since i got scarred for life with the cross with one of the best duo ive ever heard in years. i thought id share the first video i ever saw. JUSTICE!!!
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Behringer UCA202
So im on my way to Moog Audio in downtown Toronto looking for an affordable sound card and found an M-Audio interface for $100. As i left the store disappointed my girlfriend mentioned going to the other music store to play some keyboards that are actually turned on. So we head to Steve's music store i came across the Behringer UCA202 audio Interface for $45. I have read some reviews online and mostly got the saying "you get what you pay for" meaning the sound is of lesser quality than a $3 usb soundcard. But all you audio geeks out there are wrong! yes it is made of plastic, yes its too small to be called a PRO audio interface but this little unit has surprised me. with 4 RCA inserts (2 input, 2 output) and a headphone jack.
for those big house parties and if you already have a DJ mixer follow one of these two blueprints.
DJ mixer to Laptop? part 1
i dunno...is it really necessary? your DAW program can pretty much be a mixer. with the right effects you'll be fine. In Ableton there are effects that can be added to the Returns or just the actual audio track that can replicate a mixer using a midi controller. with enough knobs and faders... list of effects coming soon.
Novation Launchpad
Thanks to some good connections (THANK YOU!!) i get to try out (and keep!) the Launchpad Ableton live controller from Novation.
This 8x8 grid controller can show you where your clips are in the arrangement mode and can be launched just by pressing it. it also has a mixer overview with kill switches, solo, track on & off and record. A volume page, a pan page, and a send A & B page.
another cool thing about the launchpad is that its usb powered.
what i didnt like about it was that it came with Ableton Live 8 Launchpad edition which only lets you play clips and no instruments. kind of a bummer but other than that this controller is legit.
BACK-UP!
you're working on an awesome mix on your laptop then all of a sudden your computer fails and crashes. hopefully you've hit CMD + S. (CRTL + S for you pc's) It doesn't matter if you're a mac or PC cause all computers are likely to fail at least once. So you better get out your external hard drive and run Time Machine (or whatever PC uses) ! they're unbelievably cheap so you don't have an excuse not to buy one. Even if you're a computer DJ. you will be glad you had all your mixes in this little compact HD. Since they're affordable why not get more than one? check out my back ups :
1TB WD External Hard Drive
320GB WD Portable Hard Drive
8GB USB stick
4GB memory stick
2GB USB stick
but is having to much back up too much? fuck no. you never know when you'll have a crash.
1334GB of back up!
so PLEASE back up all your files! you wont regret it!
Allen & Heath XONE 4D usb DJ mixer/MIDI controller
As i wait patiently wait for Joel Zimmerman's friend confirmation.
lets review another piece of technology that i wish to own someday.
the almighty XONE 4D controller from Allen & Heath.
a mixer, a soundcard, and a midi controller all in one.
DJ Mixer:
4 multi-input stereo channels: RIAA preamps for turntables on 3 inputs, (channel 4 is Line/Line)
Soundcard output routing switches for each channel (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8)
3-band total kill EQ: 6dB to off
2 FX sends: pre/post selection (internal on FX2)
2 stereo returns
Headphone monitor with mix/cue control: 3.5mm and 1/4" sockets
2 analogue VCF filters low-pass, band-pass, high-pass (can be combined for more filter types), resonance frequency, and filter 'on' switch
Filter assignable LFO with depth control and brand-new editable fader step-filter function
Completely re-designed and functionally improved BPM detection circuit
Mic input: on XLR connector; gain control and 2-band EQ control available: routable straight to soundcard
Power supply: High performance internal switch-mode supply
RIAA: for three turntables (four via internal jumper link)
Dual rail VCA crossfader
USB 2.0 soundcard:
20 channel, 96 kHz, 24-bit soundcard connecting via wide-bandwidth USB 2.0 (480Mbit/s)
Uses 24-bit stereo analogue to digital converters and digital to analogue converters (not lower spec CODECs)
10 in/10 out (4 stereo in, optical in/4 stereo out, optical out)
No software configuration utility; all front panel switched
Soundcard inputs fed from Mic, FX2, FX1, Main Mix or from stereo channels 1-4
Sends: mix, FX, or individual analogue channels may be routed to PC or digital outputs
New record output: FX2 RCA outputs can be switched to an RCA record output
Drivers available for PC and Mac
MIDI Controller:
2 separate layers of MIDI controllers with control pickup algorithm ensuring a smooth transition between layers
227 MIDI control messages available from 105 separate MIDI controls
8 x 60mm linear faders
16 detented rotary pots
10 rotary encoders
50 switches
2 custom jog wheels with 4 micro switches
8 illuminated push switches
Allen & Heath Xone:4D is compatible with any PC software that has MIDI assignable functions: for instance, lighting controller or visual effects programs
at almost $3000 you're gonna get all you need in this controller.
