I've thought about it for long enough so over Easter I purchased my laptop and began the process of converting my CDs onto it. I'm installing around 400 tracks a day by using a CD DB which negates the need to do lots of typing although each entry will need to be checked at a later stage as some have the title/artist the wrong way round or the artist/title in the same field.

I've taken the laptop to my 2 gigs this week along with my conventional set-up trying PCDJ on the 1st and Steinberg MyMP3Pro5 for the second and was glad I had my normal CD/MD set up with me. Both systems locked up and with the steinberg there was a low frequency hum through the speakers which was not there on PCDJ or using Media Player .

So it was time to give OTSDJ a try - I downloaded the trial version and gave it a full run through at an impromptu party I had in my house last night - getting people to shout out requests and seeing how fast I could find them. I was impressed at how easy it was to use, the reliability and, for a program of only 8meg, the features on it. Of course we had to put up with the prompts every 10 mins or so to buy the license (which seemed to become more frequent as the night went on) but apart from that I did a full 6 hour disco using laptop only without a glitch .

At the moment then it does look as though OTSDJ will be the choosen package unless anyone has other suggestions??

PaulS

If your budget won't stretch to the full blown Alcatech vs BPM hardware / Software package then OTSDJ is, in my view the only route worth taking.

2 questions on the matter:

Do you want to be hands on and do a lot of serious mixing? or Do you want to let the computer automix for you allowing you more time to use the mic etc?

Are you going fully digital? or will you still use your md/cd?

A few thoughts on digital software from my prospective which I feel are fairly unbiased

PCDJ(red/pro)- Simple layout, looks and feels like a normal twin deck. Same ability to cue etc. Good for manual use even more so with the dac/dmc controller. You hardly ever have to touch the keyboard or mouse. has an automix feature which is not too bad. A great program in my opinion

Ots- Unconvential layout, superb sound quality via the processor, good automix facility. Many superb directives for example you can specify time delays and have many different directives which hardly any other program features. Searching facilities are good, the ability to assign multiple genres. Not good for a hands on approach although mixing can be achieved using the hercules controller

Traktordj- Another unconventional layout. In my opinion ver cluttered. Lots of features like auto beat sync which makes beatmixing a breeze. Search facilities are not bad but nothing to rave about. Probably better for making mix tapes not really for live djing.

Bpm Studio- In my opinion a glorified version of pcdj and with has a silly price tag. It looks like a denon player and is apparently very stable and produces great sounding. This is only on the thoughts of others as I have not tried it myself as pcdj does everything it does for a third of the price

Good post from digital discos which covers most things on the basics of the system, however after trying most of them, abiet three years ago I went with Ots, and as Chris said that Ots 1.0 will do most things a DJ wants, including auto play, and costs around $150, however version 2.0, not released yet, and costing $399 when finished will have beatmixing too which I am looking forward to hearing. I can only really talk about Ots as I have had it for years and cannot find a fault on it, if all you do, like me is turn up, play record after record without too much mixing, collect the cash and go home then Ots is the one.

Thanks for the replies - I did apologise immediately to Chris when I saw the triple posting on this thread

I was aware that both Chris & Andy and I'm sure many others on here use OTSDJ and that Eskie uses BPM but I wanted to hear other opinions as well. Like Andy I found Digital Discos post summed up the basics of each system very well (even though the last para upset Eskie - but hey it was just an opinion albeit 2nd hand).

To answer DDs 2 questions - I intend to let the computer do the 'mixing' which from what I understand so far - the software detects the fade at the end of the song and at a predetermined point on that fade brings in the next song??

Once I have the laptop up and running and am happy enough with my ability to use it I intend to leave the CD/MD players behind; copying Eskie with a couple of 'Walkman' MP3 players and a few CDs for back up.

My main motivation for changing and spending countless hours installing all my CDs onto the laptop is to cut down on the amount of gear I lug around. Once I'm there I'll do a weigh in and let you know how much I've lost

I'll now attempt to post this reply just once

Paul,
I weren't upset mate, it was tongue in cheek, hence the emoticons. I just find it amusing when people offer opinions on which they have they have no experience
Regarding the back-up, i'm considering getting hold of an iPod, as they look the business and can store a LOT of tunes. Anyone on here have one of these?

Eskie- I apoligise for my comments on bpm studio but from an overview of the specs what does bpm studio do better than pcdj?

I use ots myself but also have pcdj which I also really like, if ots bring out a dedicated 19" controller and auto beatmix it must be the best software around?? I wouldn't like to solely use ots as it is now as for me it lacks a hands on approach which I like about pcdj.

DD, no need to apologise son, just an observation
As for what does BPM do better than PCDJ? well I ain't got a clue, cos I ain't used PCDJ. However you mentioned that BPM is very stable with a great sound, these are hardly unimportant factors for a mobile DJ!... but whether PCDJ is similarly as reliable and sounds as good, well I have no idea, but I do know that BPM is an extremely good programme especially for the hands-on type DJ, and by using the controller enables very creative mixing.

I use and love OtsDJ, but many of the top American DJ's I respect recommend DJ Power as being the absolute dogs bits. It does things that no other package does effectively, such as the ability to mix video, operate Martin Light Jockey software (control your DMX intel light show) as well as being mp3 based rather than a proprietary format like Ots.

Now that looks like an interesting peice of software!! Would be interested if anyone has used it?? it has a big old price tag but you get alot with it hey?

i would be a bit concerned about crashing as it has ALOT running but it certainly is showing the way forward IMO

So Chris, ADS, Eskie, Rendevous and other pc converts how do you find the software you use?

Ots for me and cannot fault it in three years I have had it

I use OTS as well and it works flawlessly from a D.J'ing point of view. SO far no crashes, skips etc and with tracks ripped from CD at 192 - 320kbps it sounds just as good as CD, even at high volume levels.

The only fault i've found with OTS is mentioned on the other thread, and that is namely the OTS conversion to MP3 appears flawed and sometimes only 90% of your tracks convert successfully when batch processed. However if you chose to convert directly to OTS files rather then MP3, you'll not only cure the fault, but also reduce the actual file size of the track.

Since buying OTS, i've also tried the demo of BPM Studio, although it has many mixing features not found on OTS, they wouldn't be of any use to me. However if you needed a more hands on approach or used it for mixing then it may be worth the extra £££'s.

The price of BPM would also put me off, although had it been a few £100's cheaper I may have been swayed towards it just for the Twin CD'esqe hardware front panel which connects to your PC and gives you full twin CD Player like control over the music. However at almost £1000 for the Software and Hardware combination I will be sticking with OTS.

Once again thanks for all the replies. I've looked at all the suggestions and the best package for me - in terms of what I need & price - is OTS after all

I've ordered the license today since they have a sale on ($19.99)

Just kidding but they do have 10% off until 30th Apr.

PaulS

Which Ots version, Boombox, DJ 1.0 or DJ 2.0 ?

i like mixmiester

Hi people

I also use Mix Meister, however from a blind user's point of view it's not very friendly, very few key strokes controls (

I've tried to demo of OtsDJ and was mighty impressed. OK, so you can't beet mix with it, but who's that going to inconvenience at your average Wedding function. I only tend to mix to keep my own interest and for the challenge of inventiveness.

I also know that there are several blind users that have Ots without any problems.

As far as the hands on issue is concerned, isn't there a controller that will work with Ots? can be found on the Otslabs website under accessories.

Darren

You will be able to beat, and Ots will do it for you too Darren, but only if you buy the Pro version of Ots (v2.0)

You can also get an external 'mixer' with a good soundcard too, I have a link but will not post it because CP might sell them............

This is the Hercules Hardware Controller which connects to OTS Products...



I don't sell it, but at a RRP of $249 it is cheaper then the Alcatech offering, but on a personal level, I don't think that they compare .



The OTS unit is sold as a console which doesn't look 19" compatible making additional protective flightcasing difficult. I can't see a traditional digital display on the OTS either . One advantage over the Alcatech, is the built in Soundcard, however its the only advantage I can find.

I have bought the hercules controller, but at the moment the hardware is ahead of the software.

at the moment, you can't cue the tracks at all, so there is no point whatsover. well at least until OTS upgrade their drivers