Behringer B-CONTROL DEEJAY BCD2000 Quick start guide

Brand: Behringer

Model: B-CONTROL DEEJAY BCD2000

Type: Quick start guide

Behringer B-CONTROL DEEJAY BCD2000 is an integrated digital DJing package that provides hands-on computer mixing. It comes with a comprehensive MIDI controller and dedicated DJ software, allowing for a wide range of mixing capabilities.

The MIDI controller features 13 knobs, 37 buttons, 5 sliders, and 2 jog wheels. It offers precise control over EQ, filters, effects, and more, enabling seamless mixing and creative sound manipulation. The included software provides an intuitive interface that mirrors the controller's layout, making it easy to navigate and operate.

The BCD2000's sound card operates at 24-bit/44.1kHz, delivering high-quality audio for both home and professional use. Multiple inputs and outputs allow for flexible connectivity, including XLR mic input, RCA phono and line inputs, and stereo master and cue outputs.

THIS

neat little package from Behringer

comes with everything a DJ needs to

mix digital audio on a computer. For a staggeringly

low price you get an expansive MIDI controller

designed specifically for DJ use, which is also

compatible with any other MIDI software. It has a

built-in sound card running at 24-bit, which lets

two decks and a mic be incorporated into the mix.

Additionally, there is some specifically matched DJ

software for the controller with advanced features

such as looping, scratching, effects, kill EQ and

loads more.

The controller and the software are essentially two

different products, but they're designed to work

perfectly together. The B-DJ software has all the

controls needed to mix music and to be a bit more

creative besides. On screen, it strongly resembles

the look and layout of the controller, with the DJing

interface a combination of dual CD controller and a

DJ mixer.

The way the hardware works with the software is

among the most responsive we've seen. It almost

feels like you're operating the hardware and the

controls on the screen suffer from very little latency.

EQ & FILTERS

The EQ dials offer near cut control with -36dB

and a hefty boost of +12dB. For a complete kill

there are cut buttons below the EQ dials, which

light up when they are active - really handy.

The separation of the EQ is good too, especially

on the bass. The high frequencies sound a little

tinny when the bass and mid frequencies are

isolated, though.

Another problem we spotted is that virtually any

EQ boosting causes distortion - even when we

turned down the gain, volume fader and master

output. It seems that the EQ is processed pre-

fader, rendering it almost useless.

The filter is a nice addition and can be set up in a

number of ways. The best option is to have a low-

pass from the middle round to the left and a high-

pass from the middle around to the right. The

quality is entry-level but some great results can be

achieved. It also makes the high frequencies

sound a little tinny when moving through that

range. But this is only noticed when compared to

the likes of an Allen & Heath product and is a

decent attempt for the price.

Although it's not set up as default, the filter can

be linked to dials, and it's one of the most useful

mixing tools. There's also the option to map

controls to keyboard keys.

SCRATCH CONTROL

The scratch control is cool and we like the fact that

it's there. It's surprisingly good at keeping hold of

the scratch point mid-scratch and is easy to get to

grips with. The downside is that you can't actually

perform a scratch in the traditional sense. The

software only controls playback from the jog wheel

when it starts to move, so it's not possible to

scratch and then hold the (virtual) record. A

second after the dial stops moving, playback

starts again automatically.

When scratching a kick-drum and dropping it, your

instinct is to push the beat in with a forward

motion on the dial. But playback won't start until

around half a second after the dial comes to a

standstill. Only then will it clinically resume perfect

speed (without any analogue-sounding wind-up).

100T-SCAN words: David Eserin

PRICE: 119 INFORMATION: WWW.BEHRINGER.COM CONTACT: +49 2154 9206 4144

THIS HIGHLY COMPREHENSIVE DJ-SPECIFIC CONTROLLER FOR HANDS-ON COMPUTER MIXING COMES AT A TRULY AMAZING PRICE. SO WHAT GIVES?

BEHRINGER BCD2000

INTEGRATED DIGITAL DJING PACKAGE

INFO

T-SPECS

CONTROLLER:

>> XLR Mic input with two-band EQ >> Dual

stereo full-duplex soundcard >> 24-

bit/44.1kHz audio conversion >> Stereo

master output on RCA >> Stereo cue output on

stereo jack (headphone) >> Phono stereo input

on RCA >> Switchable Phono/Line input on

RCA >> Gold-plated connectors

>> MIDI controls: 13 knobs, 37 buttons, 5

sliders, 2 jog wheels >> USB 1.1 connection

>> Two-pin power cable

B-DJ:

>> Two virtual decks >> Three-band EQ: -

36dB/+12dB >> EQ kills >> Two filters

>> MIDI and key mapping >> Crossfader curve

control >> Auto beat mixing >> Scratch

control >> Cue points and memory >> Track

beat grid and tempo matching >> Pitch bend

and range adjustments >> Looping and loop

out adjust >> Recording >> External input

mixing >> DirectX effects support >> Cue

mixing

“The controller

outclasses other hands-

on interfaces like the

Hercules, and Ableton

DJs should note that

you'll pay at least the

same price for a MIDI

controller alone

anywhere else.”

DJY414.100-1_TSCANbcd2000 13/4/06 7:28 PM Page 100

This results in an awkward, ill-timed fumble.

However, as with every piece of equipment, you

get used to its limitations and, better still, can

work these quirks to your advantage. Performing

a timely scratch 'effect' is by no means

impossible, but it takes some practice.

EFFECTS

The software has two effects banks that can load

custom plug-ins. We were pleasantly surprised to

see it had already listed plug-ins found elsewhere

on our machine, including SoundForge, WaveLab

and other DirectX plug-ins.

It was quite particular about which ones it would

actually work with, though. Oddly enough, we

could load up synths, such as Absynth and have a

play with that over the mix. Not many programs

can claim that!

There are two banks for each effect, which are

controlled with an on/off switch and a wet/dry mix

on the controller for each. Another cool feature is

that the deck inputs can also be processed in real-

time. There's no mic control, though.

YOUR CRATE

Managing and playing your record collection is a

piece of cake. In its favour, there's no laborious

importing process, but as a consequence there's

no option to view a whole track's waveform.

Importing tracks is easy too and playlist (virtual

crates) can be created in the left navigation pane

at the top of the interface. Simply click ADD to

add tracks, or ADD DIR to import whole

directories. These files are then displayed on the

right with customisable info on genre, album,

title, BPM, filename and comment. Nice and

simple, or a bit limited?

Some users might prefer additional fields such as

remixer, rating and so on, but it has the essentials.

iTunes support would have been nice too.

Once loaded up with tracks, simply drag them

from the crate onto the player and they're ready to

go. The software makes a half-decent attempt at

working out the tempo and lays a grid over the

waveform, which scrolls past as it plays.

This grid is usually in time, but not always on the

down beat. It restricts looping functions to its

markers, which means loops are pretty much

always in time, but you don't get to choose exactly

when they start. It's possible to create quite a cool

effect by continuing to press the loop out button to

slowly decrease the size of the loop, though.

The player is generally quite stable but there were

a few 'unexplained' crashes. We also had some

instances where the player would only play tracks

through the left speaker with a little faint rattling

in the right. A quick restart sorted this out, but in a

gig situation the crowd may be less forgiving.

THE PHAT CONTROLLER

The BCD2000 will control any MIDI software on the

computer it's connected to via USB 1.1. It's

labelled up to complement the included software,

but we gave it a quick whirl in Ableton Live, which

worked like a dream. The only complaint with the

controller is that there are no MIDI in or out

connections, plus it won't work on a Mac.

The only controls that don't output MIDI are the

mic, master and headphone dials. All other

dials (of which there are 13), buttons (37) and

sliders (five) work with MIDI. The only MIDI

controls that don't have much use in other

software are the jog wheels (used for scratching

in the included software).

The controller is about the same size as a laptop,

only thicker. It weighs very little though and can fit

inside the UDG laptop bag or equivalent.

Even though it's quite portable, we wouldn't

recommend just slinging it in a bag. It's quite high

at the back, which makes the controls very exposed

to damage from pressure. We'd highly recommend

flight-casing the unit for transportation.

Most of the controls feel pretty solid and smooth,

though some don't have a consistency of

resistance all the way around. The crossfader is

very smooth and works well with the software, with

curve control in the settings. The fader itself is a bit

too rounded and small, which makes some scratch

moves a bit tricky. It's a shame because it's almost

responsive enough to do the crab scratch.

Another oddity is the crossfader cut option, which

makes the centre of the fader the cut point, rather

than at the very edge as expected. The sharpest

curve is quite good though, but not quite a switch.

The volume controls are very long, which gives

accurate control, but some may prefer them

shorter for cutting tracks with the faders. They're

also all quite loose, which isn't really a good thing.

The pitch sliders are tougher, but increments aren't

very accurate in the software. The pitch range can

be changed in 4%, 8%, 16% and 24% settings.

The wider the pitch, the less accurate the pitch

increments are. At 8%, the increments are just

0.25 on average, which is just about enough for

creating decent mixes, but not so good for epic

five-minute ensembles.

SOUND CARD

The sound card works at 24-bit/44.1kHz, which is

above CD quality and is more than good enough

for home use. It's also fine for bars and clubs as

long as the music files are of decent quality. It's

only the software that suffers from dubious sound

when using the EQ and filters.

There's a control panel available to change audio

routings for the interface, which operates in two

modes - 'B-DJ' for the included software, and

'Advanced' to make it available to other software.

There are ASIO drivers for super low latency -

down to 4ms - and WDM/MME for any software

that doesn't support ASIO. Finally, latency

settings can be adjusted to match the

performance of your processor.

CONNECTIONS

The BCD2000 has inputs for two turntables, only

one of which can be switched to take line input.

These can be mixed in the B-DJ software or used

to record other programmes.

The inputs are quite low compared to the internal

audio in B-DJ, and required a fair bit of gain to

bring them in line with the MP3s.

We also found a weird occasional problem when

switching back to the software outputs. There was

a crazy feedback effect, which only stopped once

we'd loaded a track into the deck - one for the

software updates, no doubt.

There's a microphone input, which is of quite high

quality. It has on-board EQ, which sounds loads

better than the B-DJ EQ. Connection is via the XLR

input only. It would have been good to see the

Neutrik dual XLR/Jack connector for flexibility, so

just make sure you buy a mic with XLR connection.

As with the inputs, the RCA master output is gold

plated. There are no XLR connections here, but

RCAs are fine to go straight into your hi-fi, or plug

into the main mixer at a club or bar.

WINNING PACKAGE

The BCD2000 is the best value DJ package we've

ever tried. We don't think much of the B-DJ

software as it's too basic and suffers from poor

sound controls, but as long as you don't expect to

become a scratch-master and avoid boosting the

EQs, then it's good enough. We'd recommend

using another DJ package with the unit instead for

professional use, though. Just remember, those

jog dials won't work with it.

The controller outclasses other hands-on

interfaces like the Hercules, and Ableton DJs

should note that you'll pay at least the same price

for a MIDI controller alone anywhere else, yet this

one's specifically designed for DJing and you get a

twin stereo sound card thrown in. Fantastic.

VERDICT

PROS

>> Incredibly low latency software control

>> Interface works with any MIDI software

>> Great controller layout

>> Fantastic value for money with

on-board sound

CONS

>> Awful filters and EQ quality

>> Scratch control is limited

>> No Mac support for software

>> No MIDI connections

VALUE FOR MONEY 

FEATURES 

EASE OF USE 

SOUND QUALITY 

BUILD QUALITY 

OVERALL 

T-SCAN101

DJY414.100-1_TSCANbcd2000 13/4/06 7:28 PM Page 101

Behringer B-CONTROL DEEJAY BCD2000 Quick start guide

Behringer B-CONTROL DEEJAY BCD2000 Quick start guide

Behringer B-CONTROL DEEJAY BCD2000 Quick start guide

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