I think it was assumed by Vestax and a lot of other people that the VCI-300 was going to be a more popular controller than the VCI-100. That didn’t turn out to be exactly the case, and now many people are justifiably confused as to which controller they should buy. Here at Dj TechTools we get at least one email with this question every day so to help you make up your own mind, here is the list of pro’s and cons:
Tag Archive for 'Review'
About 2 months ago a brand new controller showed up out of no-where and the big three, CDM, SkratchWorx and Dj TT all wrote about the mixer in the same day. The small website dedicated to the controller crashed under the weight of the traffic and the creators of the multi colored Aurora, were surprised to find them selves besieged with requests to buy their new product. The only problem? There was no product.
Reviewed by: Bill Griffin aka SOCIALPEST
If you’re looking for a MIDI pad controller on a modest budget and can’t be troubled to build your own then no doubt you will have found these three; M-Audio Trigger Finger, Korg padKontrol and the Akai MPD24.
They are all around a similar budget and each has their own appeal but on paper its a tough call. Thanks to the help of online store thomann.de I got my hands on all three and set each up in Traktor, Serato and Live to see which would be reigning champ in the sub 200 EUR midi pad controller class.
Continue reading ‘Pad Controller Smackdown’
Brought to you by the makers of Mixed in Key, Platinum Notes (PN) is the tool you need to put that extra polish on your mp3s to make them really sizzle in the clubs. Some of the things you can expect are:
- Automatically adjust the tracks volume, so that every track has the same perceived loudness.
- Repair clipped peaks
- Adjust the dynamics of the music if needed
- Adjust the pitch of the tracks if needed, to make perfect harmonic mixes.
So, does it work as advertised? I’ve tried the software on numerous tracks, like Beatport MP3, ripped CDs, and on various musical genres, from pumping techno to disco. Let’s take those features one by one:
Native Instruments has a impressive record in the software department but their hardware products have less of a history. So when the audio 8 was released many months ago, I was speculative, and held off giving it a try due to the fact that I had already identified several good sound card options. One thing that remains elusive though, is a reasonably priced, high quality sound card that supports direct phonograph inputs. With more and more people using Ms. Pinky, Deck a Dance and tools for Ableton Live time code control, Phono inputs are a good thing to have around.
At this price point there should not be much of a difference right? Well, one thing we do not like around here is assumptions without any real evidence or experience to support that assumption. So, while writing a new column for Remix magazine about sound cards I took it upon my self to try and find out what separates a $100 sound card from a $800 one. After talking to all kinds of “experts” and engineers and after sifting through mountains of marketing propaganda I had a really hard time really finding any quantifiable differences. This reality is hard for us to accept in a society that places a high value on the price tag of a product. “Its $1000, so its got to be the best right?!”
Continue reading ‘4 Dj Sound Cards under $200 (updated)’
Even after our popular dj bag discussion, I was still searching for the perfect bag for my VCI-100 because after a few international trips I had ruined the pitch faders by not storing the VCI in a good enough bag. The guys at AMS suggested the UDG producer bag and were kind enough to send us one to check out. It looks like the perfect Dj bag for taking a VCI-100 or other small controller on planes but lets see if I ruin another set of pitch faders this summer in europe…..
The pitter-patter of excited chatter has been bouncing across cyber space about a new Dj device called the “pacemaker”. This hand-held player is essentially what everyone wished the I-Pod could do but with more realistic dj controls. Unfortunately it will set you back more than $700 and to be honest, I wonder if anyone will even enjoy using it. Most djs like twisting knobs because it taps into our male psyche in such a powerful way. I just cant see anyone really replacing knobs unless they do so with the one shape we enjoy playing with even more- the phallus. Need proof? Go to your local guitar shop.
Although the non-dj press is raving about how much they love the concept, ”An amazing gadget, this could be one of the biggest hits- Simon Perry, Digital Lifestyles” , it remains to be seen if djs will embrace it. Lately the target market of most digital dj devices seems to be squarely aimed at the bedroom consumer and weekend warriors as they correctly assume that market has the most buying power. While the economics of these designs is intelligent they fail to take into account that this group tends to look to the professional users for purchase guidance. Make a product that is good enough for the pros but cool enough that everyone wants to buy it and then you will have a truly successful offering. To their credit the creators of pacemaker have obviously put a lot of thought and intelligent design into a small package but we are curious to see who will end up using it.
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