Fantasy hardware?

DJ Life & Community General Discussion
1

Fantasy hardware?

Hi folks,

I have yet to use a controller so please take my ignorance into account. From what I’ve seen, and if money was no object, I would like to see an NS7 style, all in one controller that works out of the box with all of the main software variants (or at the very least Serato and Traktor).

It would have 2 x 10" motorised platters with vinyl (like the NS7 or Rane 12 but between them in size) grafted into a SC5000, obviously expanded to fit the platter, minus the screen (I would relocate the pitch fader and associated controls to that part of the ‘player’). Between the ‘players’ would sit a Xone96 (or its equivalent), which could be used as a standalone mixer with an external analogue and/or digital set up (turntables, CDJs, XDJs, etc.) that would be able to take advantage of all the effects, processors, etc. built in to the mixer and whichever software it’s attached to.

I haven’t forgotten about the screens I removed from the players, they would be 5, maybe 7 inch, multi-touch and stored in a well at the back of the unit from which they would pop-up in an array (like the Numark screens, but much better quality, like the Denon ones) when required and pop safely down when the unit is in transit or if the unit uses its option to connect to external screens, either physically (HDMI, USB, etc., plus RMX for lighting control) or via WiFi, Bluetooth or whatever.

On the downside, it would probably take two people to shift it, with its mostly titanium construction but the company that makes it throws in a custom made, wheeled flightcase that doubles as a stand for the unit with optional add ons for holding your computer, turntables, etc.

Bearing in mind that you can afford anything that you like in this game, would you buy it? What would you change? What would you keep? Where would you use it? Where would you put it? (Remember, there are children present… :open_mouth:)

2

The Kontrol D2s are essentially my ideal for deck control. It would be really nice if they didn’t require a laptop and had a few small UI tweaks and allowed you to change the function of some of the pages of pad controls from things I never use to things I need another controller to do.

For my mixer, I’d either want my Rane mp2016 with per-channel sends in place of the gain knobs or an ARS6700 without the channel EQs. I’d also like to add a Dangerous BAX EQ on the master loop and some analog reverb 1U rack unit on the send.

Frankly, though…they’re small improvements over what I’m using now. And would cost a LOT of money that’s probably not worth it.

3

Had to look that up (controller virgin, remember), not sure how I’d get on without something to spin but I won’t knock it before I try it…

Dangerous, be still my beating heart…

This is fantasy land, money’s no object here so go all out and get what you really want :thumbsup:

4

Yes. D2 x SC5000 would be perfect.

5

I don’t think you can try them easily. NI discontinued them not long after I got mine. They still make the Kontrol S8, which is an all-in-one that more or less uses D2s as the deck sections. If I weren’t obsessed with rotary mixers, I’d have gotten one of those instead (it’s a lot simpler).

I also gave up on platters a long time ago. I still own 1200s, but one of them is hooked up to my hi-fi in my living room and the other is in a box somewhere. And the only reason I haven’t sold them is because I know I’ll never own another set of turntables and haven’t quite come to grips with it…though for the price I could get selling them, I could get a pretty nice hifi vinyl setup.

I’ve also never cared about scratching. Once the CDJs, XDJs, SCs, etc. got sync, all of my needs for a platter of any kind disappeared. It actually happened before that, since I was on X1mk2s before D2s and X1s before that…and before that I was using Ableton Live with a different controller. And because I don’t scratch, I never missed them.

The only thing I don’t like about them is that you can’t remap the Loop and Freeze pad modes, which I literally never use…it would be nice to have them do things I do use instead of having to add another controller. And while there are ways to hack them to show beats-to-cue (just about my favorite feature that Traktor does better than everything else), the browser on them is pretty limited to make do with the small screens. So, you still need a laptop. Increasing the screen size to fit a real track browser and either internal storage or the ability to use USB keys ala rekordbox would be an improvement. But, the D2s didn’t sell that well, so I’m not holding my breath.

As for the small improvements not being worth it…I mean small. And a LOT of money. The BAX EQ is $2400. Most rack reverbs are digital…which is fine (though it does add conversions to the chain) and still cost a few hundred dollars. Using them makes the mixer more expensive (several thousand). And I already have all of those capabilities (Plugin Alliance’s version of the Dangerous BAX EQ, plenty good reverbs on a send, etc.) by running Traktor through Ableton. It wouldn’t add anything…it would just be what’s required to not use a laptop.

Honestly, though…if given the option, I’m not sure I’d change anything except maybe upgrading my Rane to an Alpha.

6

I’d love to see a standalone D2 with a 7" touchscreen. A combination of the DJS-1000 and SC5000, but more affordable and compact. It would play regular tracks, but also allow you to sample loops live into a sample deck or step sequencer. With playable pads of course.

7

I would love some holographic displays :drooling_face:

8

Album art or waveforms or both?

Made by the manufacturers of the TARDIS, no doubt… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

9

Full 6 decks. Same purpose as a laptop screens just shining up from the back panel of the controller.
Makes more space for bigger jogwheels, bigger (normal) pads, included FX Knobs…

10

Why? The SC5000 weighs nothing. It’s basically an Android tablet with a jog wheel.

11

Im not sure what the reference to the TARDIS was about, but I agree it shouldn’t weigh a lot. The D2 weighs 1.5kg, which is way too much for what it contains.

12

Ah, I see my error, I read ‘DJS-1000’ as ‘DDJ-1000’ and, having seen them in the flesh, regardless of what lies beneath the SC5000’s are not small. Apologies all around.

13

The point is you could fit the SC5000 internals into a D2.

14

You could fit almost any of these internals into a phone unless they have an optical drive. Heck, you could just about fit the capabilities into a watch except for the analog section of a really good converter.

Size and weight play into the user experience. And I don’t mind the size and weight of the D2s. Frankly, I think they’re about as perfect as something is going to get unless NI decides to copy the SC5k model and put their code inside the player along with some way to communicate between them (ideally over some standard cable like cat6, USB, etc.).

15

Yeah, Kontrol D2 form factor would be perfect save for a few issues I have. It’d be good to have a 4x4 pad grid, bigger screen with touch, and the ability to have four of them connected. Hell, have them standalone, add Ableton Link built in, interconnect via A&H X:LINK daisy chain, and paired with a Xone:96… IF they were standalone, you could dump the space used up by the effects sections, and make the pads closer to the F1… I’d even keep the height and the feet.

16

I generally like that, except I really like the effect section on it. It’s just about perfect to me…except the sound of a couple of them where Rekordbox or a million other solutions completely eclipse NI’s code.

4x4 pad grid would have to be configurable for me to like it. But…there are other ways to do what I use my F1 for…just about everything goes away when you take the laptop out of the equation. The ones that are left are just copying decks (aka, instant doubles), which could be handled by tweaks to the browser view.

17

one of those stupid expensive botique mixers…

18

Very pretty, what would you feed it with? Money no object, curate or design your perfect set up, how would you use it? What’s more important to you as the operator of this gear; the ease of use, the quality of the end product (i.e. the sonic quality of the music being played), maybe something else entirely?

19

Now this has my attention…

20

^Nice work!

Give that man a job, NI!!!