096T-SCAN - PCDJ.com
Transcription
096T-SCAN - PCDJ.com
095-6 tscan/PCDJ/mix DJ383 26/1/05 5:17 pm Page 96 096T-SCAN so can be used without any upgrade to the standard setup. But for full two deck control and professional quality playback, a decent soundcard is required. LATENCY A major consideration is latency. This describes the amount of time it takes the interface to process audio. Latency must be kept as low as possible with these systems to allow accurate scratching, but is less important for beat-mixing. Latency can only be decreased to a workable level by using soundcards that have ASIO and Kernal drivers. One of the most widely supported soundcards by these applications is the Audiotrak Maya 44 USB (as low as £109), which we used for the test. This can also be bought with the software as a package (from certain dealers), and features two stereo ins and outs. The responsiveness of both packages is dependent on the interface, so for our comparison we used this common environment to assess both. INSTALLATION First of all we installed the soundcard with the latest drivers downloaded from the web (always advised). We had a few teething problems, but once the card had settled in it seemed willing to behave most of the time. Of course, this varies from computer to computer and can cause some people nightmares while others install in seconds without a glitch - so be aware. However, the same can be said for custom interfaces, so the only advice we can give here is to try and test any interface with your system before you buy it, or check the return policy. There are often user forums that list known compatibility issues. Once the hardware is settled, the software installation and setup proves a much easier ride. MixVibes comes with two records and an installation CD in one record sleeve. The installation is easy and only requires you to enter the serial number to get up and running. PCDJ has an additional spare record and a hard copy manual. The software prompts the user to register on the PCDJ site to generate a code specific to the machine. WIRING UP There is a distinct difference between the two players when it comes to wiring up. PCDJ requires the same strength signal as CD, so pre-amps are needed to boost the output. It will work without pre-amps, but slow movements of the vinyl don’t MixVibes: loads to play with transfer so well and the playback jitters slightly. MixVibes works with the decks plugged straight into the soundcard and amplifies the signal within the software. Using pre-amps is a pain when taking the system on the road and plugging into other setups - simply for the additional wires and power sockets. MixVibes is clearly the better option here. However, users with line output enabled decks will be able to use PCDJ without pre-amps. CONFIGURATION Each program needs to be set up to use the correct input and output channels. This is when our soundcard proved to be a little temperamental, occasionally needing unplugging and re-plugging to be recognised. Once settled things work faultlessly, but this required some initial technical support to unearth the solution. PCDJ is simple in configuration, the playback decks simply flip over SPECIFICATIONS | MIXVIBE DVS £99 | PCDJ SCRATCH £199 Internet registration 5.1 soundcard support Single turntable control Audio formats Vinyl Pre-amps required Time stamps per revolution Master tempo BPM counting Looping Number of decks Turntable direct Vinyl modes Minimum Requirements No Yes Yes wav, mp3, wma, ogg, CD, aiff, au 2 X 132g No Yes Yes Yes Three No Relative, Absolute, Velocity Jog Windows NT, 2000 or XP, Pentium III 1 GHz or equivalent, 256MB RAM, sound card with multi-channel support (5.1 or 7.1) or an external USB card. Yes No No wav, mp3, wma, 3 X 132g Yes 155 No Yes Limited Two Yes Relative, Absolute, Wheel Muting Windows 2000, XP, Pentium IV 1.2GHz, 256MB RAM, two stereo line inputs and outputs, 32MB 4XAGB Video Card to display the virtual back end of each virtual deck. Soundcard inputs and outputs can be selected and levels automatically calibrated during playback; all in one place. MixVibes works with options menus which are a little more clear but equally a little cumbersome as we struggled to get the software to recognise the interface. Once the software and soundcards are installed and configured, MixVibes has an auto calibration feature for the vinyl inputs which sets the optimum gains and noise level thresholds. As long as the soundcard is plugged in the same port each time, the settings seem to stick. There are many options in both programmes to use different types of soundcards and even a combination of two cards. You can use the onboard soundcard plus a cheap USB card. We have tested this on both products with a Soundblaster USB card alongside our laptop onboard sound. The interfaces were more stable, but offered lower latency. We are being very critical here, mainly because the products are specifically marketed for scratching, however beat matching is fine; even with long latency. CONCLUSION If you don’t mind fiddling around with interfaces, it’s clear there are some excellent and professional features that can be acquired for as little as £200; including a professional soundcard interface which can be used for other purposes. As for which of the two is the best, MixVibes DVS offers the best value, with many more features than PCDJ. If you already own PCDJ VRM, then it costs about the same as MixVibes to upgrade and obtain the Scratch plugin and gives similar features to MixVibes, but still at a much greater cost overall. PCDJ Scratch was a little more stable, so this should be considered, along with MixVibes’ lack of support for playing standard vinyl and the fact that some features such as Master Tempo don’t offer very good quality. MIXVIBE DVS PROS >> Plenty of features >> Very good soundcard support >> Economical CONS >> Some features are low quality >> Can crash if features used incorrectly VALUE FOR MONEY FEATURES USER FRIENDLY BUILD QUALITY SOUND QUALITY OVERALL PCDJ SCRATCH PROS >> Integrates with PCDJ VRM >> Pretty stable operation >> Vinyl muting modes work well CONS >> Limited features for price >> Preamps required VALUE FOR MONEY FEATURES USER FRIENDLY BUILD QUALITY SOUND QUALITY OVERALL