Vestax VCM-100 Reviewed

Written by Ean Golden on March 7th, 2008 47 Comments

About 3 months ago I had one of the first VCM-100′s to leave Japan. It was a parting gift Vestax gave me after my first visit to perform at the Vestax Extravaganza. After a long Trans-Atlantic flight I was fairly out of it and failed to pay ample attention to my luggage cart. While my back was turned some lucky bastard snatched it right out of my cart! On my return trip I made it a point to test the unit and now, finally, I have the much delayed review on the VCM-100.

Sound Card

There is not much to say, as the VCM-100 contains hardware from the Maya USB sound card which we already reviewed here. It has 2 pairs of inputs and 2 pairs of outputs. There are no problems monitoring the tracks individually from the master output and we were told the inputs can be routed to the master out so you should be able to run a CD player in case of a computer crash.

Pros

The input rotaries are really nice but I do come from an old school house back ground where the original Urei mixer was revered. If your wanting to do quick cuts with the line fader then they will suck but for smooth volume changes and electronic mixing the resistance is perfect.

Long tempo faders mean precise adjustments to tempo and the ability to use them to ride the pitch more effectively as you would on a techniques 1200.

Dual line inputs mean you could use this as a mixer interface for Deck A Dance and run two CD players of time code signal directly in through the VCM-100. I didn’t actually test this concept but in theory it should work just fine. Paired with an in-expensive set of CD players and some Serato scratch time code jacked from the net this could be a very inexpensive way to have a nice little digital dj setup.

Cons

The round scroll button in the middle is a 4 way button that scrolls up and down and loads tracks to the left and right. Often though (about 25% of the time) when I was scrolling down a slight shift to the left or right was picked up as a load command and Traktor tried to load a song into the deck. Fortunately, I had “no loading while playing” protection enabled in Traktor but its still a problem you might run into should you want to re-assign that control.

If you intend on buying it with the bundled Traktor LE there is a major over-site on the design. Underneath the tempo faders you will find 2 fine tempo adjustment buttons. These should have been assigned to pitch bends but instead are locked to tempo inside Traktor LE. Unless you rely on sync mode, where Traktor attempts to keep your beats locked, there is no way to bend the pitch or massage tracks into time. The only way to re-assign the buttons is by upgrading to Traktor 3. That is is not a problem however with the native mapping in deck a dance where the buttons have been assigned appropriately.

Conclusion

Overall its a good value and a well made little unit. For anyone that just wants to do basic mixing of tracks at home or on the road- this is a fun midi controller option. There are no bells and whistles but almost every control you need to perform effective basic mixing is present, accounted for and well laid out. With a sound card its a good value at $499 and if the price falls bellow $400 it would be a no-brainer with bundled software.

Filed under: DJ Controllers, VCI-100 SE / Arcade, Video Posts, and tagged Dj Equipment, Review, Vcm-100.

Stephan

Nice review Ean. What's the title of the track with the vocals in this video clip? Sounds hot!
Alex

thx for the review, but in my opinion 499$ is a bit expensive, ok – there is an audio interface included – but i would preferably spend about 100$ more to get the vci100 with an external soundcard….

cheers!
http://www.eangolden.com Ean Golden

I agree, $300-$400 would have been a better price point. Its hard to say how these things end up getting priced though. Often the manufacturer has a hard time predicting that.

That track is "static" (martin buttrich remix) by Planet Funk
groovemixer

thanks 4 the review ean, cant watch the vid at work but will check it once im home. from what ive read from some owners of the vcm100 is that the soundcard is not up to par. this said im waiting patently for the vci 300 to arrive, hopefully shes what im looking for.
Avelin

Too much money for that…
iPad

Does it have crossfader curve adjustment like the vci does?

It's a pitty this thing does not have optional phono input switching and is not accepted for the use of Traktor Scratch timecode.
http://www.eangolden.com Ean Golden

no cross fader adjustment sadly. Yes, getting Traktor scratch to work with a device like this would make perfect sense. If there some way we can hack devices to do that?
http://myspace.com/theduckwithanipod doubleyou

this looks great but i already have a x-session pro. :)

just wondering…. if i showed up to a club gig with a laptop and a small midi mixer like this, would they take me seriously? would i have less creditability?
Chris combe

I saw Steve Bug play last week and he uses Traktor Scratch + time encoded vinyl on a macbook with an external hdd :)

always good to see cutting head dj's use digital equipment
Avelin

<blockquote cite="#comment-1477">this looks great but i already have a x-session pro. :)

just wondering…. if i showed up to a club gig with a laptop and a small midi mixer like this, would they take me seriously? would i have less creditability?

to doubleyou…

>>>I was thinking the same question…I think that the gear isn't the most important thing to be a good dj. It is better when you have good gear but at start anything is good. In early stage it means nothing to you. If you know how to mix you can mix with anything. I have pictures with pete tong in russia and there he plays with x session pro, trigger finger and ableton live. If he can even can you… :)

http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/3046/200802091… http://img510.imageshack.us/img510/7536/200802091…
http://www.eangolden.com Ean Golden

Pete Tong is not exactly known for his dj skills though ;-) look, I played clubs for years with just an oxygen 8 and a laptop. Sure, at first you get looks but if you get on stage and throw down the tunes then people quickly shut up. These days its also become much more acceptable. 3 years ago final scratch was taboo but now serato is standard for most djs.

in 2 years bringing your own midi gear will be standard too.
Avelin

;) pete tong sucks…
Midifidler

Hey Ean,

I have just finished my first fully functional prototype of a midi controller inspired by your arcade button mods called the "midi-fighter". Would you be interested in looking at it? If so give me an email @ mjm46@hotmail.com.

Cheers,
http://createdigitalmusic.com Peter Kirn

So, do the headphones double the monitor out, or the mains? I would hope you can use the headphones for cueing, yeah?

The price is a little on the steep side, I agree, but the fact that the hardware is this nice (had a fiddle at NAMM), the audio is there, the stand is built in… it is a pretty lovely piece of kit. I think it's just overshadowed by the VCI, which does have crossfader adjustment.

Ean, is there a laptop stand available for the VCI?
http://www.eangolden.com Ean Golden

Hey Peter, nice to see you around our corner of the web :-)

The headphones double the monitor output.

There is no official laptop stand for the VCI-100, but the Uber stand works relatively well for the purpose.
http://higherbeats.de Alan D.

"run two CD players of time code signal directly in through the VCM-100. I didn?t actually test this concept but in theory it should work just fine"

is it able to do that or not? and can you run the cd player through without switching this in the software? or is there the switch on the vcm?

cause "in case of a computer crash" the option would be crashed too ;-)

and i guess u could only reassign the rotary faders as pitch and the pitch faders as line faders in a full traktor.
groovemixer

im assuming that if u use the usb power to run it, it will crash also?? using the power adaptor will allow you to play from an external cd player till the lappy boots up again?? is this possible??
http://www.contemptny.org subVert

The one thing that I wish it had was a jog wheel instead of the scroll button. I really want something small with built in audio to simplify the setup just a little bit.
dethdeth

thanks for the great review! could i input an external drum machine to one channel and also sync it via midi? then can i reassign the channel back and forth to mp3s and the drum machine?
Sami

[quote comment=""]

thanks for the great review! could i input an external drum machine to one channel and also sync it via midi? then can i reassign the channel back and forth to mp3s and the drum machine?

[/quote]

[quote comment="1648"]"run two CD players of time code signal directly in through the VCM-100. I didn?t actually test this concept but in theory it should work just fine"

is it able to do that or not? and can you run the cd player through without switching this in the software? or is there the switch on the vcm?

cause "in case of a computer crash" the option would be crashed too ;-)

and i guess u could only reassign the rotary faders as pitch and the pitch faders as line faders in a full traktor.[/quote]

You can only use timecode in Traktor if you use the Audio8 hardware – however, you could investigate ImageLine (who make FL studio)'s Deckadance DJing software which supports all timecode formats and has native support for the VCM-100. It's not quite as refined as Traktor yet but it's only at v1.3 – I've been playing around with it, and I would say it's set to be a serious contender for the Traktor crown – for one thing it has VST support, and good sampling capabilities… but only 2 'decks'
guven

hello from Istanbul and thanks for the review.

What I dont understand is, the guys here at vestax said there is no internal soundcard in it. I want use it with an external firewire sound card. Is it possible? or do I have to be content whats in it.
http://www.eangolden.com Ean Golden

[quote comment=""]hello from Istanbul and thanks for the review.

What I dont understand is, the guys here at vestax said there is no internal soundcard in it. I want use it with an external firewire sound card. Is it possible? or do I have to be content whats in it.[/quote]

yes- there is a sound card in it but you can also use it only as a controller with an external card. best of luck.
guven

yes- there is a sound card in it but you can also use it only as a controller with an external card. best of luck.[/quote]

Can I still use the headphone out from this unit?
http://djricardotorres.com Ricardo Torres (West

[quote comment=""]yes- there is a sound card in it but you can also use it only as a controller with an external card. best of luck.[/quote]

Can I still use the headphone out from this unit?[/quote]

I know that in Traktor if you don't use the VCM as a soundcard you won't be able to use the headphones from the unit. Traktor can only use one soundcard at a time. I'm assuming it's the same for most programs.
guven

I know that in Traktor if you don't use the VCM as a soundcard you won't be able to use the headphones from the unit. Traktor can only use one soundcard at a time. I'm assuming it's the same for most programs.[/quote]

Thank you very much for the answers,

I think from what I searched and understood that virtual dj supports multiple sound cards; however, I migth get the vestax vci 300 with virtual dj pro.
chris

love your mixes on you tube by the way ean.

been looking into getting a vestax vci100 for a while now. just have a few questions.

i have an old desktop that is fine using the demo of traktor pro.

can you use headphones to listen to the song playing on desk b while deck a is playing? i have a cheap 5.1 soundcard but havent found any buttons that allow me to use headphones. is it even possible?

also im from the uk and wanted to know whats the best software package to go with the package. love using traktor pro and am really into techno and house. what would you recommend?

many thanks
Tom

“run two CD players of time code signal directly in through the VCM-100. I didn?t actually test this concept but in theory it should work just fine”

is it able to do that or not? and can you run the cd player through without switching this in the software? or is there the switch on the vcm?

I really don't know much about MIDI but…

I was planning on connecting two technics 1200s to the inputs on the VCM-100. Is this possible? If so, how do I get them to play through the controller?

Otherwise what other piece of hardware would I need to use the VCM as a mixer between two Technics?

If you can help, thank you very much…
Ean Golden

[quote comment=""]“run two CD players of time code signal directly in through the VCM-100. I didn?t actually test this concept but in theory it should work just fine”

is it able to do that or not? and can you run the cd player through without switching this in the software? or is there the switch on the vcm?

I really don't know much about MIDI but…

I was planning on connecting two technics 1200s to the inputs on the VCM-100. Is this possible? If so, how do I get them to play through the controller?

Otherwise what other piece of hardware would I need to use the VCM as a mixer between two Technics?

[/quote]

the vcm-100 can not do what you are asking for here as its not an analogue mixer. You need something like the the zone 3d which has analogue mixing and midi controls
tom

[quote]the vcm-100 can not do what you are asking for here as its not an analogue mixer. You need something like the the zone 3d which has analogue mixing and midi controls[/quote]

Hi Ean, Thanks for the answer… I've got the VCM-100 already.

So (again – apologies if I sound idiotic) is there another piece of hardware that I could plug two technics into. Then connect that into the VCM inputs?

If not, could you give me an example of what does go into the VCM inputs? What are they there for?

thank you so much…
charlie

[quote comment="16430"][quote]the vcm-100 can not do what you are asking for here as its not an analogue mixer. You need something like the the zone 3d which has analogue mixing and midi controls[/quote]

Hi Ean, Thanks for the answer… I've got the VCM-100 already.

So (again – apologies if I sound idiotic) is there another piece of hardware that I could plug two technics into. Then connect that into the VCM inputs?

If not, could you give me an example of what does go into the VCM inputs? What are they there for?

thank you so much…[/quote]

Maybe Kaoss Pad ?
http://djricardotorres.com Ricardo Torres (West Coast Collective)

I have a VCM-100 and also a Audio DJ 8. I would like to use the VCM-100 only as a controller and use the ADJ 8 as my soundcard (better quality audio). When I plug both into my Mac I get a message that both devices are drawing too much power from the build in USB. The VCM-100 can be fitted with an optional power adaptor. If I get one does anyone know if this will fix my problem? Thank you.
kevin

just bought VCM-100 the thing is i have Ableton Live 7 and i can seem to assign the vestax to my midi on Ableton or get VCM to function at all is it supported with Ableton live? or have just waisted a load of money
http://www.anotherworldvision.org loz

[quote post="239"]just bought VCM-100 the thing is i have Ableton Live 7 and i can seem to assign the vestax to my midi on Ableton or get VCM to function at all is it supported with Ableton live? or have just waisted a load of money[/quote]

The VCM-100 works just fine with Ableton. You just need to select it as your MIDI controller in Ableton’s preferences and turn on ‘track’ ‘sync’ and ‘remote’ options.( live / preferences / midi sync ). Then get mapping it to your controls using the ‘midi map’ button in the top right of the screen…
Matthew

sorry to but in with what may be a stubid question but…

I’m looking at buying a VCM-100. It comes bundled with Traktor LE. I don’t think you can record through LE so may need to upgrade to PRO.

As an alternative means of recording, could I run from the mixer’s master out into the input on my PC’s soundcard (M-audio audiophile) then record ‘live’ in soundforge?

Advice gratefully recieved!

[quote comment=""][quote post="239"]just bought VCM-100 the thing is i have Ableton Live 7 and i can seem to assign the vestax to my midi on Ableton or get VCM to function at all is it supported with Ableton live? or have just waisted a load of money[/quote]

The VCM-100 works just fine with Ableton. You just need to select it as your MIDI controller in Ableton’s preferences and turn on ‘track’ ‘sync’ and ‘remote’ options.( live / preferences / midi sync ). Then get mapping it to your controls using the ‘midi map’ button in the top right of the screen…[/quote]
juls

Hi
I used it perfectly with ableton, and utilised the pitch adjust for line 3 and 4, using filter ,delay ……,
Small size for teaveling with my laptop

Peace
Jake Pepper

Hey really nice review. Was just wondering if it works well with virtual dj? because i really hate traktors software

Regards Jake
http://www.anotherworldvision.org loz

[quote comment=""]Hey really nice review. Was just wondering if it works well with virtual dj? because i really hate traktors software

Regards Jake[/quote]

Dunno about virtual DJ I’m afraid…
joe d

Good review ean. Can you tell me is it possible to put a mic into one of the inputs on the vcm-100 and can I control the effects in traktor 3 from the unit?
Ang3l

Hi, I have installed my VCM 100 with Traktor PRO this evening.
Installed the updated Tsi.
All the lights on the controller are orange and do not change in blue when activated. Please help me, it’s an hour – more or less – that I’m going to try something in the setup…
Thanks a lot.
Djmatella

Is there a way to run this to a DJM 600 mixer? I would want to use this midi controller to manipulate Traktor Pro while using the hardware to mix and preview 2 channels at one time. I found this thing on Musician’s Friend for $229 recently which doesnt seem like that bad of a deal. I just need to know about hooking up an external mixer, that will be the decision point of whether or not I buy this product. Thanks!
http://www.metachemical.ca Metachemical

@ Djmatella you should be able to do this by running the master out into your mixer for PGM 1, and then use the monitor/booth output for PGM 2. The sound card is the ESI MAYA 44 I believe, which is the same as the Vestax Vai-40 (guts wise) and all are 4 channel cards.
http://- Ezequiel

Ean!. Not if we read this review, but I recently bought a vcm -100 and I am super happy with his performance. But since I saw you put Arcedo buttons to a vci 100, do not think of anything else: it will be possible to put these buttons in my vcm 100. Not just a cosmetic issue, but above all because the resolution of the buttons is not the best. Someone in the forum has the same concern? Greetings from Argentina!
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