bagpuss
I don't advise dropping any DJ equipment, I certainly don't advise dropping computers either. You get people saying this product is robust etc, but most hardware will be damaged after it's taken a decent bang.
I learnt my lesson when I dropped my laptop onto concrete and that was only a three foot drop.
As for sound quality, I find the Hercules MK2 to have excellent sound quality for club systems, and I've never experienced any kind of conflict due to it being a controller and soundcard in one. I can only report good experiences, although previous drivers haven't always impressed me.
I learnt my lesson when I dropped my laptop onto concrete and that was only a three foot drop.
As for sound quality, I find the Hercules MK2 to have excellent sound quality for club systems, and I've never experienced any kind of conflict due to it being a controller and soundcard in one. I can only report good experiences, although previous drivers haven't always impressed me.
geposted Sun 25 Mar 07 @ 3:22 pm
Dj Xeo
Bagpuss wrote :
It will be priced somewhere between £300-£400 from what I've read. Not close to £500, the U.S is always cheaper so it might be around $600 at a guess.
The simple fact is that the Vestax doesn't bring anything to the table FOR me, everything I need and more is on the hercules, the Vestax wont make my mixing better, it wont increase my income from DJ'ing, it will just cost me £300-£400 for something that's nice, fun and pretty yes but only a benefit in the bedroom (and I ain't talking safe sex!), so I can't justify the cost for something that will offer ME less.
The soundcard debate is one we've already had, people are clearly divided in this regard. For me the inclusion of a soundcard is of paramount importance when deciding on a controller. for reasons of convenience, portability, space (in DJ booths) and the added overall cost (controller + HQ usb soundcard).
Most non-DJ's don't have portable USB soundcards, so it would add to their cost too, even on the video, the guy didn't have a soundcard for 3 days, so his review was limited.
So yes, it's a mighty fine controller (from what I can tell) and I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't need a controller with an included soundcard, Mobile DJ's, Bedroom DJ's and many club DJ's, but from the Clubs I've worked in, space is tight and that's just with a laptop + MK2, sometimes I have to position stuff in the most awkward of ways.
The simple fact is that the Vestax doesn't bring anything to the table FOR me, everything I need and more is on the hercules, the Vestax wont make my mixing better, it wont increase my income from DJ'ing, it will just cost me £300-£400 for something that's nice, fun and pretty yes but only a benefit in the bedroom (and I ain't talking safe sex!), so I can't justify the cost for something that will offer ME less.
The soundcard debate is one we've already had, people are clearly divided in this regard. For me the inclusion of a soundcard is of paramount importance when deciding on a controller. for reasons of convenience, portability, space (in DJ booths) and the added overall cost (controller + HQ usb soundcard).
Most non-DJ's don't have portable USB soundcards, so it would add to their cost too, even on the video, the guy didn't have a soundcard for 3 days, so his review was limited.
So yes, it's a mighty fine controller (from what I can tell) and I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't need a controller with an included soundcard, Mobile DJ's, Bedroom DJ's and many club DJ's, but from the Clubs I've worked in, space is tight and that's just with a laptop + MK2, sometimes I have to position stuff in the most awkward of ways.
so stick an audio interface to the bottom and use 2 usbs instead of one?, better stil use a pcmcia interface that goes INSIDE your laptop anyway? why is this such a big deal?
geposted Sun 25 Mar 07 @ 3:58 pm
bagpuss
I think your missing my point, why would I spend more to get less? I already have a workable solution. That said this is a nice piece of kit.
geposted Sun 25 Mar 07 @ 4:12 pm
KregCZ
Bagpuss: I understand what your saying.
I have the MKII also; and it's great how all the buttons are already set to trigger all the things VDJ can do. Being small also has its advantages.
For me it's just too small and my BCD2000 is too big for what it gives me.
I only DJ for a living so everything I buy has to worth the money I spend.
I think the bigger jog wheel, better quality fader & even the cool sleek look are all good reasons for me to at least give the VC100 a test drive.
If it can make me more comfortable with its larger controls and more spaced out design, I'll give it a try; If not it will end up in the pile with my Herk MKI, my MKII, & My BCD2000.
I like the way the VC100 looks too; the MKII looks like a toy to me, not something you would be paying a DJ a $1000 a gig to use, but if space is tight you might have to use a smaller devise.
No sound card isn't that big of a deal, but for the price you would think the would put one in;
I mean you can buy a USB sound card for $5 why can’t they install one if they are charging you $600.
Most of the time the sound cards in these things are junk anyway. I'd rather use my PIMCA Echo Indigo DJ card, the sound quality is really much better than most any other external cards out there, only problem: no inputs
I have the MKII also; and it's great how all the buttons are already set to trigger all the things VDJ can do. Being small also has its advantages.
For me it's just too small and my BCD2000 is too big for what it gives me.
I only DJ for a living so everything I buy has to worth the money I spend.
I think the bigger jog wheel, better quality fader & even the cool sleek look are all good reasons for me to at least give the VC100 a test drive.
If it can make me more comfortable with its larger controls and more spaced out design, I'll give it a try; If not it will end up in the pile with my Herk MKI, my MKII, & My BCD2000.
I like the way the VC100 looks too; the MKII looks like a toy to me, not something you would be paying a DJ a $1000 a gig to use, but if space is tight you might have to use a smaller devise.
No sound card isn't that big of a deal, but for the price you would think the would put one in;
I mean you can buy a USB sound card for $5 why can’t they install one if they are charging you $600.
Most of the time the sound cards in these things are junk anyway. I'd rather use my PIMCA Echo Indigo DJ card, the sound quality is really much better than most any other external cards out there, only problem: no inputs
geposted Sun 25 Mar 07 @ 9:26 pm
Funken
Looking foreward to a new controller.
Can´t decide if it could be Total Controller or the Vestax..
And i can't wait to kick my Hercules with something very hard.
Really tired with the knobs and the crappy soundcard.
I bought TC Konnekt 24D soundcard instead and just using the
Midi controller in Hercules.
So Numark or Vestax will do just fine for me..
cant wait..
Can´t decide if it could be Total Controller or the Vestax..
And i can't wait to kick my Hercules with something very hard.
Really tired with the knobs and the crappy soundcard.
I bought TC Konnekt 24D soundcard instead and just using the
Midi controller in Hercules.
So Numark or Vestax will do just fine for me..
cant wait..
geposted Sun 25 Mar 07 @ 9:39 pm
Rune (DJ-In-Norway)
Yeah, the Numark TotalControl looks might fine too :)
The total control will be more mobile than the Vestax I bet.. Weight wise.
And the "skin" on top of it, looks like VDJ default skin, so thats a bit sexy ;) hehe
The total control will be more mobile than the Vestax I bet.. Weight wise.
And the "skin" on top of it, looks like VDJ default skin, so thats a bit sexy ;) hehe
geposted Sun 25 Mar 07 @ 9:59 pm
l_rids
I don't believe it has better jogwheels than the ICDX norway :P
I had a mate who is a serato user test out the ICDX in the weekend & he thought they were awesome. He showed me what they can do when someone with mad scratching skillz jumps on. I was seriously blown away. Only thing he said that was negative was about the latency? He reckons he gets better latency using TCV.
I had a mate who is a serato user test out the ICDX in the weekend & he thought they were awesome. He showed me what they can do when someone with mad scratching skillz jumps on. I was seriously blown away. Only thing he said that was negative was about the latency? He reckons he gets better latency using TCV.
geposted Sun 25 Mar 07 @ 11:20 pm
bagpuss
@ funken, what do you mean crappy soundcard? the output quality sounds great to me. If you mean for timecode, well that's a different matter.
@ KregCZ, I think the MK2 is quite deceiving in clubs, as under low lights it looks really funky to the average joe, I play in a very club and had nothing but good feedback from the staff and other DJ's there, a trained DJ might consider the work surface to be quite small, but using the clubs mixer creates a lot more 'Mixing' space. I don't consider the jogs under sized for beatmixing/pitch bending, just like the rackmounted CD players. It's a good but not perfect solution, for the price it's priceless!
@ KregCZ, I think the MK2 is quite deceiving in clubs, as under low lights it looks really funky to the average joe, I play in a very club and had nothing but good feedback from the staff and other DJ's there, a trained DJ might consider the work surface to be quite small, but using the clubs mixer creates a lot more 'Mixing' space. I don't consider the jogs under sized for beatmixing/pitch bending, just like the rackmounted CD players. It's a good but not perfect solution, for the price it's priceless!
geposted Sun 25 Mar 07 @ 11:21 pm
Man-Tk
I think xp10 have better wheel than Numark & Vestax - xp10 wheel is like Pioneer Cds (smaller)
geposted Mon 26 Mar 07 @ 12:01 am
haz0rd
The XP10 does not feel like the cdj1000
it's closer the the icdx. Just a little more sensitive.
I have the ICDX and coming from the using Numark CDX and the CDJ1000
it was hard to learn how to scratch on it but after with about a week of pratice.
Its working great.
The mk2 has great sound quality for club use without time-code.
I tried timecode and it doesn't work very well.... My problem is that the unit does not
have a gain on the inputs and my numark plays cdx and icdx reproduces the timecode tone
very loud making the signal distorted.
Thanks,
it's closer the the icdx. Just a little more sensitive.
I have the ICDX and coming from the using Numark CDX and the CDJ1000
it was hard to learn how to scratch on it but after with about a week of pratice.
Its working great.
The mk2 has great sound quality for club use without time-code.
I tried timecode and it doesn't work very well.... My problem is that the unit does not
have a gain on the inputs and my numark plays cdx and icdx reproduces the timecode tone
very loud making the signal distorted.
Thanks,
geposted Mon 26 Mar 07 @ 4:48 am
shooter6
Wow Bagpuss - if you think the Herc soundcard sounds great, you must not have ever heard a really decent sound card. My Herc was the noisiest POS I've ever come across - I ditched it after 2 shows to go back to my M-Audio FW 410. Sure, in a club you can't tell the Herc is noisy..too much ambient sound. At a mobile gig using Mackie SA-1521s tho, the crackle comes thru loud and clear. It was particularly disturbing in my headphones. I think the Herc is what made me decide I wouldn't use an integrated controller/sound card again.
geposted Mon 26 Mar 07 @ 4:58 am
DJ Marcel_1
Personally I think the HDC is a perfectly serviceable soundcard. far from perfect but SERVICEABLE.
I don't know what the HDC mk2 is like but from my personal experience with the HDC v1 it was alright.
I use my MOBO internal 6.1 soundcard, It's know not any better than a HDC but it's easier, my rack case is only 2U and would take modification for ANY soundcard upgrade. Sounds good through the club's sound sytem at 105 db - 115db
I don't know what the HDC mk2 is like but from my personal experience with the HDC v1 it was alright.
I use my MOBO internal 6.1 soundcard, It's know not any better than a HDC but it's easier, my rack case is only 2U and would take modification for ANY soundcard upgrade. Sounds good through the club's sound sytem at 105 db - 115db
geposted Mon 26 Mar 07 @ 5:14 am
haz0rd
Shooter... I get the same from my mk2 when using audio input or bypass mode
but If I am just using the music output directly from VDJ it sounds great. You have to watch your levels also just a notch below 100% give you good sound.
but If I am just using the music output directly from VDJ it sounds great. You have to watch your levels also just a notch below 100% give you good sound.
geposted Mon 26 Mar 07 @ 6:02 am
bagpuss
Yes, when the settings are right it does sound great, no crackles here, indistinguishable from other soundcards or CD players. I used to use the card inbuilt my laptop, when I upgraded to the Hercules MK2 the difference in sound quality was amazing. Of course there is better but this thing is good enough to be called professional.
geposted Mon 26 Mar 07 @ 7:27 pm
shooter6
Yah fellas - I know it was really easy to OL the channels on the Herc, but I got crackle and hiss with nothing going thru it. That was my issue. Noise floor was way too high, and took too much gain structure tweaking to use it in a clean sounding system for my taste.
I used it in a club, tho, and you're right... it was serviceable. The hiss was no worse than the existing hiss in the system and with 1200 heads, nobody could hear it at all. It was even fun to use. I am a bit of a perfectionist though (as in severe audio OCD). I felt that since I already owned the FW410 I would stick with the much cleaner sounding unit.
I must disagree with calling it "professional" gear though. IMHO - somethings gotta be built to much higher standards than the Herc MK2 for that rating. It might be aimed at professionals and used by professionals, but the construction is very disappointing. I don't consider Behringer stuff to be professional gear either.
I have an old JBL 10-channel PA mixer in my collection - I call it "My First Mixer" because it looks like it was made by Playskool. Thats kinda how I feel about the Herc. "My First Controller".
I know 3 other guys that use the Herc - I know it wasn't just me with this trouble. They love the Herc's functionality and are willing to put up with inferior sound as a trade off (especially because they are in clubs too so it doesn't matter). I personally am looking forward to trying out the Total Control, but at a price point of $250, I am a little worried that it might be poorly constructed too. So I am now also interested in this Vestax cause it looks more substantial.
anyway... thanks for reading my ramblings...
I used it in a club, tho, and you're right... it was serviceable. The hiss was no worse than the existing hiss in the system and with 1200 heads, nobody could hear it at all. It was even fun to use. I am a bit of a perfectionist though (as in severe audio OCD). I felt that since I already owned the FW410 I would stick with the much cleaner sounding unit.
I must disagree with calling it "professional" gear though. IMHO - somethings gotta be built to much higher standards than the Herc MK2 for that rating. It might be aimed at professionals and used by professionals, but the construction is very disappointing. I don't consider Behringer stuff to be professional gear either.
I have an old JBL 10-channel PA mixer in my collection - I call it "My First Mixer" because it looks like it was made by Playskool. Thats kinda how I feel about the Herc. "My First Controller".
I know 3 other guys that use the Herc - I know it wasn't just me with this trouble. They love the Herc's functionality and are willing to put up with inferior sound as a trade off (especially because they are in clubs too so it doesn't matter). I personally am looking forward to trying out the Total Control, but at a price point of $250, I am a little worried that it might be poorly constructed too. So I am now also interested in this Vestax cause it looks more substantial.
anyway... thanks for reading my ramblings...
geposted Mon 26 Mar 07 @ 8:21 pm
Funken
@ bagpuss
Hercules - It just sounds bad, cold lazy sound.. Not something i would put through a big soundsystem..
And VDJ can deliver a pretty good sound, and i want it the whole thing, no comprimises..
And now when there is another great alternative and not so expensive, the Herc will burn in hell ;-)
Sorry, i have to get it off my mind :-)
Hercules - It just sounds bad, cold lazy sound.. Not something i would put through a big soundsystem..
And VDJ can deliver a pretty good sound, and i want it the whole thing, no comprimises..
And now when there is another great alternative and not so expensive, the Herc will burn in hell ;-)
Sorry, i have to get it off my mind :-)
geposted Mon 26 Mar 07 @ 10:20 pm
bagpuss
Well I put it through a mega sound system playing to thousands in the countys biggest nightclub, only good feedback from all, and I get the pay check, everyones a winner, your Herc can burn in hell while mine parades around in club paradise ;).
geposted Tue 27 Mar 07 @ 12:19 am
l_rids
I hate the herc, its a toy :P
geposted Tue 27 Mar 07 @ 3:00 am
KregCZ
I think it looks like a toy too, but he likes it, so that's his choice.
From a audio engineer's stand point, the MKII is a noisy unit.
Most people don't understand Noise.
Do this test:
Unplug the unit from the mixer and listen for a HISSSS,
rase the volume on the mixer Master to about 7,
then rase the line fader until you hear the HISSSS.
Remember where the fader is say 5.
then plug in your Herk MKII, if you hear HiSSS before 5, that is the added noise it puts out.
If you don't hear it than your mixer puts out more noise than the Herk MKII.
If that is the case than you need a better mixer because you should not notice any noise or HISSS from your mixer until both your line and master levels are at or above 7.
Unless you are using Cheep Amps.
Noise is one of the biggest things responsable for blowing speakers.
From a audio engineer's stand point, the MKII is a noisy unit.
Most people don't understand Noise.
Do this test:
Unplug the unit from the mixer and listen for a HISSSS,
rase the volume on the mixer Master to about 7,
then rase the line fader until you hear the HISSSS.
Remember where the fader is say 5.
then plug in your Herk MKII, if you hear HiSSS before 5, that is the added noise it puts out.
If you don't hear it than your mixer puts out more noise than the Herk MKII.
If that is the case than you need a better mixer because you should not notice any noise or HISSS from your mixer until both your line and master levels are at or above 7.
Unless you are using Cheep Amps.
Noise is one of the biggest things responsable for blowing speakers.
geposted Tue 27 Mar 07 @ 10:40 am
bagpuss
And soundcards are rarely the greatest bottleneck on overall sound quality..
Any DJ gear can be classed as a "toy", a Toy is Something of little importance, an amusement or pastime, I love boys toys!
Any DJ gear can be classed as a "toy", a Toy is Something of little importance, an amusement or pastime, I love boys toys!
geposted Tue 27 Mar 07 @ 7:07 pm
