These two DJ controllers make me wish I'd upgraded ages ago

Nothing beats DJing for that feeling you get when a crowd (no matter how big or small) is absolutely loving every tune you play or the complete escapism it gives you.

Really good DJ equipment can be quite expensive and that can put some people off - but if you're really into it, or even want to just try it out, it's absolutely worth getting the best gear you can.

Now, you might not know this about me, but I've been DJing for more than 10 years and I'm a huge house, disco, techno and drum and bass fan.

The first rave I went to was at Stealth in Nottingham (Mike Skinner headlined and it's where I went to university) when I was 19. I was completely hooked and never looked back. I then got my first DJ controller, an entry level Numark Mixtrack Pro 3, when I was 20 and that's been my sole piece of DJ equipment for more than a decade.

The first night I played was an Ice Cave in Sheffield in 2016 / Jake Brigstock supplied

I taught myself how to DJ, starting out by trying things I'd heard in mixes and at raves and trying to recreate them or put my own spin on them.

Since then, I've played out and at house parties on much more advanced hardware than my trusty Mixtrack Pro 3, including on full club setups of CDJs and a mixer (which I had to learn how to do on YouTube before just going for it) and it always made me want to upgrade my setup.

For whatever reason though, I never did. It always felt like something came up that got in the way every time I almost went for it.

But I've now had the chance to try out two different, much more advanced AlphaTheta controllers - and I honestly wish I'd upgraded ages ago.

The AlphaTheta DDJ-GRV6 DJ controller / Jake Brigstock, indy100

Let's start with the AlphaTheta DDJ-GRV6. This is one that I've been dying to try out because of the capability to mix four tracks at the same time and to try out its Groove Circuit where you can switch up the drums or beats of different tracks. Vocals and melodies can be isolated too.

When you find a mix that you really like using this method, you can capture it if you come across something that works really well.

Playing around with this and loading in different stems is nothing short of addictive. It's so fun seeing what you can create on the fly this way.

This is in addition to a lot of the features you'd expect to find in a club setup being available, such as the larger jog wheels, how you loop tracks and the mixer in terms of how it's set up and the features it includes.

Having four tracks available at the push of a button makes the possibility of what you can mix widen so much more and makes such a difference.

Want to have tracks one and three playing a house track and an a cappella while you're using the Groove Circuit to create something completely new on tracks two and four and mix it all in together for something unforgettable? You absolutely can. Time and again.

These advanced features make the DDJ-GRV6 an essential controller if you're looking to upgrade and take your DJing to the next level. That's because you're able to experiment with a setup you'd expect to find in a club but at a fraction of the cost as the DDJ-GRV6 is priced at $829.

The AlphaTheta OMNIS-DUO DJ controller / Jake Brigstock, indy100

I've also tried out the AlphaTheta OMNIS-DUO. This is more for those who are looking to take their setup on the go much more easily or perhaps even start out.

That's because although it looks like quite a simple controller on the face of it, and it is in terms of actual DJing features, there are loads of brilliant wireless functions it offers that make it easily the most portable and standalone controller I've come across.

It's a two track controller with a touchscreen, meaning you don't need to plug it into a laptop, and it can transmit and receive Bluetooth connections.

That means you can connect it to Bluetooth speakers and simultaneously connect devices such as phones so tracks can be loaded in, even via streaming services such as Spotify.

This isn't as streamlined as it initially sounds though, as each track needs to be played through the controller before it generates a waveform and it locks one track to that Bluetooth device.

That means this feature is probably more suited to house parties than anything professional but there's scope for this to be refined going forward.

The OMNIS-DUO is a lot more portable whereas the DDJ-GRV6 has more advanced features / Jake Brigstock, indy100

Its size means it can fit in a good sized backpack and you don't need any cables. It has a chargeable battery too with around five hours of life with power saving options on top of this for longer use.

This doesn't mean you can't plug it in though - it has all the usual connections you'd expect to find on a DJ controller and slots for USB drives and SD cards which will show analysed tracks if you've run them through Rekordbox. It can still connect to laptops and computers if you'd prefer that too.

For its price ($1,499), you're really paying for the portability and wireless technology here instead of anything groundbreaking in terms of specific DJ features but if that's what you're after and you'll use it a lot in this way, it's absolutely worth it.

Especially as house parties are growing in popularity - according to research from AlphaTheta, more than a third of Gen Z and millennials agree the best DJ sets happen at house parties and more than half agree they are ideal, low pressure settings to find and try out new music. 70 per cent of more than 2,500 respondents said they would go to more house parties too.

AlphaTheta OMNIS-DUO and DDJ-GRV6 offer very different DJing experiences depending on what you're after / Jake Brigstock, indy100

Overall, I'm a huge fan of both the AlphaTheta DDJ-GRV6 and the OMNIS-DUO for very different reasons.

If you're looking to upgrade your setup or want a top DJ controller, then look no further than the AlphaTheta DDJ-GRV6. It gives a club setup feel with some brilliant features at a cheaper price.

And if you're looking to take your setup on the go a bit more, or even perhaps start out, then the OMNIS-DUO is a great option because of its portability, the ease of loading in tunes and its more straightforward mixing options.

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