I have been reading all the forums to get an idea of what Midi controller to buy.
I have read the Select Hardware Guides but I think they need updating with the progress in some areas.
I am on an entry level budget as I am not a Pro DJ not even bedroom DJ yet. I am trying to learn the basic skills and if I get better at it then I can justify spending more money on this hobby. Its always something I have been interested in but just couldn't afford the equipment or knew anybody with any equipment. But after finding out about these controllers I thought great I can try it out without breaking the bank. So I have done a lot of research on these controllers and am still not sure on what to get.
I will be running this off a laptop and my goal will be to have a Midi Controller that I can learn the skills with and have the flexibility so that in the future I can upgrade additional bits of equipment to complement the controller (DJ Turntables TCV or real Vinyl and good mixer) If I get good at this.
From reading the forums the 3 entry level controllers are
Numark Total Control (~ $250 USD)
Hercules MK2 (~ $250 USD)
BCD2000 (~ $150 USD)
I know there are better products then the 3 above like the Vestax VCI100 and XP10 etc but these are out of my budget.
The good and bad points from what I have read. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Numark Total Control
Good
* Native support with VDJ
* Mixer has all buttons, knobs, sliders and jog wheels you will need, good layout, good quality and looks professional
Bad
* No inbuilt soundcard
* Can not attach external parts/equipment to it. IE has no Mic or Phono or RCA leads into it.
* No user reviews yet.
* Price is $250 USD but it says that the MRP is $449.
* Have to wait until June 2007
Not Sure
* Because it has not inbuilt sound card will I have to buy something like this Audigy Sound Card? http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=205&product=10769
* Or something like this DJ IO http://www.numark.com/products/product_view.php?v=overview&n=182
* What if later down the track I want to add a turntable into my setup. What else would I need to buy?
* Anybody that tested this equipment what makes it better than Hercules and BCD2000?
* Is the price going to jump up after the Presales. At the moment you can Pre Order it at $250. But the MRP is $449.
* The official release date is April but some Online Shops say its available in May or June. What is the real release date?
Hercules Total MK2
Good
* Native Support with VDJ
* Nice jog wheels, Small and compact
* Integrated sound card
* Can attach external parts/equipment. IE Mic or Phono or RCA leads into it.
Bad
* Can only have Volume sliders or Pitch Sliders not both at the same time
* Cross fader slider is to close to the jog wheels
* Can not really use it as a 2 channel mixer. Most people connect their own mixers to it.
* Looks like a toy.
BCD2000
Good
* Mixer has all buttons, knobs, sliders and jog wheels you will need, good layout and looks professional
* Much Cheaper
* Can attach external parts/equipment. IE Mic or Phono or RCA leads into it.
Bad
* Not Natively supported by VDJ
* Bad Drivers
* Behringer brand is known to be bad quality
* BCD3000 is coming out and is too expensive (Unknown if it will be supported by VDJ)
Not Sure
* The VDJ release notes now say it is Natively support. Can anybody confirm this. Does everything work. Jog wheels for scratching all buttons, Microphone etc.
* Is it as fully supported as the Hercules etc.
* New drivers have been released by Behringer. Has this fixed all issues. I have read a lot of updates and tweaking with the BCD2000 but no one says if it is Natively supported like the Hercules.
In the end I am really leaning towards the Numark Total Control as everybody is saying its going to be great. Then the Hercules and last the BCD200.
If anybody can answer the questions I am not sure about it would be great.
I have read the Select Hardware Guides but I think they need updating with the progress in some areas.
I am on an entry level budget as I am not a Pro DJ not even bedroom DJ yet. I am trying to learn the basic skills and if I get better at it then I can justify spending more money on this hobby. Its always something I have been interested in but just couldn't afford the equipment or knew anybody with any equipment. But after finding out about these controllers I thought great I can try it out without breaking the bank. So I have done a lot of research on these controllers and am still not sure on what to get.
I will be running this off a laptop and my goal will be to have a Midi Controller that I can learn the skills with and have the flexibility so that in the future I can upgrade additional bits of equipment to complement the controller (DJ Turntables TCV or real Vinyl and good mixer) If I get good at this.
From reading the forums the 3 entry level controllers are
Numark Total Control (~ $250 USD)
Hercules MK2 (~ $250 USD)
BCD2000 (~ $150 USD)
I know there are better products then the 3 above like the Vestax VCI100 and XP10 etc but these are out of my budget.
The good and bad points from what I have read. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Numark Total Control
Good
* Native support with VDJ
* Mixer has all buttons, knobs, sliders and jog wheels you will need, good layout, good quality and looks professional
Bad
* No inbuilt soundcard
* Can not attach external parts/equipment to it. IE has no Mic or Phono or RCA leads into it.
* No user reviews yet.
* Price is $250 USD but it says that the MRP is $449.
* Have to wait until June 2007
Not Sure
* Because it has not inbuilt sound card will I have to buy something like this Audigy Sound Card? http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=205&product=10769
* Or something like this DJ IO http://www.numark.com/products/product_view.php?v=overview&n=182
* What if later down the track I want to add a turntable into my setup. What else would I need to buy?
* Anybody that tested this equipment what makes it better than Hercules and BCD2000?
* Is the price going to jump up after the Presales. At the moment you can Pre Order it at $250. But the MRP is $449.
* The official release date is April but some Online Shops say its available in May or June. What is the real release date?
Hercules Total MK2
Good
* Native Support with VDJ
* Nice jog wheels, Small and compact
* Integrated sound card
* Can attach external parts/equipment. IE Mic or Phono or RCA leads into it.
Bad
* Can only have Volume sliders or Pitch Sliders not both at the same time
* Cross fader slider is to close to the jog wheels
* Can not really use it as a 2 channel mixer. Most people connect their own mixers to it.
* Looks like a toy.
BCD2000
Good
* Mixer has all buttons, knobs, sliders and jog wheels you will need, good layout and looks professional
* Much Cheaper
* Can attach external parts/equipment. IE Mic or Phono or RCA leads into it.
Bad
* Not Natively supported by VDJ
* Bad Drivers
* Behringer brand is known to be bad quality
* BCD3000 is coming out and is too expensive (Unknown if it will be supported by VDJ)
Not Sure
* The VDJ release notes now say it is Natively support. Can anybody confirm this. Does everything work. Jog wheels for scratching all buttons, Microphone etc.
* Is it as fully supported as the Hercules etc.
* New drivers have been released by Behringer. Has this fixed all issues. I have read a lot of updates and tweaking with the BCD2000 but no one says if it is Natively supported like the Hercules.
In the end I am really leaning towards the Numark Total Control as everybody is saying its going to be great. Then the Hercules and last the BCD200.
If anybody can answer the questions I am not sure about it would be great.
Posted Thu 26 Apr 07 @ 10:53 am
sbangs
numark total control isnt released yet this is why there are no reviews
it is 449 as far as i know its roughtly 250 £
and would need a soundcard such as numark i/o
mk can be used as a mixer many aslo use it infront of large crowds in clubs
i use it in my studio all the time
the bcd is evil pure evil in my opinion
it is now natively supported but the bad drivers which lead to conflicts with other
devices and this needs alot of tweaking but after the tweaking people can get some good results
unfortunately the mic isnt supported at the moment as vdj cant use mic via asio just yet.
the 3000 should be better :)
it is 449 as far as i know its roughtly 250 £
and would need a soundcard such as numark i/o
mk can be used as a mixer many aslo use it infront of large crowds in clubs
i use it in my studio all the time
the bcd is evil pure evil in my opinion
it is now natively supported but the bad drivers which lead to conflicts with other
devices and this needs alot of tweaking but after the tweaking people can get some good results
unfortunately the mic isnt supported at the moment as vdj cant use mic via asio just yet.
the 3000 should be better :)
Posted Thu 26 Apr 07 @ 11:21 am
Thanks for you help
I know the numark total control isn't released but there was some talk on these forums of sombody getting one to test. They said it was good but didn't elaborate.
There are plenty of online shops selling the Numark Total Control for $250USD and say the MRP $449USD. I would post the sites but I don't know if it is against to forum rules. Google it.
If you live in the UK It could be cheaper to order from the US. The only bad part would be warrenty. Not sure if they would honor it.
I know the numark total control isn't released but there was some talk on these forums of sombody getting one to test. They said it was good but didn't elaborate.
There are plenty of online shops selling the Numark Total Control for $250USD and say the MRP $449USD. I would post the sites but I don't know if it is against to forum rules. Google it.
If you live in the UK It could be cheaper to order from the US. The only bad part would be warrenty. Not sure if they would honor it.
Posted Thu 26 Apr 07 @ 2:11 pm
sbangs
aparently numark warenty is worldwide
Posted Thu 26 Apr 07 @ 2:34 pm
With the Hercules MK2 how do you control the Pitch. With the Sliders or the Knobs.
I have heard you have to use the sliders cause its to difficult with the knobs. Which then means you have no sliders for your volumn and have to use the knobs.
Does that restrict what you can do. Isn't it better to have sliders for both Pitch and Volume
I have heard you have to use the sliders cause its to difficult with the knobs. Which then means you have no sliders for your volumn and have to use the knobs.
Does that restrict what you can do. Isn't it better to have sliders for both Pitch and Volume
Posted Fri 27 Apr 07 @ 10:20 am
djcurtist
If you are tech savvy .. the BCD2000 is bad ass .. I love it .. but it IS NOT user friendly .. I repeat … it IS NOT USER FRIENDLY .... and you will have to buy an external mixer to get your mic working (if you care about that)… I picked up a Behringer Xenyx 502 for $40 … works great for my mic.
If you are not tech savvy … the Hercules MK2 is very easy to set up an use… dam near plug and play.
I own both of them .. and have not used the MK2 since I got my BCD2000 working well.
I’ve never used the Numark .. so no opinion there.
Now .. my opinions are based on how these controllers work with Virtual DJ .. it’s the only software I use … I have no idea how other software works with these controllers.
If you are not tech savvy … the Hercules MK2 is very easy to set up an use… dam near plug and play.
I own both of them .. and have not used the MK2 since I got my BCD2000 working well.
I’ve never used the Numark .. so no opinion there.
Now .. my opinions are based on how these controllers work with Virtual DJ .. it’s the only software I use … I have no idea how other software works with these controllers.
Posted Fri 27 Apr 07 @ 6:51 pm
Thanks for you comments Beach.
Thats what I am stuck on.
I can get the BCD2000 at my local shops here for $250AUD. But if I want to get the Hercules than I have to order it from the US or Ebay for about $360AUD.
I do software development and know my way around a computer. So I am sure I can figure it out.
But there are just so many people on these forums that says BCD2000 is crap. I guess the main reason is that its hard to setup and driver issues.
But now that it says its natively support by Virtual DJ I am thinking it will be ok.
Thats what I am stuck on.
I can get the BCD2000 at my local shops here for $250AUD. But if I want to get the Hercules than I have to order it from the US or Ebay for about $360AUD.
I do software development and know my way around a computer. So I am sure I can figure it out.
But there are just so many people on these forums that says BCD2000 is crap. I guess the main reason is that its hard to setup and driver issues.
But now that it says its natively support by Virtual DJ I am thinking it will be ok.
Posted Sat 28 Apr 07 @ 6:30 am
DJShahar.com
what ever you get, make sure it has a soundcard built in
and is designed for use with an external mixer.
hercules mk2 should be more than enough for entry level.
i'm intermediate/advanced, and still use it.
bcd 200 has been put out of the market for a while now.
if anything get the bcd 300.
DJ Shahar
www.djshahar.com
and is designed for use with an external mixer.
hercules mk2 should be more than enough for entry level.
i'm intermediate/advanced, and still use it.
bcd 200 has been put out of the market for a while now.
if anything get the bcd 300.
DJ Shahar
www.djshahar.com
Posted Sun 29 Apr 07 @ 8:12 pm