Certified 2-Channel Mixer Request & Design

One point of disappoinment I can say is not having a 57SL equivalent mixer after seven years (2003-2010) that could be a standard in the club, radio station, etc.

One thing I envy sometimes is DJ's who can just show up at the club plug-in their laptop and go because there's already a 57SL installed.

I had an experience recently where I covered for a DJ at a club and they had 1200's and 57SL.

I had to p*** around with hooking up the multi-cores and Audio 8. I mean business at usual but I ONLY image what it would be like to show up, plug-in my laptop, connect my headshells and go with Traktor.

I can only dream, even IF I had to swap out mixers, one cable would be so much easier to hook up than all the cables everytime.

At home I would still use the Audio 8 but on the road it's getting very tedious.

Also, I'm talking USB 2.0 connection, I don't like this whole 6pin -> 4pin firewire foolishness with loose connectors, etc.

USB plugs in nicely and securely.

Seven years now? C'mon Really?

And if you're wondering that's including...

Pre 2003 era
- All vinyl, never got into the CDJ wave.

2003 StantonFS is born.
- Scratchamp 1 (StantonFS 1.0 - TFS 1.1 - 1.5)
* SSL came out in '04, wasn't interested because it was lacking features.
- Scratchamp 2 (TFS 2.0 - DJ Studio 3.0, I skipped the whole DJ Studio 2.6 era)

2005 - The Divorce
When Stanton & NI split, right about here is where I was sitting on the fence about switching to SSL. During this time the 57SL came out shortly after, more features were implented into SSL.

*Decided to stay with DJ Studio 3.0 because SSL itself was still lacking certain features.

2007 Traktor Scratch is born.
- Audio 8 DJ (Traktor Scratch 1.x - Traktor Scratch Pro 1.3)
Deemed dead right here.

2008 Traktor Scratch Pro is born
- Audio 8 DJ (Traktor Scratch Pro 1.0 - ?)
* Not mention all the siblings... LE, DUO & PRO

*Certified Scratch Mixer support
Mackie D2pro, looks promising but oh wait, it's discontinued a mere year later.

2009 NS7 is released with what they call Itch
Patiently awaiting native support because it makes no sense to run an inferior app that requires you to spend an extra almost $300 just to get effects when you already have an application that does all that plus more. Not wasting time managing two databases, etc. Went with the NS7 because of non-existent all in one devices with actual motorized platters and vinyl. Nothing but a bunch of passive jog wheel controllers apart from the broken down version from Numark the V7.

2010 Still no certified scratch mixer standard, uncertain about the NS7 support. Hmmmm.

So, waiting to hear about 1.2.5 on top of the lacking scratch mixer certification.

 

I know what it's like to try to plug in to a set. it's kind of a turn off.

I have yet to see a rane mixer hooked in my neck of the woods. All I've seen the most are pioneer and denon mixers.

But what's exciting for me is all these 4 channel mixers with sound cards because, I see the possibility of just hooking up to the mixer's usb for the timecode and using the A8 for the return just using a pair of rcas (that's if NI sees the value of this).

 

do you realy believe a club installs a Traktor Certified Mixer as long as most DJ's use serato ?

Here in germany you won't even see the SL57 very often, as in most clubs there are at least 4 channel mixers. Typically you will find a Pioneer DJM 500/600/700/800 sometimes a A&H. I never saw a Denon Mixer in a club ...

also the booking DJs demand Pioneer equipement DJM800/CDJ1000/2000

I also don't believe that clubs will install that new Rane mixer, because it's too expensive.

The only chance for us in germany would be a Traktor certified Pioneer, but Pioneer has no mixer with soundcard ... maybe next year ...

 

You missed one of my points that even if I had to swap in a certified scratch mixer it still would be easier.

All I would have to hook up is the turntables, output cables and usb cable to my laptop. DONE

And I'm talking scratch mixer, not a fullsize club mixer.

 

....And then there is the very sizeable pool of us that don't want just a mixer we want a comprehensive multideck (4+?) control surface, EQ, Transport, Filter, FX, Loops Jumps Cues and we need to think or rethink how we deliver it, coz as sure as I am in wanting all that, I'm also sure that not everyone else does.

Phil

 

From the mass controllers flooding the market now, that will probably happen a lot sooner.

 

What is special about us Traktor DJ's ?

Shure it would have been easier for YOU, but so it was easier for the Serato guy ...
the owner of a club buys a mixer for all DJ's, if they are using Serato, Traktor, Torq, CD's or even classic vinyl ...

as long as industry is not able to have one standard that everybody supports there is no solution to this ... NI certifies only a few mixer, Serato even less

Oh, stop there is a solution ... and it could be so easy ...
NI and Serato should work with every soundcard on the market, as Virtual DJ, Decadance etc. do ... everything would be fine no need for "Certfied ..."

Nice, isn't it ... ok not for NI selling no more Audio x and even less for Serato, because SSL is free software, you only pay for hardware ...
but DJ's would be happy, using the next generation mixers like Numark X7 where you can attach two laptops at once ...

We had this point, at least in many german clubs SA2 were installed, it was NI (ok, and Stanton) who killed this ... these clubs wouldn't install any other propriertary system ... they have learned ...

I don't know how it is in other countries, Scratch mixers are mostly used by Hip Hop DJ's here, and they use for 99% Serato ...
I wouldn't see a market for this ...

 

I would really like to buy a good quality 2 channel Traktor certified mixer with a built in sound card but alas there none in the market

 

Thats one more recruit to the team.
Welcome to the "Traktor Scratch Mixer for 2010 Campaign"

 

Ooooh a campaign! Sign me up! When do we march on NI HQ? Perhaps a sit-in at the Hollywood office?

 

Ok heres the plan.
You take Hollywood and ill take Berlin.
No pants, just tickling sticks. Tickle them till they sign our list of demands.

Power To The People.

 

@ Nonhiphop

Yes, an open standard would have been nice, I mean Rane could have even done that in the first place.

The Mackie D2pro was an example of this but it's discontinued now. I preferred the build of the TTM56 because the faders are pretty much indestructible and the quality the mixer is excellent.

Sometimes I think about if NI would have teamed up with Rane instead of Stanton in the beginning what would have happened.

 

I would like to see clubs adopting the MultiCore cables. NI should supply every club with the mixer side of these cables
Than it would be easy for everyone to plug in their soundcards regardless of make as long as they use the other side of the MultiCore cables...

 

That is something we hoped for when the Multi-Cores first released but it's not being adopted easily. It still doesn't solve the problem between SSL and Traktor.

You would need a Magma switch in every club in order to get around that plus multi-cores.

The other problem is SSL only supports two Rane mixers as well. So even if there is a certified mixer installed for Traktor, that causes a problem for a DJ using SSL because now they have to hook up their box as well.

So we do need an open platform but I doubt that will ever happen either.

 

Well, I sure hope there will ever be a standard, or at least some standards (because hiphop and club DJs have offcourse different needs).

Back in the days you had to drag your entire music collection to your car, to the club, back to your car, and back inside your house... Quite fatiguing. That's why I switched to Traktor.

Now I find myself dragging a Xone 4D, and a bunch of MIDI controllers to my car, to the club, back to my car, and back in my house. So what have I gained?

Nothing. And why is that? Because neither with timecode or controllers we can speak of some 'standard'. With timecode you are often restricted to specific soundcards (with NI and Serato), and controller mappings are mapped in the weirdest ways (so no way you could just load a mapping and be confortable with it, mainly because the mappings do not adhere to what the button on the controller says it will do).


So I think it's about time for some consolidation in the industry. I just want to plug in my laptop and play! not be hassling with cables for about half an hour, and harrasing the previous DJ! And also not thinking about a good MIDI mapping! I'm a DJ, not a soundtech, NOR a user interface specialist, so I should not be dealing with the cabling of a DJ booth or some obscure MIDI mapping...

 

You do see some Ecler Mixer installed now and then though (Ecler Nuo 4, 4.0, 5 as well as some Evos)!

Spies are already in position (check my pics in the "Ikea Expedit Bookcase (Record Storage)" thread) and I'm ready to jump a plane to Berlin and storm N.I. Headquarters any day of the week!

Power to the people!
Long live "theeeee Campaign" (trying to sound extra german here!)

 

What we need is a scratch mixer with a Kontrol X1 built in. The TTM57 has buttons built in to keep the DJ on the mixer and it works well. I really surprised by the lack of extra knobs and buttons for MIDI mixers. The only one I can think of is the 4D but it's way too massive and expensive to be widely used.

 

Whoever designs a standard for a club mixer and scratch mixer models certified for all DVS with proper midi controls, etc. Gets the cash, period.

That's the bottom line, so we the users might have to make it happen.

 

Don't get me wrong, I too would like to see a new 2ch traktor scratch mixer, I love the convenience of mine.

But I have to say again that these new mixers that are coming with soundcards is a good thing. I can see Serato open up a bit by allowing timecode to be streamed by another soundcard but the audio only being returned by the dongle.

This is the only compromise will allow set up without rewiring anything. Hey it's still far from just plugging in one wire but it's better than what we have now.

 

The problem with a mixer/interface working with Serato and Traktor is that Serato makes money by selling the Rane dongle. The software is free. Traktor sells the software and can certify 3rd party hardware. Serato would have to charge a lot for the certification to get their share.
If the mixer costs the same to a Serato user and Traktor user, but the Traktor user has to buy the software too it would be negative to Traktor sales IMO. I'm no economist, but that seems to be a problem with a multiple system interface.