The iterative process is an amazing thing. Over time, smart people, organisms and populations gradually figure out the best way of doing things. Minor improvements collect to form something that is perfectly suited for its purpose. This Oxygen 8 mapping is exactly such a creation. It has been carefully tuned over the past 5 years, resulting in what I think is probably one of my most refined mappings to date. So without further ado — and with great pride — I give it over to you.
A BIT OF CONTEXT
The VCI-100 Arcade is pure fun, with a wide array of exciting tools that are a joy to play with. This mapping comes from an entirely different place and was designed with a more utilitarian and minimal purpose in mind. It is the result of many, many sweaty hours in large dance clubs where locked-in mixing, error-proof design and totally intuitive control are essential. Over the years I found that there are only a few key things I regularly do during a 4-hour dance set, so this mapping has been continually refined to do the mix essentials really well, and everything else was eliminated in the name of simplicity. This mapping has been designed to compliment an analog DJ mixer — not replace it — so you will need an external mixer to fully utilize its potential.
A foot peddle such as the one shown in the photo — a Boss FS-5U (which I HIGHLY recommend over anything else) — is essential to getting the most out the controller. The keys all act as standard transport controls normally, but when the foot peddle is engaged everything converts into a dynamic cue-point chord heaven.
THE SIMPLE STUFF
One example of a totally idiot proof and perfect control is a dedicated Echo knob per deck. It does everything for you, including select, assign and turn up an echo on that deck, all in one twist. The 2 deck-focused samplers work the same way. Turn them on, and the mapping does all the work for you. Even though this is a 2-deck layout, the sampler makes a very easy-to-use third deck and sounds great all the time. The filters have been dumbed down even further, moving the normal bi-polar filter found on 1 knob to 2 knobs for more distance in each frequency range.
Some people love the keys; others may hate them. I say give it a try, and you may be pleasantly surprised. The precision of having your right hand locked into 2 decks at all time with tactile control over all deck parameters is amazing. The natural key layout makes it easy to memorize function by hand and finger position, allowing you to really lock into the mix, close your eyes, forget about the computer and play music again.
COMING SOON
Depending on the number of people interested in this mapping, the following may be created soon:
1) A complete walkthrough video
2) A matching overlay
3) A customized Oxygen 8 controller in black with funky knobs, old car emblems and the tactile key grips (they are amazing)
GET THE FILES
Download the Oxygen 8 Mapping here!
Report any bugs or suggestions here
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
- MAC or WIN
- Traktor Pro 1.2 or later
- Oxygen 8 V2 or other 2-octave keyboards.
Installation Steps
- Download the Enigma Software from M-Audio
- Under File> import preset bank- Import the .XML file contained in this folder
- Select the DJ TechTools custom mapping in Enigma and click the UP arrow to send that data to the controller. (it must be on and connected)
- Turn the controller off and on to re-initiate
- Preset 1-9 are the same and #10 is GM MIDI
- Import the TSI file into traktor pro 1.2 or later
