are we in the middle of an "attitudes to midi djing backlash"

[SirReal]

I'm having this incredible feeling of Deja Vu.

[Shishdisma]

This article kind of cements why Pioneer have such a market dominance: MIDI controllers are a massive step backwards from dedicated hardware, that's just a simple fact. In a DJ environment (not a production performance, Ableton workflow), having a dumb box of MIDI messages and a laptop is a huge technical disadvantage, bar cost. Current generation CDJs have technology (that 90% of DJs either don't understand or dont know exists) that completely invalidates the convenience brought by "Digital DJing." The problem is, the "average" DJ either doesn't care that they're shackled to a laptop, or doesn't play in an environment where it really matters, so companies keep churning out MIDI boxes, and Pioneer keeps its stranglehold.

If companies started creating cost effective hardware that actually competed with Pio's tech, ala Stanton and Denon, we could move to a new, much better trend, where the cost effective hardware takes on some of the laptop killing convenience. Maybe then the controller hype will end and we'll get some actually useful budget hardware. But as of now, the cheap MIDI train is chugging, spurned on by "controllerists" who have virtually no stage perception at all, and judge DJing platforms by the number of FX units that can be triggered at once.

[Tha Gooch]

[QUOTE=nem0nic;
I'm only responding to this because this is the second time Steve Brown (spektakx. buckner, imfromthafuture, filespnr, etc) has called me out by name. I can promise you that you didn't enter into my head one single time when I was designing the CMD controllers for Behringer. The simple truth is that the platters on the Studio 4a are 6" because the layout would support that size. I knew that the Studio 4a needed to be 12" tall, because it needed to fit together with the other CMD modules. So I laid out all the transport and cue buttons and roughed in the mixer section and FX sections. From there I was able to determine how much room I would have for the platters.[/QUOTE]

But your design totally fails because I like to have my crossfader above the mixer! Where's the innovation?????

[Dj Noriddim]

Off topic but why is porter robinson a tool DJ??????

[GeekGod]

After seeing this guys controller designs I am left to wonder what gives him the right to criticize other designs?

Also - show us the sales numbers that you base the article on.

[oliosky]

But your design totally fails because I like to have my crossfader above the mixer! Where's the innovation?????

turn it upside down and invert the controls...

[Xonetacular]

The truth of the matter is that the DJ products category is growing. What's even more interesting is that the category overall is growing when sales in all but 2 of the sub-categories are shrinking rapidly. It used to be that the "bread and butter" categories (like turntables, CD players, and mixers) all took roughly 20% of the overall market. Now controllers have close to 50% of the market and everything else splits a much smaller piece of the pie. But controllers are growing rapidly at a pace that outshines all of the other product categories by a huge margin.

The OP doesn't have access to any sales information, and that's why he didn't post any. There is only 1 company that tracks overall sales, and that's MI Sales Track. The data costs companies tens of thousands of dollars to obtain access to, and no one shares figures with anyone else because it would violate their agreement with MIST. Steve has neither the access or the money to obtain this data.

The OP positions himself as some kind of industry insider, visionary, and/or equipment designer. He is none of the above. He's a former beta tester for Stanton. He once had an inside track to a career, but he's alienated himself by making outrageous claims. And now he seems to believe that everyone owes him something (including all of you).

I'm only responding to this because this is the second time Steve Brown (spektakx. buckner, imfromthafuture, filespnr, etc) has called me out by name. I can promise you that you didn't enter into my head one single time when I was designing the CMD controllers for Behringer. The simple truth is that the platters on the Studio 4a are 6" because the layout would support that size. I knew that the Studio 4a needed to be 12" tall, because it needed to fit together with the other CMD modules. So I laid out all the transport and cue buttons and roughed in the mixer section and FX sections. From there I was able to determine how much room I would have for the platters.

Oh wait, is this the same dude who made that drama thread way back calling everyone out about trying to run Ean out of NAMM and going on some rant about stanton owing him something and him saving their products?

[nem0nic]

Oh wait, is this the same dude who made that drama thread way back calling everyone out about trying to run Ean out of NAMM and going on some rant about stanton owing him something and him saving their products?

That's the guy. One in the same.

[rotebass]

Off topic but why is porter robinson a tool DJ??????

Because someone is jealous that Porter gets more gigs

[smiTTTen]

I am all for people writing, hell, I even have a go from time to time. I admire this chap's passion but that's about where it ends.

Buchner/FileSpnr/Spatular: Please rethink what it is you are trying to do. You change you name and format but the message is still the same - i.e very confused. Don't mistake people commenting on your article saying "you're an idiot" with reader traction.