MAGAGAR80
So I was in the market for a new sound card so I decided I would go with a Rane MP4 with the built in Serato sound card that way when I have guest DJs at my house parties they wouldn't bitch and complain about me using Virtual DJ and not being Serato friendly to them.
The Rane MP4 offered me a few benefits.....I could use the built in sound card with my virtual DJ, be serato friendly for my fellow DJ friends and also so I could give Serato more of a closer look.
Rane MP4 First impression.....I love the Rane hardware, it has quality written all over it. How could you possibly go wrong with anything Rane?
Rane MP4 with virtual DJ test drive..........after installing the Serator software and drivers I opened up VDJ 6.0.7 and configured my Rane MP4 sound card to work with it. Got it working great =), VDJ never sounded better. I tried to assign the crossfader to VDJ but it failed, I was under the impression that the crossfader was midi assignable since you can use it in Serato to do fader starts but that was not the case. I was still happy though since it worked perfectly as a sound card for my VDJ. Rane MP4 only works as an outgoing sound card, there's no sound card inputs so you cant use it for vinyl control but I'm using a Stanton SCS3 MIDI controller so I don't need vinyl controls since the stanton SCS3 system can control both Serato and VDJ via MIDI. Quick test mix, 3 songs into my mix and FAILURE!!! I thought to myself, Crap VDJ does not get along with my Rane MP4 (Rane's manual clearly says that it can be used as a sound card for other 3rd party programs not just Serato) What could be wrong. I turn off VDJ and turn it back on and now the Rane MP4 does not even show up in my sound card options. I close down VDJ and go onto my next test
Rane MP4 with Serato Scratch Live 1.8.2 (This is the software it came with) FAIL!! Rane Hardware Disconnected. NO ITS NOT!! I see it connected! I closed Serato down unplugged USB cable and tried again FAIL AGAIN!!! onto the next test!
Rane MP4 with current stable Serato 1.9.2 (I know higher version beta but I want something stable at this point). I log onto Serato and download 1.9.2 off their website. The Rane MP4 is working again. Quick mix about 1 minute into my first song FAIL!!!! No sound coming through the Rane MP4...WTF? I thought Serato was sooooo stable????? All these Serato fan boys always saying that serato was stable, how could they have lied to me???? LOL What about all those former VDJ users who bitched and complained about my beloved VDJ being so unstable that they had to switch over to Serato because its stability??? Tried it about 5 more times with the same results! FAIL after a few minutes, no sound.
The Rane MP4 actually worked better on VDJ at least I am able to mix 3 songs on VDJ under serato I am lucky if I get 2 minutes into my 1st song.
I log onto the Serato forum to see if there's any solutions to my problems, I am amazed at what I read.
"""Serato has less than 30 employees, and most of these are not developers. We're trying as hard as we can to get this out there for you guys :)"""
Really? This is your reason for not releasing/developing a driver for the latest Windows OS? You're Serato division is much more sad than I had originally thought.
You should demand more resources from Rane to develop your flagship Disc Jockey system. The excuse of not having enough people is not acceptable and you should be ashamed. Also, the reason of not rushing to release something that would prove to be unstable is unacceptable. Microsoft releases information pertaining to their new OS's to manufacturers way before its release date to the public to allow those manufacturers time to develop drivers to work with the new OS. At the VERY LEAST, a Serato associate could have received a Alpha or Beta copy of Windows RC7 and began development from there.
Have you asked your Apple customers to resort to using a 10+ year old Mac OS?
Yes, you have come out with drivers for Vista but, you still continue to push Windows XP whenever an issue arises using Vista.
This is a shame, as I have been relatively happy with Serato over the years. This announcement has angered me.
Don't believe me? read it all here for yourself
http://www.serato.com/forum/discussion/216852
(MODS: If its a forum violation to link, please delete)
The Moral of my story is, Don't bitch and complain about VDJ all other software companies including Serato have similar issues. Stick to what works best for you and not what other people say is "better".
As for me, I have to go find a copy of windows XP. I guess the combination of Windows 7 64bit with an i7 quad core CPU is too high tech for the Serato's sound card drivers. From my limited success I can see that the Rane MP4 will work great as a sound card for VDJ, I just have to downgrade to XP to find a stable serato sound card driver.
Rane MP4 tested on:
HP DV7t-3000
# Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
# Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz
# 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
# 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
# 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 320M - For i7-720QM and i7-820QM Processors
The Rane MP4 offered me a few benefits.....I could use the built in sound card with my virtual DJ, be serato friendly for my fellow DJ friends and also so I could give Serato more of a closer look.
Rane MP4 First impression.....I love the Rane hardware, it has quality written all over it. How could you possibly go wrong with anything Rane?
Rane MP4 with virtual DJ test drive..........after installing the Serator software and drivers I opened up VDJ 6.0.7 and configured my Rane MP4 sound card to work with it. Got it working great =), VDJ never sounded better. I tried to assign the crossfader to VDJ but it failed, I was under the impression that the crossfader was midi assignable since you can use it in Serato to do fader starts but that was not the case. I was still happy though since it worked perfectly as a sound card for my VDJ. Rane MP4 only works as an outgoing sound card, there's no sound card inputs so you cant use it for vinyl control but I'm using a Stanton SCS3 MIDI controller so I don't need vinyl controls since the stanton SCS3 system can control both Serato and VDJ via MIDI. Quick test mix, 3 songs into my mix and FAILURE!!! I thought to myself, Crap VDJ does not get along with my Rane MP4 (Rane's manual clearly says that it can be used as a sound card for other 3rd party programs not just Serato) What could be wrong. I turn off VDJ and turn it back on and now the Rane MP4 does not even show up in my sound card options. I close down VDJ and go onto my next test
Rane MP4 with Serato Scratch Live 1.8.2 (This is the software it came with) FAIL!! Rane Hardware Disconnected. NO ITS NOT!! I see it connected! I closed Serato down unplugged USB cable and tried again FAIL AGAIN!!! onto the next test!
Rane MP4 with current stable Serato 1.9.2 (I know higher version beta but I want something stable at this point). I log onto Serato and download 1.9.2 off their website. The Rane MP4 is working again. Quick mix about 1 minute into my first song FAIL!!!! No sound coming through the Rane MP4...WTF? I thought Serato was sooooo stable????? All these Serato fan boys always saying that serato was stable, how could they have lied to me???? LOL What about all those former VDJ users who bitched and complained about my beloved VDJ being so unstable that they had to switch over to Serato because its stability??? Tried it about 5 more times with the same results! FAIL after a few minutes, no sound.
The Rane MP4 actually worked better on VDJ at least I am able to mix 3 songs on VDJ under serato I am lucky if I get 2 minutes into my 1st song.
I log onto the Serato forum to see if there's any solutions to my problems, I am amazed at what I read.
"""Serato has less than 30 employees, and most of these are not developers. We're trying as hard as we can to get this out there for you guys :)"""
Really? This is your reason for not releasing/developing a driver for the latest Windows OS? You're Serato division is much more sad than I had originally thought.
You should demand more resources from Rane to develop your flagship Disc Jockey system. The excuse of not having enough people is not acceptable and you should be ashamed. Also, the reason of not rushing to release something that would prove to be unstable is unacceptable. Microsoft releases information pertaining to their new OS's to manufacturers way before its release date to the public to allow those manufacturers time to develop drivers to work with the new OS. At the VERY LEAST, a Serato associate could have received a Alpha or Beta copy of Windows RC7 and began development from there.
Have you asked your Apple customers to resort to using a 10+ year old Mac OS?
Yes, you have come out with drivers for Vista but, you still continue to push Windows XP whenever an issue arises using Vista.
This is a shame, as I have been relatively happy with Serato over the years. This announcement has angered me.
Don't believe me? read it all here for yourself
http://www.serato.com/forum/discussion/216852
(MODS: If its a forum violation to link, please delete)
The Moral of my story is, Don't bitch and complain about VDJ all other software companies including Serato have similar issues. Stick to what works best for you and not what other people say is "better".
As for me, I have to go find a copy of windows XP. I guess the combination of Windows 7 64bit with an i7 quad core CPU is too high tech for the Serato's sound card drivers. From my limited success I can see that the Rane MP4 will work great as a sound card for VDJ, I just have to downgrade to XP to find a stable serato sound card driver.
Rane MP4 tested on:
HP DV7t-3000
# Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
# Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz
# 4GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
# 320GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
# 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 320M - For i7-720QM and i7-820QM Processors
Posted Thu 11 Mar 10 @ 5:47 pm
spun1_2
All thats missing is the drivers. Serato hasnt developed any for win7 yet. I have been writing all within that link you posted for months.
VDJ is great and is way more powerful software than Serato is. Now im curious to know. I am also using win7 64bit and cant use vdj right now unitl drivers are developed from Rane for the ssl1 box. Are you able to play in vdj with your config with no problems now for longer than test?
VDJ is great and is way more powerful software than Serato is. Now im curious to know. I am also using win7 64bit and cant use vdj right now unitl drivers are developed from Rane for the ssl1 box. Are you able to play in vdj with your config with no problems now for longer than test?
Posted Thu 11 Mar 10 @ 9:17 pm
MAGAGAR80
No, I am not able to get past 10 minutes in VDJ before audio goes out......in Serato its worst, I will be lucky if I get past 2 minutes in Serato before audio dies. Tomorrow I will test out the MP4 in my wifes HP laptop running windows 7 32bit on a dual core laptop. I will post my test results here tomorrow. I don't know why serato does not jump on fixing the driver for i7 CPUs, its pretty clear that all higher end windows laptops are running these CPUs with Windows 7 64bit.
Posted Thu 11 Mar 10 @ 11:51 pm
acw_dj
Well It is to bad don't have drivers for 64 bit operation system. win XP in a Core i7 is to much even for the OS. I don't know if you can downgrade (cause many current PC don't have XP drivers) so if you can, try it. If you CAN'T then try using a different sound card. Best sound than SSL-1 or MP4 could be found in a little AudioFire 2 ($199) or AudioFire 4 (if you want to try timecode use), you will be amazed how good it sounds and also it is full compatible with Windows 7 64 bits, Vista, XP and Mac OS X (including 10.6.2). I have both and tested in all OS.
Good Luck!
Posted Fri 12 Mar 10 @ 12:42 am
spun1_2
Thanks ACW .. Was looking into that last night.. Cant wait for the day with a stable system again.
Posted Fri 12 Mar 10 @ 9:05 am
MAGAGAR80
ok so I tested it on my wife's HP Laptop
Specs
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 1.66 GHZ
Memory: 2GB DDR2
OS: Windows 7 32bit
It works with Serato as expected.
With VDJ 6.0.7 it also works but I am getting sound drop outs every time I load the next track. I need to play with the performance settings to see it I can improve that but hey it works!!
So either Serato sound cards don't like Windows 64bit or they don't like intel quads.
My next test will be to install WinXP and try it with VDJ, I have a feeling that things will be better running in WinXP hopefully the quad CPU doesn't come into play under windows XP.
Specs
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 1.66 GHZ
Memory: 2GB DDR2
OS: Windows 7 32bit
It works with Serato as expected.
With VDJ 6.0.7 it also works but I am getting sound drop outs every time I load the next track. I need to play with the performance settings to see it I can improve that but hey it works!!
So either Serato sound cards don't like Windows 64bit or they don't like intel quads.
My next test will be to install WinXP and try it with VDJ, I have a feeling that things will be better running in WinXP hopefully the quad CPU doesn't come into play under windows XP.
Posted Fri 12 Mar 10 @ 10:42 pm
inDOKnito
@ MAGAGAR80
It's the CPU specs in your wife's laptop, I bet.
I was having the same problem with sound droputs on the very same CPU, using Vista 32 Bit (which isn't so different to Win 7n32 Bit).
Tried XP and it worked without any glitches:
http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/119848/PC_Version_Technical_Support/cracks_pops_when_loading_track_on_any_deck.html?search=popping&page=1
It's the CPU specs in your wife's laptop, I bet.
I was having the same problem with sound droputs on the very same CPU, using Vista 32 Bit (which isn't so different to Win 7n32 Bit).
Tried XP and it worked without any glitches:
http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/119848/PC_Version_Technical_Support/cracks_pops_when_loading_track_on_any_deck.html?search=popping&page=1
Posted Sun 14 Mar 10 @ 6:49 am
djtriple9
I used an SL1 on my Mac (2.4 Ghz duo core, 4GB RAM) with Sertato 1.9.2 installed and running Win7 64 bit in bootcamp. VDJ worked fine for me running timecodes. I don't use Serato, but the vast majority of clubs around here only have an SL1 box in the club. I installed the Vista 64 biit driver in compatibilty mode and everyhting worked fine for me.
Posted Mon 15 Mar 10 @ 2:24 pm
Caliente123
Before i buy any laptop, i always lookup to find out what operating system works best and what has the lowest latency. I wont jump into something because its new. In the serato forum, They tell you what OS is recomended where you download the latest software.
Posted Mon 15 Mar 10 @ 11:42 pm
MAGAGAR80
Ok Serato released a new 2.0 Beta Release Candidate 3 yesterday and it seems to have solved the problems I was experiencing. All you i7 people should try it out. This Rane MP4 mixer works great with VDJ =) I am now happy with my purchase.
Posted Wed 24 Mar 10 @ 11:10 pm
idjsounds
@MAGAGAR80
How did you get the mp4 to work as a sound card?
I have a mac and i do not see any options.
Does the crossfader work with videos?
I am using a Denon 2500 dual mini player.
I plugged that into a usb port and the mp4 into a usb port.
I can use the denon 2500 as a sound card and plug it into the analog rca inputs of the mp4.
That works fine but when running videos it will not switch videos. Crossfader is not tied to the vdj.
How did you get the mp4 to work as a sound card?
I have a mac and i do not see any options.
Does the crossfader work with videos?
I am using a Denon 2500 dual mini player.
I plugged that into a usb port and the mp4 into a usb port.
I can use the denon 2500 as a sound card and plug it into the analog rca inputs of the mp4.
That works fine but when running videos it will not switch videos. Crossfader is not tied to the vdj.
Posted Mon 05 Apr 10 @ 12:38 am
szeppieri
idjsounds wrote :
@MAGAGAR80
How did you get the mp4 to work as a sound card?
How did you get the mp4 to work as a sound card?
You are able to select it in the VDJ Audio options
Quote :
I have a mac and i do not see any options.
Should be found in the Audio/Midi tab
Quote :
Does the crossfader work with videos?
Nope.
MP4 is just a soundcard and Audio mixer, no midi interface.
Posted Mon 05 Apr 10 @ 11:39 am
MAGAGAR80
@ idjsounds
I 2nd what Denon DJ says.
You might as well let the Denons shoot the audio out. The MP4 is not a midi device so you can't control the software crossfader. If you need a mixer with a built in sound card and MIDI you should consider a Denon DN-X1700, DN-X1600, Korg Zero 4, Ecler Evo 5, Allen & Heath Xone 2D, or an Allen & Heath Xone 4D....Just keep in mind that these on-board sound cards will not activate serato. You could use them for other programs just not to turn on serato unless you have a serato box.
The following MIDI mixer do not have on board sound cards but your denons already have a sound card so you can just send the audio from the Denons to the mixers and configure your MIDI controls on the mixer. Behringer DDM 4000, Pioneer DJM-700, Pioneer DJM-800, Ecler Evo 4.
I'm pretty sure there's a few other mixers I missed.
To me it sounds like you have a mobile setup so that's why you went with the Rane MP4 and Denon 2500s so maybe the the mixers I mentioned above are not an option for you.....but!!! I do have a 3rd option.
You could get one of those laptop stands that have the sound card tray right underneath the laptop like the stanton uberstand and add a stanton SCS 3M to your setup, they are very small and very inexpensive, I'm sure you can find a nice little place to put it and you can use that to control your software crossfader on VDJ
I 2nd what Denon DJ says.
You might as well let the Denons shoot the audio out. The MP4 is not a midi device so you can't control the software crossfader. If you need a mixer with a built in sound card and MIDI you should consider a Denon DN-X1700, DN-X1600, Korg Zero 4, Ecler Evo 5, Allen & Heath Xone 2D, or an Allen & Heath Xone 4D....Just keep in mind that these on-board sound cards will not activate serato. You could use them for other programs just not to turn on serato unless you have a serato box.
The following MIDI mixer do not have on board sound cards but your denons already have a sound card so you can just send the audio from the Denons to the mixers and configure your MIDI controls on the mixer. Behringer DDM 4000, Pioneer DJM-700, Pioneer DJM-800, Ecler Evo 4.
I'm pretty sure there's a few other mixers I missed.
To me it sounds like you have a mobile setup so that's why you went with the Rane MP4 and Denon 2500s so maybe the the mixers I mentioned above are not an option for you.....but!!! I do have a 3rd option.
You could get one of those laptop stands that have the sound card tray right underneath the laptop like the stanton uberstand and add a stanton SCS 3M to your setup, they are very small and very inexpensive, I'm sure you can find a nice little place to put it and you can use that to control your software crossfader on VDJ
Posted Mon 05 Apr 10 @ 5:42 pm