VirtualDJ - Head to Head - BCD 2000 vs. Herc MK2

PRO InfinityMember since 2007

Well, after reading through many, many, many posts on the good, bad and ugly of DJ controllers, I settled in upon the two it seems that most folks looking to get started in the world of VDJ settle upon: the Behringer BCD 2000, and the Hercules MK2 DJ controller. As hard as I searched (both through the VDJ forums, and across the Internet), I couldn’t find a single post that put these two units up against one another and how they compared when used as the primary controller for VDJ 4.x.

So, I bought them both, and set about my own evaluation.

Note that I didn’t have much pre-disposition toward one or away from the other before conducting my evaluation. If anything, I was wary of the BCD after reading “how difficult” it was, and “how easy” the Hercules was.

After using them both, I created a Pros and Cons document evaluating both of these units, based on the criteria that were most important to me. You can find this document at http://mj.sneakyfrog.com/dj/dj_consoles_shootout.html

Note that these results were based on my own experience with each of these controllers. I fully admit that I might have found workarounds for some of the “Cons” if I spent more time fiddling with the things, but my goal was to learn which of these devices met my needs the quickest, with the minimum amount of setup and modification.

As a result of my research, I’ve settled on the BCD 2000. The Herc definitely had some nifty features (loved the illuminated buttons, the flexibility in inputs and outputs, and the sweet feel of those jog dials), but in the end, the BCD offered more of what I was looking for. Critical points were given to the BCD for the ability to fully crossfade PFL in headphones between decks, as well as independent faders for levels and tempo. Although I was content with the out-of-the-box configuration built-into VDJ 4.2, the BCD mapper configuration completely put the deal over the top. Many thanks to Moramax for his efforts around the mapper - I look forward to seeing a revised version soon! (Special request: PLEASE fix the "Cue" button, and have it continue to play instead of stopping at the last cue point.)

Thanks to the many users who posted their experiences with these highly competitive devices. Special thanks to all the experienced users who provided key information regarding configuration of these devices.

I’ve got my first gig on the dance floor in just about six weeks. I look forward to sharing my continued experience with my new BCD and the very excellent VDJ package.

Posté Wed 31 Jan 07 @ 11:33 pm