anewsome
Hey everyone. Yesterday I spent most of the morning making a coffin to hold my (2) XP10, Mixer and two laptops. I thought you all might be interested to see how it turned out so I took some pictures along the way and posted them on my website.
http://www.anewsome.com/cgi-bin/Photo?page=1&groupid=65
I don't have a club gig so I needed my whole rig to be able to go all at once. The whole thing takes up 25x30 inches and I even have a keyboard stand to hold the whole rig so it's quite nice.
Let me know what you all think or if you have any questions about how or why I made this thing.
http://www.anewsome.com/cgi-bin/Photo?page=1&groupid=65
I don't have a club gig so I needed my whole rig to be able to go all at once. The whole thing takes up 25x30 inches and I even have a keyboard stand to hold the whole rig so it's quite nice.
Let me know what you all think or if you have any questions about how or why I made this thing.
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 1:22 am
WirelessDJ
Good job. Very clean, neat and professional. You should send a picture to www.EKI.FI they love pictures of xp10's in action
WirelessDJ
WirelessDJ
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 1:30 am
vantinedj
Looks great, but looks heavy.. Whats the weight?
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 5:01 am
apopsisdj
Very nice, i made a simillar "box" for my 2 SL1200 turntables and a 2-channel "scratch" mixer, maybe ...15 years ago, and i still have it. I think its time for a new "digital" Coffin now...
Vantinedj ... you can guess the weight of my box, with 2 MK2 in it plus the wood...
Vantinedj ... you can guess the weight of my box, with 2 MK2 in it plus the wood...
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 5:34 am
Killabee44
Very nice! I like it a lot. Very professional. Maybe think about putting in some laptop coolers or fans into the case blowing air into the bottom of those laptops since it can get really hot under there especially with the carpet. Great job.
Killabee44
Killabee44
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 6:45 am
anewsome
I don't know exactly what the weight of this thing is exactly, but my guess is HEAVY. It is made of 3/4inch medium density fiberboard (not particleboard crap), and this case used up most of a 4'x8' sheet. So yeah, it's very heavy but I plan to just throw some wheels under it when I get a gig so I don't care how heavy it is.
I will say however, that this thing was a lot more expensive to build than I remember these type of projects costing. Seriously, I think I put around $100 into this thing. Sounds crazy I know but carpet was like $20, spray adhesive was $8, screws were $4, wood was $30, corner pieces were .70 each, carry handles were like $3.00 each. It all adds up.
As far as the cooling. I've decided to run the system with the little trap door in the back removed so the dell laptop can get fresh air from the bottom without being stifled. The IBM laptop has no ventilation whatsoever on the bottom, so that one will be OK.
I'm glad you guys like. It really has motivated me more to do more practicing now. Part of my problem before was not having the mixer and the XP10 on the same "plane". Positioning these things correctly is crucial. Now I just need to practice more.
I will say however, that this thing was a lot more expensive to build than I remember these type of projects costing. Seriously, I think I put around $100 into this thing. Sounds crazy I know but carpet was like $20, spray adhesive was $8, screws were $4, wood was $30, corner pieces were .70 each, carry handles were like $3.00 each. It all adds up.
As far as the cooling. I've decided to run the system with the little trap door in the back removed so the dell laptop can get fresh air from the bottom without being stifled. The IBM laptop has no ventilation whatsoever on the bottom, so that one will be OK.
I'm glad you guys like. It really has motivated me more to do more practicing now. Part of my problem before was not having the mixer and the XP10 on the same "plane". Positioning these things correctly is crucial. Now I just need to practice more.
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 9:48 am
steve_djdawson
that's damn sweet man, if i had xp10s id be putting in my order right now :lol:
im thinking on building some for my ttx1's, but they are an odd shape to build around...
anyone got any ideas?
im thinking on building some for my ttx1's, but they are an odd shape to build around...
anyone got any ideas?
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 10:50 am
ivar
it looks a bit like my flightcase, take a look :
http://www.ivarsfotoos.funtigo.com/go
http://www.ivarsfotoos.funtigo.com/go
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 2:04 pm
digijoc-Mele
One question anewsome, why would you need an entire laptop to record performances ?? Why wouldn't you use something like a tiny Sony NetMD or similar to do recordings ? NetMD would only occupy 2 square inches and you can toss it in your shirt pocket to listen to your performace on the way home from a gig [:o)
Besides, it costs $hundreds less.
Besides, it costs $hundreds less.
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 2:27 pm
anewsome
I also have a copy of my music database on the laptop so I use it to do searches when I don't want to "lose my spot" in VDJ, like if I'm in a mix where ineed to change songs quickly. I also have a BPM counter on the laptop where I can tap out a song on the fly. I'm scared to do this with VDJ since it might crash.
Also, the recording software on the laptop gives my quite a lot of useful information like VU meters, record length, etc. Not to mention the flexibility of recording with laptop. I can immediately chop the mix up into tracks/mp3s or create a .cue file to burn the mix to CD with track markers. Let's see you do that with an MD recorder.
Also, the recording software on the laptop gives my quite a lot of useful information like VU meters, record length, etc. Not to mention the flexibility of recording with laptop. I can immediately chop the mix up into tracks/mp3s or create a .cue file to burn the mix to CD with track markers. Let's see you do that with an MD recorder.
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 4:34 pm
TechnicalDJ
Thats pretty awesome anewsome- Hey how do you like your XP10s and X100?? Also- hows the scratching coming along with the XP10s?
Mensajes Wed 23 Feb 05 @ 7:38 pm
DJ_whiteDVL
Steve here's a nice coffin I found on the net that might be a good example for the TTX-1s
http://www.sixstardj.com/roadreadrr2t1.html
DJ White Devil
http://www.sixstardj.com/roadreadrr2t1.html
DJ White Devil
Mensajes Thu 24 Feb 05 @ 1:00 am
anewsome
Hey TechnicalDJ. The XP10s are awesome. I seriously could not imagine using VDJ without them now. Also, since I haven't been scratching as much, I've seen very few crashes lately. I not getting any *better* at scratching but my scratch and release, scratch mixing for transition between songs and beat juggling with the scratch is getting pretty solid. I can scratch and release to transition to the next song right on beat pretty well now. Sounds pretty cool and when listening to the mix on CD later, it sounds a lot like vinyl. Well, pretty close at least.
As far as being able to "cut it up", transform scratches and all that with the XP10, I'm a long way from that. But honestly, I think it'll be a lot easier now that my equipment is positioned at the right height and the XP10s are on the same horizontal plane as the mixer. This is very important, especially when it comes to using the outer ring on the XP10. When my XP10 were on the table with my mixer, I kept hitting the magic plate by mistake since the mixer was so much talller than the XP10. Not they are on the same plane.
As far as the Denon mixer. It's silky smooth. Awesome controls, love the EQs, they do the trick. Crossfader is like butter. My only gripe about it is the power supply scares me, since it is a whacky connector, if the powerr supply takes a crap I can't easily run out to radio shack and get a new one. That and the headphone cue switches for each channel are poorly placed. They are right above the line in selector and I've already switch the line input a few times while selecting a channel to cue through the headphone.
As far as being able to "cut it up", transform scratches and all that with the XP10, I'm a long way from that. But honestly, I think it'll be a lot easier now that my equipment is positioned at the right height and the XP10s are on the same horizontal plane as the mixer. This is very important, especially when it comes to using the outer ring on the XP10. When my XP10 were on the table with my mixer, I kept hitting the magic plate by mistake since the mixer was so much talller than the XP10. Not they are on the same plane.
As far as the Denon mixer. It's silky smooth. Awesome controls, love the EQs, they do the trick. Crossfader is like butter. My only gripe about it is the power supply scares me, since it is a whacky connector, if the powerr supply takes a crap I can't easily run out to radio shack and get a new one. That and the headphone cue switches for each channel are poorly placed. They are right above the line in selector and I've already switch the line input a few times while selecting a channel to cue through the headphone.
Mensajes Thu 24 Feb 05 @ 1:29 am
apopsisdj
I like the Denon mixer, what model is it exactly ?
Ok i found it, DN-X 100 right ? not cheap for a 2-channel mixer but good quality...
http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/thoiw2_artikel-173262.html
Ok i found it, DN-X 100 right ? not cheap for a 2-channel mixer but good quality...
http://www.netzmarkt.de/thomann/thoiw2_artikel-173262.html
Mensajes Thu 24 Feb 05 @ 8:53 am
digijoc-Mele
I also have a copy of my music database on the laptop so I use it to do searches when I don't want to "lose my spot" in VDJ, like if I'm in a mix where ineed to change songs quickly. I also have a BPM counter on the laptop where I can tap out a song on the fly. I'm scared to do this with VDJ since it might crash.
I can understand loosing your spot. Can you make a request in the new features forum for the explorer window to "remember" the last cursor position ? I sometimes have this problem, but I search for the song that is playing, highlight the result, clear the seach field then scroll to the position in the list.
Also, the recording software on the laptop gives my quite a lot of useful information like VU meters, record length, etc. Not to mention the flexibility of recording with laptop. I can immediately chop the mix up into tracks/mp3s or create a .cue file to burn the mix to CD with track markers. Let's see you do that with an MD recorder.
As you know, vDJ Rec feature will record the live mix with the Cue list based on vDJ fader transitions. But anyhow, there is no concern about levels on the MD since it's Autolevel feature is very accurate. The MD also displays time elapsed/remain info. I am just a believer in traveling as light as possible. But you answered the question.
I can understand loosing your spot. Can you make a request in the new features forum for the explorer window to "remember" the last cursor position ? I sometimes have this problem, but I search for the song that is playing, highlight the result, clear the seach field then scroll to the position in the list.
Also, the recording software on the laptop gives my quite a lot of useful information like VU meters, record length, etc. Not to mention the flexibility of recording with laptop. I can immediately chop the mix up into tracks/mp3s or create a .cue file to burn the mix to CD with track markers. Let's see you do that with an MD recorder.
As you know, vDJ Rec feature will record the live mix with the Cue list based on vDJ fader transitions. But anyhow, there is no concern about levels on the MD since it's Autolevel feature is very accurate. The MD also displays time elapsed/remain info. I am just a believer in traveling as light as possible. But you answered the question.
Mensajes Thu 24 Feb 05 @ 6:06 pm
anewsome
Unfortunately, when using an external mixer, the VDJ crossfader never moves off of center so I can't have VDJ record into seperate files. I'm not saying the MD is a bad option, but the biggest reason I don't use an MD recorder is that I don't have one. I have 3 laptops though. It's also easy to sort my list on the other laptop by Genre, BPM, Artist or anything else I care about. VDJ seems a little braindead in this regard. I'm also planning on using the laptop as my crash backup for those times when VDJ crashes, but I suppose an MD player could do that as well.
Mensajes Thu 24 Feb 05 @ 6:58 pm