Hercules DJ Control Steel

[slaylit]

Hello everyone,

in advance I want to apologize for my English (I'm German) but I hope you will get what I mean!

I want to start mixing music (I'm an absolute beginner, never did anything like this before) but I don't want to spend too much money on the equipment, because - who knows? - maybe mixing really isn't my thing.

Now I think there would be a good opportunity to start this because a friend of mine would sell me his old Mixer. It's a Hercules DJ Control Steel, he bought it ~2 years ago and used it very rarely (like 5 times or so).

Now to my questions:

Is this mixer good for beginners like me?

How much money would you spend on this?

Do I need something else to start mixing? I mean, I got pretty good headphones, a solid stereo equipment, a notebook on which the software should run without any problems and enough music on it.

So, all in all, would you call this a good opportunity for me?

Thanks in advance

[DannyAK]

Hey there. I was in the same spot you are when I bought my Hercules DJ control steel. But i didn't have anyone to explain to me why i should not buy it. As a beginner DJ, it's kind of fun to play with but it has no internal sound card. That means you will not be able to plug your headphones into your mixer or do anything with it really. If you are playing on a laptop then you would need to buy an external sound card. If i knew what i do now i would have tried to start out with something nicer with an internal sound card built in. I gave up with my DJ Steel after a couple months because the build quality was very bad, the power would fade in and out of the unit and some of but buttons started to short out. If it wasn't for my friends who have shown me what better equipment feels like, I might have just quit then. Anyway, that's just my story with it, hope it helps. good luck

[slaylit]

Hey, thanks for your answer.

But an external sound card costs like ~30€, right? That wouldn't be that much of a problem for me.

That means you will not be able to plug your headphones into your mixer or do anything with it really.

What exactly do you mean with this highlighted part?

[Nicadraus]

If i were you, I'd go for something better than that Hercules DJ Steel. Like the Numark Mixtrack Pro.

[nolimitz]

To clarify a few things, the Hercules Control Steel is not a mixer. It's a midi controller. It will not function on its own without a computer.

Just a reminder that any future threads about this piece of equipment should go in the Digital DJ tools forum.

The Hercules RMX is basically the same thing expect its brushed aluminum and has a soundcard built in. No extra equipment needed, just plug and play.

The Control steel does feature a dedicated effects section, I believe. The RMX doesn't. Both of them are a bit outdated now and they don't feature touch sensitive platters but for a beginner, they're perfect.

[slaylit]

To clarify a few things, the Hercules Control Steel is not a mixer. It's a midi controller. It will not function on its own without a computer.

That's exactly what I want.

Both of them are a bit outdated now and they don't feature touch sensitive platters but for a beginner, they're perfect.

Perfect. Okay, so is there a special sound card you would recommend to me?

If i were you, I'd go for something better than that Hercules DJ Steel. Like the Numark Mixtrack Pro.

I would do so, but since nolimitz said that the Control Steel is perfect for beginners..

But to clarify things, how do you define beginner? I don't want to buy a new mixer (midi controller) in a couple months, so maybe it really would be better if I buy a "better" one..?!

[loww]

I don't want to buy a new mixer (midi controller) in a couple months, so maybe it really would be better if I buy a "better" one..?!

If you enjoy using the Steel, you will probably want to look into getting better equipment in a few months. Some people will suggest you get the best equipment you can afford right away, to save you money in the long run. However you've said yourself that you don't know if DJing is going to be for you. I would get the Steel and a sound card to see if you like it. Then down the line you might want to look into upgrading to a better MIDI controller, CDJs or turntables but at least you didn't spend all your money on top equipment to find out that you don't enjoy DJing.

[slaylit]

If you enjoy using the Steel, you will probably want to look into getting better equipment in a few months. Some people will suggest you get the best equipment you can afford right away, to save you money in the long run. However you've said yourself that you don't know if DJing is going to be for you. I would get the Steel and a sound card to see if you like it. Then down the line you might want to look into upgrading to a better MIDI controller, CDJs or turntables but at least you didn't spend all your money on top equipment to find out that you don't enjoy DJing.

Thanks, that was by far the most helpful answer.

I think I will go for the Control Steel.

Is there a sound card you would recommend to me or should I just buy any?

[Nicadraus]

That's exactly what I want.



Perfect. Okay, so is there a special sound card you would recommend to me?



I would do so, but since nolimitz said that the Control Steel is perfect for beginners..

But to clarify things, how do you define beginner? I don't want to buy a new mixer (midi controller) in a couple months, so maybe it really would be better if I buy a "better" one..?!

Well since the Steel and Mixtrack Pro are at the same price bracket, the Numark is definitely better in terms of features, functionality and has a built-in souncard already.

[ampnation]

As far as pricing, find out what they go for new and offer him 50% of that. He won't do much better trying to sell on the used market, at least he wouldn't in the US. You might want to have him show you how it works and be on the look out for the quality issues mentioned above like the fading in and out. One person's bad experience amounts to anecdotal evidence but it might be that after hearing 100 reviews, only 2 would be bad...still if that's the only review, you have to consider it.

For a soundcard, consider the Numark DJIO. Make sure you're looking at DJ sound cards which may also go by the name "audio interface" and not simply a computer sound card.

Another thing to consider... if you buy this used and a new sound card, if you later decide it wasn't for you, you'll probably get back most of what you paid for the controller and 50% on the sound card.

If you buy a new, more expensive controller, you'll get back probably about 50% of that when you sell it. However, if you bought a Traktor Kontrol S2 which will come with the full version of Traktor (or be upgradeable to it soon) it would hold its value more because if I am not mistaken Traktor software doesn't depreciate as much as hardware and it is one of the few software purchases that can be legally transferred to a new owner. I guarantee you an S2 will be light years ahead of that Hercules toy and give you a better experience and lead to a greater likelihood that you'll enjoy it. Of course it should given it is more $$.

The Numark MixDeck series...I'm not sure if they're all on a par as far as build quality (reg mixdeck, vs. pro vs. express) but I've heard pretty good reviews on the pro and regular one -- haven't heard reviews on the express. I believe the big factor separating one mixdeck model from another is features.

Regarding a perfect beginner system, the perfect beginner system for someone who can afford it might cost $5000. My starter system ran around $2000 (2 CDJ400's and an Ecler Nuo3) A perfect beginner system would look just like a perfect system for an advanced pro except maybe you would have fewer accessories while you sorted out your style of mixing and figured out that you might like some additional gear suited to that style. If you could afford better and not miss the money the Control Steel would not even be a consideration. For most people who aren't super well off or have lots of other priorities for their money, compromises are made on a beginner system.

Another thing to consider on this line of thinking, if you could afford it, is that many would say the perfect beginner system is a vinyl DVS system. Just off the top of my head, I'm thinking you could put together one of these kits for a little over $1000 using Serato or Traktor, a couple of used turntables, a sound card and a 2 channel analog mixer. Details for that would be a new thread. A DVS system gives you the ability to play your computer mp3s as if they were playing off the vinyl records. The records on the turntables would be special discs called control vinyl that allow the computer to interpret what you're doing and convert that to realistic sounding scratching. Learning on vinyl and learning how to beatmatch by ear on that system would put you way ahead of the game I think. There are other alternatives for achieving the same skills with not much difference in the quality of the experience, but for the price, that is the way I would go.

So unless your friend is hot to sell this unit and you're afraid of missing out on the deal, I would stick around here and start reading what people have to say about different controllers to make your best buying decision possible.