Looking for Controller recommendations (based on actual experience,)

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I looked at reviews for the Roland 707-M and that's a nice controller with a ton of features. One review said some people might consider it to be pricy. I say for all it can do it's priced right. The good I see is it's a small size controller some parts of the controller are plastic and some made of metal to save on weight. I just wonder how much heaver would have been if it was all metal? My guess it wouldn't have been that much heavier. It's a nice controller for the more experienced DJ. If you can afford to buy it I say it's worth considering. One thing I like is for the headphone section it has quarter inch along with 1 8th inch to plug in the headphone depending on the headphone. So that way if you don't have one you can use the other.

Some manufacturers were smart enough to do this. All in all I like the Roland 707-M controller. Whatsoever any of you think of it?
 
One review said some people might consider it to be pricey.
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The Roland 707M is about the same retail price today as the Denon HC4500 was at it's release more than 15 years ago. Adjusting for inflation that means that with all of it's newer technology the Roland is essentially priced $320 less than the Denon was in 2009.

I can certainly live with that. :)

So, despite the economy's crushing inflation - it's still true that technology itself gets cheaper over time, In other words - had the inflation rate been 0% for the last 15 years we might expect the Roland to be selling at $695 despite being a more versatile & powerful controller than the older Denon HC4500
 
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MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
I looked at reviews for the Roland 707-M and that's a nice controller with a ton of features. One review said some people might consider it to be pricy. I say for all it can do it's priced right. The good I see is it's a small size controller some parts of the controller are plastic and some made of metal to save on weight. I just wonder how much heaver would have been if it was all metal? My guess it wouldn't have been that much heavier. It's a nice controller for the more experienced DJ. If you can afford to buy it I say it's worth considering. One thing I like is for the headphone section it has quarter inch along with 1 8th inch to plug in the headphone depending on the headphone. So that way if you don't have one you can use the other.

Some manufacturers were smart enough to do this. All in all I like the Roland 707-M controller. Whatsoever any of you think of it?
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You seem to really like it Macho. Are you thinking about getting one?
 
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MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
I looked at reviews for the Roland 707-M and that's a nice controller with a ton of features. One review said some people might consider it to be pricy. I say for all it can do it's priced right. The good I see is it's a small size controller some parts of the controller are plastic and some made of metal to save on weight. I just wonder how much heaver would have been if it was all metal? My guess it wouldn't have been that much heavier. It's a nice controller for the more experienced DJ. If you can afford to buy it I say it's worth considering. One thing I like is for the headphone section it has quarter inch along with 1 8th inch to plug in the headphone depending on the headphone. So that way if you don't have one you can use the other.

Some manufacturers were smart enough to do this. All in all I like the Roland 707-M controller. Whatsoever any of you think of it?
Click to expand...
So the feature you like the most is one that is solved anytime by carrying a $.75 adapter with you in your laptop bag??

You’re an odd person Mix
 
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tunes4046 said:
So the feature you like the most is one that is solved anytime by carrying a $.75 adapter with you in your laptop bag??

You’re an odd person Mix
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No it's about more than that. I like that feature because what if you lose that little piece and don't have another one?
 
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MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
No it's about more than that. I like that feature because what if you lose that little piece and don't have another one?
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Backup , backup , backup! Preparation ! Might take gigs as being a little more important than as of cake ?
Do you prefer gas or electric stoves ?😎
 
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MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
No it's about more than that. I like that feature because what if you lose that little piece and don't have another one?
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Why wouldn’t you have another, where is your back up bag, most of have a bag with extra connectors, cables, any of the small stuff we might might find broken or missing when we get to a gig.

It’s a good thing the people who potentially might hire you don’t see this forum. You come off as very very unprepared in many aspects of this business
 
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B-Sharp said:
I think you'd be better off buying two of the Roland controllers. Less of a learning curve, smaller form factor, and better build quality (and sound card).
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This is true, and it's where I've landed on the issue. The fit has turned out perfect for my existing racks, and it's input/output is at a level more consistent with the rest of my production gear.

If the mic section, EQ, and scenes are similar to build of their video switchers then I will have exceed the bar I initially set.
 
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Completed the second rack and added another controller, this time a Denon MC6000. I decided to diversify a bit, and this was also less than half the cost of the Roland (fully paid for by the sale of the older pair of Denon HC4500.)

I know the MC6000 is already a discontinued model, but I was hoping it could be a bridge to some legacy software like OtsAVDJ which lists it as a compatible controller. It turns out OtsAVDJ is too out dated and unsupported to work with nearly any modern controller. Managed to get music to the mains - but no cue facility. I'll play around with some other ASIO drivers and see if I can make it work - but, OtsAV at this point is just a play-out program - a better version of iTunes for background music and unattended playback.

Both controllers work great with VDJ, and Serato, typically, straight out of the box recognition and functionality with OS from Win7 to Win10. I don't use Traktor but I imagine that's just as clean a setup as well. Both controllers are a perfect fit for my racks. Mixxx has yet to include a working Midi Map for the controller. There is a user map posted online but it doesn't seem to work, and getting proper recogniion of audio drivers is a probelm.

Comparison? The Denon is a better built, solid construction and a metal frame (what professionals expect) while the Roland is plastic and feels fragile by comparison. Roland video switchers in this class are actually built better, and I'm surprised they didn't apply the same professional construction standards to this board that they did in their VR video switchers. The board ends up being less weight so, that's a plus. The plastic just feels fragile and is a little disconcerting to the touch while operating the board.

The Denon real estate is pretty crowded while the Roland layout is broader and there's more space between controls/labels. Not sure I care so much as long as I can get what I want without having to drill through layers to activate something while trading access to something else I also want live. (There are some systems that have so many key sequences to get what you want you have to learn a whole new 'keyboard' language.) I'm never happy with drill down systems. Still too early for me to make that assessment for either board.

Both work very well, and the Roland dual PC USB connection is a nice collaborative and performance backup feature, but probably not that significant for wedding DJs and other solo performers because a simple play-out device/PC feeding an Aux is sufficient backup for mobile events. Both controllers need illumination. A goose neck rack light is your best friend. I'm personally Okay with this because it's how I've always worked. It is a point to remember though, if you work in blackout conditions and you're accustomed to much of today's electronics with active screens and fully illuminated control keys. Setup is pretty simple for both, if the applications are up to technological date.

I'll know more when I get deeper into them. For now, I just needed them to get them reconnected/setup and baseline functional. If something comes up last minute I want to be able to grab one and go.
 
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MIXMASTERMACHOM said:
One review said some people might consider it to be pricey. I say for all it can do it's priced right.
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It's actually the software that is doing "all it can do" the controller (any controller) is largely just a mouse and keyboard on speed.

The price generally has more to do with the limited market for high end DJ controllers. First, selling DJ controllers is not like selling cell phones or tablets. Most pf the population doesn't want or need one. The largess of DJs want cheap. I think Roland's plastic construction owes to the reality that had they used a more rugged professional level body the price would have ended up at more than twice what it is now - making it very hard to sell to any DJ who is a part timer or hibbyist. 90% of the DJ world is part time and/or music hobbyist.
 
Would have certainly bought another rack mountable Denon if they had updated it I still got $450 each for my two new in box MC6000’s that I bought for way less than that when they stopped making them.

I went with Roland as it fit my needs and can fairly easily fit in a standard 19inch rack
 
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B-Sharp said:
STFU already.

To everyone else: Nice knowing you all. I'm outta here.
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To finish this thread out, the advice from B-Sharp was top notch. I was lucky to have gotten it, Thank You Brendan. (SP?) Very good advice. The Roland 707M was an ideal choice and fits the bill perfectly.

Results:

Roland 707M:

Native to Serato DJ Pro and also works well with VirtualDJ
(Have not tried it with Traktor Pro yet, but presume it will work.)
Will not function with OtsAV DJ (outdated audio drivers and sampling rate, majority of features unsupported)
MIXXX currently lacks an available MIDI map (open source) but looks promising

For the second rack I decided to try an older model Denon MC-6000 which also fits the space perfectly, but is itself a discontinued product. My thinking is that I won't actually be in need of two identical racks given the changes to booking types. I was also wondering if the Denon could prolong any functionality with the largely outdated OtsAV DJ software and it does - if necessary. (But, it would be a poor choice as a primary pairing.)

DENON MC-6000 (old news to many of you)

Native to Traktor and VirtualDJ
Works with Serato DJ Pro
Works with MIXXX updated 2023 MIDI map (available at online forums)
Can be made to function with OtsAV DJ (two decks at Ch 1/3 must be mixed by Crossfader if a functioning cue system is desired)

While the Denon can work with OtsAV DJ the software itself is short on active mix features and much of the controller is wasted. OtsAV DJ is better applied as a playout source - like a glorified iTunes - feeding an AUX LINE IN for backup, continues play, or pre-recorded content/drops not part of the DJ library, etc.
 
For those who use a controller what do you use and why? I use the Denon DN MC 6000 controller. I love that it's a light weight controller and easy to use. Yes there are others that have more features. For me I don't need the other features some controllers have. My thing is I didn't want a controller like my partner used to have. He bought the Numark NS 7. You had to use a case on wheels to transport that controller. You also had a big issue with putting it into a vehicle. You had to have 2 people lift it into a vehicle.
 
One more thing I forgot to mention is that I love that controller because you don't need a mixing board to get sound from it. It has 2 inputs that you can use wires coming out of the controller to the speakers.
 
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