Will i miss jogwheels for FX

[becomingdj]

Hi everyone,

I was thinking about buying an Akai APC 40 and map it to control traktor to control 2 decks or 4 decks with an external mixer. This could sound weird to you, but I have this mapping in my mind ... So I really wont one.

Now of course with an APC you don't have jogwheels. But I know a lot of people use them to control FX like with the VCI 100.

Whil i miss this, what effects do you usually control with the jogs ? Is it only the gater, beatmacher and slicer. Because for these FX i would prefer buttons, so it doesn't really matter that i don't have jogwheels.

But are there (smart) FX that you prefere to use with jogwheels instead of buttons, knobs and faders ? I wouldn't like to miss those.

[photojojo]

I don't use the jogs to control FX on my S4. I did on the VCI though, but it had fader FX that the S4 doesn't have.

[becomingdj]

Thanks for your response but I'm just looking if there are FX tricks you can't do as good with buttons, knobs and faders, as you can do with a jogwheel. So i can deside if it's worth for me to buy a controller with jogwheels are not.

My dream would be to buy an S4 or another decent 4 deck controller and use it with a novation launchpad modified so it are all arcade buttons. But i don't have the money. In the S4 section there is a thread in wich someone made a fader fx mode for the S4 in midi mode. I came up with as him and have a thread in witch you can download it. But it only works well with high res faders like for example the s4 pitch faders. (Akai controllers seem to work verry well with it also) http://www.djtechtools.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18391

[becomingdj]

No cool jog wheel tricks ?

[Ryan Leo]

Well theres the fader fx theory article in the archives that would give you a generalized idea of how and why the jogs are used like they are in the fader fx mode.

If I were you, I'd sit down and do up a little chart and switch the effects around in the jog wheel and find what effects like on the jog wheel best suited me.

I personally dont have more then 1 or 2 effects on at a time because they dont really add to my mixes in a constructive way as of yet.

[becomingdj]

I don't have touch sensitive jog wheels now or any other controller that I can use for FX, only an old Hercules DJ Console MP3. That's why I need your help to decide wether a jogs for FX are worth it if you already have faders and buttons.

I don't really like the slicer and delay mapping for the VCI. And for FX like the beatmasher, gater and slicer i would prefer premapped buttons.

If there arent any other usefull FX for jog wheels, then I don't need them. But if there are, I may consider a controller with jogs.

[Ryan Leo]

I don't really like the slicer and delay mapping for the VCI. And for FX like the beatmasher, gater and slicer i would prefer premapped buttons.

I think you answered the questions here.


"useful" is specfic to the individual using it. I'd say stop worrying about 6 months down the road when you think you may surpass the use of your current setup and feel alright with what you already have.