I just dont get it....?

[darrel855]

I know some of Numark's current controlers look like childrens toys, but the new NS7 looks pretty amazing. Hopefully they didn't drop the ball on the quality side of things.

Dude it's numark nuff said

[Nate1379]

Too True!

[midifidler]

Stanton are def top of the game when it comes to considering the whole system. DaSkratch is only let down by its name, has good build quality and they can be used to do whatever you want with them, and on top of that they are fun as fuck to use.

Also while everybody crows for more jog wheels, focusing on try to make a 12 cm wheel an acceptable replacement for vinyl is pointless, the jogs only offer control for pitch bend scratch/scrub, but you have used up 150 cm^2 of precious control surface.

Jogs are fun to use but product developers need to realise that the are only neccesary for DJs who are trying to reproduce turntablist techniques on a digital setup, for the rest of us they need to be an optional extra.

The digital gear market is still in its infancy, for now there is not a huge amount of money in it, so most of the focus has been on cheaper, supplemental or super portable controllers.

Also due to a widespread resistance to digital DJing (like with CDJ's a few years back) many DJ's are only just starting to feel comfortable with looking into the technology (coz Hawtin does it they cant get dissed so easy..) However for a begginer DJ digital is attractive coz its cheap.
This is why there are so many entry level controllers on the market, with so few 'pro' solutions.

[BentoSan]

Yeah what Midifidler and Moniker said - they are on the ball

[PIGLET]

Stanton are def top of the game when it comes to considering the whole system. DaSkratch is only let down by its name, has good build quality and they can be used to do whatever you want with them, and on top of that they are fun as fuck to use.

Also while everybody crows for more jog wheels, focusing on try to make a 12 cm wheel an acceptable replacement for vinyl is pointless, the jogs only offer control for pitch bend scratch/scrub, but you have used up 150 cm^2 of precious control surface.

Jogs are fun to use but product developers need to realise that the are only neccesary for DJs who are trying to reproduce turntablist techniques on a digital setup, for the rest of us they need to be an optional extra.

The digital gear market is still in its infancy, for now there is not a huge amount of money in it, so most of the focus has been on cheaper, supplemental or super portable controllers.

Also due to a widespread resistance to digital DJing (like with CDJ's a few years back) many DJ's are only just starting to feel comfortable with looking into the technology (coz Hawtin does it they cant get dissed so easy..) However for a begginer DJ digital is attractive coz its cheap.
This is why there are so many entry level controllers on the market, with so few 'pro' solutions.

Aha - thanks interesting post....

So when you suggest Jog wheels are space inefficient - what is the alternative to control subtly the nidge/speed increase needed when beatmatching? Are there other knobs or surfaces good for this? I guess you were referring to Da Scratch - but are there any mixer surfaces that incorprate something other than jog wheels - as it seems either they have one - so you can beatmatch - or you cant...like the VCI400...

I guess ongoing - there will slowly be more professional solutions coming on the market...

[BentoSan]

what is the alternative to control subtly the nidge/speed increase needed when beatmatching?

Pitch Bending + Pitch fader + Cue points = Easy beatmatching
This takes up alot less space.

Look at the outside of the VCI-100 jogs for example, all they do is send midi on off notes - so basicly the outside is just acting like a couple buttons.

A button with aftertouch would be very good for pitch bends i think - the harder you press the knob the harder the pitch bend would be. Even a traditional pitch bend like you would find on a piano would work very well and take up much less space.

[PIGLET]

Doesnt it rather take away the feel of mixing if you only use pitch-bend....? That extra level of control...

Maybe if there was some sort of velocity pitch bend - that responded to after touch as you say...

With the VCI jogs - dont they respond to how fast you push them? I take it there is 2 functions on the wheels...?

[BentoSan]

Doesnt it rather take away the feel of mixing if you only use pitch-bend....? That extra level of control...

Maybe if there was some sort of velocity pitch bend - that responded to after touch as you say...

With the VCI jogs - dont they respond to how fast you push them? I take it there is 2 functions on the wheels...?

1 - I think it would be an equal ammount of control personally, just taking up a whole lot less space.

2 - The outside of the jog wheel doesnt respond, it just sends midi note on off data which kinda sux but hopefully that will be addressed with new firmware. The middle of the jogs however do.

[Monika.mhz]

I use a combination of "pitch slide" and "pitch bend" with the paddle on my guitar. works really well. And if i need something more delicate I'll use my dascratch.

[midian]

I might have to get a dascratch they look interesting.