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