Pionara
Hello there VDJ'ers...:o) Hope you are all well.
I'm looking at branching out a bit from just my keyboard and have been thinking recently about a DAC 2 controller. However, I'm a bit concerned.
My main reason for wanting one of these babies is that I want to be able to add something extra to my sets, and I think the functionality of an external controller will help me do this instead of just using my keyboard all the time.
However, can anyone tell me the real benefits of having another controller rather that just keyboard and mouse? I only do functions anyway, so it's not as if it's a major hassle if I DON'T have one, it's just that I think it'd be quite nice.
Also, how do these little box of tricks work with VDJ? Is it simply a case of plugging the controller into the mixer and configuring VDJ? Does anybody know where I could get my hands on a nice (in good condition) one that will be good for the spend?
Considering the DAC 3 is now out, I don't particularly want to go over the top...but any help you can offer would be appreciated.
I've already been offered the DAC 3 from my music store half price...but even that's too much for me right now.
Cheers...and keep spinnin...:o)
P
I'm looking at branching out a bit from just my keyboard and have been thinking recently about a DAC 2 controller. However, I'm a bit concerned.
My main reason for wanting one of these babies is that I want to be able to add something extra to my sets, and I think the functionality of an external controller will help me do this instead of just using my keyboard all the time.
However, can anyone tell me the real benefits of having another controller rather that just keyboard and mouse? I only do functions anyway, so it's not as if it's a major hassle if I DON'T have one, it's just that I think it'd be quite nice.
Also, how do these little box of tricks work with VDJ? Is it simply a case of plugging the controller into the mixer and configuring VDJ? Does anybody know where I could get my hands on a nice (in good condition) one that will be good for the spend?
Considering the DAC 3 is now out, I don't particularly want to go over the top...but any help you can offer would be appreciated.
I've already been offered the DAC 3 from my music store half price...but even that's too much for me right now.
Cheers...and keep spinnin...:o)
P
geposted Wed 11 Jan 06 @ 8:41 pm
jpboggis
The main advantage of a DAC-2 or DAC-3 is that it gives you a hands-on dual-CD player style interface to VDJ.
In addition to providing buttons (Play, cue, etc.) to directly control VDJ instead of mouse/keyboard, you also have real jogwheels (Great for cueing/pitch bending) and ptich sliders for easier pitch adjustment.
The DAC-2/DAC-3 are also rackmountable, allowing you to mount them with your mixer in a mobile case or any other 19" rack (They can also be used stand-alone too without a rack.)
The LCD displays allow you to see information such as time remaining, BPM/pitch % without needing to look at the PC/laptop screen.
The DAC-3 connects to your PC/laptop via USB. I'm not too sure about the DAC-2 (Never owned/used one) - I think this may be serial (Needs COM port.) Using either should simply be a matter of going into VDJ config -> Remote Control, enabling DMC1/DAC2/DAC3 and choosing the appropriate port (Or auto detect.)
Custom mappers are available for both the DAC-2 and DAC-3 that improve the functionality (See Download -> Plugins -> Sound Effects)
In addition to providing buttons (Play, cue, etc.) to directly control VDJ instead of mouse/keyboard, you also have real jogwheels (Great for cueing/pitch bending) and ptich sliders for easier pitch adjustment.
The DAC-2/DAC-3 are also rackmountable, allowing you to mount them with your mixer in a mobile case or any other 19" rack (They can also be used stand-alone too without a rack.)
The LCD displays allow you to see information such as time remaining, BPM/pitch % without needing to look at the PC/laptop screen.
The DAC-3 connects to your PC/laptop via USB. I'm not too sure about the DAC-2 (Never owned/used one) - I think this may be serial (Needs COM port.) Using either should simply be a matter of going into VDJ config -> Remote Control, enabling DMC1/DAC2/DAC3 and choosing the appropriate port (Or auto detect.)
Custom mappers are available for both the DAC-2 and DAC-3 that improve the functionality (See Download -> Plugins -> Sound Effects)
geposted Thu 12 Jan 06 @ 12:30 am
djzero
The DAC-2 is USB, & the DMC-1 is serial. dont forget that if you get the DMC-1 you need the Gizmo Labs Update chip otherwise it will not work correctly
geposted Thu 12 Jan 06 @ 12:38 am
Pionara
Thanks for the info guys...:o)
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geposted Thu 12 Jan 06 @ 11:35 am
Pionara
Hey guys...back on the subject of the DAC Controllers. I've just got a few questions that I would like answered if possible:
1/ Ok, the DAC 3 is now out. Fantastic. But how much better than the DAC 2 is it? I know it has a few more features, etc, but what is your honest personal opinion of both controllers (if you've had the luxury of using both)?
2/ What will it mean for my system if i get one? I have USB 2 on my homebuilt machine so I don't think that should be a problem. My concern is really for my soundcard. I use a 5.1 channel card at the moment - will this suffice if I get a controller or will I need to get another card/external card?
3/ Will it use more system resources??? My homebuilt CPU is only 1.1Ghz. I have a very clean system and 512 ddr which is fine for my VDJ 3.1 where I only use mouse and keyboard. I've had no problems as yet, but if I'm using something like this will it eat up all my resources? I know that the recommended spec for VDJ 3.3 is 3.06GHZ and 1 gig ram which I will be looking to sort in the very near future, but is this an absolute necessity and will it be if I get a controller?
4/ Are the controllers really just plug and play? I.e if i plug it straight into my system and activate it on VDJ will it work straight away? Will I need more software patches or anything like that? Are the DAC 2/3 mappers really necessary?
5/ I'm pretty sure that both the DAC 2 and 3 are USB 2 powered. Can someone please confirm that they don't require external power supplies? This isn' really a big thing, I just want to make sure...:o|
6/ Can anyone PLEASE tell me where I could buy one of these controllers WITHOUT having to buy PCDJ as well?
I've been checking on the PCDJ UK website, but there doesn't seem to be alot of technical info on either controller. There is alot of info about features, etc, but at the moment I just want to make sure that before i spend £300 odd that I'm doing the right thing. If I go and spend £300 on a controller, will I need to spend another £300 on my pc to make sure the compatability factor is ok?
Sorry to badger on about this (and sorry for the long post!!!), but I'm just a bit concerned about it. Any help you guys could offer would be most welcome.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards...and keep spinnin'...:o)
P
1/ Ok, the DAC 3 is now out. Fantastic. But how much better than the DAC 2 is it? I know it has a few more features, etc, but what is your honest personal opinion of both controllers (if you've had the luxury of using both)?
2/ What will it mean for my system if i get one? I have USB 2 on my homebuilt machine so I don't think that should be a problem. My concern is really for my soundcard. I use a 5.1 channel card at the moment - will this suffice if I get a controller or will I need to get another card/external card?
3/ Will it use more system resources??? My homebuilt CPU is only 1.1Ghz. I have a very clean system and 512 ddr which is fine for my VDJ 3.1 where I only use mouse and keyboard. I've had no problems as yet, but if I'm using something like this will it eat up all my resources? I know that the recommended spec for VDJ 3.3 is 3.06GHZ and 1 gig ram which I will be looking to sort in the very near future, but is this an absolute necessity and will it be if I get a controller?
4/ Are the controllers really just plug and play? I.e if i plug it straight into my system and activate it on VDJ will it work straight away? Will I need more software patches or anything like that? Are the DAC 2/3 mappers really necessary?
5/ I'm pretty sure that both the DAC 2 and 3 are USB 2 powered. Can someone please confirm that they don't require external power supplies? This isn' really a big thing, I just want to make sure...:o|
6/ Can anyone PLEASE tell me where I could buy one of these controllers WITHOUT having to buy PCDJ as well?
I've been checking on the PCDJ UK website, but there doesn't seem to be alot of technical info on either controller. There is alot of info about features, etc, but at the moment I just want to make sure that before i spend £300 odd that I'm doing the right thing. If I go and spend £300 on a controller, will I need to spend another £300 on my pc to make sure the compatability factor is ok?
Sorry to badger on about this (and sorry for the long post!!!), but I'm just a bit concerned about it. Any help you guys could offer would be most welcome.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards...and keep spinnin'...:o)
P
geposted Tue 17 Jan 06 @ 4:28 pm
jpboggis
1) I've never owned a DAC-2, but from looking at a picture of it, the main difference between the two is size, jogwheels and number of buttons.
DAC-3 is 3U and as a result has room for far more buttons (I.e: Ability to directly control more features of VDJ.) With my mapper, you can directly trigger FX 1-3, loops, samples and directly set/goto cue points.
DAC-2 is 2U, so will fit into less space and has two part jogwheels. The DAC-3 has single part, free spinning jogwheels (Great for spinbacks), similar to Numark CDN-88.
The DAC-2 is older, so may be USB 1 where the DAC-3 is USB 2.0 (I'm not sure whether this would make much difference though.)
2) Your 5.1 sound card should be fine - Ideally you want to output two stereo channels (One for each deck) to an external mixer - 5.1 is more than enough for this. You shouldn't need a new soundcard unless you are also considering using timecode vinyls or CD's alongside the DAC-3 or DAC-2.
3) All it's doing is looking for button presses/jogwheel movements, etc. and updating LCD displays. I don't think this will have any noticeable impact on your system. I have previously used the D-Vinyl 2020 (Similar to DAC-2) on a 900Mhz PC with 512Mb RAM in the past and not had any issues. Your current system should be fine unless you wish to start playing videos or using timecode vinyl/CD's.
4) I'm not sure about the DAC-2, but with the DAC-3, you simply connect it, wait for the PC to detect the USB device (No drivers required) and then enable it in VDJ (Config -> Remote Control) Both the DAC-3 and DAC-2 have built-in support in VDJ as well as custom mappers available.
I don't know what the default mappings are like for the DAC-2, but the DAC-3 mappings aren't very good at present - In particular, the jogwheel behvaiour is poor and the -/+ pitch bend buttons are far too sensitive. Also, you can only trigger FX #1 directly from the DAC-3.
My mapper for the DAC-3 will give it similar behaviour to a decent dual-CD player. Your best bet is to try with and without the mapper and see which you prefer. At some point in the future, my mapper will allow you to cutomise what each button does.
5) The DAC-3 is USB powered. I've used it with no problems plugged directly into my laptop and plugged into a USB hub. I'm not sure about the DAC-2.
6) I got mine from www.pcdj.co.uk - Most stores should allow you to buy it both with and without PCDJ (Existing PCDJ users would not want to buy the software again just to get the controller!)
DAC-3 is 3U and as a result has room for far more buttons (I.e: Ability to directly control more features of VDJ.) With my mapper, you can directly trigger FX 1-3, loops, samples and directly set/goto cue points.
DAC-2 is 2U, so will fit into less space and has two part jogwheels. The DAC-3 has single part, free spinning jogwheels (Great for spinbacks), similar to Numark CDN-88.
The DAC-2 is older, so may be USB 1 where the DAC-3 is USB 2.0 (I'm not sure whether this would make much difference though.)
2) Your 5.1 sound card should be fine - Ideally you want to output two stereo channels (One for each deck) to an external mixer - 5.1 is more than enough for this. You shouldn't need a new soundcard unless you are also considering using timecode vinyls or CD's alongside the DAC-3 or DAC-2.
3) All it's doing is looking for button presses/jogwheel movements, etc. and updating LCD displays. I don't think this will have any noticeable impact on your system. I have previously used the D-Vinyl 2020 (Similar to DAC-2) on a 900Mhz PC with 512Mb RAM in the past and not had any issues. Your current system should be fine unless you wish to start playing videos or using timecode vinyl/CD's.
4) I'm not sure about the DAC-2, but with the DAC-3, you simply connect it, wait for the PC to detect the USB device (No drivers required) and then enable it in VDJ (Config -> Remote Control) Both the DAC-3 and DAC-2 have built-in support in VDJ as well as custom mappers available.
I don't know what the default mappings are like for the DAC-2, but the DAC-3 mappings aren't very good at present - In particular, the jogwheel behvaiour is poor and the -/+ pitch bend buttons are far too sensitive. Also, you can only trigger FX #1 directly from the DAC-3.
My mapper for the DAC-3 will give it similar behaviour to a decent dual-CD player. Your best bet is to try with and without the mapper and see which you prefer. At some point in the future, my mapper will allow you to cutomise what each button does.
5) The DAC-3 is USB powered. I've used it with no problems plugged directly into my laptop and plugged into a USB hub. I'm not sure about the DAC-2.
6) I got mine from www.pcdj.co.uk - Most stores should allow you to buy it both with and without PCDJ (Existing PCDJ users would not want to buy the software again just to get the controller!)
geposted Tue 17 Jan 06 @ 5:46 pm
Pionara
Fantastic, thanks jpboggis.
I've been offered a DAC 2 for £229 where it usually retails for £299, so i might just scrape some readies together and go for it.
Thanks again...keep spinnin'...:o)
P
I've been offered a DAC 2 for £229 where it usually retails for £299, so i might just scrape some readies together and go for it.
Thanks again...keep spinnin'...:o)
P
geposted Tue 17 Jan 06 @ 6:19 pm
Pionara
I found this review on the DAC 3: http://www.pcdjhardware.com/reviews/PCDJ%20DAC-3_Reivew.pdf . Perhaps not as positive as I thought it was going to be...but maybe that's just me.
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geposted Tue 17 Jan 06 @ 10:12 pm
jpboggis
I saw the same review prior to buying mine (When VDJ had no native support), but it didn't put me off buying it. Remember that it it's written from a point of view using PCDJ rather than VDJ.
geposted Tue 17 Jan 06 @ 10:55 pm
Pionara
Good point jpboggis...thanks again.
However...another question!!!
Although you can access your music collection using it, do you only get to control this using the screen of the controller itself or can it be controlled on the pc screen, i.e. if I were to scroll through my music collection using the dac 2/3, would I see it scrolling on my pc screen or just the screen of the controller itself?
P
However...another question!!!
Although you can access your music collection using it, do you only get to control this using the screen of the controller itself or can it be controlled on the pc screen, i.e. if I were to scroll through my music collection using the dac 2/3, would I see it scrolling on my pc screen or just the screen of the controller itself?
P
geposted Tue 17 Jan 06 @ 10:56 pm
jpboggis
You will see it scrolling on the laptop/PC screen only. The DAC-3 and DAC-2 cannot show track names on the LCD displays (They can't display text.)
The only controllers I know of that can show track names are the BPM studio ones (Good controller, but closed source and only work with BPM studio) and Peavey DAI (Expesnsive, with built-in touch-screen. Doesn't currently support VDJ as far as I'm aware, but is open source so the potential is there.)
The only controllers I know of that can show track names are the BPM studio ones (Good controller, but closed source and only work with BPM studio) and Peavey DAI (Expesnsive, with built-in touch-screen. Doesn't currently support VDJ as far as I'm aware, but is open source so the potential is there.)
geposted Tue 17 Jan 06 @ 11:03 pm
Pionara
Smashing, thanks again.
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geposted Tue 17 Jan 06 @ 11:07 pm