Best controller for djay on macOS - no budget

is it 100% comp compatible? I know some controllers are either 9095 or 85%.

If you really want the best of to best for djay on a mac then get the Rane performer.

u promise? do u use that one

No, I can’t promise you anything. Do some research before you drop big bucks on things. I wouldn’t buy it. I just gave you a suggestion based on your comment about your query about no budget and using a Mac.

The Rane performer has its jog wheel screens supported and the other smaller screens also. It’s got relatively the latest mapping with all the new features.

Personally I would look at the grv6 from pioneer.

(I’m gonna call all Rane platters jog wheels in djay pro from now on)

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Best advice here ā€œDo researchā€ go into the music store and try before you buy. I would like to help with advice on finding clients but that is a whole different topic not for this forum.

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can u DM or message me personally sam jam? that way i can ask u more about that

is that what you use?

I use the Rane one. I just put a metallic skin from 12in Skinz on it. I made a custom case for it also.

Here’s the before pics

I’ve been using it for awhile now between my iPhone, Mac mini M1 and my M3 laptop. I have encountered only a few issues like wanting to get the jog wheels to mimic real vinyl.

Wait until the mk2 version comes out if you want it, but I don’t think this controller is for you though. I could be wrong though :winking_face_with_tongue:

I’m looking at the grv6 as my next purchase just to strictly use with Djay

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nice, very nice. i like the figures too

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I recommend this free pdf book for you. Rock The Dancefloor! - Digital DJ Tips
Have a read at that then DM me any questions.

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I love my Rane Performer. Some minor issues and the screens so far doesn’t show the album art of the songs, but has a solid integration with Djay Pro and works fine even in my M1 Air, which has some struggle to work with Serato (I also have a M4 Pro).

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The Reloop models are very good as well for Djay with Mac/Ipad/Iphone. and 100% fully mapped with Djay. I personally use a Mixon 8 since more than a year and I am fully satisfied.

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the rane performers has the ā€˜*’ symbol meaning it is limited on djay pro

Yes @joccili, as clearly outlined in the linked hardware support page at the bottom:

  • Some features are currently not supported on these controllers/mixers:
    RANE PERFORMER: Display modes, playlist titles and icons, Neural Mix support for waveforms on jog wheels

Pioneer DJ DDJ-FLX4-N 2-Channel DJ Controller Gold. slak jaw, does this controller work the same as the regular ddj flx 4, this one is gold and says ā€˜n-2’ in the title

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Hi @joccili, I’m pretty sure the only difference is the color. I believe the ā€œNā€ only refers to the color - similar to how the ā€œWā€ for the white version likely refers to the color. However, I recommend that you reach out to Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta to confirm if there are any other differences. I hope that helps!

@joccili - The gold versions of Pioneer products are Guitar Center exclusives but as Slack Jaw mentions, the internals are all the same. The FLX4 is one of the better beginner controllers. Decent fader and jog for scratching if you’re into that. Won’t break the bank and it serves as a good backup if you upgrade later.

Correct. I have both RANE One and Performer, One works with Both MacOS and iOS while the Performer is only compatible with MacOS due to being non USB compliant. Haven’t heard much on the RANE side of things. I miss using it with the iPad, just amazing to have that touch on screen.

Yes, I have never got the cover art to display.

RANE One and Performer works great on MacOS. I use both. If you want 4 Channels and can multi task between both, get the Performer. If you want the option to use MacOS and iOS iPad, the RANE One is compatible with both. All the necessary mappings work with both and you could also remap within the Djay application if you need to. Both are solid build, Performer is much beefier, so it is heavier. Then adding a flight case, it gets real bulky and heavy.

Currently there are NO designated STEMS button for acapella/instrumental on RANE One and must be mapped, (unless you use an iPad, those buttons will be touch screen and the touch response works amazing or just wait for the new RANE One MK2 this summer if you’re a physical button kind of guy), the Performer has designated buttons and other ways you could split STEMs between the 4 channels, even options to use the EQ as 3 way stems. I’m using a MacOS M4 24GB Ram (but will
work on base 16GB just fine) and iPad Pro M4. Apple OS just runs solid. If you use it on a Windows Surface touch screen, works great when it wants to, I just think my 16GB is not enough as mine occasionally crashes, very hit and miss so I don’t recommend it for a professional environment. Too expensive to upgrade 32GB to test and find out. The touch screen was convenient, and it felt like the best of both worlds except I didn’t have enough RAM to give it a fair shot.

If RANE would update their firmware to make the Performer USB compliant with iOS (assuming it has a large enough hard drive for your files), the addition of the touch screen would make it amazing bc all your button problems would go away since the whole screen would be filled with enough buttons for STEMs and FX. iPad is also easier to bring around, and MAY cost less than a a MacBook depending on the model, the only trade off is the space size is limited to a max 1 terabyte.

In conclusion, my biggest disappointment with Performer is it not being compatible with the iPad which having a touch screen just simplifies a lot of things STEMs and FX related. Even when having a low budget 10 gen iPad Air, it worked well on all controllers that was compatible. I love my Performer, but I don’t like not having the convenience of a touch screen which will probably be the future. If you are a MacOS kind of guy, Performer or RANE One are great options. If you’re a iOS guy, RANE One is the way to go between the two. Good luck.

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