If I brought an external number pad to use with a USB port on my laptop would the 'F' buttons work, at the moment I can fade a song by pressing F1, I would like to use an external source, along with coloured buttons to help me, I could colour code the buttons easy enough, but would the button pressed work, or do I need macros ?
Macro, not Makros !!

You must mean the F keys on the top row of your laptop, USB number pads don't have the F keys to the best of my knowledge. Then, yes, they will still work.

You could buy a minature USB keyboard... You can even get one that is washable so then if it had beer etc spilled on it it would be ok.... This would work



Nik

I bought a cheap white keyboard and coloured in the buttons so play was green, cue's red etc....and then used a fine marker to draw all the PCDJ shortcuts onto the other keys and that works a treat for me, just plonk it at the front of the mixers flight case on an angle with a bit of blue tack at the bottom of the keyboard to stop it slippin out of the way.

<SILLY SUGGESTION>
I expect someone could make such a device to interface with the PC, and include only the keys you needed. Someone with a bit of digital circuit expertise could surely set up some press-switches to give the correct data stream.
</SILLY SUGGESTION>

Actually, that's not such a silly idea. Don't ask me though - digital electronics ain't my area of knowledge, I prefer analogue stuff.

I'm sure some enquiries to an IT department somewhere could come up with the goods.

jake your side picture gives me nightmares m8, is it the wife or the mother in law?

Nope it's me. That's my halloween costume from last year, spent the entire day dressed as Pennywise, the annoying thing was kids thought it was cute and kept coming and talking to me. Scared adults witless though (mind you thats the usual response).

Oh and it's Jase not Jake