What should I know about the VCI 100 before buying?

I'm seriously considering grabbing a Vestax VCI 100 in the near future, and buying a 2nd one in the not so near future. I gave this controller a pass at first, but upon a second look it seems to have everything I could want all in one package. Should I get a second one the ability to map otherwise redundant controls to something useful should leave almost nothing to the keyboard. I was wondering if I'm missing something or if there are any idiosyncrasies I should keep in mind when buying. I was looking at a Xone:1D before the VCI 100, but the latter seems far more powerful, more tailored to Traktor, and seems to cater more to using a full on midi setup for djing. I've got an itchy trigger finger on the buy button and I'm awaiting any feedback.

 

I can't say anything that hasn't already been said about the VCI-100, but I'll wholeheartedly endorse it. It's compact enough to gig with and at the same time solidly built enough to take the abuse of getting lugged to and from gigs. The MIDI capability is near-perfect, except for a bit of inflexibility when assigning the effects buttons - something easily overcome with a bit of creative button assignment. I had a way easier time configuring it in Traktor3, but as I get more experienced in Pro, I find myself outside the Traktor3 layout box and getting to know this controller more and more. The only reason I would get rid of my VCI-100 would be to buy the black one, which would match my gear even better.

 

I just got a vci-100 SE about a month ago. I love it. All my buddies are always amazed at what it can do in such a small package. The guys over at djtechtools are making some amazing mappings for traktor.

 

I've heard plenty of endorsements, I guess I'm looking more for pitfalls than anything else. More gushing doesn't hurt anything I suppose - with the exception of my checkbook.

 

You want a pitfall? The thing's freakin 600 bucks CDN...LOL.

 

Yah the price hurts, especially as I am considering two.
Any firmware issues worth mentioning?

 

Woozle, you will love the VCI-100!

The only issue I had was that the jogs seem to be very sensitive to bass vibrations. If im at a gig and its quite bassy the jog wheels seem to slightly speed up a perfectly beatmatched track all on thier own!

I have had a firmware upgrade 1.2 recently which i believe fixed this issue, but i havent yet road tested it to find out! Make sure you buy a unit that has recent firmware... do a quick search on the forum to find loads of useful info regarding firmware on the VCI.

And if im being picky, the master/monitor output and mix knobs are a bit too small and fiddly, a longer range on the pitch fader could also be good but these are minor things really.

Generally its the best £350 ive ever spent!

 

the only thing i can say bad about it is i'm having some drop out issues when i'm sending a lot of notes at once. traktor will lock up and i'll have to power down the vci to get it to start playing again. some people say get a better usb cable, but that haven't solved the issue.

 

Now that's a scary prospect.
I've also read a bit deeper into the firmware issues with the VCI. Sounds like new units ship with the 1.2 firmware which fixes most problems but causes some mapping conflicts between the fx and cue sections. Vestax seriously dropped the ball on the user friendliness of updates.

I'm back up on the fence about this again. If it weren't for manufacturing delay I would already have a Xone:1D and this would be a non issue. However, The 1D and the VCI100 make for 2 very different setups.
With the VCI, I need my laptop plus Audio8 and I'm up and running. However, no send effects which is quite stinky. The potential to map 4 decks is present but not the prettiest with just 1.
With the 1D, I'm looking at the laptop and audio8 plus a hardware mixer and at least 1 turntable. Now I've significantly more gear to lug around but 3 decks plus send effects.

Difficult call. Lots of options. Limited funds.

 

Check out djtechtools. You can update the firmware beyond 1.2. They are currently working on 1.4 which I believe will add 14-bit MIDI capabilities. I'm seriously considering getting one for those situations where you can't lug all your gear about.

 

yup... i can't wait for 1.4 also. i don't look forward to having to buy the dongle to upgrade my vci though. 14 bit support will be welcomed addition.

 

the current 1.3 firmware from djtechtools does not support changing the midi channel, so it will not work with 2 vci's. the 1.4 firmeware is supposed to fix this as well. but there is no official eta for 1.4

 

Its a great unit, I was lucky with the price of mine I got a contact and it cost £260, the only downside is the jog wheels and bass they can pitch the songs and mess the mix up, however I had some spare acoustic foam left over from building my studio and pop that under it, and that has sorted the problem, also I have found the screws under the jog wheels come loose from big systems, so check those every now and then.

also there is the vci 400

 

What should you know that might sway you to not buy it?

Well... I agree with the jog wheels being sensitive to a lot of bass. I had that issue once, where the set up around me wasn't ideal, and umm... the buttons on the thing are a little tight (maybe). If you're going to want to do controllerism type stuff (like Ean Golden), you might consider doing a mod to something like his arcade button deal. It is pricey, but it feels like it's built solid.

I'd buy a warranty on it just incase **** happens, but for the most part, the controller feels great, I love mine.

 

Solid build I've roaded this thing round the world on boats and beaches and all sorts and it's dirty but works like new. Pitch fader is too short but its easy enough to work around, I've also had the bass move the jog wheels but only in a poor club setup when my vci was right next to the main speaker. Overall I really like it and don't regret buying it for a second.