+1

But what about CPU load? Video SL is very ressource hungry, and ITCH is ressource hungry as well.

If you encode your video as uncompressed, it's more cool for the CPU
try something like codec photo jpeg, you will have a big files, but it's CPU friendly ;)

Eh, I've been using VSL for quite some time now... There is always a tradeoff between I/O and CPU load.

With current dual cores it will be difficult to use ITCH+VSL without any problems.

It work very well with my macbook pro 3ghz and photo jpeg codec

How big are your files?

Have you tried running Itch at the same time?

My files are between 400 Mo and 1,5Go ... depend the size and the duration of the music video. So you need a big hard disk, but the quality is optimum and the CPU's work is less.

I have only Scratch live, but I want to go on Itch with NS7 ... with video :)

There is no need to itch to run VSL. As we all know, Itch was positioned as the "less featured" sibling of Serato. With automix capabilities and no video support, right now there is a difference between the two products...and for good reason.

If you want video, I say step up to Serato and get VSL for it.

I'm always on Serato scratch live, but I want to leave the vinyl and go only digital with a good midi controler. And the NS7 is good choice for me.

I think you misunderstood that.

It is a different product with different features, it does not mean that it has less features or is "less featured".


Definitly. That does not mean that both can learn from each other.



+1

You you are in favor of the automix feature and adding video for the itch then Nik39?

I will love the automix feature also, I can play more quickly on my others device such as visual sequencer and sampler at the same time with more confort.
I always try to find something to work quick, because normaly audio + visual need 4 hands ... so when you are alone, it's not so easy. ;)

Definitly.

Automix? Maybe you should read the Itch specs again.

Fluopix, go away with automix ;)

Hm Let's see what the specs say about itch:

Auto Tempo Matching and Beat Sync.

Yep, seems like automixing to me.

Guess what... it can't automix. I'll give you ten tracks and you can try to do an automated mix. It won't work. Feel free to prove me wrong

Ah yes, I see that you are intentionally misunderstanding me...let me speak really slowly for you then.

Itch will give you Auto Tempo Matching and Beat Sync features, which in Serato you have to do on your own. Since you obviously are not a DJ and don't understand the difference here I will say that DJ's who understand their craft do not look at these features as a positive thing, rather it's a tool to help those that do not understand their craft act as "posers".

I now understand why you like the Auto Tempo Matching and Beat Sync feature so much.

Ah, so you are a DJ. That explains why you have such difficulties with understanding VJ technology :)


That is funny. Maybe you should use Auto Tempo Matching and Beat Sync to spice up your VJ-mixes a bit - they would sound a lot better. Trust me :)

Next.

Oh and.. you can still try to prove me wrong.

ITCH does not automatically mix. It can't do an fully automated mix.

Feel free to prove me wrong.

I might have used the wrong words, like I freely admit and even explained in my next post (which you decided to "forget" about), but you do not deny that you are a poser.

I would rather be wrong than be a poser.

Next.

I do know my craft :)

Back to the topic.

It would be cool if Itch had Video support.

I disagree

Can you elaborate? As far as I know you switched from Virtual DJ to Scratch LIVE recently. Since you are not using ITCH (automix and such issues) - why do you *not* want Video added to ITCH - the product which you are not using?

Once again you seem to like to just make up things about me. I have used dvj's for the last 6 years

Oops, sorry. DVJs then.

Can you elaborate? As far as I know you switched from DVJs to Scratch LIVE recently. Since you are not using ITCH (automix and such issues) - why do you *not* want Video added to ITCH - the product which you are not using?

Nik, once again you are just looking for issues where there are none. Check the forum's, there are many threads that talk about this same thing, including discussing the differences and why there are those differences between itch and Serato. I suggest reading them.

I am a professional, I use professional tools. Itch and it's players are not professional. Period. They are for bedroom Dj's and those that do mobile work...not for club DJ's.

If you like Itch for your gigs, I guess that makes you one of the above, but not a professional.

He doesn't want his job taken away.

Does itch beat match for you or mix the tracks, those are two different things. Beatmatching lines the bpm's up it doesn't put the phrases together, you still have to do that manually...am i right?

Yes, djpuma



Sorry, nik39, I wanted to talk about bpm sync, never about a laptop mixing alone, where is the pleasure and the creativity in it... ;)

I want more interractivity audio and visual in my set, so, I use a lot of device (a laptop, vinyl, mixer audio, mixer video, audio and visual effect box, visual synthetiser and a audiovisual sampler...) ... It's too much, that's why I search for something more compact, and a bpm sync would also be a good idea. I'm DJing since a long time and Vjing, Before it was not possible to do audio and visual at the same time, now, yes, but It's a lot of job for one man, believe me!!! a lot of technical thing, a lot of thing about the creativity at the same time. And I've got 2 hands and one brain, and I'm not the best technical turntable DJ of the world, my concept is very different, so if I can have some help from the machine, I will love the idea ... or I would have instead worked with somebody else, in duo ... like in the past, a DJ and a VJ. ;)
But that's not the idea.

itch + video mix

+ 1

VJ Justin Allen, have you ever used an ITCH product? If you have then I'm sure you'd change your opinion that it's a lesser product and not professional.

I don't really understand why you think that ITCH should never have a video option. Why not? Sure, ITCH may not interest you as a product but if that's the case then why would even have an opinion about extending it's functionality.

Also, it's not strictly speaking correct to say that ITCH can automix. It can automate certain parts of the mixing process but there's still plenty of hands on interaction required by the DJ.

One more thing: the product you use is called Scratch Live. Serato is the name of my employer (sorry, personal gripe...).

FWIW, I reckon video on ITCH would be totally awesome.

ChrisD...

Thanks for finally stepping in to clarify things. I am hoping we are done with VJ Justin Allen...on this thread at least.

+1 on VSL for Itch.

Wow, have a different opinion and get called out for it. OK, Chris, let me address your issues.

1) Never used it in a club setting, just in a demo setting. Why not a club setting...I have never ever seen one there.

2) I happen to believe that Serato is blurring the line between their products. From an economic basis, why would you ever do this? Why would you allow club owners to think that "anyone" using a Serato product has the same skill set and investment into the equipment necessary to do the job in a nightclub. Just look at the differences between the DJM-600 and the DJM-700 or DJM-800. One is the standard and the other is not.

3) I have an opinion about this because I, like many many others have invested in the Scratch Live product that your company sells. Just like Pioneer is the de-facto standard in mixers, cd and video players in the majority of nightclubs out there, ScratchLive is the de-facto standard in DVS systems out there. We have all invested in time, prestige, increasing skill improvement, and most of all, we have all translated that to the club owners out there, so that they understand that when a "Serato" DJ comes in their club, they have a certain expectation of all of that.

4) There have been numerous discussion on these forums about giving ScratchLive the ability to "automate" and every time there have been numerous reasons why the majority of people decide that is not a good thing to have. If Serato is going to give the majority of features to Itch, why would anyone buy ScratchLive? Why invest in a product where anyone, for a lower cost of entry, can come in and play with more options. Usually a lower cost of entry to a product means lower talent...sorry for the direct comparison but you understand the point.

5) Serato, if they allow video, automate, integrated controller system, ect all on the itch might as well dismiss any pretense of trying to be the club standard with ScratchLive...because it soon will lose that status. And if you want Itch to take that place...well that's a tough way to go and I don't see the upside to it

Of course this is my personal opinion, which I am perfectly entitled to have I believe.

Justin, if any of my comments offended you then I apologize. You most certainly are entitled your opinion, as am I.

I don't entirely agree with your points but I understand where you are coming from.

Personally (and I mean PERSONALLY) I don't have a lot of time for the notion that equipment is an important part of defining what is and isn't *professional*. You should use whatever gear you think you need to do the job. If you can rock a crowd with a tin whistle and a pair of glow sticks then good luck to you.

I also bristle at the idea that having a lower financial entry point somehow threatens those who use higher priced gear. Ironically enough Video-SL is probably the best example of that in the DJ/VJ world. Before Video-SL serious VJ'ing rigs cost mega bucks. Does that make you less of a pro? I doubt it.

It's also worth pointing out that, whilst it's good value for money, an NS7 is more expensive than many Scratch Live systems. In no way is it an entry level system.

I kinda have to take Justin's side on this one.

Im not against video being availible for itch per say.

I just take it personally that serato came out and sold us this piece of fried gold.
but you can ONLY use it with the 1500.00 mixer...
ok, fine Im sold, Ill buy the mixer
and you can ONLY use it if you buy this plugin
ok...give me the plugin
and it will only work on a pc/mac of this stature...
fine heres another 1800.00

there I jumped through your hoops.
close to 4 grand, because you said it would only work this way.

then a year later, oh... nevermind.
u spend another 200 u can do it with the SL1...
and now, the wavie-dream-machine + 200 gets you video.

DO NOT GET ME WRONG.
I understand that thats how it works...we've been dealing with it for years.
but that does not mean i HAVE TO LIKE IT.
Ill spend money all day, I obviouisly have.
but I feel like I dealt with a used car salesman sometimes when a company says
yes, you NEED this to do this, and its the only way it can happen.
then months later....ba-zing!

as far as the automix/assist...whatever you want to call it.
pOtato - potAto.
anything that takes the pitch slider out of my hand, and off the record is
a beat-matching assistant.
or as I like to call it amature hour,
but thats ok... not everyone is a pro...I was a complete hack job for my first
few years too... got to be an amature first.
unless you so deep remixing live (IE like inferno and those cats)
to the point that your show is considered a "live pa" and not a dj show.
than you should be controlling this stuff....

I find the biggest issue with most of these systems is the same problem we faced
when cd players FIRST hit the markets.
you can buy one.
you can lug it around everywhere you go.
but once you find a room that wont let you mess with THIER booth, what are you
going to do?
so if your bringing your controller to the local spot, dropping it on the table and pluggin into a sound system... your fine.
but once you step into a club, or venue with a sound guy who runs the show.
they are not goin to let you re-arrange the booth so you can toss it up on the 1200/cdjs.
theres a good reason 1200s/cds are everywhere.
just like for years the rane 2016 was everywhere you went.

Ive always said I think serato should be earned...

I also have no interest in beat sync'ing functionality - it removes a big part of what I enjoy about mixing.

But I absolutely don't care that it exists and it's inclusion does not automatically mean that a piece of software is for amateurs in my opinion. NI have far more extensive beat sync'ing functionality included in Traktor Scratch and that product is happily used by plenty of big name DJs.


Fair call.

BTW, ITCH is a Serato product.... :-)

The NS7 is a great product for professional DJs. and ITCH is rocksolid ... you don't have to use it if you don't like. But if you a DJ of a band or a DJ who has to carry all it's equipment to every performance you got with NS7 a all-in-one solution ..

I think a lot of people that don't like that SYNC function are scared that they loose their job. if your only talent is to beatmatch two tracks than do your resident job at your local club.

deejaying is more, it's not only beat matching.

if you use the new technologies in a creative way, you'll step the game up ... and if you do a creative and innovative job, you'll get your respect.

a lot of DJs and Live-Acts playing on their shows with Ableton Live and a APC40 ... they playing clips and patterns and get mad respect.

It's not about what you using to rock the crowd, it's about TO ROCK THE CROWD AND BE ORIGINAL.

Chris,

I agree with this 100%...and I have zero issues with you, sorry if it sounded that way.

As to the point, I have slept on it and think I have some more thoughts.

1) Chris, you said that Itch is also a Serato product...Yep it is, and why would you want to cannibalize your other product line? The only reason I can think of is that Serato has a better agreement with NuMark than they do with Rane. If that's the case, well business is business. I only wish that Serato would have done a deal with Abelton on their new controller vs NuMark.

2) Equipment is just a means to an end. I am just your average DJ. Been doing it for a long time, I can read a room better than most, understand the business side of rotating the dance floor, can mix better than average, can;t scratch for crap, and play lots of Top 40. I will never be a top-level DJ and I am fine with that, I still stay busy, BUT I care about this business and do everything I can to be a better DJ, everyday. That's one of the reasons I have moved over to Serato.

I also care about the industry...and what I am seeing in the last 3 years is a lot of "synergy" between companies and a whole lot of crap coming out that allows anyone with a netbook and a limewire account to walk in and screw up the industry. And when companies enable this I kinda have an issue with that.

3) All of this is just opinion. Serato would never do anything with their business based on anything opinion or thoughts posted on these boards...we are all just a bunch of monkeys pissing in the wind.

<promotes synergy.
like a boss.

Esk, you really cant compare the performance of a live PA with a dj hitting an
auto mix button.
of course they are getting respect. They are basically remixing & creating live.

I dont think people are worried about losing there jobs to someone who uses
beat assistance. I think is has to do with the pride and integrity of the craft.
and whats that mean at the end of the day for the dance floor?
Not a damn thing.
But you, as a performer, a professional as a lover of the art.
you didnt come into DJ'ing in hopes of one day hitting a button.
chances are, you saw someone amazing and wanted to do what they did.

Its funny how things work for people.
think of major league atheletes.
they get paid billions of dollars to do what they love...they spent years becoming
the best at what they do.
but, now that they are in the major leagues all they care about is money, contracts
ect ect ect... they lost the dream that brought them into sports in the first place.

It is sad that people talk about the craft and talk about taking pride about the things they do and then don't know the simple basics. I understand what you mean Joshua and I partly agree, but bragging about knowing the craft, bragging about the knowledge you have and then actually knowing nothing, not even the basics - that's a weak performance.

Just to make it clear... I only have very little, limited knowledge about video stuff.

I totally agree.
and usually the guys talking about pride and integrity are old salts like me.
Ive only been doing video for 2 years, I im relatively new to that scene.
I certainly have real world dj-friends who are STILL using cdjs, will not
entertain the idea of any sort of software...and they throw out the "pride and purity of the game speech" to me when it comes to switching.

and in the back of my head, im thinkin how much pride can you have with a rack-mounted cd player mixing 1 measure only off the Ultimix library.
years doing the job doesent always validate your abilities.

Exactly!

Oooh forum drama ;)

I'd like to weigh in a bit. I've been an SL1 user for 3-4 years now, was probably the first dj to get my hands on SL3 in Minneapolis, and in the last few months picked up both ITCH (the VCI-300) and Video-SL.

It seems like the biggest gripe people have with ITCH is it's auto sync feature. Honestly, ITCH was one of the best purchases I've made in my dj rig. Not because it syncs, not because it gives me all these hot cues on the fly, but because it's portable.

I picked up ITCH to end my days of doing a gig at a retail store and having to haul around 2 1200s, or 2 cdjs, my heavy DJM800, plus the heavy srm450s. I never understood ITCH until a conversation I had with another dj on this forum and he explaining it's all about portability. Sure, I can't scratch exactly like I do with regular decks, but it does a pretty damn good job in a little unit that is weighs much less than my DJM800.

Sure you've never seen it in clubs because it was never intended for a club. Is ITCH not the ultimate solution for a mobile DJ that has to setup his speakers, lighting, etc every single night? Adding video to that application of ITCH makes perfect sense in my opinion. You may as well start crying about Ableton djs that just use it to sync in this thread.

It's all about application and intent. I can bring 85% of my performance with ITCH and it reduces my setup time and hauling by a huge factor. Personally I have no value in Video, but would it be great for mobile wedding djs? No question.

How is Itch cannibalizing Scratchlive. The entry level point for Itch is $799 for the VCI-300. The entry level point for Scratchlive is $499 for the SL-1. If anything it hurts the manufacturers of turntables, CD-players and mixers.

Also Ableton is not in the business of manufacturing hardware. They are a software company...hence their deal with Akai for the APC-40.



This is nothing new. I could complain that companies like Promo Only have been screwing up the industry as they put all the hits songs you would need to do a party on one compilation. If you want to star a purist then go back to vinyl and purchase all 12inch singles. If you are using a DVS system then you are selling out in one way or another.

What about DJs that use Ableton exclusively to mix with? Are they ruining the art?
What are all you guys going to do if the Ableton/Serato partnership allows beat synchronization between the two programs?

I will say what I have said before. Turntables are at the beginnings of DJing because they were the only thing available. You honestly think that if CDJs or a DVS system were around people wouldn't have been using them? I have seen people rock parties with a single turntable and a microphone so there is more to it then equipment.

I will love to work on Itch with Allen & Heath Xone:DX + Video SL
Imagine 4 deck, mobile device and video mashup possibilities... :)

I think it would be a cool feature. I do clubs but also do boring ass weddings, cooperate gigs, etc...Clubs I take my midi controller,use turntables, 57 to perform at my fullest. If I'm playing at a wedding I don't really need to rock it like I would at a club. I was actually thinking of buying the ns7 before I found out it doesn't work with vidz.

+1