Laptop set up

[Motor Mouth]

Looking at sorting out a new laptop to be used specifically for gigging..

Any suggestions on software and sound cards? :)

[buzzbomb]

Im only using a laptop 4 weeks, best move i ever made.

Using an omni controller, has built in soundcard , its reasonably cheap too and great to work with, using traktor pro, i needed a bit of help at the start , [ thanks Al and Andy] but after 2 days it was a doddle.

[Ginger]

Im only using a laptop 4 weeks, best move i ever made.

Using an omni controller, has built in soundcard , its reasonably cheap too and great to work with, using traktor pro, i needed a bit of help at the start , [ thanks Al and Andy] but after 2 days it was a doddle.


Hey what about me !! There was me just geting into my warm up set and the second cup of tea with the manager and i get the text from Buzz " Im in trouble " so i get my little skates on and run the 40 yards to where buzz is working ( hes the competition remember ) and i scramble through his laptop only to find hes plugged them in wrong .

Thats the last time ill run out of my gig and around to yours to withness the fact you had thing plugged in arseways :-))

Trust me motormouth if buzz can use traktor and a laptop and controller , anybody can .......

On the level , i have been trying for years to convince Buzz to switch over to laptop and met with the usual resistance from DJs in cd comfort zone , just like years ago when some DJs would have been buried with there 12" singles before they would move to cd . He did eventually give in to me and he will tell you himself , he will never go back .

The gigs are so much better . Mixing is better , chopping is better , selection of music is better , access to the selection is instant , its easier on the back .. With the right setup , its more reliable as there are less moving parts . People often say " are you not afraid of the laptop crashing " and trust me i am afraid as it has happened once or twice but not near as many times as cd players went pear shaped on me over the last 30 years . I always have a back up laptop in a bag ready to go just in case and now im leaving that behind and have a set ready on the ipad to allow me a few minutes to reboot the laptop in the middle of the night if need be.

Cheers

Niall

[leggo]

People often say " are you not afraid of the laptop crashing " and trust me i am afraid as it has happened once or twice but not near as many times as cd players went pear shaped on me over the last 30 years . I always have a back up laptop in a bag ready to go just in case and now im leaving that behind and have a set ready on the ipad to allow me a few minutes to reboot the laptop in the middle of the night if need be.

Cheers

Niall

Only happened to me once in 3 years and that was way back. Had the iPod ready with an all-purpose mix,much like yourself. No panic: plug the laptop out, iPod in, the mix was about 12 mins long, had the laptop back in perfect working order long before the mix was finished.

Total amount of silence: about 30 seconds tops. Not bad at all for your entire setup crashing. Punters were drunk and barely noticed.

[buzzbomb]

Hey what about me !! There was me just geting into my warm up set and the second cup of tea with the manager and i get the text from Buzz " Im in trouble " so i get my little skates on and run the 40 yards to where buzz is working ( hes the competition remember ) and i scramble through his laptop only to find hes plugged them in wrong .

Thats the last time ill run out of my gig and around to yours to withness the fact you had thing plugged in arseways :-))

Trust me motormouth if buzz can use traktor and a laptop and controller , anybody can .......

On the level , i have been trying for years to convince Buzz to switch over to laptop and met with the usual resistance from DJs in cd comfort zone , just like years ago when some DJs would have been buried with there 12" singles before they would move to cd . He did eventually give in to me and he will tell you himself , he will never go back .

The gigs are so much better . Mixing is better , chopping is better , selection of music is better , access to the selection is instant , its easier on the back .. With the right setup , its more reliable as there are less moving parts . People often say " are you not afraid of the laptop crashing " and trust me i am afraid as it has happened once or twice but not near as many times as cd players went pear shaped on me over the last 30 years . I always have a back up laptop in a bag ready to go just in case and now im leaving that behind and have a set ready on the ipad to allow me a few minutes to reboot the laptop in the middle of the night if need be.

Cheers

Niall

I only rang ya because id no cigarette lighter , no way was i walking over to you .

[retired]

Haven't used traktor on a laptop, have it on a desktop with the numark stealth controll, it is amazing. After using this I don't think I would bother with the old ways. Saying that though you would want to be pretty confident and spend enough time with your set up so you know it wont crash at a gig.

The bit about anyone can use it yes, that is true but it does offer a hell of a lot to those "mixing" Dj's and the effects etc are great.

[leggo]

The bit about anyone can use it yes, that is true but it does offer a hell of a lot to those "mixing" Dj's and the effects etc are great.

That's the thing though: the easier mixing gets, the higher the standard because you can do so much more when doing smaller jobs is just a click away. So while starters may be able to learn the basics easier...if they can't get creative and show that something extra then they'll be forgotten about fairly quickly. The cream always rises.

[Motor Mouth]

Thanks for all the replies lads. Bought myself a Numark Omni Control from Getinthemix.co.uk .. Came with a free laptop stand too and a 3 year replacement warranty which is cool because any faults whatsoever, send it back to them, replaced FOC no questions asked...If the unit isn't returned within the 3 years they refund you the £25 for the warranty.

Now to get the hang of moving from CD to laptop!