DJing on a Alienware.

For many years Apple & HP have dominated the DJing scene. I'm not really a big fan of Apple outside of the iPad 3. Recently I've decided to give DJing a go with my M18x R2(sampling) and Numark, Thank GOD DPC latency is almost a thing of the past......

So far I've bought the following:
djay for iPad » The full-fledged iPad DJ app by Algoriddim



What I like about this app is that it seems pretty straight forward and completely expands when synced with Numark's IDJ Pro.


iDJ Pro Premium DJ Controller for iPad | Numark

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My bad boy!! Alienware represent!!....Now all I need is to learn how to work all this DJ software/hardware


I am also considering the Numark Red Wave DJ headphones.
Red Wave Professional Mixing Headphones | Numark



For software I have been looking at Serato and Traktor's Native Instruments. If anyone has any suggestions or would like to share experience, pics or setups I am all ears/eyes

 

Hey man, thats a pretty sweet setup. I think I'm becoming quite fond of that red colour on the m18x's. Also just a heads up on those Nuwave Red Wave headphones, they have been described as extremely bass bloated (i.e. the bass will end up distorting the rest of the sound range). If you don't mind going for something a bit less flashy looking then the Sony MDR-V6 are pretty much where its at for that price range. They would be imo a much better alternative in terms of audio quality than the Nuwave's. Also if you have more money to spend on headphones then I would recommend spending more (you don't have to throw down ridiculous sums either).

Sony MDR-V6 on Amazon: Link

 

Thanks. I love the Nebula Red color too. Thanks for the heads up on the Red Waves. Unfortunately I'm gonna have to give them a go because they match my M18x R2 and iDJ Pro setup...lol. I hope my pair can accurately reproduce.....I really want to keep everything Numark if possible. If they have the same bass problem I'll go with your suggestion. I really appreciate your input.

I plan to be half as good as ATB........
ATB
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I have been using my x51 and m11x for DJing, recently picked up a m14xr2 to take over the duty of the m11xr1. The m14x can run multiple HDDs, so now the backup doesnt need to have a external hdd with my music in it, everything can be inside the computer.

I use a stanton touch screen controller for it all using VDJ.

Here are a few pictures. I do weddings and events like that, so not really alot of sampling and scratching, just play the songs, add some effects and then fade to the next song.

x51 and m11x running backup


x51 by it self

 

A friend of mine is actually a DJ who uses an m18x on stage!

He got it originally because he wanted something powerful and solid on stage with him, and the fact he could match the LED's to the lights at the clubs sealed the deal for him.

 

Your setup is sick!! I love your color scheme. ATB also uses Stanton.

I also enjoy/require AlienFX...especially when combined with the Tactx Mouse and Keyboard. A few of my Mac only friends recently sold off their Macs and purchased maxed out M18x's just because of AlienFX....coming from a Mac they weren't too concerned about GPU performance
This time last year the M18x(Nvidia) was the worst option for DJing/sampling because of dpc latency. I'm so glad they got that straighten out.
Lately I've been watching YouTube, trying to get a feel for where I'm trying to go with all this. There is so much good info on YouTube. I've also been expanding my collection of tracks and trying to get a feel for what tracks work together.

 

Gunner, hows your DPC lately?

 

It's not bad or a reason for concern but its worse than before on the latest verde driver.
If it gets any worse I'll have to revive the dpc latency thread

 

I'm with you on that as all of the 3xx.xx series have not been kind with DPC......at least according to LatencyMon. BTW, hope you are doing well buddy.....

 

Yeah....currently it's all good with latency. Hopefully things will stay where it's at or get better. I'm doing well. I've been up late at night learning how to DJ.....so I'm a little out of it...lol. Currently I am at work on my iPad 3. I get away with it by telling them what I'm doing is work related.

 

Isn't "djing" by any chance about spending countless hours in those small dusty vinyl shops and small recording label studios, roaming underground shows and smaller festivals to get in touch with (still) unknown yet awesome and unique artists and producers, and using actual vinyl decks trying to find 'your' sound, and not about worrying about what color is your keyboard lit up? Just asking. I just know a higher calibre lifetime professional DJ and hence happen to know how he rolls.

 

Hahaha - I think half the kids into DJ-ing these days wouldn't know what a vinyl record looks like, let alone spend hours in a shop trawling through dusty LP's to slap on a turntable. (god, that makes me sound sooooo old LOL)

 

Break out the usb turntables for the new skool fool's.

 

lol.....DJing is about bringing what you've got to the floor through trial and error, while developing your own since of style in the process. Why would some one want to pay a high price for vinyl tracks, when you can download them at a 320kbps bit rate for 1.29USD and below? What's wrong with having all matching hardware? I believe by choosing the same brand you reduce the risk of incompatibilities. Wouldn't you agree?

A lot of us do the same thing with our Alienware hardware.

 

I have been DJ'ing since 2003 and started off on vinyl and progressed through the cd era as well. I mainly bought my M18 to DJ pretty much and also to be able to play some games while at home.

I am currently using a Traktor S4 to play mainly Progressive Psychedelic and man its wicked. Heres a pick of what it looks like.



Now coming from vinyl and moving on to a midi controller its taken away allot of things that a dj would normally have to do first in order to actually mix the songs ie. getting pitch and beat matching. This in turn gives you time to play around with different things and be a bit more creative in your mixing style.

In the end the job of a dj is to present his music to the crowd in the best way possible without skipping a beat

 

Well said. That controller is sick, do you have any pictures of it in person?

 

This right there.

I do weddings and holiday parties.... grandma doesnt want to hear something strange and new, she wants to hear the same songs she remembers from when she was a kid.

I remember the first time I did a school dance. There were 3 of us on stage, one was playing, one was getting music together from requests, and I was playing a game called sinistar unleashed on a 40 foot projection screen.

 

Not at the moment. Its in the basement. I have a wedding this weekend and ill take some pics there for you guys. :thumbsup:

 

Kinda on/off topic here...

What kind of speakers do you guys use?
Do you use a USB soundcard, or just the internal laptop sound cards?

I have been using the laptops sound card for awhile now, never had a problem or complaint about it.
My system right now is 2 powered yorkville subs and 2 15 inch yorkville mains.
But I am building a JBL clone system in my basement, four 18s (mp418s clones) and four dual 15 mains (mp255 clones)

Should be a nice loud system, hoping to have it all ready and done for my next wedding of 200+ people.

 

I just bought 2 speakers and a amp for 1300.00 on sale. I've never heard of the brand but I was impressed at the demo at bestbuy. Ill have to see what brand it is when I get home.

 

I am currently using Wharfdale Delta 215 deuls.



With a Behringer ep4000 amp.


I wanted to get the JBL JRX 125's but no stock and budget swayed me to wharfdale. They are great speakers no doubt and you will rock 200 people easily. They are very clear speakers but they would sound even much much better with 2 18" bass bins. Next investment

 

Those are pretty sick!!

Here is what I've got at the moment.
Yamaha - STAGEPAS 500 Portable Speaker System (Pair) - STAGEPAS 500 speakers&cp=1&lp=6

Yamaha - STAGEPAS 500 Portable Speaker System (Pair) - STAGEPAS 500 speakers&cp=1&lp=6
Currently I am leaving to return my amp that I purchased for a lack of power. Any suggestions....?

 

Crown amps.
They are powerfull, nice, and rackmountable.

Also, I started out with something like the stagepass system. Worked great for small deals, now I just them for vocal things.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to check out another store here that is locally owned that specializes in musical equipment. I've been avoiding them in fear of spending too much . Thank GOD we are about to receive our yearly Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend.

My Numark Red Waves are on the truck for delivery. While at bestbuy I demoed Pioneer - DJ Headphones - HDJ-2000-K & Pioneer - DJ Headphones - HDJ-1500-S . I really enjoyed both headphones. I'll probably choose one for times when I need my music to be as accurate as possible. I really like the look and sound of the Pioneer's.
The HDJ-2000 roast the Beats by Dre Pro's lol.

 

I have a pair of RDPJ 1200 Technics headphones from when I started. They are now 9 years old and still going strong. If i can recommend a pair of headphones and its in your budget range take a look at the Seinheiser HD25's.
They are bullet proof headphones and the best in the business. All parts are replaceable as well on them. They have great sound.

 

I bought both the Seinheiser HD25 & HDJ-2000. I will give them a go for a week and return the lesser pair. I really like how Seinheiser HD25's feel(very breathable/comfortable) and sound. The HDJ-2000's sound fantastic and look awesome. I've always been a fan of Pioneer and assumed Seinheiser was out of my budget. The Pioneers feel more expensive and seem to have better sound. How can I tell if a pair of headphones are accurately replicating a track?

I am also considering buying a Serato Numark controller in addition to my Numark iDJ Pro controller. Does anyone here have any experience with a Numark NS7?

 

I use ATH-PRO700MK2 Cans they feel like you have subwoofers strapped to your head! i pair it with a Fiio e17 DAC for my music needs. I assume you have found Head-Fi forums for headphone info?

 

Check out InnerFidelity's reviews/impressions of both the HDJ2000's and HD25's:

Pioneer HDJ-2000 Review

Sennheiser HD-25 II/Amperior Review

In terms of accuracy, neither of these phones are really what I would consider monitors but in general for EDM I would go with the HD-25's since they have some really sweet bass extension without being overpowering. The Pioneers seem to emphasise the mid range a bit more (well according to the review anyway, I haven't used them before) and seem to lack the low end punch. I've read that the Pioneers are pretty solidly built, the Senns have ok build quality but are definitely more fragile (thankfully pretty much every part can be easily replaced though).

Personally I don't think the Pioneers are a good value at the Best Buy price (last I check it was $350). If you prefer the over-ear type headphones rather than on-ear ones then I would recommend the AKG 550's or the Denon AH-D2000's (if you can find them, they've been discontinued) at the ~300 - 350 USD price bracket. Alternatively if you prefer the on-ear type headphones then the HD-25's are a pretty much the best bet for the money.

Of course if you like the Pioneers then you may as well keep them, its really all down to personal preference.

 

Tomorrow I'll pick up a pair of ATH-PRO700MK2 to see how accurate they sound. My search is over for bass cans...lol.

Thanks for the advice. So after extensively trying out both the Pioneer & Sennheiser, my Numark's arrived via UPS.

OMG!!!

I love the way they look and the bass/sound is amazing. I am really impressed. These headphones definetly have some SERIOUS bass that's not there originally. I'll have to continue my search for stage use cans................lol. I may purchase the HDJ-1500's. My friend has a pair she loves. So far they seem to be more accurate and costs less than the 2000's. Pioneer - DJ Headphones - HDJ-1500-S

All I know for sure is that I'm keeping the Numarks!!

 

Great thread. I posted a long time ago about why there aren't more DJ's out there using Alienware. Good to see someone is trying it out. Good Luck Sky.

 

Thanks for the support. Composing/mixing music is one of the hardest things to do correctly on a PC. So many factors have to be right like dpc latency, overall system stability and the right hardware. I believe attempting to dj says a lot about a users confidence in his or hers equipment/platform.

Alienware really has come a long way.
Hopefully they'll stay there by keeping an eye on dpc latency.

 

Can some one tell me if Numark's iDJ Pro is compatible with the Traktor F1 & TRAKTOR PRO 2.5 software? I really like this controller for live performances. I want to know if there's a way to have the 2.5 software recognize my Numark controller in the software. I saw a guy just walk up and use it like it's always been there. Kinda like this.....

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I would have asked the guy on the F1 at Bestbuy, but he was kinda a d0uche.




Native Instruments - TRAKTOR KONTROL F1 DJ Controller - 20805 f1&cp=1&lp=1

 

Rather sweet setup. I'm not into DJing but I would love a digital piano so I can easily record my stuff. I do have a traditional upright piano.

And I see your wallpaper there. Excellent show don't you think?

 

Thanks.
The dude at Bestbuy on the F1 was playing a piano, guitar, percussion and a few woodwinds, all off the F1. It was truly impressive.

.....and yes, I love that show

I can't believe how much support this F1 has.....
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I'm buying this controller on the way to work regardless of if it works with my controller....

 

For someone who wants to start where and what is a good place? I grew up early 90's in a skating rink so that is my music I really miss listen to being mixed. So any advice would be nice and greatness

 

As promised. Wedding from the weekend.

 

For tracks start off with Stevie B's greatest hits. Stevie B is straight out of the roller rink. For controllers I would have suggested Numark a week ago but now I'd have to say go with Traktor so you can add the Traktor F1 to your setup.

Nice setup. You should definitely have a Traktor F1.

 

Yeah the S2 is a solid setup to start out with. Its not mega expensive and you get Traktor software with it. So thats where I would start of with when buying a controller.

 

Last night I bought a pair of Rokit 5 studio monitors(speakers) for my setup. ROKIT 5 Studio Monitors Speaker KRK SYSTEMS
The sound(bass, mids & highs) coming from these badboys is awesome!!...especially after adjusting the db settings. For the price, these studio monitors are amazing.


What's so sick is Bestbuy has a special promotion for it's silver members....so I got 20% off. Normally they go for 149.99USD(each).
imgur: the simple image sharer

I'll have to hook them up to my M18x and play a few rounds of Borderlands 2.