Dubba Dutchdj

Yeah anything niche like this would be best if put together by the respective scenes enthusiasts/communities, but Redbull thing aside, at least its getting a spotlight and a chance to reach audiences it wouldn't without the big brand online footfall

Stumbled across these vids today, really fascinating lectures from soundsystem heads and the culture. Vid below is jus highlight thing/clips taken from the sound system orientated lectures, peep the link below vid to the youtube playlist, some great interviews in there! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDdx2qJK6Byh1OuabDzf8LcRN6sn5mEba

looool, kush = pain (for me it does any way) But yeah, there's def some link between getting hi AF and indulging heavily in oodles of good quality delay ay ay ay

Considering the current state of play with Mac's from a dj POV these Schenker machines have come along at a perfect time

Lil freestyle with one of my Dat Brass band mates This was after a lonnnng day of band rehearsal on 4/20 a couple of weeks back, needless to say at this point we were seriously blazed and had a rather indulgent (and a tad sloppy) jam session over some dub and scratch loops. Sax is mic'd thru my Rane 61 which enabled me to apply some tape delay from my beloved Strymon Timeline. Jake on Sax totally got the vibe, his noodling with delays sounds so lush.

I like what Schenker are doing with there audio edition laptops. Ray Arkaei (one of the writers from Dj Worx) was heavily involved in the design process so there laptops come preprepeared for pro music stuff - streamlining all the unwanted faff and settings disabled that can often cause some PC laptops to not perform well for pro music stuff. Mojaxx from dj city has recently done a couple of vids outlining his experience going from Mac to windows that are worth a peep I have zero experience of these Schenker machines but I do have a solid respect for Ray Arkaei and the POV of Mojaxx. https://bestware.com/en/schenker-audio-edition Last year I copped a used top spec 2015 MacBook Pro which in my mind seems to be the last generation of Apple comps worth looking at for pro audio stuff - haven't heard anything good about post 2016 macs and from a dj POV they've pretty much priced themselves out of the game. While Im very pleased with the my 2015 mac I probably would copped a brand new Schenker instead but hadn't heard of them until recent.

For the why bother .... my own pursuit of digital stuff is due to its flexibility and workflow efficency with both performance potential and setting up/packing down the actual hardware. Would be very hard to replicate what I like about digi stuff in to a vinyl and outboard gear rig without making a lot of compromises or introducing a different set of issues. Pre joining up with a band/playing on big to huge stages/sound systems etc... I didn't really hit any issues with DVS, certainly no more or less than a real vinyl setup any way. Computer based dj'ing does hugely increase the variables, but keep on top of that shit and all is well. The majority issues I now encounter with DVS is mostly down to temporary hollow stages which are jus not solid enough for a tonearm/needle to efficiently track the record grooves to get the best performance from DVS. Playing tracks would be impossible in some situations Ive been in but with the band Im jus scratching, which works well enough but occasionally the playhead can move which makes it sound like I've fucked up or if the needle is getting vibrated in the groove you can get digital artefacts sounds. Poor isolation from sub bass or if I get over excited and hit cue points to hard can also cause issues. The enviroment issues mentioned would be a problem for a real wax set up to plus its likely real vinyl would introduce feedback. Thinking back to my pre digital days when playing in big venues it was only places that properly catered for turntables like suspended tables chained from the ceiling or decent amount of concrete slabs under the decks to eliminate feedback where I could compete in volume against CD dj's without getting feedback. Ive been using DVS in the wild since 2008 and experienced a total of 3 show stopping moments, all of which were user based - corrupted files (early days of music pirating) and not using recommended USB cable type. That all said I totally get why peeps can be put off and jus wanna get down with the pleasure and simplicity of no computer dj'n.

From Traktor POV without official support etc... Id have to agree Phase may not be the answer to my prays. Bob mentioned to me the work around hes gonna apply to catalyst controller, I really hope he pulls it off! To be honest it was exactly what I thought Phase would of done vs there current approach which was always gonna have sticker drift.

As a Traktor user I won't be buying Phase any time soon I noticed Traktor being used with Phase in one of there Namm promo vids and spotted the calibration failed indicator flashing. When Traktor DVS still works but calibration fails it means that Traktor isn't getting all the info its been programmed to gather, aka - stuff that bootleg timecode doesn't generate. Phase synthesises a constant timecode signal without generating position information, DVS relies on this information to eliminate sticker drift - Traktor really depends on this info, Serato not as much. I've seen quite a few Phase owning grumpy Traktor users on social media over the last week. The ultimate solution is for NI and Serato to do deals with Phase and add native support - let the Phase receiver communicate directly to software via USB vs its current approach which really is jus a very clever hack thats gonna be difficult 100% eliminate sticker drift. But considering it'll cost NI/Serato time and money to add native support Im not hugely confident it'll happen, who knows.... I really don't think there's that many dj's who regularly play in the worst environment you could ask DVS to perform in as I do. Temporary stages are my ultimate enemy, then add 11 keen AF band mates jumping around the place = last situation you'd wanna put a turntable in etc... At the events I tried Phase I talked to the developers at length why Im so keen on the technology (showed em some vids with some pretty hefty hints...) In reality I don't have a following that merits sponsorship/freebies, plus they've already got some bloke called Jazzy Jeff behind them. If they get Phase working as intended then for me it'll def be a game changer, switching to internal mode and not being able to scratch when in mid heat of the moment/performing because your DVS signal is being crushed is a constant nut ache and can easily be a show stopper if you don't act quick enough. Prior to Phase I jus wanted NI to bring out a Traktor equivalent of the Rane 12 to get round the issues I have, but now I jus hope they can get Phase working at 100% as I'd far prefer the ability to use a normal turntable with DVS vs a digi only deck.

Indeed, the release price is pretty steep, hopefully theyve invested into making the release version a good product, time will tell

I had a really long play with them at 3 different events last year, over an hour at Sample Music Festival and Beat Geek, plus around 15mins at CS BBQ. Performed really well, didn't notice any sticker drift etc... Scratch wise I really chucked everything I could at em and they were solid. That was 7ish months ago and they've supposed to of had numerous tweaks since then. But as you say, broader real world public testing is the next stage. There's bound to be the odd issue once fully released but Im sure early bugs will get squished asap. Once proven stable I'll be all over it, will literally be a game changer for the environments I have to get DVS to work in.

Originally I wasnt gonna be able to make this up2scratch due to a gig but Ive managed to wiggle out of it.... hyyyypppe!

Loved it! Man I was completely done in by 9, kudos to all who survived the day plus the epic long journey to a random UK seaside village thats actually nearer to Boulogne than London. As much as I love the whole community/anyones welcome to come along thing...... I do have a soft spot for the Rye studio lock in SSsesh with the core fam - Super chill, phat shmoke, quality setup, banging bass... and wether its beats or cutting etc.. the level across the crew now is pretty fucking serious

Think its Class Compliant drivers that only work with iOS, which the 57mk2 has but the 61,62 and the other rane digital featured units released around that time all used CoreAudio drivers. If the 57mk2 had fx send on the aux/mic channel and wet&dry controls (which the 61,62 both have) I'd be very tempted to buy a reasonably priced used 57mk2. It has dual usb interface - could have iOS loopy and laptop running in tandem on the USB send & return, that level of digital send & return flexibility paired with the hardware send & return gives me a chub. There's a (nerdly) interesting thread on the whole mac OS support issue in the link below. Came across it when researching how to get my 61 working properly. https://dj.rane.com/forums/viewthread/669 Long story short - apple are dic's for pointlessly rebuilding there OS every fucking year and breaking drivers. Updating to a new OS before its been out for at least 12 months isn't advisable and always consider that any investment in dj gear with digital features will only work fully while its supported, ergo fuck spending 1500 to 2G on digital gear unless your earning big bucks out of said hardware. (Shouts to A&H who've jus updated drivers for ancient long since discontinued hardware - 2D & DX)

I'd put a saved search on eBay for the 62 faders your after, something will come up eventually, find out the model version your after as Im sure its the same one that fits 61, 62, 68, 56S etc.... There a modular build so it'll jus be a case of replacing one or two bits so Im sure it'll be feasible to make em as good as new. I wouldn't be keen on putting a innofader in a Rane mixer myself, the Rane faders are a key part to making those mixers dope. If you was to go down the innofader path I'd recommend either the mini inno plus or the new mini inno pro models, there a bit cheaper than the pro version and more importantly infinitely easier to set up vs the faff of the pro's. I guess these mini innos - plus & pro are Rane compatible - Brace uses a mini on his fretless 57mk2. In regards to the support thing.... I know the frustration well. I brought a used 61 around a year ago, the built in interface works ok ish on Mac OS Sierra but not good enough to be trusted in a live environment as it randomly becomes supper laggy, also the midi doesn't work at all. If I updated to High Sierra or Mojave OS I'd loose all computer related features. If rolling back your OS isn't an option, then the best way to get stable use from discontinued digital hardware is having the most recently supported OS on a separate HDD/SDD partition. I've finally got round to setting up this on my MacBook and the 61 now works perfectly, I jus have 40gig partition with OS El Capitan installed with the bare minimum programs and then set up all my music directories to my main system folders. The only potential down side to this setup scenario is when new software features are released - updates for serato/Traktor etc.. that you may not be able to run on older operating systems. For instance/my situation - I use Traktor 3 which doesn't run on El Capitan but fortunately my version of Traktor 2 is unlocked to all interfaces so Im happy to use Traktor 2 when I want to get the most out my 61, I can run Ableton live on my El Capitan partition from my main system partition, so I basically can do exactly the same stuff as Traktor 3 doesn't really have pacific features that I use or don't already have in Traktor 2. Symatic makes a valid point about digital mixers, which is why I've always found it hard/impossible to justify spending 1500-2000 grand on top tier digital mixers as there digital features will have an average shelf life of 5 or 8 years, the later if your lucky. That said at least with mixers like the 61 and 62 your still left with a dope analogue mixer vs mixers with less analogue features like hardware send/return and if you picked up the mixer for cheap in the first place like I did then you can't have any real complaints. Ultimately all dj equipment has an element of compromise, all down to individual needs and what your willing to sacrifice.

Ah my bad, read a comment somewhere complaining about them being acrylic and jus assumed that was the case, either way I really couldnt get on with them, was probably worsened by the super stiff slipmatt setup tho.

My bad

^^^ yup = Mix Master Mike "physical swag" mode activated

Thats because Rye is the super red eyed stoned AF session innit. There's def been a few goodans at the Rye scratch palace

To me the whole VJ thing with the Invader is something they can say to help justify the fact its got a desktop computer inside it. A device like the Invader needs its own build, made for the job computer like what a CDJ has built into it, but that kinda of R&D is the realm of multi multi million dollar company, not this Thud Jesse Dean Rumble partnership. That said, the Invader will be a great for VJ stuff, jus add a portable HDMI screen and your good to go. But in reality its the last in line feature thats caused the hyperbole surrounding this mixer. @cutdisco - def worth giving a search of some of Dj Cheeba's solid steel hour long VJ sets, there fucking amazing, he's built a really successful career touring UK and EU out of it. I love the whole concept of hip hop VJ mixing, but its whole different art form to get into, the guys who do it at a high level go deep into making there own edits for every track they play..... Takes me long enough to make a mix Im happy to put out let alone doing the whole video thing on top

"is there really a demand for a DVS standalone scratch mixer?" The social media storm that invader whipped up does go some way to indicate that people would like such a thing and personally speaking I'd def prefer to leave my £1800+ laptop at home when jus doing a dj set. ​The mostly positive online response the invader got does intrigue me.... reality is its jus a midi controller with a half decent desktop computer - why the excitement etc... But features wise it kinda shows the digital based tablists jus want the raw basics, cue points, faders and a handful of utility controls. "lets take pioneer. the 250 and the s3 is a basic battle mixer with a dvs sound card built in. $350 for 250 and $500 for the s3." Thats jus Pioneer taking a hit on there usual pricing trying to lure new customers into there Recordbox eco system that works across all there hardware VS the Serato version that has an added license fee as part of cost which is how Serato make money as a software only company. "these companies need to realize that we need a middle ground." This is where NI do well with all there technology wether its software, hardware, production, dj etc... while you don't have to look far to pick holes in there hardware, the tech they make can still be used in a pro environment. NI company ethos is pretty much this, affordable/accessible tech that still has pro applications. Digital tech ultimately has a shelf life of what ever OS/computer your using, which is another reason why I like NI's approach vs spending 2g on a digital mixer thats unlikely to be supported for longer than 7 years. Obviously its a different story for those who either earn a living from dj'n or shit money for fun. Back to the Invader thing.... in reality we're probably a few more years away from decent consumer model to become feasible.... but that said, Rasteri has more than proved that mini computers are more than powerful enough to do the job and to be produced at a fair price. So ultimately it goes back to the door of big manufacturers who seemingly don't have a fucking clue what we want or how to do it

Spotted this on your Insta the other day, super dope dude! We had a really dope freestyle dj band jam at the Xmas SSS, I'm always cautious of these kinda jams at SSS as it only takes one over keen cutter to make it fall apart - everyone needs to be on the same page of little is more etc... Really wish we had the camera rolling and line in audio of that xmas SSS jam, despite having around 7 of us on the cut at the same time it sounded really dope with loads of good build and break down moments. (until one of the non regulars got a bit to keen)

Thats not good and gutting to hear for my circumstance I had a long thorough play with Phase at both Beat geek and SMF, threw everything I could at them and to me it felt basically the same as normal DVS (with the bonus of perfect signal/no interference - which is all need it do). I cancelled my pre order back in November as I needed the money, really don't wanna do another summer of praying my DVS signal will survive gigs on wobbly temporary festival stages but after Sy's experience I'm def not buying Phase until its gone threw at least a couple of months of public use.

I couldn't really tell how good the latency was when I had play with them - I hated the feel of the acrylic discs and the slipmatt setup was miles away from my own preference. Be interested to see what there like with a proper vinyl, dr suzuki slipmatts, plastic sheet combo

If the final version ends up like the OG 3D renders that were doing the rounds 2 years ago then it'll at least be a dope thing to look at. I like the concept of a shallow body with pop up legs to make it easier to travel with.... taking mixers on air planes is a hateful experience. But yeah as others have mentioned, using a desktop GUI in a touch environment will be painful. Fuck jabbing at settings within Traktor preferences window with sausage fingers. The cost is ultimately down to it being a hand made boutique unit, parts are gonna be off the shelf components, there only doing a small run so the discount on materials will be negligible. The profit margins on this won't be big compared to mainstream consumer mixers. Still cynical then search round the internet for prices on made to order midi controllers, computers and enclosures with high end finishes etc... For me the best thing that could come of this is simply highlighting the appetite for a DVS capable standalone scratch mixer, we need a big manufacturer with DEEP pockets to make a decent consumer version. Denon and Pioneer are half way there with there all in one standalone controllers, but those units were made in light of a fucking HUGE mobile dj market, in comparison the scratch mixer market is all but pointless for them to bother with and we all know those dics will do something annoying to make what could be a great piece of dj gear not as good as it could be. In other news Traktor dj 2 app is out soon, its gonna be a cross platform iOS, OSX, Windows etc... program, so it'll be the same app that runs on both your iPad and laptop with GUI layouts for either workflows. There's no word on DVS capability yet but if thats added and future Traktor mixers can support both iPad and laptop DVS then it could be a really good flexible alternative to having mixers with built in computers to run DVS that are always gonna be expensive AF.