DJGold

spewie · Joined: January 4th, 2006 Posts: 14

I have a dell laptop that is about 3-4 yrs old, I was thinking of using this as my "dj'ing computer. My plan is to wipe the computer of all programs and files that are unecessary and than I would install one of the dj programs that have been mentioned on this board along with my music files and use this while working.

Am I being foolish in assuming this is possible????

Would someone be able to reccomend a computer if this is not practical?

THanks

DJ Scott

Give us a few more details. Processor type and speed. Amount of ram and hard disk size.

I started with a 600 Celeron with 128 ram and a 6 gig internal HD and an 80 gig USB 1.1 external about 6 years ago. I still have that laptop and use it from time to time.

dokai · Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 11:28 am Post subject:

I run PCDJ Red 5.2 on an IBM Thinkpad 600X, PIII @ 600Mhz, 256MB RAM, with a 12GB internal HD and a 120GB USB1.1 external. It could be faster, I guess, but it's more than fast enough for what I'm doing.

You have nothing to lose by giving it a try. You can always buy a newer computer if you have to.

As far as recommendations go, I like using laptops. Some guys like towers, while others swear by their rack-mount boxes. All can be good, it's just a matter of deciding what's more important to you - size/weight, expandability, cost, etc.

Dj Sean

If you plan on using a laptop for gigs you want the biggest processor and RAM that you can get since all these programs eat up both quick.

In my opinion no matter what you have if its three years old its too old, trade it in and get something more up to date. Trust me you don't want to have wait to reboot your system because it froze at a ceremony or reception gig.

My setup is:
I have a Apple G4 Powerbook 1.67 GHz with 1 GIG of RAM running Rane Serato Scratch Live and I love it.

It purrs even when I am working out in the sun on a hot summer day.

jwg · Joined: September 15th, 2004 Posts: 1089 Location: Erie, PA

An older version of PCDJ like Red 5.2 wouldn't be as much a strain on a PC as FX would.

LYoung116

I am getting ready to go MP3. Not sure the best way to go about getting it started. Some people say 2 notebooks, some say a small chasis (shuttle type PC), someone else suggested a tray-like disc changer arrangement (sounds expensive). How any thousands of songs is too much? Can I realistically get a really good setup for $2,000? My "friends" try to make it sound as if I would freak out if I got a "blue screen" and say they don't think I can handle the technical part of it. I have a bit of technical know-how, but I don't work in IT. Your inputs would be welcomed. I am tired of sticking CDs! HELP! :!:

Dj Sean · Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 3:04 pm Post subject:

LYoung116 you should really start a new thread, you will get alot more responses from everyone. But to give you my 2 cents check this out http://www.rane.com/scratch.html this is what my setup is. And you can use this if you have a CD decks,turntables, or the MP4 (if you just want to use a laptop/tower)Here's the link to the MP4.http://www.rane.com/new.html#mp4

LYoung116

Thanks, Sean!

dokai

LYoung116 wrote: I am getting ready to go MP3. Not sure the best way to go about getting it started. Some people say 2 notebooks, some say a small chasis (shuttle type PC), someone else suggested a tray-like disc changer arrangement (sounds expensive). How any thousands of songs is too much? Can I realistically get a really good setup for $2,000? My "friends" try to make it sound as if I would freak out if I got a "blue screen" and say they don't think I can handle the technical part of it. I have a bit of technical know-how, but I don't work in IT. Your inputs would be welcomed. I am tired of sticking CDs! HELP! :!:

I'll answer the easy question first: You can never have too many songs. It's not like your hard disk is going to get heavier as you add songs, right? I'd have a copy of every song ever recorded if it was up to me. The computer does all the searching, so why not?

The rest is going to take a lot more typing...

As to the what type of computer system you should go with, that depends on what attributes are important to you. Just like "What kind of car should I buy?", it all depends on your priorities and what you want to do. An Alienware laptop, for example, is going to cost a LOT more than $2000. However, you can buy a new Dell notebook for $399 after rebates (but I don't know if it has the specs to use as a DJ computer). Or you can buy a shuttle or desktop or tower system. There are pros and cons to all of them.

Laptops are typically more expensive and less expandable than other styles of computers of similar specs. However, they are also the most portable (size and weight) and have other attributes that make them a good choice for a DJ computer, IMHO. Can you design a desktop/shuttle into your rack so that it's integrated like a laptop could be? Sure, but then you're dedicating the computer to use only as your DJ computer, unless you're willing to (at least partially) disassemble your DJ system to use the computer portion of it somewhere else. You'd also have to use some fairly esoteric (and possibly expensive) components to mount your LCD monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc., into your system, which would negate some of the cost savings you'd see otherwise by sacrificing weight savings and buying a shuttle/desktop/tower. You don't HAVE to integrate your computer into your rack or case to use it with your DJ equipment, of course, but manually connecting everything for each performance, carrying everything seperately, etc., is going to severely increase your setup time and place a LOT of wear and tear on your computer very quickly. I'd strongly suggest integrating your computer into your rack or case to keep the abuse to a minimum. (Check out http://www.djrak.com for some great examples of integrated computer systems. Great stuff, highly recommended, but not cheap.)

I use a laptop because I don't want to dedicate the computer to use only with my DJ system. I keep a docking station mounted in my DJ rack and can integrate my laptop into my system in about 5 seconds just by snapping it into the docking station. Mounting it into the docking station automatically makes all the connections for power, external drives, external soundcard, etc. Just to keep things clean, after each performance I swap out the "DJ" hard drive and replace it with my "home" hard drive, keeping my "DJ" configuration safe from virus infestations, user-induced problems, and bloated applications that the DJ system doesn't need, but that my home life DOES (Microsoft Office, for example). Swapping the disk out only takes about fifteen seconds. My DJ hard disk only has the operating system (Windows 2000 Pro), the DJ software (PCDJ Red 5.2), and THAT'S ALL. (I keep my song files on the external hard disk, which is backed up to a second external hard disk.) My home hard disk also contains a copy of PCDJ Red 5.2, just in case my DJ disk fails.

Is my laptop state of the art? No, but it runs fast enough since I'm not running Windows XP and PCDJ FX. Running older versions of the OS and software means compromising on some of the new features, but none of the new features really seem like "gotta have it!" features to me. It also allows me to use a laptop that I purchased used for $400 four years ago. I think I got my money's worth. :D And I've never experienced a "blue screen of death" at a performance, so tell your friends to chill. :hahaha:

If you decide to buy a shuttle/desktop/tower computer, the good news is the cost of a 15" LCD monitor is now less than half of what it used to be, thereby reducing a big portion of the cost of a rack computer that would be nearly as portable as a laptop. However, you'd still have to come up with a small and lightweight uninterruptible power supply (aka UPS) to keep the rack computer running during a power failure. This is done automatically on a laptop by switching to battery power when needed. The additional cost of a UPS, assuming you can find one that's small and light enough, means you're still probably going to spend nearly as much on the rack computer as you would on the equivalent laptop.

So, you're not saving any money by avoiding laptops, and you're certainly carrying more weight and taking up more space. That leaves upgrade potential as the sole true advantage to using a shuttle/desktop/tower form-factor instead of a laptop, IMHO. There is one exception of which I'm aware: Alienware makes a laptop that uses desktop components, and can therefore be upgraded like a desktop, but it's hideously expensive. It is a sweet box, though, and worthy of much geek-envy. :wink: However, if you're not a techie planning on upgrading incrementally to continuously stay on the cutting edge, then the premium cost isn't worth it. Just buy a new box every few years instead, and enjoy a new warranty along with your increased performance.

So that's why -I- use a laptop (actually, a pair of laptops, since I also have a spare). Again, though, it all depends on what YOU decide is most important to YOU.