The new Faderfox DJ44 controller.

[niknok]

For someone predominantly on 2 decks, occasionally 4, absolutely no need for jog wheels, this is looking like the one controller I've been looking for.
No it's not cheap but looking at the build, features, attention to detail in layout and programming and the fact that I likely won't buy another controller for years I already have one on order.


http://faderfox.de/dj44.html

[Paco Loco]

I really love the look of this controller. Only thing stopping me from buying one is the price. If it was 30% cheaper or so I'd be in there.
Have not heard any reports back from real users yet - would be interested to hear if anyone has one...?

[niknok]

Hi PC, thanks for the reminder…to be honest I’ve been busy between working, travelling and playing a lot…DJ44 in my bag helping bring the noize.

DJ44…basically just awesomely functional right out of the box. True I was familiar with the Faderfox build style and layout but this really feels to me like a product of use, accumulated learning and feedback from the previous 3 generations of smaller, modular Faderfox controllers.
Externals: yes it’s in a lidded all-in-one case, the base controller unit comes with 4 non-slip feet and also sits snugly in the upside-down lid to raise it higher if you need that. I’m looking for 4 extra non-slip feet right now to attach to the lid to to cover all eventualities. There’s also a diagram showing all the controls and their shift-accessed versions stuck on the inside of the lid. The lid/base slot together and snap closed beautifully with plastic latches but I have to say I’m not convinced that the latches will last as long as the rest of the unit.
With the lid off there’s a ~2mm gap around the main control plate and the actual case-not a problem but I did ask Mathias from Faderfox about this as a potential dust and food trap (I have a 4-yr old) and he said that in some future version this tiny gap won’t be there. Again though, no biggie and given that the top plate is attached to the case by allen screws it would only take a couple of minutes to liberate any stray crumbs. The usb socket is top right on the unit and you’re supplied with a sweet right-angled usb cable to help keep things tidy. So, (2mm gap aside) even before it’s plugged in you get some sense of the level of thought around absolute practical usability that’s gone into this.
Plug it in, add the .tsi file to Traktor and you’re good to go. I was literally mixing comfortably 5 minutes after taking it out of the box - the completely intuitive layout and thorough .tsi programming help make this possible and for me this soft- and hardware integration/harmony really shows the benefits that the focus and vision of one person brings to the whole. It all makes sense inside and out. After 2 or 3 days with it I re-/de-programmed maybe 3 controls and lightly tweaked another 2. When you consider how many controls and ranges of parameter there are, I think this is an incredibly small amount and for the most part reflects that very personal 1% of getting things just right for you personally and I couldn’t imagine a relatively complex unit like this coming from a big-name maker being this on-the-money out of the box.
One very, very minor gripe was the quality of the 3 fader caps-they just felt sharp-cornered, cheap and uncomfortable and one of the first things I did was swap them out with some from another 2nd gen. Faderfox unit so now they’re lovely and soft, round and….finger-shaped and grip-able. Other than that the pots are fairly thin so easy to grab and made of some nice grippy, rubberised material. The 8 rotary encoders are smoothly clicky and all have a secondary push-switch function. The smaller push buttons work very well and feel a smidge deeper than on previous FF units. They’re not big buttons you could hammer on though and in an ideal future version I’d love to see some kind of rubbery colour LED buttons but that said they’re definitely functional and very much follow the FF tradition.
Talking of buttons though, the 21 big square buttons along the bottom are an absolute treat! Lovely and big, fantastic functionality out of the box and have actually encouraged me to program and use cue points and skipping forward and back through a track waaaay more than before.
The crossfader is just above these buttons and like someone else somewhere I wondered about this position before I got the unit, but as it turns out, it’s not an issue at all for me. I can imagine though if you’re a speedy crossfader Darth-fader type then a/the fader would be bit small/sticky and b/the position may be a little challenging.
Other things like loop facilities, effects and deck switching are all just…easy and reliable, and shift/param. 2 in the effects section allow you to scroll up/down through the available effects. When gridding tracks 2 things I also find really useful are shift/seek which shifts the grid back and forward in small increments and the hotcue buttons, also with the shift/hotcue (delete hotcue) function. The global controls and browser down the right side are all 2nd nature in no time.
FYI there are a ton more options and modes I haven’t really looked at so far too, the Ableton Live setup file neither.

So, aside from a couple of tiny things that I feel verging on pedantic even mentioning, for me overall this thing is an absolute joy to use, one of those rare things that after a few days in a row of eager tinkering followed by some fairly big overseas shows I’m growing to like more than ever and I’ve also been experimenting with decks 3 and 4 recently too. Sure, a full-size set-and-forget club-size mixer would be sweet but look at the 4Midiloop, it’s a beast but you’re not putting that in your carry-on without either some serious gym time first or going commando for a few days. I have big, big hands and like to keep busy with the mix all through a set and the DJ44 is the gift that keeps giving, never feeling particularly cramped, especially when you add in the fact that all this awesome is packed in a truly portable form. I’ve been getting into decks 3 and 4 the past few days-yes it takes a little brain training to keep things going between tracks on A/C or B/D but some more tinker-time and it’ll be second nature and I’ll have worked the kinks out.
Again as many people have mentioned it’s not cheap and has no integrated audio I/O (I asked Mathias about an I/O possibility/fantasy of mine and he said that as much as anything he likes the idea of people being able to choose their own) but the attention to detail in design and programming, out-of-the-box usability and level of available features mean that this is a deceptively deep amount of fun in a single box. For me the quality, functionality, ergonomics/layout, portability and programming all add up to being near-perfect for the majority of what I do both at clubs and parties but also straighter audio work-related gigs so it’s absolutely money well-spent. Looks-wise…I guess there may be prettier boxes out there but I’ve used some of them and now I don’t so there you go. This reminds me of some broadcast industry gear you see-not ultra sexy but just pure functional workhorse that is still in daily use a decade later….you know every bit is where it is for a reason. I live in a country where sushi chefs spend $1000s on a single knife-a good tool lasts for many years and does what it does extremely well.

It's pretty much as near a complete good-to-go-party-in-a-box as I could imagine controller-wise for mainly 2-channel non-jogwheel folks and while I'm thinking to maybe keep an older Faderfox on the side for samples etc, this is my go-to for the next few years.

If anyone’s interested in the minor adjustments I made to the .tsi feel free to ask.

[Paco Loco]

Hey niknok. Thanks very much for the detailed write up. The more I hear about this controller the more I want one!

Regarding the separate sound card issue, I was thinking I bet there's room inside somewhere to fit the new NI Audio 2 Mk2 if you were feeling adventurous and wanted to try your own mod...

[Patch]

Holy crap - 500EUR???

[tekki]

Welcome to the world of Faderfox, Patch.

[niknok]

Welcome to the world of Faderfox, Patch.

Look at the home page and the remaining 3rd gen boxes are 169 Euro, that's cheap as chips for those babies.

About getting an NI card in there, could be a squeeze even for that as there is little vertical case height but, who knows until you look inside! Ask Mathias, I'm sure he'd tell you. You'd also end up with a bunch of cable hanging out of the back and it would make booth position/space etc tricky sometimes for sure, esp. now when every other dj shows up with a laptop and a few boxes.

[djluvgroove]

I just got a faderfox Dj44. I like it a lot, although having some issues with one if the buttons not mapped correctly. I would love to see what other people have done and get some mappings to try. PM me if you can help.

Kevin B

[niknok]

I just got a faderfox Dj44. I like it a lot, although having some issues with one if the buttons not mapped correctly. I would love to see what other people have done and get some mappings to try. PM me if you can help.

Kevin B

Congratulations on the 44. Which knob isn't mapped correctly? In my case I only tweaked 2 or 3 things and it's pretty much perfect. What would you like to do?

[djluvgroove]

Congratulations on the 44. Which knob isn't mapped correctly? In my case I only tweaked 2 or 3 things and it's pretty much perfect. What would you like to do?

I'm having issue with the right side loop/out button. It was working inconsistently, then not at all. Mathias was very responsive by email, he walked me through installing new firmware, but it was still having the problem. He thinks it's a hardware issue and I'm going to have to send it back to him. Bummer.

Seems like a great piece of gear, at least for my needs. Was having sound card issues as well, so didn't even get to test that part. Back to my S4 for now.

What did you end up tweaking and how do you do it? The controller manager in the setting menu of Traktor looks pretty complex, wouldn't even know how to find the button in there, let alone know what instructions to put in it.

Kevin