Scratch Controllers ???
Hey guys just wondering what you’re opinions are for the best Scratch/turntablism midi controllers.
I know lots of you fellas are crazy about the VCI-100s … what are the other alternatives? Have any of you tried the Denon s3700
I like the instant loop buttons. They would be good to add to a VCI mapping!
And the CD-pause style slow motion sound trick sounded like a fun thing to play with.
Nope, never seen one.
You cant use that device to scratch with because it doesnt have touch sensitivity to tell traktor that you have put your finger on the vinyl and put it into scratch mode.
he was doing scratching in the video with traktor… whatchu talkin bout willis?
Notice how he had to pause the deck to scratch ?
Traktor expects scratch on and scratch off commands when your scratching when the deck is playing so it can reliably scratch.
As it stands that thing is like scratching on a glorified BCD-3000
Looks good, but my opinion (I have one) the jog wheels are far too small for scratching. Reloop controller looks interesting though.
If I want to scratch I just use a turntable as External Deck in Traktor, so I would recommend Traktor scratch and some 1210’s. Nothing comes close to proper decks for scratching IMO…yet!
There are only 2 “scratch” controllers right now, the Numark NS7 and the Stanton SCS.1d. Everything else fails pretty miserably in one way or another.
That NS7 kicks serious ass. I can definitely vouch for that one.
oooohhh… hhaha those tricky sons of bitches. they had me fooled!
good to know, i thought you went crazy for a bit there bento 
lol
VCI 300 & Itch works well
Or make yer own:
I want in on this
I have played with that Denon a lot, and it’s a bad mother. Can’t say what it’l do in Traktor, but with cds it’s an F N scratch machine!!
Wish I had a 1d…
I’ve seen some decent scratching on a vci-300.
i tried those Denons at my local GC, they are sick, nice and clean feel - just like TTs… it was scratching of a CD tho, so i dont know about Traktor route.
:eek:
i cant believe those sounds are coming from that thing. lol. fucking awesome man! Is that controlling traktor???
Nope i am pretty sure the sound is internally generated on that one
^aww bummer… even still tho… wow !
LOL! Yeah, I know. And I work for them too. But I stand by my statement. I think that if we define the term “scratch controller” to mean that it offers the same or better performance as a traditional turntable, and that the skills one acquires on one transfers directly to the other, then there are only 2 that come close.
The 3700 is close behind, and is a great unit, but as was stated before there’s no built in logic for detecting a scratch and sending the required note on. It wouldn’t surprise me if there is a yet unrealized functionality to support absolute mapping in Serato ScratchLive - which would turn the 3700 into a very capable scratch controller.
Everything else fails to deliver that kind of performance. The VCI 100 and 300 are fine for baby scratches, but the platters are tiny and do not rotate. All of the VCI-100 knockoffs out there suffer from the same problem, and most of them don’t address the need for higher resolution and higher speed messages (the 300 being the exception). The Otus is able to accommodate the higher resolution messaging, and is a good size, but isn’t motorized.
Another dynamic that’s ignored by most of the controllers out there is the interaction between the platter, the slipmat, and the work surface (record). In my opinion, this is an even more important element than the drive motor’s power, because it only needs to supply enough torque to keep the platter spinning at a constant speed while the turntablist performs - and that force is in many cases mitigated somewhat by using very slippery mats (like Butter Rugs). The relationship between the record, slipmat, and platter is not only important, but highly customizable by the DJ. And this is totally thrown away when a single slab of static plastic is used as the interface.
That’s not to say that other controllers out there can’t be used in one way or another. But they just aren’t “scratch controllers” by my criteria. I’m lusting hardcore for a VCI-300 because it’s a slick piece of kit, and it would be a perfect addition to my setup. And I have a number of other controllers in my studio/lab that I love. But I call them like I see them.
Cool, but it’s not real yet.