No Laptops Just Cd's?

[wayne_uk 0]

Has anyone tried "ultramixer", I downloaded a free beta test and used it for a while (not in a show) It looks promising

www.ultramixer.com

if the link is not allowed, sorry please edit

have fun

wayne

[Welsh Audio Man 21 0]

We mainly use CD's. We have a laptop with 11000 tracks on it, but we tend to refer to it as more of a library as it lists which CD the particular track is on. Very handy for requests.

[Andy Westcott 0]

I'm wondering if my problems are to do with the fact that my sound card is not 'game compatible', and that maybe these programs expect one that is.

 

As for there being any compelling reasons why I still use Windows 98, yes there is; I own a copy, and it does all I require in a solid, stable manner. I'll look at the '2000 option though.

 

I'll also look at other software options suggested - so thanks for them. smile icon

[YourBigEvent 0]

I don't think ADS Entertainments 'chip on your shoulder' quote is adding any value to this query.

 

Probably not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But what do I know ?

[Andy Westcott 0]

But it does add a touch of humour - a quality none of us should be without, and indeed many threads on here would be much the poorer without it. smile icon

[jeffwall 0]

just reading about the troublesome xp etc etc never had any problems with xp at all?

 

It seems ok to me....never had any probs using any of the above mentioned software, and ive tried all of them at one time or other.

 

I like traktor and pcdj. stable programs that do what they say on the tin. you can choose to get rid of the mixer, clock, beat counter, playlist, blah blah just have the two players on the screen and drag your music into the player as its requested.....press play and away you go! just opens up 2 more players to run with your decks.

[NRG Roadshow 0]

Hi

 

Well I had a nightmare new-year.........my lappie screwed up big time 4 hours before my new year gig, while I was de-fragging to ensure tip-top performance for the evening!!!!

Had to run off cd's.............the evening was so random it was unreal........mainly coz my cd collection is so badly organised.......I just dont do CD dj'ing!

 

I found myself with a load of cd's which I didnt know what was on them.....so I was playing one track.......going through another cd in the headphones, finding a track I thought would fit next and cueing it up to play next........and to my utter amazment people were still up and danicng and they seemed to be enjoying themselfs.........

I dunno, maybe it wasnt too bad.....it just wasnt anything like what I had planned so I put it down as a bad gig, but who knows LOL

 

So my new years resolutions:

 

1) Fix the laptop and get it running smooth

2) Organise the CD's, so I could (heaven forbid) use them again if I had too!

 

Nick

[Bolan-Boogie 0]

Andy, have a try with the free version of VisualDiscoMix, I will be suprised if you have any problems and even the free version is good enough to DJ with.

 

http://www.nextec.co.uk/visual_basic.htm

 

Thanks

Dicky

 

Any idea what system requirements are needed for this Dicky ?

[digitaldistortion 0]

Hi

 

Well I had a nightmare new-year.........my lappie screwed up big time 4 hours before my new year gig, while I was de-fragging to ensure tip-top performance for the evening!!!!

Had to run off cd's.............the evening was so random it was unreal........mainly coz my cd collection is so badly organised.......I just dont do CD dj'ing!

 

I found myself with a load of cd's which I didnt know what was on them.....so I was playing one track.......going through another cd in the headphones, finding a track I thought would fit next and cueing it up to play next........and to my utter amazment people were still up and danicng and they seemed to be enjoying themselfs.........

I dunno, maybe it wasnt too bad.....it just wasnt anything like what I had planned so I put it down as a bad gig, but who knows LOL

 

So my new years resolutions:

 

1) Fix the laptop and get it running smooth

2) Organise the CD's, so I could (heaven forbid) use them again if I had too!

 

Nick

 

Off the cuff, I would suggest that if your laptop needs defragging......do it after the show....NOT before!

 

I don't quite understand the problem.....but I'm assuming (bad move, I know) that your laptop contains only your Dj software, and possibly the tracks you use. So what are we talking about? 40-50 gig?

Shouldn't be a problem for a relatively modern laptop!

 

[Gary 0]

Hi

 

Well I had a nightmare new-year.........//

I found myself with a load of cd's which I didnt know what was on them.....so I was playing one track.......going through another cd in the headphones, finding a track I thought would fit next and cueing it up to play next...

 

Are the CDs not in their original cases with tracklistings on/in the cases?

 

One thing that this thread most definitely re-enforces is many of the reasons why DJing with Windows most definitely isn't for all.

 

There are thousands of different configurations of laptop/PC out there all slightly different, hundreds of soundcards, each supplied with their own driver software files, which need to be compatible with whatever variation/build of "DJ" or music playback software is loaded, which in turn needs to be compatible with whatever variation/service pack/build of Operating system is on the machine......it's like a fruitmachine; the first and last reels matched, but the middle ones didn't....or perhaps they did until...the machine, the software, or the user did something in particular.

Edited January 2, 2007 by Gary

[FDDJ 0]

Are there other DJ's reluctant to switch and happy carrying on with CDs? & please give me some simple advice on getting started should I wish to go down that route.

 

I'm sure there are, but i'm not one of them.

 

Firstly I would recommend downloading as many DJ Software demo's as possible and trying them all out. Some are very straightforward whilst others have lots of bells and whistles which sound good but may not actually be of any real benefit "on the road".

 

Have a think about what exactly you want the software to do, make a list and then compare each product to it. The software you ultimately choose will help you determine which type of laptop/PC you use. Some of the software is lean and mean and some of it is resource hungry.

 

Like others have mentioned I would avoid Vista for at least another 12 months and on the plus side it's launch may mean a few more bargain laptops about that are already loaded with XP.

 

Personally, I bought a laptop to supplement my use of CD's, not to replace them entirely.

 

I use OtsDJ because of it's simplicity, quality of sound and rock solid reliability. I can also take advantage of the recent addition of Karaoke and Video modules in the future and if I upgrade to a newer laptop at any time I have the original unit to use for office work, DMX control or to give to my wife to use for her work. These are all benefits I cannot get from a unit such as the Cortex or Denon DN-HD2500.

 

Despite the "scare" stories I have never had a problem with OtsDJ nor Windows XP. The system has run for up to 18 hours straight in the middle of the summer in a non air conditioned room without a single blip.

 

But you have to remember using a laptop is the same as using CD players, if you don't clean the lens then the CD might "jump" so to speak. A little bit of maintenance and care is required whatever DJ solution you use.

 

I use a laptop because I can automate some of the less enjoyable parts of my work, such as background music, plus it gives me the flexibility to use really minimal kit for PA Hires and other small jobs. When working alone it gives me a greater sense of security knowing that if I felt ill or had to leave the room for a prolonged period of time then the party would still go on.

 

I still use CD's when I am working because I prefer the more "hands on" experience when the party gets going, but I'm not precious about it, and will use the laptop all night if it suits.

 

What I am doing is minimising the amount of CD's I carry. I am ripping my CD's to Flac and then converting to a 320kbps MP3, one copy of which is converted to an Ots file and another is placed in a folder ready to be burnt to CDR. I aim to have around 9,000 tracks on the laptop and a maximum of 4 CD wallets.

 

It is time consuming but I figure if i'm going to do it then I only want to do it once, so I must make the effort to get it right, making sure I add album art, genre info etc.

Edited January 2, 2007 by FDDJ

[Dukesy 0]

All good advice.

 

Note that some download trial software may not be the full blown version / licensed versions which can be purchased. In other words, some features (including slightly important ones) may not be available in the trial demo downloaded so make a note of the 'features with' and 'potentially with' before you write off a demo program!

And whilst I think of it, some software programs which allow 'patch' updates via the internet to improve reliability of the program used (bug fixes, etc) may affect the tag and cue points you can set on tracks so always test your music tracks after installing a patch!

 

Also, whilst us law abiding citizens must not be construed to be encouraging 'breaking of the law' as we are supposed to understand it (and don't you just hate crap paper too) please bear in mind that until all required digital licence's for music where music has been transferred from one format to another and also allows multiple change of formats (yes, ease of use for you as a DJ but not currently acceptable.....) you 'could' end up re-cataloguing your music to the current acceptable digital formats if you indeed need to have the said licences...so a little research before you venture down the route of ripping to say .wma then converting to another format which 'may' not actually be recognised...... :wall:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FDDJ 0]

...you 'could' end up re-cataloguing your music to the current acceptable digital formats if you indeed need to have the said licences...so a little research before you venture down the route of ripping to say .wma then converting to another format which 'may' not actually be recognised...... :wall:

 

A good point, which is why I have ripped to Flac in the first instance, because it is exactly the same audio quality as a WAV (it is lossless), about a third smaller in size, can be tagged (like an MP3) and you can make copies using dBpowerAMP in any format you choose (i.e WMA, MP3, WAV, OGG Vorbis etc. etc.), as many times as you like.

 

No need to re-rip any CDs. :Thumbup:

[Eskie 0]

Firstly I would recommend downloading as many DJ Software demo's as possible and trying them all out. Some are very straightforward whilst others have lots of bells and whistles which sound good but may not actually be of any real benefit "on the road".

 

One possible issue with this advice is the system that is used to demo them on. If it is a PC that has lots of other software already installed there is far more potential for problems with drivers conflicting etc.

Any DJ that takes the job seriously should be using a PC/Laptop that is totally dedicated to the task with NO other software on the machine other than the DJ software they are using and thus almost totally eliminating the possibility of driver conflicts.

 

So to go back to the original point; if at all possible, any DJ testing the various DJ software demo's would be better advised to use a machine with ideally no other software on it, or if that's not possible, then very few other programmes on it.

 

Windows can be extremely stable. Problems though can occur when a LOT of different software is installed.

Edited January 2, 2007 by Eskie

[FDDJ 0]

Any DJ that takes the job seriously should be using a PC/Laptop that is totally dedicated to the task with NO other software on the machine other than the DJ software they are using and thus almost totally eliminating the possibility of driver conflicts.

 

A very good point that I missed...

 

My laptop has only OtsDJ & XP on it and your test machine should have as little extra software as possible on it too.

 

[digitaldistortion 0]

Agree 100% with the above couple of comments....

 

I will, however, say 1 thing......

 

Having been in IT,ICT,EDB,Computer etc etc Departments for the last 20+ years (closer to 30), when things invariably go wrong (as they do), my experience is that major problems are one of two things.

 

1: The system blows its load...happens, but more rare than most would realise.....

2: The user has been fiddling, tweaking, impatient, pig ignorant etc etc......

 

Nr. 2 (in my experience) accounts for greater than 95% of issues, and I've seen a few!

 

Now, would somebody please find me a rock that I can shelter behind

:scared:

[NRG Roadshow 0]

Hi

 

Right been reading through your replies.........and I cant remember all what was said but I will see if I can pick out some important points and reply to them.

 

The laptop was defraged the day before the event.........to ensure tip-top performance, it was working ok, but it hadnt been done for a while so i thought I better do it to be on the safe side.

It was started at 10pm on saturday.......seemed to be taking a while, so I left it on overnight to complete the task......at 11am on sunday it was still running and had completed 48%........I didnt have time to wait for it to complete so I closed it, as I needed to prepare the music for the evenings gig.

It was then all the problems started......possibly because the defrag wasnt allowed to finish? The main problems that remain now are the sound stutters (even windows little start up tune stutters) and it stays on the windows splash boot screen for around 10 minutes. It is also a little slow on tasks, but not too bad.

The laptop is a fairly high performance one its a HP Pavilion DV8025, AMD Turion 64 1.8, 1024mb RAM with 80gb Hard drive(27Gb free) the music is contained on a 300gb external, its just under a year old and has been well maintained right from the start (appart from being overdue a defrag this last time).

 

Somebody asked if my CD's are stored in the original cases........No they are not.....they are in a flight case in numbered sleeves......they do have the cd case fronts stored with them......but all the original cases and cd rears have been put into storage I took this step to save on space......every one is now catalougued on the laptop in music collector so I can view the track listings the software can print a full catalougue which would have been handy....it was an excellent system BUT.....if I cant get into the buggered laptop then I cant view my collection or print any track listings

 

So what do we think people, is the lappie knackered? I have tried to defrag since, but the analasis shows it does not need to be done, so if I try and do it anyway, it would probbably take days to complete

 

Nick

 

[RichardP 0]

Which drive was being defragged when it was was stopped at 48%? The 300Gb external drive, or the laptop main C: drive?

 

 

In answer to your question though, if I were to speculate, I'd say one of two things has happened: (a) your laptop has contracted a virus or some sort of malware which is dragging down your machine, or (b) your main laptop hard drive is slowly going down the swannee.

 

If (a) then run a virus checker, Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy to identify culprits. For a comprehensive online virus check, consider running up Trend Micro Housecall Antivirus (it can identify things free stuff like AVG won't). Failing that, consider going to download.com and getting a utility called 'Hijack This', install it, get it to save a log, and post up the log file here, one of us techy lot might be able to spot issues.

 

Might be worth listening to the hard drive when the laptop is idle, in the case of (b). If it's repeatedly cycling a groaning sound or intermittently clicking on a consistent basis, that sometime indicates drive trouble. Is your laptop under warranty? I guess this is where you talk to HP support and in the meantime get a backup laptop. Whilst you're at it, if you haven't already got one, get a spare 300Gb external drive ( < £100 now) and sync the contents with your main one. A bit like car batteries perhaps, they can and will let you down (ok not my best ever analogy).

 

[NRG Roadshow 0]

Which drive was being defragged when it was was stopped at 48%? The 300Gb external drive, or the laptop main C: drive?

In answer to your question though, if I were to speculate, I'd say one of two things has happened: (a) your laptop has contracted a virus or some sort of malware which is dragging down your machine, or (b) your main laptop hard drive is slowly going down the swannee.

 

If (a) then run a virus checker, Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy to identify culprits. For a comprehensive online virus check, consider running up Trend Micro Housecall Antivirus (it can identify things free stuff like AVG won't). Failing that, consider going to download.com and getting a utility called 'Hijack This', install it, get it to save a log, and post up the log file here, one of us techy lot might be able to spot issues.

 

Might be worth listening to the hard drive when the laptop is idle, in the case of (b). If it's repeatedly cycling a groaning sound or intermittently clicking on a consistent basis, that sometime indicates drive trouble. Is your laptop under warranty? I guess this is where you talk to HP support and in the meantime get a backup laptop. Whilst you're at it, if you haven't already got one, get a spare 300Gb external drive (

 

 

I was defragging the main laptop drive.......its only a year old so I will be more than a tad miffed if the hard drive is knackered.......

I have Mcafee Antivirus and it found nothing.

I have Ad-aware and that too found nothing.

I have registry mecanic......that found a lot of problems and solved all of them, but the fact still remains that music stutters and it takes a dogs age to load past the windows splash screen.

 

Nick

 

[Bolan-Boogie 0]

All this software crap could be your problem.

If your going to use a lappie for Dj work, just have a clean install of an operating system & your dj software, dont even use it for connecting to the internet. just use it as a dedicated workhorse if i were you.

[TonyB 0]

I was defragging the main laptop drive.......its only a year old so I will be more than a tad miffed if the hard drive is knackered.......

I have Mcafee Antivirus and it found nothing.

I have Ad-aware and that too found nothing.

I have registry mecanic......that found a lot of problems and solved all of them, but the fact still remains that music stutters and it takes a dogs age to load past the windows splash screen.

 

Nick

 

If you have an original XP disc, then you could try a repair install. Just put it in the CD/DVD drive and follow the prompts but choose repair instead of install. You will need the XP license/reg no. You may have to go into the BIOS set up and set the CD/DVD drive as the first boot device.

 

If you just have a restore disc, you probably can't do a repair.

 

 

[digitaldistortion 0]

McAfee, Norton etc.....

 

 

Do yourself one favour (all of you)

 

Drop the Norton. McAfee, Kaspersky etc. antivirus...

 

Under testing (if my memory serves me right) only Norton got the job done more or less correctly.

 

Closely behind it was a FREEBY called Avast from Alwil.

 

Brilliant realtime guardian, and fully configurable. Just requires reregistering every 12 months.

 

Try it

[TonyB 0]

I tried Avast because people were raving about it but it slowed my PC down (AMD XP3000) so went back to AVG which is also free. I have used AVG for years and never had a problem.

 

Norton is the pits though. It has become so bloated and really does bog down a PC.

[Andy Westcott 0]

Can I chip in about defragging?

Basically, don't bother.

 

When you first install the system (or acquire it ready installed), install all the software you need but NOT THE MUSIC, then defrag.

 

Bung on your music, which will then settle onto the drive in a pretty much contiguous manner, which is how it will stay. No need to ever defrag again, as it won't move.

 

In any case, moderate fragmentation of the files will make no noticeable speed difference on modern drives, and won't affect reliability at all.

 

[Bolan-Boogie 0]

Correct Norton is the 'PITS' real drain on your resources a real system hog.

Not just that its total Sh!te !

 

Agree on the Avast Free edition is good been using it for approx 8 months. I used to use AVG Free before it but changed over to Avast.