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Forum: General Discussion

Sujet Going for a nexus2 setup?
Hi all
I have always used controllers, from Denon mc6000 mk1, HC4500, to Denon MCX8000 and now use mostly Pioneer DDJ-1000.
But I am curious to try a Nexus2 setup, I have a possibly quite good deal.

As a mobile DJ I see the additional weight and size of the rig as negative.
On the positive side I see the potential of using it stand-alone but also together with VDJ.

What is your advice?
Is it totally insane to consider a nexus rig for mobile?

Thanks in advance!
 

Posté Thu 08 Apr 21 @ 9:36 pm
Naw I don't think its insane, in fact a use a Denon setup (SC5000's with the X1800)

Sure its heavy and a lot to setup wire wise but its waaaaay more fun to play on in my opinion.

Go for it, I mean if it doesn't suit you, you can always resale as Pioneer hold their value.
 

Posté Fri 09 Apr 21 @ 2:19 am
Thanks for comments...

So in short I could use the nexus rig with two channels playing from usb sticks, and the other two channels from VDJ ?
 

Posté Fri 09 Apr 21 @ 6:41 am
Actually "center" channels are interchangeable (by using the mixer's SOURCE assign buttons) and by switching each CDJ back & forth to USB or MIDI LINK
So, unless you use 4 CDJs or a controller among with the CDJs you can't have 4 channels active at the same time.
But switching between CDJ stand alone mode and CDJ as HID controller is quite easy and does not interrupt anything.
If you go for a Nexus2 setup you should probably want to invest on a small network switch as well in order to use LINK:
https://www.virtualdj.com/manuals/hardware/pioneer/clubsetup/hidvialink.html

The complete guide is here:
https://www.virtualdj.com/manuals/hardware/pioneer/clubsetup/index.html
 

Posté Fri 09 Apr 21 @ 7:52 am
Thanks Phantom.
I am a bit hesitant, mainly because I have a little hard to justify it. Will it actually serve more flexibility and functions than today?
I can buy the nexus2 rig for the same prices as an XDJ-XZ.
 

Posté Fri 09 Apr 21 @ 8:00 am
Mobile Zombie wrote :
a little hard to justify it.

Really the only way to justify it is if know you need to do gigs in the future where you can't choose the gear. That will normally be club gigs

Mobile Zombie wrote :
Will it actually serve more flexibility and functions than today?

No - way less functions actually, if you only bring CDJ's and a mixer (switching to a battle mixer may help a bit because of the pads)

Mobile Zombie wrote :
I can buy the nexus2 rig for the same prices as an XDJ-XZ.

That's not normal - did you get a good prize on it? Maybe because of the new CDJ-3000?

... but even though it really makes no sense, it's still fun to buy and add new gear
And aren't we all mostly here for the fun :)
 

Posté Fri 09 Apr 21 @ 12:21 pm
Mobile Zombie wrote :

I can buy the nexus2 rig for the same prices as an XDJ-XZ.


Sounds like a great deal then ;-) bargain even...
Although the XDJ-XZ is a valid alternative, can do a lot of the same things and is as close to the "real deal" as it gets with full mechanical jogs etc.

Dont think you'll regret getting a Nexus setup deal like that, its a little more clunky setup and little less mobile than just connecting a controller, but might feel a bit more solid and "proper".
If doing mobile DJing, for clients paying lots, it might feel like you are doing a bit more "full blown setup" for the money, than just connecting a controller that takes 15 seconds and looks tiny.
(Except for the XDJ-XZ and similar that do have quite a "large presence" as well :) )
 

Posté Fri 09 Apr 21 @ 12:46 pm
Thanks all.
The deal is good and I will go for it.
Many DJ’s tend to sell their gear in absense of gigs so I guess the prices drop.
I will miss the pads though.
But if I fail getting comfortable with it I can probably sell it on with minor loss.

It’s a used setup in beautiful shape only used in a studio so we are not talking about a heavily pounded equipment.
 

Posté Fri 09 Apr 21 @ 1:03 pm
 

Posté Fri 09 Apr 21 @ 1:20 pm
If you miss the pads, get a Pioneer DDJ-XP2
You will have 16 pads per side with VirtualDJ and you can also connect it directly on the DJM-900NXS2 to access things if you ever need to use CDJs only in stand alone mode.
If you connect DDJ-XP2 on DJM-900NXS2, it will NOT control the software.
But in case of emergency etc it's easy to disconnect the USB from the PC and connect it on the DJM
 

Posté Fri 09 Apr 21 @ 8:04 pm
Just so I understand correctly:
There are no deck switch on a CDJ so not able to switch easily between midi control of VDJ and control of internal player?
To use VDJ in 2-track mode together with USB playback of CDJ requires a separate controller but can still use one of the DJM900 usb inputs as soundcard?
 

Posté Fri 09 Apr 21 @ 10:54 pm
In order to switch from HID/MIDI to let's say USB and back to HID/MIDI there are buttons on the CDJ that do exactly that. However, the switch is not "instant". You have to confirm some of your actions on the CDJ screen. Don't take me wrong, you can switch from one source to another in 3-4 seconds max once you do it a few times. But this kind of switching is not good if you want to switch from one source to another all the time (for instance, when you switch to HID/MIDI the track that was loaded from the USB stick on the deck gets unloaded)
Therefore you cannot really use 2 CDJs for 4 decks mixing where 2 of them are software and 2 are USB sticks in stand alone mode.

Also, since VirtualDJ sends the audio on the mixer (switchers on USB A or B) you need to flip them in CD or DIGITAL position as well in order to get the audio of the stand alone mode.
On most cases while this sounds as a drawback it's actually a good thing.
Once you have a track playing in software, you can switch the CDJ to stand alone mode and prepare a track from a USB without interrupting software sound.
If you want to take it on the next level, you could connect the analog (or digital) output of the CDJs on the outer decks instead. Then you could have audio by software and stand alone CDJs coming together.
The only drawback is that you can't leave stand alone mode to return to software without stopping the sound of CDJ stand alone mode (CDJ will stop playback once you switch it to HID mode)

To put it simple:
A Nexus setup can switch sources with ease.
But using 2 CDJ's is not a good way to go if you want 4 decks mixing, unless the 4 decks mixing is done via VirtualDJ.
If you want to perform via software, but every now and then to switch to stand alone mode you won't have any problems at all.
Same rule applies if you want to perform mainly in stand alone mode and switch to software every now and then.
You will have "problems" (it will get extremely annoying) if you try to switch between software and stand alone mode every couple of songs.


Finally:
Yes it is possible to use a controller and have the sound of VirtualDJ still go to DJM instead of the controller.
However, in that case I can't see why you would want a Nexus setup, or (depending on the controller) why you would need the mixer...
 

Posté Sat 10 Apr 21 @ 12:52 am
Thanks Phantom.
I admire your always pedagogic approach.
In my case I will use software as the main source but as backup or whatever be able to run a few tracks through standalone.
I think it will be quite interesting to discover a nexus rig, coming from a world of all controllers.


 

Posté Sat 10 Apr 21 @ 8:54 am
It's an amazing piece of kit. How could I wait so long to go the nexus route ?
I am really in love
 

Posté Wed 14 Apr 21 @ 6:25 am
Mobile Zombie wrote :
It's an amazing piece of kit. How could I wait so long to go the nexus route ?
I am really in love


Its a classic club setup ;-) Im sure you'll like it a lot...
 

Posté Wed 14 Apr 21 @ 11:12 am