I think it was assumed by Vestax and a lot of other people that the VCI-300 was going to be a more popular controller than the VCI-100. That didn’t turn out to be exactly the case, and now many people are justifiably confused as to which controller they should buy. Here at Dj TechTools we get at least one email with this question every day so to help you make up your own mind, here is the list of pro’s and cons:
VCI-100
The Good Stuff
- More Knobs and Buttons
- Smaller foot print
- Less expensive (approx $400)
- Flexible layout is more universal with a dedicated FX section
- Established Community of Users
- The VCI-100 SE upgrade package
- Comes with Traktor LE
Not So Good
- Short Pitch Fader is the equivelent of +/- 4
- firmware updates via upgrade package only
- smaller jog wheel is less ideal for scratching
Our Opinion
The VCI-100 remains one of the best values on the market for a dedicate dj midi controller. If your using Traktor or other dj programs with FX then the dedicated FX section and additional loop transport buttons on the 100 model will come in good use. If however, large jog wheels and a long pitch fader are a must then you may be disappointed with the 100’s compact controls.
Read my full review of the VCI-100 here for more details
VCI-300
The Good Stuff
- Large, High Resolution Jog Wheels
- Jog Wheel Tension adjustment
- Long, Higher resolution PItch faders +/- 6%
- Built in sound card w MIC input
- Spacious layout
Not So Good
- Requires a special translator program for use with programs other than Itch
- Layout is specifically designed for the Itch interface
- Limited knobs and buttons for FX
- USB and audio over the same cable
- More Expensive (approx $750 with Itch)
- Difficult to program the LEDS to respond via MIDI
Our Opinion
The solid combination of Itch and the VCI-300 are a very reliable package which perform the fundamentals of mixing very effectively. Although both are limited in features, those that they do have perform very well. For users that are looking for a “all in one solution” that is reliable and equipped with solid scratching the VCI-300/Itch combo will not disappoint.
Those that want to use the VCI-300 with other software should be consider their purchase carefully. The VCI-300 must go through a translator program to convert the high res jog wheels and pitch faders into data other software can read. Its also a bit short on controls for FX and transport controls so you will need to get creative with your assignments.
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