Digital DJ Tips member Pocked Sized Dave writes: “I’m planning on buying a Kontrol S8 this summer. I like the look of all the deep control and visual feedback that that the unit provides. I can’t wait to get busy on the Remix Decks because I have always enjoyed the messing around with the limited control that my S4 provides in this area.
“My only reservation is the “standard S8 gripe”… it has no jogwheels. I do fall in to the category of DJs who play more than just solidly gridded house and techno. I use the jogwheels and pitch shifters on almost every mix for cueing, nudging, pitch shifting and some times a spot of “juvenile scratching”! The idea of working without jogwheels is a step too far away from the style of DJing that I’ve developed.
“Fortunately for me most of the venues that I play at regularly (and my set-up at home) have some kind of decks that I can harness using the onboard DVS system. However I do play a few venues that don’t have decks in the booth, so I need to find a small portable solution (with a minimum of a jogwheel and pitch shifter) that I can take with me to the venues that don’t have a set of decks. I’ve looked at Allen and Heath 2D, an iPad + TouchOSC, and the Denon DN-SC2000. What would you recommend?”
Digital DJ Tips says:
Firstly, you should give it a go with the touchstrips – their vinyl emulation isn’t of course like jogwheels (and I have to say the way pitch works takes some getting used to, I personally find it too complicated), but it is close, and for cueing and nudging etc, you may find it’s fine.
The only jogwheels that work well with Traktor over Midi are Traktor jogwheels. If you’re used to those in the S4, you won;t find anything third party that’s as tight. Having said that, if it were me, I’d try my luck with the Denon unit, although there’s a cheap and cheerful DJ-Tech unit out there too, the VTT-101; both could give you small, portable jogwheel control.
Got any more advice you can add for Dave? Please feel free to do so in the comments.
Phil Morse
