Stanton SCS.4DJ Digital DJ Mixstation Video Review & Demo

[Rayth69]

Friendly tip: Don't buy this thing, it's riddled with bugs and missing features, and the support is horrible. I've made the mistake of buying it based on the "sponsored" reviews and am now forced to sell it. It's ok for "playing DJ", but completely useless for any type of professional live mixing.

[RealDJblaze]

@Rayth69 - This is not a "sponsored" or paid-for review if that's what you are implying. You may have a defective unit if you are having too many issues. I would contact Stanton Support to see if they can help you out. I fully described the feature set here in detail, so if you was expecting something other than what you see here, then you are at fault. I didn't make any falsehoods pertaining to the SCS4DJ. Good Luck.

[Rayth69]

@RealDJblaze Why so defensive? I didn't mean you. What I am trying to do, is warn potential users about buying a piece of hardware that has serious usability issues, which are not a result of hardware malfunction: occasional output distortion, headphone distortion and extreme sluggishness of the GUI, which makes browsing a large collection virtually impossible and forcing the user to use playlists only. not to mention having no track preview, hot cues, gain control as you mentioned.

[RealDJblaze]

@Rayth69 - Thanks for clearing it up... This is not a true professional piece of gear, but good for the bedroom for sure. Sorry buddy.

[Bionic9]

Thank you for the advice. God bless!

[Bionic9]

Recently, I just purchased the unit. However, when I attempted to plug in my 16gb usb flash drive, it didn't analyze any of my tracks. The manual doesn't really go into great detail,and I would really like to get this thing up and running. Is there any advice or instructions you could provide? Thank you

[RealDJblaze]

@Bionic9 -It should be automatic. Maybe you have to set the file format of the USB flash drive to FAT32 or the other format.... Try it on both.

[XxPsycho6dpkxX]

hey i was looking for a cheap Complete DJ Sets for beginers and to keep it for years about 500 euro is this good for djs??

[RealDJblaze]

@XxPsycho6dpkxX This will work nicely for you. You don't even need a computer...just a USB drive for music and you're ready to go. The unit was sturdy enough to last you through the years as long as you don't give it any real abuse. It is a closed setup, meaning you can't really add other pieces to it later on like additional turntables or other gear, so keep that in mind when you purchase. Other than that, I think its good for you.

[Kbeck94]

@RealDJblaze Someone said it can hook up to your laptop using Traktor. If this is true, couldn't you run extra controllers through your laptop?

[RealDJblaze]

@Kbeck94 You can run it with traktor as a controller, but it won't work as good or as responsive as a controller that is truly meant for Traktor. I wouldn't Bank on this device if I'm just going to run it through a computer. I would get something else like the S2.

[Kbeck94]

@RealDJblaze Thank you for your response!

[DJRRRIZZY]

quick question cause i dont have time to watch the video...

If any1 knows, when playing music to the scs, what format does the songs need to be?

Because i had a few songs on my usb n when i would slice it'd sound weird?

so if anybody could help me out id be extremely greatful :)

thankyou

[hrenthor]

@jokillu the stanton is $500. buy it from best buy... free shipping for acouple more days i think

[jokillu]

how much

[DjLeoProducciones]

Well, it looks a good product but, isn't the "all in one" dreamwed product because don't have video mixing and very important: don't have a few cue points in direct access.. Good video demo!

[Wiganunit]

A couple of questions please mate as i didnt have time to listen to your full review.

Q1, once you've analysed your tracks off an external drive, do you have to do this each time??? And......

Q2, you this be a good product to basically record a mix, burn it to cd then play it off your cdj's???

Thanks

[RealDJblaze]

@Wiganunit Q1 - You do not have to analyze the hard drive each time you start up... Only once. Q2 - This would be a great product to record a mix on and burn to a CD for CDJ mixing. If you are going to purchase this, then I would advise you take the time to watch the videos... You may be disappointed in a feature or two and I won't be responsible after the fact...

[MmhGanja]

@Wiganunit dont buy it.. its shit...

[djdcrayz]

i was pissed waited to see about its video mixing capabilities you never got back to that

[RealDJblaze]

@djdcrayz There are no Video Mixing capabilities...it can only play videos from the drive.

[javierikoloko]

hi i need conect in my pc cause i need put samplers :(

[J1705R]

yea it analyses yuour track When you Power on . I am a DJ ( Pulsate ) From [Gold Records Productions] i use A toshiba Laptop with an HD sound card and processor , i use FL Studio 10 and Audacity to Compose and Edit my Music then i Final Master Mix them with the Stanton !! it is ASOM i recommend the SCS.4DJ to any Novice DJ ,Pro DJ aand evan a beginning Discjockey if you are Determand to stick with it !!!!!  [Gold Records Prod.] At J1705R Thanks for your Time

[MrR32golf]

Hi flu you know wich is more better pioneers ddj-t1 or ddj-s1 for s1 I need to have imac laptop to play it or can use any laptop,help????

[RealDJblaze]

@MrR32golf - The DDJ-T1 and DDJ-S1 are very similar. They both have the same quality, but the T1 has four channels of mixing and Traktor software, while the DDJ-S1 has two channels of mixing and the Serato Software. I would make the decision based on which type of software you want to use. You can use them with any laptop, not just Mac. Thanks.

[Fordizzl3]

Nice review mate. Good all round detailed reviews of the positives and negatives.

Big up!

[RealDJblaze]

@Fordizzl3 Thanks

[beacon1045]

what up buddy, do you know anything about the " Mix Vibes UMIXCONTROLPRO DJ Mixer" seems alright but dont know anything about it .

[RealDJblaze]

@beacon1045 - I have never heard of it until now..

[beacon1045]

I THINK ANALYZING MY WHOLE MP3 LIBRARY WOULD TAKE FOR EVER, THAT IS A HUGE DRAWBACK. I LIKE THE SMART SYNC BUTTON IS GOOD, BUT NO GAIN ON EACH SIDE. THE MIX DECK HAS GAIN BUT NO SYNC EXCEPT THROUGH SOFTWARE.. BUT I WANT TO GO LAPTOP FREE...

[RealDJblaze]

@beacon1045 The software has now been released on the Stanton Website to give you the option to analyze tracks on the computer which is a lot faster. After your tracks are analyzed, then it will be smooth sailing. You only have to do it once.

[DubsUPHoesDOWN]

Most thorough helpful review ive seen man thanks :)

[beacon1045]

what would be better this or the numark mixdeck.

[RealDJblaze]

@beacon1045 That's close... I would personally take this over the Mixdeck.

[DeeeJayVegas]

How do you get music on that? NO CD INPUTS???

[RealDJblaze]

@DeeeJayVegas - All music is input by USB hard drives, flash drives, IPOD's and almost anything else with a USB hookup with music files on it.

[Franzy138]

@DeeeJayVegas hardrives usb portsd

[audioadmusic]

Nice review, does it have the 'clone deck' function like Serato/Traktor ?

[RealDJblaze]

@audioadmusic - I don't think it does... I can't remember 100%, but I don't remember seeing it.

[hubzcaps]

what kind of monitors you got??? i need an opinion on some powered studio speakers..

[RealDJblaze]

@hubzcaps - I've got some cheap Tascam monitors setup, but go check into the KRK models as they really knock.

[cronos26]

Can you use an iPod with his USB connection and can chose two songs of it??

[RealDJblaze]

@cronos26 - Yes, it works with the iPod

[RealDJblaze]

@DjBassspinner - It will work with any MIDI programmable software. I have never done any MIDI setups in VDJ, but If you can customize MIDI settings in VDJ, you should be OK.

[worlofedm]

Can you use the scs.4dj as midi controller? or did they eliminate that?

[RealDJblaze]

@worlofedm - Please watch the full video review as I have touched on that subject within. it does have MIDI capabilities as well.

[worlofedm]

@RealDJblaze I skipped it at forst but thanks. I went ahead and ordered the ddjt1 and and VMS4.1

[djmalarky]

Yo Blaze man Im sorry, I didnt realize the answer to my question is further into your comments with regards to any stanton updates to help speed up the analyze process. Thanks again man...DJ Malarky out.

[RealDJblaze]

@djmalarky - I believe there is a stanton software update available that will allow you to analyze your tracks o nthe computer, but unfortunately, they still take a lot of time to analyze. Not as long as on the SCS.4DJ, but still hours for 10,000 songs. It's still worth it once your tracks are actually analyzed once.

[djmalarky]

@RealDJblaze Thanks man, I might pick this up. Im looking more for those wedding type gigs you know?

[RealDJblaze]

@djmalarky Honestly, this is probably the PERFECT setup for Wedding type gigs. It's exactly what I had in mind when I reviewed it... A Mobile DJ who wants a very light setup, no laptop, and no need for a lot of extra features that Club or house DJs need...

[djmalarky]

@RealDJblaze Ya, that was my thought exactly. I have a mobile business here in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the DJ business is very busy and competitive here. The market is bigger then you might think ha. I do think however, the mobile market for things like weddings should be kept clean and simple when talking about head units. We go big here with lighting as it the visual that people want. Nobody really cares about the head unit except the guy using it right? Always my friend, DJ Malarky out.

[djmalarky]

@RealDJblaze By the way, your vid reviews are some of the best in the industry with your very clear explinations and how too's and hands on perspective. If it werent for you Im not sure that I would even consider this product. I was going to load a new 80gb ipod and dedicate it to the scs.4dj and just let it analyze for a week or two ha ha lol. I think when its done, it should be good to go. I could always add new tracks to the ipod or taylor a playlist for the client. DJ Malarky out.

[RealDJblaze]

@djmalarky - Thanks for the compliments. The SCS.4DJ will suit you just fine.

[ThisIsSoccer2010]

thanks for this very helpful review !

do you need anything else or is it it just possible to connect it with the speakers and go for it ?

[RealDJblaze]

@ThisIsSoccer2010 - Just connect to some speakers and you are ready to go.

[djmalarky]

@RealDJblaze Yo man I was wondering how well this unit works with a 80gb or 160gb ipod with video? Will it recognize the ipod as its media source? Thank you for your input. DJ Malarky out.

[RealDJblaze]

@djmalarky Yes, it will recognize the iPod, but it won't play the video. It will take a long time to analyze all of the tracks on the device, but once you are done, you will be set to go.

[djmalarky]

@RealDJblaze I heard there was some type of update from stanton to help speed up the process for recognizing the tracks with a faster way of analyzing them is this true or what have you heard? look man, I appreciate your help with this. Im looking into this unit for a quick mobile type joint but that analyze time table is crazy. Even 10,000 soungs might be a while lol. Holla back man and thanks for the advice. DJ Malarky out.

[pilkers2]

great review, when you add tracks from an external hard drive can you pick and choose which tracks or folders that you want to add in? or does it automatically scan the whole of external drive..?

[RealDJblaze]

@pilkers2 The SCS4DJ will scan the entire drive for music files to analyze them. There is no way to pick and choose which tracks you want to analyze...

[pilkers2]

@RealDJblaze ok thanks.....another related question please.....if you have previously scanned the hard drive, disconnected it, and then reconnected it again and in the meantime you have have added more music files onto the hard drive, then does the SCS4DJ only identify the new tracks to add in..?

[RealDJblaze]

@pilkers2 - Only the new tracks will be analyzed...

[TheLeos14]

could u make a vid of how to connect speakers with the scs4dj connections

[wtcbd01]

Stanton has released a software version of the analyzer. However, this still is not perfect as the system will still take (much shorter) time to associate the analyzed files to the unit. Software takes about 5 seconds or less per song as opposed to 1/4 the time.

This is an incredibly detailed review and i have pointed others to this video as the reference Before purchasing the unit. Thanks for this.

[RealDJblaze]

@wtcbd01 - You are welcome for the review. I try to do something different from the other reviewers by providing Fully detailed reviews so you know what to spend your hard-earned cash on. I wish I had something like this when I was coming up. Thank you for the updates on the SCS.4DJ as well...

[ReinierSandtke]

Thanks for a really detailed review! I've been thinking about getting this thing for a long time, something to get me started on mixing. The only thing is, I download new music for mixing about everyday, so it would really suck to constantly have to wait for those new tracks to get analyzed if it STILL (a month after you uploaded this) takes as long as 1/4th of the playtime of the track, so does it? Otherwise I'd just have to get used to mixing with a laptop.

[RealDJblaze]

@ReinierSandtke - Unfortunately there is still no fix from Stanton on the Analysis time improvement. It'll just have to take the time...sometimes it can take up to 1/2 the playtime to analyze the track. Good Luck.

[ifone77]

does this mixer, while mixing show if the beats are goin together?

[RealDJblaze]

@ifone77 - Yes, you can tell at a glance if they are in sync or not...

[remphase67]

@RealDJblaze [continuation] On the issue of file analysis, Stanton should a sofware that you can use on your pc to analyze then just sync it to the device avoiding the tedious process.Besides the lack of other feature like what other people are complaining about this nifty device in it's simplicity will rock the dance floor.

[RealDJblaze]

@remphase67 - You are correct on the issues and the third issue should be fixed soon. They are working on a software program that will allow you to analyze the tracks on the computer instead of within the unit, making the process so much faster. I don't really remember experiencing the other issues that you speak of, but you should head over to the stanton forums on their website for quick responses to your issues. Thanks for your posts.

[remphase67]

@RealDJblaze [continuation] One problem I have encountered so far is that when looping and trying to end the process and ejecting the song to load another, the device somehow is preventing or not recognizing the action am making so therefore I have to resort to rebooting which helps and I hope that updating the software might somehow fix it.

[remphase67]

@RealDJblaze Thank you for posting a comprehensive review. I just recently acquired the device and I am impressed even though there are certain issues that needs improvement by Staton. The latest software updates did help a bit in certain functionality of the device which is posted on their web site.

[wilsonderfon]

can be used without loading samples and loops to a deck

[RealDJblaze]

@wilsonderfon - yes, you can use it without loading samples and loops...

[finomhiphopandskate]

what's the problem with the deadlines on the fader

[RealDJblaze]

@finomhiphopandskate - There is no real "problem" with the crossfader, but there is a big "dead-space" between where the sound is off and the sound is back on when a person is scratching rigorously, then you will notice. If you aren't scratching too crazy, then you won't notice it.

[jaydeejoy]

did u get any hard locked?

where s gain button? how to sync volume like djm 600-700

3 q band and 1 gain every each channel

can u put 2-3 usb stick in same time?

[RealDJblaze]

@jaydeejoy - It never froze up on me at all. I used this for weeks and It never stopped working. There is no Gain control and that was one of my issues with the unit. The machine has an autogain feature, but it doesn't always work perfectly. Yes, you can put 2-3 USB sticks in at the same time. There is a 20,000 song limit...

[jaydeejoy]

@RealDJblaze

THNX BRO for infos

i think its not ready for a club, s4 or s2 i will buy

[TLdAnon]

@RealDJblaze What happens when you hit the '20,000 song limit'? I imagine there is a way to edit the internal library?

[RealDJblaze]

@TLdAnon - Honestly, I'm not sure what happens when you hit the 20k song limit. I did not test that when I had the review unit. I am supposed to get another unit soon, but if you need an answer by then, I would go to the official Stanton Forums and see what they have to say. You will get a quick answer...

[jaydeejoy]

did u get any hard locked?

where s gain button?  how to sync volume like djm 600-700

3 q band and 1 gain every each channel

[jaydeejoy]

did u get any hard locked?



[djmalarky]

Yo Blaze, can you do a vid showing this unit playing a video and also if you used an ipod for your drive do you know if it also powers the ipod? Thanks for any help in this matter and keep up the great reviews. Love, Peace and Hairgrease...DJ Malarky out.

[reachboy1]

when you add the music how much memory does it use ?

[RealDJblaze]

@reachboy1 - I'm not sure, but it can hold all the information from a total of 20,000 tracks.

[H4zT0x]

In the subject of file analysis does it remember afterwards each time you would unplug or power off.? example; traveling from gigs. or would you have to analysis each time?

[RealDJblaze]

@H4zT0x - The File analysis will forever be stored in the systems' internal memory once the tracks have been analyzed the first time. You can remove and re-insert the USB device and even turn off the power. When you fire it up, it will be ready to play with completely analyzed tracks. Thanks.

[zaikozorro]

Nice review as always. If you notice the empty space above the jog wheels, that leads me to believe that later on they are gonna come out with a "mkII" version of the unit with HOT CUES and a few other upgrades. Typical fashion of these companies. Look for the "new and improved" unit by the end of the year.

[an1malcrossingww]

Hey Blaze, sorry for the off topic comment. But do you plan on reviewing the Behringer Nox 404 when it comes out? I need a newer cheap scratch worthy mixer

[RealDJblaze]

@an1malcrossingww - Yes, I will review the NOX 404 early next month, along with DJ Tech Pro X10 and 303 Mixers which are also good on cost. Check those out as well. Reviews coming soon!

[RealDJblaze]

@jeffkako Thanks for the compliments! Keep it locked and subscribe because we've got lots more coming soon!

[an1malcrossingww]

Very informative, thanks Blaze!

[RealDJblaze]

@an1malcrossingww - No doubt! I try to give as much detail as possible!