Serato DJ Pro General Discussion

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 Serato DJ Pro General Discussion
Bad time to replace a VCI-300?
Talk about Serato DJ Pro, expansion packs and supported hardware

Bad time to replace a VCI-300?

AlexC. 10:46 PM - 20 December, 2011
I have a VCI-300MKII that chipped out on me a couple weeks ago, I don't live in a country covered by warranty so sending it out to be fixed is damn near impossible. So I was wondering if I should either get a new one for $499 right now or wait til NAMM 2012 to see what may come out...

I know it may be wiser to wait but I have budget constraints (import duty rates to my country are 40% of the product's value), so my max would be around $700 on a controller and I'm not sure if anything newly released would be priced that low. Another issue is that sometimes these new controllers just coming out have a lot of defective units...I cannot afford for that to happen as returning it would take months and I don't have that kinda time.

I know its my decision and what not but I'm just looking for a little feedback/opinions.

Alex.
phatbob 10:50 PM - 20 December, 2011
If you can possibly wait you should absolutely see what comes out at NAMM. It's only a few weeks away and imagine if someone brought out an amazing new controller in your price range. You'd be gutted!
AlexC. 10:52 PM - 20 December, 2011
True true. And that's what I thought I should do at first...but then there's the problem of the VCI-300s only being sold at 499 til Dec. 31...and with that I get a vfx-1 as well.

That creates an issue lol.
phatbob 10:54 PM - 20 December, 2011
All I would say to that is.... Why the discount before NAMM? ;-)
pdidy 11:01 PM - 20 December, 2011
Quote:
All I would say to that is.... Why the discount before NAMM? ;-)

True
spoiler alert: But any thing new of the vci-300 quality is likely to be more than $700.
AlexC. 11:01 PM - 20 December, 2011
Touché.
That does change things a bit...well a lot actually.

But 1) Will it be in my price range? 2) Will it take months to be released?
Those answers need to be Yes and No lol. Otherwise I'm screwed.
pdidy 11:04 PM - 20 December, 2011
Quote:
Touché.
That does change things a bit...well a lot actually.

But 1) Will it be in my price range? 2) Will it take months to be released?
Those answers need to be Yes and No lol. Otherwise I'm screwed.

Those that no cant tell, and we just dont no............
AlexC. 11:15 PM - 20 December, 2011
I know, I know. Which is why I'm in this predicament.
Guess I'll just have to flip a coin and decide from that :P
pdidy 12:06 AM - 21 December, 2011
Judging from my years of experience with these matters I would say anything new will be above your budget and should not be purchased for at least a few month after release in order to avoid the 1st generation problem models.
Maskrider 12:14 AM - 21 December, 2011
I'll say wait and keep in touch here in the forums.
DJ Frank Labate 1:55 AM - 21 December, 2011
The biggest question is are you losing money because you don't have a working controller to DJ with? And if so how much? Would it be worth it to shell out the $500 to be able to spin for a few months instead of twiddling your thumbs?
AlexC. 2:27 AM - 21 December, 2011
Nah I'm not losing money, I DJ as a hobby...just making mixes & distributing them to friends and stuff no big deal. Waiting 1-2 months is fine...but 4-6, I don't know about that. I'm kinda leaning towards waiting though. Cause I've been looking around and it seems that the VCIs have serious reliability issues: Fader bleed, Jogwheel malfunction, etc. So I might just hold off and wait til the NS6 or something else falls within my price range. Seeing as if things go bad with the VCI I virtually can't return/repair it.
DJ Frank Labate 2:42 AM - 21 December, 2011
What actually did go wrong with your VCI-300? I've fixed my own a few times maybe you can open yours up and tinker.
AlexC. 3:30 AM - 21 December, 2011
I suspect the right jogwheel needs the conductive grease mentioned elsewhere in other forums. But the crossfader also bleeds and the right channel fader sometimes just has no response :S this all happened within the space of 2 months. I'm not the best at opening sensitive electronic equipment myself but I may give it a shot.

But aside from that...I know this is purely speculative but does anyone think that any new controllers will be launched for less than $700? Just want a few opinions on that just for conversation at least.
DJ Frank Labate 3:42 AM - 21 December, 2011
Watchwww.youtube.com I suggest you follow this guide. Don't be afraid to open it up and take a look around. The controller may just be a little dusty or something inside so I suggest you open it up take a look blow on the jogwheel sensor gently to make sure there's no dust and take a look at the faders make sure they're clean. You have nothing to lose :-)
AlexC. 3:49 AM - 21 December, 2011
Thanks man, gonna watch it right now.
Conversation question still stands though...as well as what kinds/brands will be releasing new stuff, etc just general NAMM stuff. I get real excited about new gear and I've been looking to upgrade from the VCI anyway.
diezdiaz 7:06 PM - 21 December, 2011
that 499 deal is sweet - i was going to buy an apc40 for production work but bought the vci instead. with the free vfx1, i figure worst comes to worst i sell the vci if i dont like it and just keep the vfx and use that for fx control with my V7s. using an endless encoder and looking at the screen to look up fx always seemed clumsy so i would always just leave it on filter
diezdiaz 7:09 PM - 21 December, 2011
Quote:
Quote:
All I would say to that is.... Why the discount before NAMM? ;-)

True
spoiler alert: But any thing new of the vci-300 quality is likely to be more than $700.




oh and + 1 to what this guy said
AlexC. 7:48 PM - 21 December, 2011
I think I'm gonna go ahead and get the VCI, then upgrade to V7s or an NS6 when the prices fall a bit. If Numark made a V6 though it would be ideal for me. Thats really what I'm hoping for at NAMM.
Panotaker 9:28 PM - 21 December, 2011
The VCI-300 with the free VFX-1 is a steal of a deal. Anything that comes out at Namm that is equal too or better than the VCI is going to cost a lot more than $500, probably more like $800 and it probably won't include a free effects processor, unless it is built in. It will probably not be available for a few months or longer. Once the supply of new VCI-300 dries up, you can probably sell it for what you paid for it, in case you see something else you like. I just bought a new VCI for the sale price and I plan on keeping it for a while then selling it if something else catches my eye.
pdidy 9:56 PM - 21 December, 2011
Quote:
I suspect the right jogwheel needs the conductive grease mentioned elsewhere in other forums. But the crossfader also bleeds and the right channel fader sometimes just has no response :S this all happened within the space of 2 months. I'm not the best at opening sensitive electronic equipment myself but I may give it a shot.


before you jump the gun get a can of "deoxit fader f5". someone spilled a drink in my vci300 an all the faders became unresponsive after about a month. i used the deoxit on it and all the fader came back to life in 5 min of spraying an working the faders up an down. i never even bothered to take it apart. that was 2 month ago an my vci300 is working at 100%.
rmr1r 11:51 PM - 21 December, 2011
Quote:
before you jump the gun get a can of "deoxit fader f5". someone spilled a drink in my vci300 an all the faders became unresponsive after about a month. i used the deoxit on it and all the fader came back to life in 5 min of spraying an working the faders up an down. i never even bothered to take it apart. that was 2 month ago an my vci300 is working at 100%.


Yup. A can of deoxit fader lube is necessary. Makes the faders glide so nicely afterwards..:) Kraal's screw fix also helped the fader lag and bleeding for me. Search "kraalwig" on youtube.

A Decksaver cover (also now available for the VFX-1) is essential for keeping dust and crap out.
rmr1r 11:58 PM - 21 December, 2011
Quote:
I'm not the best at opening sensitive electronic equipment myself but I may give it a shot.


Neither am I but its easier than you think. Your unit is newer so it may be under warranty. Mine was older/used and bought off ebay so I took a chance and it paid off. Now I know how to maintain and clean it too. Just keep an organized work area, keep track of all your screws and don't lose the tiny metal spring underneath the platter itself. Watch that youtube video from DJTechTools and this following video helped me get comfortable with opening it.

Watchwww.youtube.com

I was dealing with the same issues and they are all good now. Good luck.