# 14-bit MIDI and the VCI-100 **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [January 22, 2009, 10:02am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163 "2009-01-22T10:02:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![empolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@empolo](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/empolo)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/21 "2009-02-06T00:49:39Z")
A bit of an update regarding Traktor Pro and 14-bit MIDI support for the jog wheels: Over on the NI forums, there is a weekly Q&A session with the product designers. Last week was the first German language Q&A session in which someone brought up a question about the MIDI support → [Answer in German]: ‘Das gilt in der kommenden Version erst einmal für Potis und Fader. Die Unterstützung von Jog-Wheels mit 14-bit MIDI haben wir für ein weiteres Update geplant.’ [Translated answer]: This is for the next version true only of Pots and Faders. The support for Jog-wheels with 14 bits is planned for a future update. So there you have it. VCI-400 owners will be happy with the next update but the 100/300 brethren will have to wait a bit longer, so it seems. ---
**Author:** ![claudek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@claudek](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/claudek)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:43am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/22 "2009-02-06T06:43:51Z")
That royally blows!! everything this year is not going as I dreamed it would. First Serato did not offer any Ableton news or offer any fx for the vci-300 and now I hear that NI only are offering this 14 bit support for pots and faders… ---
**Author:** ![10us](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/10us/32/14831_2.png) [@10us](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/10us)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 8:08am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/23 "2009-02-06T08:08:59Z")
Damn that really sucks, so actually we still cant do anything with the 14-bit except if you dont use the jogs. ---
**Author:** ![monstrejumo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/monstrejumo/32/12590_2.png) [@monstrejumo](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/monstrejumo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/24 "2009-05-19T00:13:45Z")
Well, I’ve read this post and others, and I’m still wondering if the VCI100 is the controller I have to buy. The only thing that annoys me is the non-14bit pitch faders problem. So I have 2 questions: - are the present 7bit pitch faders non sufficient to manually beatmatch correctly? (I don’t want to have to use the sync function, I like this option as an “option”, not as an “obligation”!) - can I be sure the 1.4 firmware upgrade will increase these pitch faders sensitivity? I’m waiting for the new version 2 of the reloop digital jockey to be released, as it has sensitive jogs and 14bit pitch faders, but they had huge delays for the release of the 1st version, and I’m pretty in the urge of getting a dj controller… So… VCI 100 ? cheers ---
**Author:** ![midifidler](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/midifidler/32/14143_2.png) [@midifidler](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/midifidler)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/25 "2009-05-19T00:25:59Z")
are the present 7bit pitch faders non sufficient to manually beatmatch correctly? (I don’t want to have to use the sync function, I like this option as an “option”, not as an “obligation”!) IMHO - no especially if you like a range greater than 8 The 1.4 firmware should make them about 16 x more sensitive (ie for each minimum adjustment you can currently make there will be now be 16 that, they will not truly be 14 bit but actually 10 bit, thats a hardware limitation of the VCI. But that is still far better, I dont think you would really be able to tell the difference between 10 bit and 14 bit on 50 mm faders ---
**Author:** ![monstrejumo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/monstrejumo/32/12590_2.png) [@monstrejumo](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/monstrejumo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/26 "2009-05-19T00:47:43Z")
Thanks for this quick answer! > [@](#): > > especially if you like a range greater than 8 I don’t really know, what I know is that all the tracks I’d like to mix have a bpm between 120 and 150 max, almost electro stuff, but I’d like to be able to mix lots of different styles too. if 1.4 is REALLY gonna be released and will REALLY increase the pitch faders sensitivity, even if it is not 14bit, it’s fine to me! 10bits will be very cool. Cheers ---
**Author:** ![mpetersen3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@mpetersen3](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/mpetersen3)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/27 "2009-05-19T01:08:01Z")
10 bit would still be ridiculous amount of sensitivity. 2^10=1024 messages which should be enough to eliminate track drift (when scratching and) and is about 10 times more than 7 bit, for a ±10% pitch this means we can adjust pitch in increments of 0.01953% sensitivity. Which isn’t perfect, but is about as good as it gets, thats why we have tempo nudge buttons. ---
**Author:** ![BentoSan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/bentosan/32/15028_2.png) [@BentoSan](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/BentoSan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/28 "2009-05-19T02:29:45Z")
> [@mpetersen3](#): > > 10 bit would still be ridiculous amount of sensitivity. 2^10=1024 messages which should be enough to eliminate track drift (when scratching and) and is about 10 times more than 7 bit, for a ±10% pitch this means we can adjust pitch in increments of 0.01953% sensitivity. Which isn’t perfect, but is about as good as it gets, thats why we have tempo nudge buttons. Actually removing sticker drift completely is only possible if the unit started to send absolute messages of the jog wheel location. Relative messages are not as arrurate as an absolute message are, relative midi messages subject to rounding problems and lost midi messages that cause sticker drift - that said it increasing the resolution of the relative should help to increase the performance of the jogs but it still wont be perfect. Sadly there are issues that not only the firmware has to overcome for super tight intergration but also Traktor itself before we are going to get dream jogs. ---
**Author:** ![Karlos\_Santos](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/karlos_santos/32/13263_2.png) [@Karlos\_Santos](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/Karlos_Santos)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 11:43am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/29 "2009-05-19T11:43:47Z")
BentoSan is, of course correct about sticker drift. I do think though that this FW1.4 is great news for the VCI 100. It does make the decision to buy a 100 and not a 300 a good one. If it does implement 10bit ill be happy with it. What Midifidler says about the faders is also true , they will be much more accurate and sufficient for me. You would have to be a bit ham-fisted not to be able to use 10 bit on the VCI faders. Im happy. So _ahem_ when is FW1.4 out. _duck & cover_ ---
**Author:** ![monstrejumo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/monstrejumo/32/12590_2.png) [@monstrejumo](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/monstrejumo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 11:54am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/30 "2009-05-19T11:54:12Z")
Hi, this leads me to understand that the present 7bit pitch fader implementation is not so much useless to correctly beatmatch? and yes, IF the 1.4 firmware is really to be released and IF it pushes sensitivity to 10bits… so I guess that will be allright and I don’t need to wait for the new reloop to be released. well, it’s hard for me to make the decision… anyone to insure me that the VCI is OK for manual beatmatching with firmware 1.2 ? thanks a lot fellows cheers ---
**Author:** ![BentoSan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/bentosan/32/15028_2.png) [@BentoSan](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/BentoSan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 12:00pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/31 "2009-05-19T12:00:03Z")
> [@monstrejumo](#): > > anyone to insure me that the VCI is OK for manual beatmatching with firmware 1.2 ? Yes you can manually beatmatch on it you just need to keep the pitchfader to a low % of pitch and ride the pitchfader a bit more than you normally would. ---
**Author:** ![monstrejumo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/monstrejumo/32/12590_2.png) [@monstrejumo](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/monstrejumo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 12:26pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/32 "2009-05-19T12:26:47Z")
Thanks BentoSan, but I don’t fully understand your statement : > [@](#): > > you just need to keep the pitchfader to a low % of pitch =\> is it to be configured in traktor prefs, like, say, assign the pitch fader to 8% speed maximum? or is it to say that I have to avoid pushing the pitch fader to its “extremities”? > [@](#): > > and ride the pitchfader a bit more than you normally would does that mean that I’ll have to make more fader position adjustments that on regular turntables, or that the pitch won’t be really fixed once a time, an then needs to be re-adjusted several times during the track playback? Excuse me if I seem a bit retarded, ans ask too much questions about the same thing in a this non dedicated topic 😉 Thanks a lot ---
**Author:** ![BentoSan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/bentosan/32/15028_2.png) [@BentoSan](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/BentoSan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 12:30pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/33 "2009-05-19T12:30:20Z")
1. Yes that traktor config thing - keep it on 8 2. yes - but that will be fixed eventually ---
**Author:** ![monstrejumo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/monstrejumo/32/12590_2.png) [@monstrejumo](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/monstrejumo)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2009, 1:03pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/34 "2009-05-19T13:03:51Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Zac\_Kyoti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/53a042/32.png) [@Zac\_Kyoti](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/Zac_Kyoti)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/35 "2009-05-20T02:09:30Z")
I find with the sliders set to 10% and two extra buttons mapped to the lowest adjustment, I only rarely encounter two tracks where I need to ride the pitch. If you’re using beatgrids (IMHO this will open up worlds of perfect-sync opportunities for you) you won’t need to worry about it too much anyway. The VCI-100 is a solid workhorse that is being actively improved upon too, so I’d say between the two, go Vestax. ---
**Author:** ![BentoSan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/bentosan/32/15028_2.png) [@BentoSan](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/BentoSan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2009, 2:53am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163/36 "2009-05-20T02:53:18Z")
> [@Zac\_Kyoti](#): > > If you’re using beatgrids (IMHO this will open up worlds of perfect-sync opportunities for you) you won’t need to worry about it too much anyway. +1 i only ever touch the pitch faders if im doing pitching tricks. [Previous page](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/14-bit-midi-and-the-vci-100/2163.md?page=1)