Professional DJ MIDI Controller

Product Description

The Vestax VCI 380 is a 2 channel DJ MIDI controller with a built in Digital DJ mixer. Powerful and creative, it opens the door to limitless possibilities of controllerism. Every feature of the VCI 380 is optimized to enhance the DJ's performance and take a new approach in manipulating music. Designed to work hand in hand with Serato, VCI 380 is bundled with ITCH, providing an arsenal of musical craft tools with perfect integrity, straight out of the box. The 2 x 8 banks of FSR trigger pads on the VCI 380 are jam packed with creative performance modes. With the given features you can trigger cue points, samples, loops, slice up beats, and shoot off Pad FX together. The jog wheels on the VCI 380 have an advanced structure and larger platters for extra stability and smoothness. The LED needle point embedded in the jog wheel provides excellent visual monitoring, indicating the deck's playback position. The torque of the jog wheels can be adjusted to your preference, and you can pitch bend the track by touching the sides of the jog wheels. The stand alone mixer function of the VCI 380 has great capacity for adaptability. The two hybrid channels are capable of mixing external devices such as CD players, turntables and MP3 players, together with tracks and samples from Serato ITCH. Each channel has an RCA Phono/Line input for limitless connection options, and the crossfader and input faders curve can be adjusted like any DJ mixer. Mixes with the input source can be tweaked with Trim and EQ, and the FX knobs on each channel function as Hi Pass filters to add an extra touch to your performance. The built in 24Bit/48kHz audio interface features BIT Perfect audio powered by a studio grade asynchronous USB streaming system. This advanced technology provides low latency, premium sound quality and outputs your mix at its true clarity. Some say seeing is believing. For the VCI 380, listening is believing.

Features

• 2 Channels USB MIDI controller for Serato DJ (free upgrade via download)
• Built-in 24Bit/48kHz audio interface
• 2 x 8 Performance Pads with Velocity & Aftertouch
• 5 performance modes (Hot Cue, Auto Loop, Slicer, Roll, Sampler)
• 24Bit/48kHz audio interface delivers amazing sound

Top Reviews

Takes time to learn, but awesome if you're into, mixing sampling or beat making.
by Iconpyro (5 out of 5 stars)
February 22, 2014

Complicated but so fun to use. No need for turntables these days just get one of these and you are set. It's a little but if a challenge to get it all setup, download the software, then figure out how you're going to set this up in your house/studio and then get your music library indexed and scanned. The setup of the software is easy, I had to grab an old receiver and some old speakers so that I have a mini setup. Next getting the music indexed takes a while. The software will index the music on how many cores you have in your laptop or computer. I am running the Serrato software which is included on a windows 7 desktop as I use this for fun (Win7 pro x64, core i3 - duo core with HT, 16gb ram and a huge external drive). It took a full 36 hours to index my .5TB of music. This way you can get the bpm of each song and classify them by using that.

I grew up mixing on turntables and it was a little bit if a transition and learning all the quirks of the device. The sampling tools and buttons work great but they do take time to get used to. There are also some things missing like dragging the platter and scratching that take a while to get used to. Also if you intend to scratch, you should get the scratch crossfader that is a secondary purchase as the cross fader is a little hard to work with.

I saved up a lot if amazon gift cards to get this and is was so worth it. It brings me back to the days of DJing. Price was great and shipping was right on time for ground shipping from the East Coast to the West Coast. It was cheaper by a significant amount when I went to check at Guitar Center and Sam Ash.
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Compatibility issues: An FYI "review"
by Matthew D. (4 out of 5 stars)
September 9, 2013

Ok, first and foremost. AMD processors are NOT supported with the DJ Serato program it comes with. You can, however download ITCH software for free, but you will lose some feature that would've come with the newer Serato DJ. And by the by, Serato is replacing ITCH, so future ITCH updates are unlikely.

Secondly, if you are using Ableton live. I am currently trying to get the program to take inputs from the 380, but its taking alot of extra work. It's not on the standard list of selectable midi and it wont recognize it as a useable controller. Even though it is a MIDI controller.

Another, issue I have with it is that for personal home use the only sound output I can get is through the headset plug on the controller. So if you have, say, a tutorial in the background or want to chat with someone on skype while playing. It's annyoing.

If you are really looking for a proper review (as you should be) Youtube controller reviews and make sure its what you are looking for. I simply wanted to write this "review" as a word of caution. Again, this is not a FULL review about the controller as a whole.
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Nice equipment, no support.
by Attaka (3 out of 5 stars)
May 30, 2014

I have enjoyed using this since January. My laptop crashed 2 weeks ago and Vestax is unable/unwilling to assist me to with my original activation code. I therefore cannot use this controller on my new laptop which sucks big time.

Update:

Installed Serato DJ Pro and connected the controller and it recognised it and works straight away.
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Best Toy Ever
by Baldy (4 out of 5 stars)
September 11, 2012

I only gave this 4 stars because the Serato software does not work well with the brand new pc laptop I bought to use to DJ it. I will say that Vestax customer support is amazing. The guy was tenacious to fix the problem which turned out to be not Vestax fault. The new laptop did not come properly imaged from the factory. A complete factory restore got the controller working fine.I had to get rid of the laptop because the waveforms in the serato software where stuttery and I cannot mix by site with stuttery waveforms. The laptop had more than enough computer power and exceeded the Serato Itch software requirements. From reading the Serato complaint forums I figured it was because the graphic card shared memory with the CPU. So I ordered an Alienware laptop from Dell. I havent received it yet so I do not know if that will fix the problem. But aside from the software, this thing is just tooooooo much fun to use. I did a party with it already using a borrowed Mac Pro and I can mix any kind of music.
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great features but comes with US power so you'll need ...
by Tony Pearse (4 out of 5 stars)
July 12, 2015

Solid frame, great features but comes with US power so you'll need a local adaptor.
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excellent product
by Claudio (5 out of 5 stars)
October 23, 2012

Excellent driver, exceeded my expectations for scratch techniques.

Innobender I have installed and it works great.

This driver is very stable and has good effects in vivo.
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ABSOLUTE GARBAGE
by AK-Jake (1 out of 5 stars)
February 16, 2013

Wow, I don't even know where to begin with this unit. I lusted after this thing for MONTHS after it was announced and when I finally got it, it was a soul-crushing letdown. First of all, based off months of reading reviews and discussions of this product with other users both in-person and online, it seems as though you will either LOVE or HATE the VCI-380. The size is perfect (fits in a standard DJ backpack), the construction of the unit is top-notch (all metal with comfortable soft-rubber controls), and the jogs are THE BEST ON THE MARKET. Wow! It also looks sexy as hell....
...and that's where the good ends in my opinion. This thing is an extreme gamble. It seems as though you will either get a problem free, well-constructed product, or you will get a buggy POS like I did (and many other users have as well). For starters, Vestax, in their infinite genius, neglected to put a ground-loop isolator in this product. As a result, I had a HORRIFIC hissing that come from my outputs and over the PA system...even with the volume turned all the way down. Sometimes it was in only the right channel, and other times it was in both channels. There was NO WAY to correct this...I even bought an external ground loop isolator like Vestax told me to get (which offered no improvement). Seriously? You forget to put in a basic feature like this, and then you expect me to go out and buy yet ANOTHER external unit to make yours work correctly? Not cool. This soured me on the unit immediately, but my list of issues continued. I was having crossfader bleed-over issues...I'd run the crossfader from the far right to the far left, and yet still you could hear the other deck playing. The effects weren't working correctly in that you'd activate them on the unit but they wouldn't activate in Itch (and yes, I read the manual to ensure I was using the product correctly). Other times, you'd be jamming away, and an effect would simply activate on its own. Imagine being in the moment, rocking the dance floor like a madman, and all of a sudden the phaser turns on in an obnoxious setting...with no way of turning it off (period) unless you restart BOTH Itch AND the VCI-380!!!! There were also serious bugs in Itch at the time (and still are) that made the product unstable enough to render it impossible to gig with. The AutoGain issues were almost legendary at product release (allegedly fixed in the final Itch software update before Itch was killed off and replaced by Serato DJ), except my unit had the same "AutoGain" issues EVEN WITH AUTOGAIN TURNED OFF!!!! I usually don't use AutoGain, but even with it turned off I'd have HUGE drops or increases in audio levels on a deck with NO input whatsoever on my part. You can't imagine how frustrating (not to mention dangerous) it is to be spinning away with a track playing and suddenly--without warning--the volume drops by 50%. The only way you can get the level back up is to jack the channel fader up and/or crank the channel gain up substantially. But then what happens? You guessed it: the gain level magically jumps back to where it was originally before it dropped and now you suddenly are so pegged in the red that you can blow speakers (and ear drums)!!! UNACCEPTABLE!!! There were numerous other major issues. I contacted Vestax support for help and was told that it was likely user error (MY FAULT) or bugs in Itch. I was essentially told that they don't make defective products, but if I wanted to send it in, they'd look it over and get it back to me in a month or so. No offer to swap it out for another one, no apology, NOTHING! As a result, I ended up sending it back to the dealer and fighting them for a refund (which I finally got).

My 380 was from the first run and I obviously got a defective unit. However, to pay $1000 for a unit that only features 2-channels, was plagued with issues, and made by a company as arrogant as Vestax was flat-out unacceptable and downright unnerving. I will NOT be buying any new products from Vestax ever again.

Lastly, I tested my unit out on several different computers (of different specs and both Mac AND PC) and had others test-drive it as well. All had the same problems as mine. A very good professional club DJ friend of mine owns one (and loves it), and his worked flawlessly on my computer as well as several others, so it was the UNIT and NOT user error on my part. A perusal of the Serato forums for the VCI-380 will reveal that there were many users having issues with their units as well. My hope is that this has all been corrected by now (6+ months or so after product launch), but I will caution you nonetheless...this unit has proven problematic for a sizable share of users.

As for me, I ended up purchasing a Pioneer DDJ-SX and that's what I currently use for bar/mobile gigs (along with CDJs and conventional mixers at the clubs I spin at). It's far from perfect, but it's a quality unit and I'm very happy with it. I'm also planning on picking up a Numark NS7 II when it launches. Don't just let my bad experience affect your decision to purchase or not purchase the VCI-380. Do your research and see what you find!
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The jogwheels actually slow down like technique 1200s when you hit the pause button
by Alain Merisier (5 out of 5 stars)
September 9, 2014

Well worth the money. The jogwheels actually slow down like technique 1200s when you hit the pause button. I bought the Gemini G2V it seems like a great deal but dont waste your money on other controllers in this price range right now on sale at American Musical Supply $400 and you can split that into three payments. This controller is dope I am very pleased with my purchase from American Musical Supply. This controller is awsone I cant put into words how satisfied I am with this product so far besides the Pioneer DDJ SX and Numark NS7 these are the best jog wheels Ive felt on a controller. I originally purchased the Gemini G2V which was a big disapointment in the performace dept. Plus you have to purchase Virtual DJ 8 at $299 your not saving money the VCI 380 comes bundled with Serato Itch a much better software than Virtual DJ anyway. Right now the Vestax VCI 380 is on sale at American Musical Suppy for $399 and you can split up your payments into three installments of $133. This a solid controller excellent for scratching!!!
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You won't be disappointed!
by D. Carthen (5 out of 5 stars)
January 28, 2015

I've had mine for almost two years and it's a workhorse! I love it! I paid $700 for it and now it's below $500! That's a steal! Well made, fully featured and gets the job done. I put the upgraded fader in mine.
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I Sold My Pioneer 909 to buy this!!! WHOLE NEW WORLD!!!
by Amazon Customer (5 out of 5 stars)
September 11, 2012

I am a LONG time club/mixtape DJ who has exclusively used TECH 1200's, first with my 10,000 strong vinyl collection, the with Final Scratch and now with Serato Scratch Live and Novation Dicers. This mixer/controller is THE FUTURE! I'm literally remixing tracks on the fly and I've worked the controller into my production (Ableton, Konatckt, Logic), MPC 1000, MPK 25) setup. IT IS THAT GOOD!

THE GOOD

TOO MANY PLUSES TO LIST but a selected few are....
a) EVERYTHING about the pads at the top (Slicer, Hot Cue, Auto Loop, Roll)
b) Booth Out
c) Led's on the Jog Wheels (Not a proper replacement for Vinyl but just as good as CDJ's in my opinion)
d) EASY NAVIGATION - very well laid out and not overly complicated. In the middle of rocking a club you don't want to have 40 buttons on your mixer, it's a recipe for disaster and more likely...EFFECT OVERUSE (NOT Cool)
e) This controller uses SERATO ITCH so the crates, cue points and loops I have created with scratch live work seamlessly. The reverse is also true as any changes or additions I make in ITCH are reflected in Scratch Live.
f) The controller is also a standalone mixer which means I now can use just the VCI-380 with my laptop for when I don't have the space or the energy to bring my turntables or if I want everything I put this between my TECH 1200's and route the whole thing thru my SL-1 box and voila, I've got a midi controller with effects on my mixer and I can rock out my preferred way.

THE NOT SO GOOD
a) This uses a special version of ITCH, make sure you download 2.2.1 from Serato (I had some issues with drivers on my Macbook Pro at first but SERATO jumped right on it and worked it out for me)
b) If you are a scratcher (like me) then you'll want to replace the fader with a Vestax CF-X2 (about $120)
c) As of today 9/11/12 there are no cases I can find for this and I've contacted everyone and looked everywhere. if you're reading this a few months from now I'm sure this won't be an issue.

CONCLUSION

BUY IT!!!! The versatility of this controller combined with its utility as a mixer is too good! It's literally what eery Dj has been waiting for for a long time.

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