a bigger part of life than the play button, and the VMS puts these functions onto tiny buttons between the jog wheel and the param knobs - as does the MC6000). I could drop the mixer and go back to using the internal mic channel on the SB, but there was a reason I switched (EQ and quality/clarity mainly!!) The DDJ SX had "Ok" mic channels, but putting that in a flight case with everything else wasn't really an option due to the sheer combined weight of the controller and flight case!

What does everyone else do? Does anyone have any pics they could share? Any advice?

Julian

- - - Updated - - -

P.S. What is the difference between the VMS 4.1 and 5???

[Excalibur]

]

P.S. What is the difference between the VMS 4.1 and 5???

Re layout of buttons on VMS, as long as I can see and reach the play buttons, anything else is a bonus. :)

Re difference, well that's easy. The 4.1 has these stupid gimmicky " trackpads " which are supposed to aid track selection. In practice, it simply meant that when you caught them by accident, you moved from the Strict Tempo folder to the Skrillex one!

The VMS 5 has nicked the rotary selectors from the VMS2 and replaced the trackpads with these, it's a leap forward of immense proportions. Also, the play/pause button actually is a pause button, on the 4.1 the pause button was elsewhere.

[RobKennedy]

Hi,

I've been round the houses with various controllers over the last few years and ended up close to where I started. I use a mixer with a sound card built-in which is the Allen and Heath PX5 and have a Native Instruments X1 as my controller. The reason for this was to get the best sound from the mixer and keep the controller simple. I use Traktor which I have always liked having tried a few alternatives there as well.

The mixer has its flight case and the X1 controller has its case which it sits on to make it the same height.

Probably an alternative view given the prevalence of all-in controllers but works for me really well.

[DJ Jules]

Ordered a VMS 5 and it arrives today.

If I hate the layout, it'll be going back :D

Julian

[DJ Jules]

Ordered a VMS 5 and it arrives today.

If I hate the layout, it'll be going back :D

I wasn't expecting this, but I really like the layout. I thought I'd miss the Hot Cue buttons being HUGE and accessible at the bottom of the controller, but actually they're quite pressable where they are above the jog wheels. It also has dedicated controls for entering loops and a knob for selecting the loop length which is a massive bonus as on the DDJ SB I'm constrained to selecting only 1/2/4/8 beat loops using the same pads as the hot cues.

General comments:


Built like a tank from steel plate and weighs about the same
Odd gloss black finish
Slightly odd jog wheels (they look and feel like half of an old fashioned film can - bit odd as the VMS4 ones looked more traditional), but these also have weight which means they have inertia for backspins and the resolution is impressive which means very fine control for cueing and scratching (if you like that kind of thing)
Sides of the jog wheels act like the tops - I'm not sure if mine is missing some rubber buffers (or I'm missing something), but it means you can't tweak the speed of the track playing without shifting the jog wheels out of Vinyl mode.
LED lights have isolation issues (i.e. when one lights up, all the adjacent lights also appear to come on as the light spills out behind the front plate into the other buttons)


Overall, I like it. Also somehow smaller than the quoted dimensions (either that or the case I ordered is larger - I haven't checked yet!) but that's handy as it means it should all fit.

Pics to follow once I get around to transplanting everything from all my other flight cases into the box.

Julian