I’m working on a new gear rig. Here’s the problem though, I was thinking about buying an all-in-one like the S4, but then I realized that ALL the promoters here instantaneously assume that those who use a all-in-one are considered either sophomoric or too fresh to the DJ community. Therefore, they disregard those with those rigs. So, I thought about it and decided I wanted to build a convoluted system that’s over the top, and completely unnecessary. Furthermore, I wanted to make mixing a bit more fun than the standard.
So here’s what I’ve been looking at, so far, this is not final and this not what I expect to be the outcome.
Gear rig:
4x Launchpad
4x Novation Nocturne
1x X-Session Pro
1x Interface (to be determined, I’m looking at a few others that aren’t specifically NI, but I do keep them in mind)
/Gear rig
Before anyone says anything else, I want to inform you of the purpose of each piece. First, all four of the launchpad’s will work like (in a sense) next-gen decks, meaning, they will each be assigned with different cue-points. However, no one really needs 64 cue-point buttons. That’s why I have this nifty idea where instead of using a knob for roll’s, you can just assign a row or whatnot for that.
As for the Nocturnes, those will take the place of FX manipulation, and EQ/Gain control as well as pitch. Basic stuff.
And the X-Session Pro will tie the rig together and act as the mixer. Totaling 10 USB cables (Yes, I will be using hubs, not sure on which one no need to link me to the thread though), and I know it will be a mapping nightmare. But what do you guys think?
I totally would, but that looks expensive. I mean, if it was fast enough you could do the same with a smart board (those white boards that they project on…).
and one laptop for traktor
and one laptop for serato
and one laptop for ableton
and one laptop for vdj
and one laptop for mixvibes
and one laptop for deckadance
and one laptop for email
and one laptop for facebook
I figured that someone would say that. Here’s my logic to keeping it:
Yes, we all know the rep the X-Session Pro has, it’s a shitty mixer, on its own. It’s limited to what it can and can’t do, basic DJ functions and very limited FX. However, add some stuff and map it properly, and it can do wonders, or so I’ve seen. Plus, I’ve seen worse mixers for the same price.
No, I like the design. I just mean I’ve never felt a more flimsy piece of junk. Those knobs feel AWFUL. I really really do not feel they are worth the money at all. I can’t want until someone makes a better mixer style controller.
Ahh, I’m actually working on that right now… It’s going to be a loooong process, So far I’ve broken it down… One Nocturn for each Launchpad, FX presets/combos, each button goes to a different FX, one for EQ/Gain control. That or maybe two Livid Codes…
That’ll be a mapping hell… First you have about 32 knobs to map and then multiply that by 14… And then you also have to map all the pushed knobs. You only really need to map it once though.
The difference is that the nanokontrol is much cheaper and isn’t pretending to be a piece of kit which will be taking a lot of punishment. Mixers should be tough!
I honestly think the nanokontrol has nicer feeling knobs than the xsession.
