New to dj: is jog wheel essential?

----I know there are much threads about this, but i couldn't find an answer----
So, i am familiar to traktor pro, and untill now i'm controlling it with a logitech g13 keyboard, and a set of 2 joysticks for the faders. I've made the choice to continue dj'ing, and buy better equipment. Unfortinatly, i'm very short at money. I was thinking about an all-in-one controller, such as numark total control. But do I really need jog wheels when i'm djing? I've been dj'ing for 2 months at home, and i never felt the need of it. When jog wheels aren't essential, i could buy a traktor x1, and mix externally with an analog mixer. Do I really need jog wheels?

 

need is relative but watch some vids at djtechtools.com and see how cool jog wheels can be "abused" ;-)

 

The jog wheels on the VCI-100 at djtechtools.com are touch sensitive. I'm pretty sure that's why they can achieve those cool results. I don't think it's possible to get the same results with say a Numark Total Control (or Omni Control) jog wheels.

 

I gave up my VCI-100 last year and have never needed a jog wheel since. They ARE handy though, if I had the choice I'd have something with a jog wheel to select effects or pitch bend. Not necessary IMO.

 

I know dj-tech tools, and their cool tricks. But I'm drawing a line between mixing tracks into eatchother, and modifiyng so much that you are making a new track. I'm never going to use beatmasher at such hard to learn tricks. So, if i'm just wanting to play some tracks to eatchother, i'm using the wheel only as tempo bend and seeking, right? seeking I can do with the x1 rotary, and i'm relying on traktor's beatgrid. I'm not saying that there is no need for beatmatching, but the pitch can be adjusted by a rotary, I think. So, no need for tempo bend and no need for seeking. Am i overlooking another aspect of the jog wheel? srr for very crappy english.

 

you can pitchbend on the x1 with buttons, not the rotary.

I have an X1 only and the only thing you cant do is a spinback (as far as i know)

 

But isn't it very crap to seek through your track with a rotary, instead of a jog wheel?

 

yes it is!

It really depends on the music you play. For me - if im playing strictly EDM, then two X1's and an external mixer (XOne 42) is awesome. I can control everything I need and more.

Now....when i want to play open format, and am playing hip-hop, top 40, trendy house --- I need jogwheels. The transitions with these songs are much faster and I need touch sensitive jogs to scroll back to where I want to cue from and go. having to hit stop, and either beat jump back or turn a rotary knob, then press play to make sure im good then go back again - sucks. Touch sensitive jogs - you just go right back and your good. Again this is for this type of music.

For EDM, me personally no real need. Just handy. For Open Format, I gotta have'em --- unless, i've already gone thru all my tracks and set cue points.

 

Which I have, well for about 500 tracks which i play the most, plus any new tracks that get loaded as part of my workflow.

if i hit any tracks which haven't got cue points i do them on the night manually with the mouse etc. Takes a few seconds to set the correct cue. if that track becomes popular, then I may try several cue points to mix it in different.

 

ok, i'm buying an x1 tommorow =) so i guess its better than an behringer BCD 3000 or an omni control?

 

I woudn't use it without a mixer type of controller. You still want have a cross fader, volume faders, eq's, etc. If not your gonna have a ton of shift buttons using strictly an X1. I would recommend you get a X-session pro for 60 bucks. I've really considered this as quick mobile cost effective set up.

 

If u have read the whole thread, i already have an early 80's mixer. I'm not spending money on that. And i've managed to get my soundcard working on 2 outputs, after 3 years of trial and error.. =)