DAW/DJ controllers

lolibater · November 14th, 2012, 01:29 PM

I'm finally getting my first controller specifically for Traktor

What are you guys [who also mix or produce] using, if anything?

menikmati · November 14th, 2012, 01:59 PM

For producing I use primarily Ableton with a mixture of Logic. I also know a little Cubase on the side which was what I was taught in school.

Controllers that I use for producing include Maschine, Launchpad, various MIDI keyboards and an APC40. I'm really stoked about Ableton Live 9 and their Push controller that's coming out early next year.

For performing I use Maschine, a Kontrol F1 and a Kontrol S2 2-deck controller with Traktor. I also can mix tracks using Ableton but I prefer Traktor for plain mixing.

The new Kontrol Z2 mixer looks sickkkkkkk. I still have Scratch activated on my Traktor license so I can still hook up timecode vinyl if I wanted to. Built-in sound card with mini Innofaders = want. Some people speculate that an eventual 4-channel Z4 will come out and I don't doubt it. I originally wanted an S4 for the extra 2 channels, looping controls and timecode support but I don't use more than 2 channels anyway and I have Ableton for injecting more sounds.

I used to own a Allen & Heath Xone:22 but sold it for the S2 so I wouldn't need 2 turntables to mix. It's a great 2-channel club/house mixer. I could scratch on it but the crossfader needed something like an Innofader if you really wanted to be precise about your cutting. I still own my turntables if I want to listen to vinyl.

One piece of advice when it comes to getting gear: Learn absolutely everything you can about what you have before buying more stuff. There's a lot of untapped potential in modern tech that can be used to your advantage to open up new ways to creatively produce or perform. Learn what every single button/knob does and see how they affect your producing or performing. People made amazing music back in the day before all this high-tech **** came out and the only thing that limited them was their creativity, not the gear that they had.

Listen to some of your favorite albums/tracks of all time and try to think of what gear they had and how they used it and compare it to the gear you have available today and it'll blow your mind.

lolibater · November 14th, 2012, 02:37 PM

Maschine was my first controller! Such a boss piece of hardware. I sold it because I couldn't justify something that high powered just starting out.

I definitely agree with learning everything about what you have before getting more. I quickly found myself having way too much hardware, and not nearly enough skill.

I'm moving away from trying to produce, as I'm pretty ****** with music theory, and headed more towards mixing. Mostly deep and dark subbass of the UK type.

menikmati · November 14th, 2012, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lolibater

I definitely agree with learning everything about what you have before getting more. I quickly found myself having way too much hardware, and not nearly enough skill.

I'm moving away from trying to produce, as I'm pretty ****** with music theory, and headed more towards mixing. Mostly deep and dark subbass of the UK type.

I started off as a guitar player and I had blown way too much money on pedals that I used literally for about a week or so before they collected dust.

You can get by without knowing much music theory. There are some books out there that explain music theory from a computer producers point of view. I knew a little music theory from playing guitar but I didn't know how to implement it. I felt very constrained to the bad habits I had on a guitar fretboard in comparison to looking at a keyboard or programming on a piano roll.

Check out "Music Theory for Computer Musicians" by Michael Hewitt, he also has a book about harmony.

http://www.amazon.com/Music-Theory-C...uter+musicians

It also doesn't hurt to sort your music out and knowing what key each song is in so you can embed that into a tag and constructing your setlists that way. They have plug-ins out there that will do all the work for you and when you import the songs into Traktor it'll display the key of the tracks.

lolibater · November 14th, 2012, 03:16 PM

Yeah most of the tracks I use don't really matter as far as key. I rely on BPM and my personal "aggressiveness" rating of the track. Hopefully I can work up some kind of labeling system in traktor that relates to the energy of the track as opposed to how much "i like it"

November 14th, 2012, 01:29 PM	#1
lolibater ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Napa, CA Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2005 ZX6R, 2011 Sprint GT Posts: A lot.	DAW/DJ controllers I'm finally getting my first controller specifically for Traktor What are you guys [who also mix or produce] using, if anything? __________________________________________________ "The enemy is fear. We think it is hate, but it is fear." - Gandhi

November 14th, 2012, 01:59 PM	#2
menikmati crash 250, get supersport Name: Richard Location: San Diego, CA Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250R SE (Sold 6/9/14), 2009 ZX-6R (Sold 6/25/14), Subaru BRZ Posts: A lot.	For producing I use primarily Ableton with a mixture of Logic. I also know a little Cubase on the side which was what I was taught in school. Controllers that I use for producing include Maschine, Launchpad, various MIDI keyboards and an APC40. I'm really stoked about Ableton Live 9 and their Push controller that's coming out early next year. For performing I use Maschine, a Kontrol F1 and a Kontrol S2 2-deck controller with Traktor. I also can mix tracks using Ableton but I prefer Traktor for plain mixing. The new Kontrol Z2 mixer looks sickkkkkkk. I still have Scratch activated on my Traktor license so I can still hook up timecode vinyl if I wanted to. Built-in sound card with mini Innofaders = want. Some people speculate that an eventual 4-channel Z4 will come out and I don't doubt it. I originally wanted an S4 for the extra 2 channels, looping controls and timecode support but I don't use more than 2 channels anyway and I have Ableton for injecting more sounds. I used to own a Allen & Heath Xone:22 but sold it for the S2 so I wouldn't need 2 turntables to mix. It's a great 2-channel club/house mixer. I could scratch on it but the crossfader needed something like an Innofader if you really wanted to be precise about your cutting. I still own my turntables if I want to listen to vinyl. One piece of advice when it comes to getting gear: Learn absolutely everything you can about what you have before buying more stuff. There's a lot of untapped potential in modern tech that can be used to your advantage to open up new ways to creatively produce or perform. Learn what every single button/knob does and see how they affect your producing or performing. People made amazing music back in the day before all this high-tech **** came out and the only thing that limited them was their creativity, not the gear that they had. Listen to some of your favorite albums/tracks of all time and try to think of what gear they had and how they used it and compare it to the gear you have available today and it'll blow your mind. __________________________________________________

November 14th, 2012, 02:37 PM	#3
lolibater ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Napa, CA Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2005 ZX6R, 2011 Sprint GT Posts: A lot.	Maschine was my first controller! Such a boss piece of hardware. I sold it because I couldn't justify something that high powered just starting out. I definitely agree with learning everything about what you have before getting more. I quickly found myself having way too much hardware, and not nearly enough skill. I'm moving away from trying to produce, as I'm pretty ****** with music theory, and headed more towards mixing. Mostly deep and dark subbass of the UK type. __________________________________________________ "The enemy is fear. We think it is hate, but it is fear." - Gandhi

November 14th, 2012, 03:16 PM	#5
lolibater ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Rick Location: Napa, CA Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2005 ZX6R, 2011 Sprint GT Posts: A lot.	Yeah most of the tracks I use don't really matter as far as key. I rely on BPM and my personal "aggressiveness" rating of the track. Hopefully I can work up some kind of labeling system in traktor that relates to the energy of the track as opposed to how much "i like it" __________________________________________________ "The enemy is fear. We think it is hate, but it is fear." - Gandhi