i got this controller to use with djdecks, but found the stock software that came with it, pcdj 'blue', was initially pretty slick. yet the more i used it, the more frustrated i got. i've also noticed some hardware errors that are pretty annoying too, the unit locks up.
what's great about the controller is that is uses an old school serial interface. meaning you can actually implement the com port traffic and use it with other (unsupported) software. the interface is cool. the concept of using the cd transport controller is great. the unit has some flaws though. if i use the pitch slider it the hardware locks up. seems to happen less frequently with pcdj software, so i wonder if there's a security feature, some signal the controller needs to receive?? doubt it, but it's *possible*.
what's frustrating is i'd like to set the local com port specs, something that should be in the manual for proper configuration. i sent an email to pcdj support. i just got, sorry "that's no longer supported". whoa, we're just talking settings here. overall, i've found the pcdj support rather stand-off'ish. not good.
my other complaints are with the screen interface and use of MP3 id tags. i prefer the winamp style interface, with small fonts and file name where tags are not set. instead pcdj *only* uses uses the tags. where tags are not set, it repeats the filename both artist and track columns. (hey - there is a trick in windows to span columns while drawing your own custom grid, they really could implement that without much fuss). the font is pretty large too. anyway this makes most of my library illegible in the recordcase or waitlist.
when i asked about this, their response was, "just get an mp3 tagger". not my preference, but i like some features of the software and i don't have a choice. i'll acquiesce - i'll try it.
even here, the recordcase view only lists the artist and the track, not the album. what? that seems like a key element to me. never mind there is still a lot of empty space around the list, using a large font (maybe trying to make it more readable from a distance?). while the skinned app looks beautiful, and the transport control is pretty very functional, managing a playlist is painful here.
pcdj professes to have consulted a lot of dj's while designing the software. i have to say, this statement gives me the impression they just asked a bunch of house or trace dj's who play 40 minute sets. the interface is not helpful for longer gigs, in particular some special house parties -- like the 9 hours of music i've set up (ok, i know that's outside the norm). but i believe the average dj will want to look up a track by album name!
so, i'm still trying to work with it, but about to give up. djdecks added support for the controller. it's not even their controller and yet the developer is improving the code, releasing patches. whoa. there's the difference! with a few more kinks worked out i expect to dump pcdj for djdecks altogether. i guess that was my original mission, in the first place.
djdecks!
later down the road, i'm going to log some of the traffic and might write a plug in for winamp. it's a cool interface.