There have been a few rumors and many questions floating around about the new Vestax VCI-300 controller. We held off reporting anything official until we got our own facts but now we have some good news for you from the Vestax distributor and Vestax Japan:
$ 6-700 estimated street price (in the U.S.)
Compatibility: This device will be compatible with ALL brands of software that support MIDI.
On shelves: April Its now being reported Mid June
Serato Itch details: Yes, this controller was obviously designed and labeled to control the Serato Itch program. The controller is “officially supported” for Itch which means that they can only guarantee that it will work perfectly (out of the box) with the Serato program. All other dj software companies will have to design and support their own midi templates for the VCI-300 if they choose to. Yes, Serato is communicating with the VCI-300 via a form of closed communication (most likely HID which could be easily hacked into via several great programs on the net) but the VCI-300 with also send MIDI.
What that means to you: Yes, you can purchase this product and map it out yourself to any program that supports midi learn.
Our opinion: This product was not designed as an upgrade to the VCI-100 but rather as a Serato Itch interface. The only real difference is slightly larger jog wheels and a built in sound card. If your using other software, your best bet is to buy a VCI-100 and a good sound card for the same price and use the mappings you find around the net and here on dj tech tools.
Some funny data on the product: Taken from the VCi-300 promo sheet: “The built in audio interface carries codec IC with superb audio characteristics generated by sigma modulation 24 bit stereo D/AAEA/D converter.” What are they saying here?? Well, sir- I think they meant: “When you connect the A/D modulation source window disparity converter response time and subtract the wind thrust module jog wheel resistor to the RPQ value you get a higher rotational torq output register on your X/Y/Z and P axis” oh, ok- thanks. I get it now.
P.S. Its looking good for a limited edition release of the Black “Ean Golden” VCI-100, and if all goes according to plan it will only be available here on Dj Tech Tools with pre-orders soon! The Ean Golden VCI-100SE sold out in the first week. A few extra copies may be available at the end of Junes.
I think thats supposed to be 24-bit delta-sigma A=D & D-A converters (meaning there is an audio input). I’m up to my elbows in delta-sigmas lately, but not for audio applications. Basically, delta-sigmas are really good for audio applications.
The other questions remains though - will there be 14-bit MIDI if it supports HID?
However, in other news, Gizmo on Skratchworx.com just posted a video showing the Stanton NS7 where the Numark marketing guys says the NS7 does support MIDI.
ahhh…
Thanks for the advice, yet again! I don’t want to be tied to a new software package, I’d rather be working with something that’s been around the block, so to speak. From the sounds of it, the Ean Golden VCI-100 is going to be a very limited edition… but you’ve definately got me sold on it. I just hope I’m swift enough to get in a preorder in time!
I really do hope the folks at Vestax are paying attention to us little people (the ones who are dying to throw wads of hard earned cash at them). The 300’s bigger and adjustable jogwheels are a nice upgrade, and the unit as a whole looks pretty spiffy, ‘cept for that goth-nailpolish finish. So, assuming that the company has a bunch of silver 100s in stock… do they play it safe and liquidate ‘em before moving on, or do they learn from the consumers, polish and produce their MK2 products, and create a market cornerstone at risk of losses on the older models? ECON1001…
The VCI-300 is not a further step in comparison to the VCI-100 in my opinion. Only thing that is adorable is the abilty to set the tension of the wheels. A real step forward would be the ability to use the interface of the VCI-300 for timecode input.
Well, it looks like one could use the wheels of the VCI-300 on a VCI-100 too. :P
Ean, what is your latest info about the faceplates? I hope the guys at Vestax have learned from the issues about the VCI-100 to give better support and finally (what the hell, almost one year later) make the faceplates available. Oh man, that’s so ridiculous! :(
I just purchased the black limited edition vci-100 from Japan. Will faceplate and tks. file be available to convert that to your Ean Golden edition?
Dan, where did you purchase the unit?
I want one too! Please send your info to hoopshooter@gmx.net. Thanks :-)
So do I. Where did you find it? please post the info here to everyone !
too late…they are all sold out… :-(
I would like to buy a VCI-100 in black as well… I just can’t believe they are all sold out *everywhere*…
So if anbody nows a source please post here and or send me a mail to puck_muc@gmx.de
Thanks.
See - another example of mixed messages from manufacturers. Vestax told me that the VCI-300 is ITCH specific but could possibly be hacked to work with other MIDI software, but wouldn’t be supported by Vestax.
I do wish that the same manufacturers would all sing from the same hymn sheet.
yeah- we feel your pain Mark. We were getting mixed messages as well so we held off until it seemed the final answer was on the table.
we should have some exciting news for you within a week about this.
can you give us a little more info on that please? what exactly is a delta sigma?
The Delta-Sigma (??) modulation is a kind of analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog conversion. An analog to digital converter (ADC) or DAC circuit which implements this technique can be easily realized using low-cost CMOS processes, such as the processes used to produce digital integrated circuits; for this reason, even though it was first presented in the early 1960s, it is only in recent years that it has come into widespread use with improvements in silicon technology. Almost all analog integrated circuit vendors offer sigma delta converters.
wow… The DJ Tech Tools reader most likely to win the science fair is…
Drum Roll please! …. *drum roll ensues*
DJ G-R-BS!!!
Congratulations!!!
on a less sarcastic note - that was really damn impressive dude! WOW! I’m a science/tech geek so I totally loved that explanation! :D
Thanks for that info G-R-BS. Thats great! So, is it safe to assume that this is the common D/A found in almost all sound cards and therefore nothing special?
I’m not that familiar with Delta-Sigma modulation as I am still learning. However, I did do some researching on Wiki and pasted the information on here. So, that’s where I got my information from. Please check out the link below
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delta-sigma_modulation
According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analog_to_digital_converter and the image of X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro sound card
I think it may be safe to say that D/A are found in almost all sound cards.
ADC - An analog-to-digital converter (abbreviated ADC, A/D or A to D) is an electronic integrated circuit, which converts continuous signals to discrete digital numbers. The reverse operation is performed by a digital-to-analog converter (DAC).
ADC can be found in an 8-channel digital-to-analog converter Cirrus Logic CS4382 placed on Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty
DAC - In electronics, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC or D-to-A) is a device for converting a digital (usually binary) code to an analog signal (current, voltage or electric charge).
DAC can be found in an 4-channel stereo multiplexed analog-to-digital converter WM8775SEDS made by Wolfson Microelectronics placed on X-Fi Fatal1ty Pro sound card
A huge thanks for that info.
So glad to hear that pre orders for the Ean Golden edition will appear here soon. I cant contain my excitement over this product, just gotta keep checking the site and get my pre order in.
ditto :)
Hey Ean
Can the Vci-300 be configured to do a split cue function?
thanks
nope, and itch is hardwired, so no hacking there.
but the vci-100 can :-)
How can the Vci-100 run a split cue? or is it best to run an external mixer?
Currently i use djdecks anda Delta 44, a single time coded TT with a denon mixer.
i want to upgrade to a midi controller and possible ditch the mixer if possible.
hi there.
why do you think:
“If your using other software, your best bet is to buy a VCI-100 and a good sound card for the same price and use the mappings you find around the net and here on dj tech tools.”
i think i get a vc? 100 with a soundcard indluded. so i only have one tool with me. (or do u mean, that the included soundcard is not as good as an extra one… is it that bad?)
is there line/phono in as well? to let go through?
could you answer to my email address?
Of course, the integrated Soundcard will be worse than a good firewire unit, e.g. the ECHO Audiofire 2 ($200). And especially this unit is as big as two packs of cigarettes. So theres no reason to buy the VCI-300 because of the inferior sound device….only because you save SO little space (and gain flexibility, input/output options and better sound quality!).
yes, I was saying that unless convenience is more important than quality you should consider buying a vci-100 and an extra sound card. Its hard to say what sound card is in the vcm-300 but when we find that out then this question will be even more clear. I would imagine its comparable to the DJ i/0.
if you want us to reply to your email- its simple, just subscribe to this post bellow my comment.
Do the vci-100 have a headphone output?. or do i need a mixer to cue my music.
The VCI-100 (in contrast to the VCI-300) has no sound at all, it only sends out MIDI messages to a computer. For sound output you need a seperate soundcard…
hey,
how is the soundcard compared to my behringer bcd3000 console?
hey, again
whe i see this pic: http://djdeals.com/images/equipment/vestaxVCI300.jpg
it looks for mke that i cannot let other sound through or in the vci 300 (like i can with the bcd3000)
:-(
So we’ll need to wait until the VCI300 is out to see the quality of the built-in soundcard… but it looks good though, I imagine that one day the guys programming Deckadance will make some .tks for this device… Deckadance is so good! Since I tried it, never used Traktor 3 again. I got some questions… 1) Will the VCI 300 be as compatible to Deckadance as the VCi 100? 2) Is it possible to kill EQ with the knob as easily as with a button (I know its possible in the VCI 100 but I never tried one so I’m not really sure of how you can) 3) Can you use the file seeking circle in the VCI 300 to travel through x,y axis for effects in Deckadance? Thank you and masterpiece of work you doin’ mates ;) Einsamer Mann
Hi Ean
I heard in one of your reviews of the VCI-300 you said that the VCI-300 has fine pitch faders. So does that mean they aren’t like the VCI-100 that has the 127 step positions. Which winds up skipping 1.1% when adjusting the pitch.
And if so how accurate is it now?
I like using Deckadance because of the fine pitch it goes by .001 not that I’m expecting 1000 positions per percent, but less then 10 that I get with the VCI-100 drives me nuts. (I have to use my mouse in Deckadance while pressing ctrl to get fine pitch, can’t find anything like that in traktor)
Jesmer
WOWWW!!! take a look at this!!!
http://www.numark.com/ns7
New NS7 from Numark!! was not on your review!!!
I think with this and Deckadance I’ll get all i need!!! :P
oh sorry, yes it was on your review.
Hey i havent used serato yet, im wondering how easy it will be to learn, im only familiar with ableton and traktor at the moment. is the serato software expensive?
why do you need to learn serato mike, the vci-300 will work with traktor.
from what I have seen serator is pretty easy to use but not as powerful as traktor…. having said this I think serator is rock hard stable…
yea its the stability im going for, im still not sure i really trust computers for djing yet, my mate is rocking the vci and traktor and seems to be having several issues wenever doing a set. thered be nothing worse than doing a live set and having my setup crap out, even a small windows error would be carnage… but thanks for your help :D
if you have a decent computer with solid audio drivers then Traktor is solid. I have played hundreds upon hundreds of shows and the only time I had issues was when introducing time code via FS technology.
Hey Ean
Is it possible you could answer my question from above please, I really want to know.
“I heard in one of your reviews of the VCI-300 you said that the VCI-300 has fine pitch faders. So does that mean they aren?t like the VCI-100 that has the 127 step positions. Which winds up skipping 1.1% when adjusting the pitch.
And if so how accurate is it now?
I like using Deckadance because of the fine pitch it goes by .001 not that I?m expecting 1000 positions per percent, but less then 10 that I get with the VCI-100 drives me nuts. (I have to use my mouse in Deckadance while pressing ctrl to get fine pitch, can?t find anything like that in traktor)”
Jesmer
Hey Jesmer,
thats a good question. I was told the pitch faders are more accurate in the data they send but i dont have the exact details on exactly how high the resolution is. The resolution is somewhat a mute point though if your using MIDI and a physical fader. You only have a range of 0-127 and then the length of the fader limits how precise a small nudge is. The vcm-300 is certainly longer and should certainly be more accurate but how accurate remains to be seen this week at Musik Messe!
Hope that helps,
Ean
man i can’t wait.. I’m waiting on that review of the vci-300… waiting on how good that sound card is… hopefully its strong enough for a club.. or any type of gig… cuz if it is.. its a hell of a buy.. but if not… then eh…
yo Ean are u doing a review… on that Dmix-600 from cortex…. you can use a hard drive instead of a computer…
“This device will be compatible with ALL brands of software that support MIDI.”
i have heard about “High Resolution MIDI” and because of that it will not be compatible. (and i guess you could scratch so well with it)
but what is this high def midi? a new standard coming out?
http://zenph.com/midi.html
When will possible buy?
14Bit MIDI will offer a much higher resolution of 16384 steps.
Does anyone actually own a VCI 300 to confirm the sound quality? I am hoping that it would be good enough for the club setting?
Also, can you plug in an external deck to mix with the digital tracks? I can see an audio input and ground point but I don’t know if it has preamps for an external deck?
One retailer told me it wouldn’t work but I wanted to verify..
If this won’t work with an external deck (which is kinda a prerequisite for me) then what are my alternatives. I have seen the Hercules DJ Rmx but I am concerned about the sound quality of this device (thoughts?). If I go down the VCI 100 route with external soundcard (Apogee duet) then I guess i still need to plug the external deck through a preamp.
How do other folk use a Deck plus MP3 mixer?
Thanks in advance.
hi ;-)
dont know about the external deck…. but wanted to say something about the hercules rmx.
i know, i do not trust hercules very much. but may be this time the console is better. BUUUUUUUUT
this console is the only one on the market that even works like a mixer, even when the laptop is not ON. u can route audio signals through (and mix them)
so all external stuff is supported there.
the joggwheels are high resolution as well (but if its so nice like itch, i do not know)
hercules rmx discuss, I am considering buying the hercules rmx as my behringer bcd3000 has gone mental not sure why due to midi setting getting shot.
Anyone rate the hercules rmx and does it run well with Traktor?
i am wondering the following:
will vestax ever come up with midi mapping so you can use the vci 300 for both traktor and itch and
why can i not use my recently purchased vci 100 to scratch with as i would my cdj’s
help is needed in answering both questions
thanks in advance
do you have the VCI 100 update (firmware flash) ?
may be thats why?!
can you guys be more specific? too many of you assume on here that we all know everything. if we did, we wouldn’t be on here asking such questions. what is firmware flash? and where do i get it?
alan d, your answer is not helpful by no means
thanks for trying to help
sorry if my answer is not so helpful. but you can ask again ;-)
i do not own a VCI100. BUT you can upgrade your firmware (your flashrom) that is the cip ninside your vestax concole. i think only vestax does the upgrade, but for free, or for shipping only. with that upgrade, the scratching behaviour is changed/upgraded.
EAN and others here would know more. may be, they tell you more, ive it some time or google somewhere or find a specific forum or ask your seller!
best regards from sch?rm?ny ;-)