#dj hardware

[thisisrealy2kok]

DJ Hardware - Psychotrance 2004 (2003)

[beatsvilleusa]

Reloop shows limited RP-7000 golden edition at Musikmesse 2016

Reloop shows limited RP-7000 golden edition at Musikmesse 2016

Reloop shows limited RP-7000 golden edition at Musikmesse 2016 Reloop shows limited RP-7000 golden edition at Musikmesse 2016 Marc van den HurkReloop are celebrating their 20th Anniversary with a strictly limited golden edition of the high-end DJ turntable, RP-7000. Limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide, the RP-7000 GLD will bear golden elements and an engraved plate with a unique serial…

View On WordPress

[uniquesquared]

Pioneer DDJ-T1 vs Native Instruments Kontrol S4 vs Denon DN-MC6000 vs Allen & Heath Xone DX

Controller-palooza is upon us!  How do you decide which one to invest in and what are some of the differences?  We compared some of the intermediate and beginner controllers here, and now we have put together a comparison of some of the 4 deck controllers to help you decide which might be best for your DJ carnage. Allen & Heath XONE DX - This was the first 4 deck Serato Itch controller to hit the market.  It's construction is metal and  it is built very well.  The audio interface on this bad boy is the most dynamic of the four considering you can have up to 4 RCA inputs and a digital out.  It works nicely with Itch controlling 4 track simultaneously, but I the rotary pitch adjust and the small non touch sensitive jog wheels took a little getting used to.  Overall, it worked very well and sounded great. Denon DN-MC6000 - This controller comes with Virtual DJ LE and is the lone stand alone controller of the four.  We did a review on it in January and that can be found here.  This controller also gives you an assignable booth out which is very convenient if you want to play music in different areas in a venue.  It's very well built with almost a full metal construction and it is also rack mountable in a standard 19" rack.  Virtual DJ LE allows for video mixing, sampling, and karaoke and it was relatively easy to learn.  The controller can also be mapped to Traktor which makes it very versatile. Native Instruments Kontrol S4 - The S4 comes with Traktor Pro S4 and is the lightest controller of the four.  Our review can be found here.  This has been the most popular of the four and is the first controller from Native Instruments.  The Traktor Pro S4 software boasts 8 sample decks, 4 per side, that can be played along side 2 decks on channels A and B.  The effects, loop, and cue section also suggest that it can be played like an instrument for you controllerists.  The real juice of the software is it's effects suite.  They are quite incredible and can be used in an advanced manner or chained with 3 on each FX slot.  This is my weapon of choice, but I really wish it had a separate booth out.  Otherwise, it sounds great and the controls are very accurate and precise. Pioneer DDJ-T1 - This controller comes with Traktor Pro Pioneer editon and is the biggest in size of the four.  It has full plastic contruction and the biggest jog wheels of the four.  Those who are used to using the Pioneer CDJ400's will see the same layout on the DDJ-T1 with the addition of the Needle Search feature.  This controller has been much anticipated considering Pioneer has long been the standard of excellence in DJ equipment for many years.  It has similar effects layout as the S4 considering the software is almost identical with the exception of the sample decks on the S4.  It has a built in computer dock so that your laptop can slide directly under the controller for a sleek, streamlined performance layout.  We have a more in depth review coming up very soon as well.  It sounded great, responded very accurately.  This controller is best suited to those of you making the transition from CDJ's and mixer to a software based controller. Yes, there are some others out there and there are some to come soon, but we went to our warehouse and pulled the ones that you guys asked about first.  It's important to remember that it really takes a lot of research before you make your choice and we understand that you want to spend your money right the first time.  I definitely have my favorites but I'm willing to see other people, too.  That's what she said.  Anyway, check out the video and stay tuned for more to come.  Cheers!   Video Transcript: What is going on? This is Scott Magno, DJ Madflip, here with UniqueSquared.com. Today we're going to talk about some of the advanced controllers out there. We're going to do a comparison and look at some of the standard features that you come to expect from the advanced controllers and then you can decide which one's going to be best for you. Who are we playing with today? We are talking about Allen & Heath Xone DX, this is going to come with Serato Itch. Now we've got the Denon DN-MC6000, this is going to come with Virtual DJ LE. Next we have the Native Instruments Kontrol S4, this is going to come with Traktor Pro. And then lastly we have the Pioneer DDJ-T1, this is also going to come with Traktor Pro, Pioneer edition. Ok, so what do they all have in common? Well, upon looking at them you can see which ones are going to be a little smaller, which one's going to be the biggest, but what they all have in common is that they can all mix four decks of audio simultaneously. Some of the other things, they're all going to have a master output whether it be XLR or 1/4in, they will all have a balanced output as well as an RCA output. Now of the four, a dedicated booth output, you're only going to have in the Denon DN-MC600 and the Xone DX, that's very, very important for a lot of you, some of you not so much. Of the four, which can you use as a stand alone mixer in case your software goes down, or your laptop just decides to stop working? That's going to be the Denon DN-MC6000, they are all going to have input capability to plug in additional CDJ or turntable but of the four you can use the Denon DN-MC6000 as a stand alone. So, let's talk about some of the things you need on your controller if you are a controllerist, you're going to need a really good EFX section, a really good loop section, and also a very good hot cues section so you can play kicks and snares and all that. All of them are going to have that, but what I am going to recommend the most is, the Pioneer DDJ-T1. That one's going to have a really good section those of you who are used to doing it on the other Pioneer products are going to be right at home, but I'm going to favor the Native Instruments Kontrol S4. That's going to be because, the Loop section is very dynamic. You going to be able to do a lot more in the software in Traktor, they also have a loop recorder and sample banks so you can switch out your 3rd and 4th decks for sample banks and that's really, really nice. You can be really dynamic as a controllerist with the Kontrol S4. Ok, let's talk about scratching if you're a turntablist. It's very important to you something that you want to be able to do switching from decks & a mixer to a controller, now, I can do scratching on the Denon DN-MC6000. That's going to be sort of a smaller jog wheel but it's still going to be effective because of its touch sensitivity. On the Kontrol S4 a little bit bigger and that has a very, very accurate feel when it comes to doing any kind of scratching. Now, the biggest jog wheels are going to be on the pioneer DDJ-T1, really, really nice. Sometimes you need a little bit more room to define your cuts. The jog wheels on the DDJ-T1 also have the rotating LED, you're familiar with that with the CDJ 400, also a very nice jog wheel. Now, the Xone DX has the smallest jog wheels of the four it does not have touch sensitivity, so you are not able to do any kind of scratching on that one. Ok, let's talk about the layout of each, I'm probably going to recommend, if you're into the mobile scene, we'll go with the DN-MC6000, it is conducive more to doing a lot of like, mobile and karaoke stuff, the software also allows you to do video as well. Now, as far as being a standard DJ layout, what you're used to from a pair of turntables and a mixer, I'm going to recommend the Kontrol S4 and the Pioneer DDJ-T1. So, we've just scratch the surface with this, there is a lot more detail we could go into but we just wanted to go over some of the standard features and give you a comparison so you can choose what's best for you. Feel free to leave a comment below and I will answer it personally. As always, visit us online at the UniqueSquared.com/blog, follow us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter. My name is Scott Magno, DJ Madflip, Be you, be unique, at UniqueSquared.com

[uniquesquared]

The Pioneer DDJ-T1 Review and Demo

I used to be a manufacturer's rep for Pioneer DJ USA before I found my home here at Unique Squared. I remember first getting the gig with Pioneer and thinking "YES, I've made it!" because, as a DJ, I have had the opportunity to use their products for many years and they are considered to be some of the best in the world. There is a reason why a lot of other DJ products in the market closely emulate a Pioneer CD player or mixer in their looks, features, and even their name. The point is that they have long been considered to be the industry standard in DJ mixers and CD decks in the DJ empire. ENTER THE NEW ERA OF DJ CONTROLLERS. Can the Pioneer DDJ series controllers steal the pole position in the DJ Controller Grand Prix? Are they still the Yankees of the MLDJ?  Okay, that will do. We gave the DDJ-T1 a spin and the results did not disappoint.  It comes with Traktor Pro Pioneer Edition giving you 4 decks of simultaneous mixing, an award winning FX selection, a vicious looping section, and a silky customizable layout that allows you to tailor the software to your specific needs. The controller itself mirrors 2 CDJ400's and a DJM series mixer although still staying light and compact making it extremely portable. It even has a built in laptop dock underneath so you can further streamline your DJ presentation. It's very easy to navigate your folders with the large rotary browser knob, search tracks alphabetically using the dual function Needle Drop strip, and quick load your tracks by pressing the deck buttons conveniently located at the top of each channel. These features are exclusive to the Pioneer DDJ-T1 and will definitely make you faster. The jog wheels are identical to the CDJ400's with the rotating LED's and responded with the same meticulous touch sensitivity and accuracy one would expect from a Pioneer product. We have our demo video coming soon and I will go into further detail about the mixing experience at that time. Until then check out our video review and enjoy! Transcript:

Hi, this is Scott Magno, DJ MadFlip, I’m here with UniqueSquared.com. Today we are going to talk about the DDJ-T1 DJ controller.

Let’s check it out, right out of the box you’re going to see that it has a very lightweight plastic construction, still has a really good size. So, if you’re making the transition from turntables or CD players and a mixer you’ll feel right at home with a really good layout.

Alright, let’s talk about the master outputs first, you’re going to have a ¼ inch balanced output and an RCA output. Now, this is going to be controlled by one knob, so you don’t  have separate control of those.

You also have an RCA auxiliary input right on the front, so if you want to put another source in like another CD player, it’s located conveniently right on the front, you can do that.

You also have your microphone input right on the front of the controller, stick your mic in there, you’ve got a volume control on there. You also can switch that to auxiliary, so it is convenient if you need to use an iPod or an MP3 player, you can put it right in there and you are good to go.

Your headphone output is also on the front of the controller, convenient right there are well.

Now the Pioneer controller has a computer dock so you can take your laptop and slide it there, you don’t have to fumble through, you can make your way through all the features of the software just on top of the controller.

The layout of the controller is exactly like the Traktor Pro, Pioneer edition software, so it makes it really, really easy to not have to map anything, it’s ready to go right out of the box.  Let’s talk about the Jog wheels in the player section, standard, very much like the CDJ 400.

Your transport section, big huge buttons, really long pitch control right here, you also have large jog wheels with the rotating LED.

You can select which deck is playing right on the front, so it is convenient to see which one is playing.

You have your auto loop function here so you can select the size of your loop, hit that button, and you can even do the loop roll, really convenient to do that and loop out right there.

Your hotkey section, you got four hotkeys on there, so if you want to take kick and a snare or a vocal and be able to play that like an instrument, you can do that as well. Dual function, you hit the function here and you can actually move through your tracks as well.

So, I want to talk about the needle search function right here.

Conveniently right on top I can go though my track, find the build, find the breakdown and boom, drop it like it’s hot, ready to go; I like that quite a bit.

Now, it has a dual function so if you got your laptop in the dock here and you need to search for a track, hit that and it’s going to scroll alphabetically through all of your tracks so you can find it really, really quick; I like that too.

Now, let’s talk about the effects section of the player.

Now in Traktor, you can use advanced section, take one effect and really tweak it out, or you can use the chain effect: that’s what I like to use.

That allows me to put 3 different effects in chain on effects 1, 3 different effects in chain on effects 2, so at any point I can select an effect, tweak it out, and I can select which channel it goes on, right with the effects button, effects 1 and effects 2, boom, boom, really nice.

You also have your filter here, hit that button to apply it, and then do a filter sweep using the knob.

Alright, let’s talk about the mixer section, as I said before, with the computer dock, you got your laptop in there, you don’t want to fumble through, you can use the browse section right here so you can go through each one of your folders, and when you want to load, you can load A, B, C, or D.

Right in line, just like on the software; that’s convenient because, if you are using four turntables you don’t have to fumble through and load, that’s kinda exclusive to Pioneer’s controllers: that is really cool.

Alright, moving onto the EQ section, how many times have you been in a dark environment and you are trying to figure out which one is the high, which on is the gain?

I like this because, on the rotaries, got your low, mid, high but your gain is a little bit smaller, so you can use the force, be blind, and figure out where your gain is: I like that, very convenient.

Typical, you got your mains here, your headphone volume right here, cue and mix, then, moving down, your effects selectors right in line. Once again really convenient.  Your cue buttons to hear exactly which turntable you are monitoring.

If you like to sync your tracks, your master sync buttons are right there, followed by your long throw; typical Pioneer DJ sliders here, and then your crossfader.  Boom, boom.  I like that.

So, pretty basic, really good setup, Pioneer has done really well with this, I cannot wait to do the demo and get in the mix and really, really put it to the test.

If you have any other questions about it, please leave me the comments here, or you can e-mail me, UniqueSquared.com blog: find me there and we will be happy to take care of you.

Don’t forget to sign up, become our friend on Facebook, check us out on Twitter, we do a lot of giveaways weekly and you can win some pretty good stuff if you, you know, friend us up, that would be really nice.  My name is Scott Magno, DJ MadFlip, be you, be unique at UniqueSquared.com.

[uniquesquared]

Pioneer DDJ-S1 Review

At long last we have a Pioneer Serato Itch controller in the DDJ-S1. We reviewed it's predecessor, the T1 Traktor Controller, and had a fun time with that beast so we knew a little of what to expect. The quality of the Pioneer Pro DJ products are considered to be the blue print by which other DJ product manufacturers strive to emulate. We were excited to see the DDJ-S1 arrive at the shop and quickly opened it as if it were Christmas morning. Check out the video below: It maintains the same features of the T1 controller, the laptop dock, large CDJ style jog wheels, and the needle drop touch strip. You have 5 hot cues that coincide with those in Serato Itch and the FX section allows you to easily select and tweak the 12 outstanding effects within the software. You can select 2 effects to each channel, both to one, or to the maser output. The browse area with a nice bigger scroll knob and dedicated crate and file buttons combined with the alphabetical search on the needle drop strip allow for near flawless navigation of your music without ever having to touch your laptop. The line faders and cross-fader are of the same quality you expect from Pioneer's DJM series mixers and you can adjust the cross-fader directly on the controller itself and in the Itch software if you want an even sharper curve for the turntablists. Overall the S1 played and felt very comfortable and accurately responded to every nudge and tweak when we ran it through the demo. The S1 by far would be the best controller if you're transitioning from the standard CDJ and mixer set-up. Check out the video and stay tuned for our own Unique Artist DJ Smiles S1 demo coming soon. Cheers! Transcript:

Hi this is Scott Magno DJ MadFlip here with UniqueSquared.com and yes it has arrived, the Pioneer DDJ-S1, let’s have a look.

Right out of the box this is a great looking controller, it’s going to give you master outputs, both balanced and RCA. It’s going to give you two microphone outputs, XLR ¼ inch on one, ¼ inch on mic two.

Now the mic 2 input also serves as an auxiliary input with the RCA here. So if your software goes down, plug in an MP3 and boom!

EQ right here, volume control, to keep the party going. Alright, so we’ve got the CDJ section of it, jog wheels, nice touch sensitivity, rotation LED’s.

Transport section, great Pioneer quality that we’re used to. And we also have five hot cues on there, that coincides specifically with Serato Itch, that’s the Pioneer edition of Serato Itch, really nice.

Loop in and out, you also have your auto loop roll section right here, really nice to get that glitchy stuff done. Even cooler that you’ve got the slip mode function, where the track continues to go even if you punch in one of those glitchy little snare rolls, you don’t look like a rookie, you look like a really cool DJ.

So now we’ve got the needle search section right here, this means that we can scroll through touch pad, go to that build, go to that break down, there I am, ready to go.

It also serves, if you hit the shift button, as an alphabetical search for your software. Another reason why you don’t have to fumble through your laptop by using the laptop dock. That’s really nice and it makes you even quicker.

Alright, so moving on to the mixer section, good Pioneer DJM quality. You can adjust the crossfader here for your turntables, make it a little sharper. EQ, mids, highs, lows, you’ve got your trim knobs a little bit smaller. If you’re in a dark place and you need to find it, there it is.

Alright, so your effects section, you’ve got 12 different high quality effects on Serato Itch. Bank A, bank B. Select those to either both A, one on A one on B. I can also select those on the master and also on the mic if I want to put some delay onto my shoutout. Really nice.

Now, scrolling through your tracks is really easy on the Pioneer DDJ-S1. You’ve got the browse section here so you can go through, back button. And I can go to my crates and my files automatically too right there. Really nice layout.

If you’re a DJ who’s used to having turntables or CDJs and a mixer and you were thinking “I might need to switch to a controller” then this might be the one for you because this is virtually the same as having a pair of CDJs and a high quality DJM mixer.  So yes there it is the Pioneer DDJ-S1.

You know Pioneer is high quality, Serato Itch one of the most popular DJ softwares out there, we’re looking at a winner, I love it.

If you have any questions or comments about this I’ll be happy to answer them personally. Don’t forget to check us out on Facebook, on Twitter, and on the UniqueSquared.com blog. I’m Scott Magno, DJ MadFlip. Be you, be unique, at UniqueSquared.com.

[uniquesquared]

Allen & Heath Xone DB4 Review: Witness The Strength

Every once in while a new product is introduced to the world that redirects the path of existing trends. In the DJ world that product is the Xone DB4 by Allen & Heath. The DB4 comes equipped with a built-in 24bit/96kHz, multichannel, fully patchable USB2 sound card and it is also MIDI compatible. It also boasts a Quad FX Core DSP effects engine borrowed from to the Allen & Heath iLive pro touring console with the effects tweaked just a bit to be more relevant to electronic and dance music for a DJ performance. The layout and design is state of the art but you will find some semblance to Allen & Heath's vastly popular Xone:92 mixer in terms of the stellar filters on the lower left and right of the channel faders. Where it differs most is the inclusion of a a multi-function 3 band EQ (isolater, LP/HP filter, standard EQ), on board looper, effects section, and LCD menu display and effects matrix. This mixer is a beast to be sure and we can go into some intense detail, but instead here's the cliff notes: Quad FX Core: Yes, Please! The heart of the Xone:DB4 is the powerful Quad FX Core DSP engine, enabling each channel to have its own FX bank and BPM detection system, which automatically adjusts all time-related FX and loops to the tempo of the music. There are 5 studio quality FX types optimized for DJ use – delays, reverbs, modulators, resonators and damage – plus each FX type has a patch library of different effect variations. Each FX bank has a dedicated expression control and a rotary pot to set the wet/dry level, whilst further tweaking can be performed using the global controllers in the FX master section. With almost 50 different effects and a multitude of ways to tweak them any DJ can easily create original landscapes of audio within their performance. The effects are the DB4's Superman cape. Looper:  A Delicious Roll Each channel has a built-in looper, with selectable loop length from 1/16 beat to 4 bars. The DB4 will always record the full 4 bars, so the loop can be expanded or shrunk at will. This is an excellent tool to use in conjunction with the effects and filters to create glitchy builds and  breakdowns from seemingly monotonous "tracky" tunes or loops. You can become more technical and accurate with the proper use of an accurate looping section. Filters:  Double Your Fun Xone DB4 comes equipped with the Xone dual filter system. There are the same filters that helped the Xone:92 destroy dancefloors. Other mixers have tried to deliver similar filters or filter effects never really hitting the mark and now the DB4 continues Allen & Heath's tradition of "epic" filtration. Source select:  Anywhere You Want It That's The Way You Need It Each music channel can select any of the available stereo music sources:  Analogue Line 1-4 (switchable to phono on 2-3), digital 1-4 or USB 1-4. This allows for flawless incorporation and flexibility with your input matrix. Plugging in directly from a digital source also ensures the highest quality audio for recording as well as performance. Take that, lesser DJ mixers! EQ / Filter:  Whistle While You Twerk Each music channel has a 3-band EQ that can be configured as standard asymmetric EQ (+6/-25dB), Isolator (+6dB/OFF with a 24dB/octave slope), or reconfigured as a High-Pass/Low-Pass filter system with the middle knob adjusting the resonance. EQ knob pointers change color to show which type of equalization is active. This is why the EQ section is slightly offset to designate the mid as a resonance adjust in the filter mode.  Slick, intuitive design coupled with uncompromising performance. WIN! Mic/Line Input:  Can I Get Some Reverb On My Vocal? The Mic/Line input has 2-band EQ, gain, cue and mix level. This can also be routed to channel 1 for adding FX. Whether you're doing a live performance or recording a vocal it is absolutely imperative to have the ability to apply an effect to your vocals. Magnificent. Integral Soundcard:  Digital Never Sounded So Good! A built-in, high quality (24-bit / 96kHz), multi-channel, fully patchable USB2 sound card allows replay and recording from audio software for 4 stereo sends and 4 stereo returns. USB:  Save Me! User-defined settings such as meter mode, bpm range, USB audio routing scheme and display brightness can be saved to a USB key for recall on another DB4. This is handy when you have to travel and there are many DJs within the course of an event that each have their custom presets saved on a thumb drive. Just pop, lock, and drop it in to the port and you are ready to rock. Firmware can also be updated via the USB input. MIDI control:  Plays Well With Others All controls (except mic and phones level) send MIDI data and the mixer can double up as a MIDI controller via the MIDI shift button, allowing the Loop and FX selection controls to send MIDI data without changing the mixer settings. This mixer can be easily mapped to many different production and performance software such as Traktor and Ableton making it a very tactile and inspired control surface. This is key to maximize your performance without adding to your performance space.   THE VERDICT This incredible mixer is destined to be found in every high end night club in Europe and will probably give Pioneer's DJM series mixers a good run for it's money here in North America. The Quad FX Core DSP engine is reason enough for the DB4 to stand above the rest but Allen & Heath piles on all the extras with unmatched quality and precision. There are so many features that will keep the super nerdy DJs out there (like myself and Rocket) busy for a full season of True Blood but intermediate DJs need not be intimidated.  A resource CD-ROM is included to help facilitate the transition from nominal mixing to awesomeness. DJing should always be fun and the DB4 takes fun to the next level.  Check out the video and indeed witness the strength. Cheers! Transcript:

Hi this is Scott Magno, DJ MadFlip, here with UniqueSquared.com and today we have got the Xone DB4 digital DJ effects mixer.

Now this mixer has effects that are based on the popular iLive Pro Touring console from Allen & Heath. This is the most technologically advanced DJ mixer ever produced, let’s check it out. The first thing that jumps out at me is the flexible input matrix.

Now I can take a digital, analog, or even source from USB, plug it anywhere into the front panel of the mixer, and then use this input select to put it at whichever channel I decide to put it.

Now this is a digital mixer, so it has a sound card built in. So every signal that you put in is going to be converted to digital, so you can manipulate it with the effects and all of the filters.

So the EQ section can be used a couple different ways. The EQ filter section can be used as an EQ standard, you can use it as an isolator by flipping the switch, or you can switch it down and use it as a filter for low pass, mid, high pass as well.

Your looping features, now, this takes your audio and you’re able to loop it four measures all the way down to 16 thirty second roll. That’s very nice. When you apply that loop, your sample is going to continue to go, so that loop is just going to exist within the mixer itself.

Alright, moving to the actual mixing section, you’ve got four channels, nice long throw faders, Allen and Heath very popular for that. Good crossfader, these can be adjusted directly on the mixer itself.

Now, if you’re familiar with the Xone ID2 mixers out there, you know they have the award winning filters. You have two different filters that you can apply to each channel on the left and right, just at the press of a button, very nice to have as well.

Alright so, all of this is in a nice aluminum, pretty light weight chassis, but chances are you’re going to find this in your high end night clubs or on the rider for the most popular touring DJ or live PAX out there.

You’ve got XLR balanced outs, quarter inch booth outputs, you also have an RCA record out and also standard, and XLR input right on the top.

Alright so, this might seem really intimidating but Allen & Heath takes care of you. They give you the DB4 resource CD ROM and this CD ROM is going to teach you how to use this, how to make the presets your own.

It’s also going to teach you how to save everything which you can do with this USB port right on the front. So I can take everything that I want, all my effects settings, stick it right in there.

I can go into the menu right here and save everything. It’s also good if there’s like any updates for the firmware, you can just download the update, stick it right in your DB4 and you're going to be good to go, current, and ready to rock it.

Now, let’s talk about the quad effects core. This is almost fifty different effects like; 5 delays, 19 reverbs, 9 resonators, 9 modulators, and also seven different damage effects like distortion and things like that.

You’ve got all that derived from the popular Allen & Heath iLive touring console, but they’ve all been modified to be more relevant for the DJ or electronic music.

Alright, so we’re going to go through some of the effects here through my laptop, I’ve just got a loop playing through Traktor, let’s check it out.

Alright so first up, you’ve got delay, reverb, resonance, and modulation, and what they’ve got is these distortion or damage effects. You can select that for each separate channel.

Start with the delay here, as you can see on the LCD it’s got that BPM, that BPM is determined digitally in the mixer. Alright, here’s part of the delay, wet/dry we'll bring it in, and my expression knob is going to change different things based on what effect it is.

It could be rate, or filter, or even delay right there. Then I can also select here and do a three quarter delay and also select from the effects adjust, that affects the filter on that delay.

Then of course dry/wet is going to determine how much of that effect I’m putting in there.

Alright, going on to reverbs, I’ve got a big hall reverb, really nice effect. I’m going to use a decay on this resonator right here, you can really see when I adjust that.

Ring mod, and to go through some of the ring mods, just go to select and you can see that these are all the modulations that I can select from. Same with delays, five delays, nineteen reverbs, nine resonators, nine modulators, and seven different damage effects.

Let’s look at that dicer effect there, I’ll go ahead and select that. You can kind of hear that, but whenever I take the effect completely on, you can really hear it there.

I can select it so that it’s on, kind of every sixteenth, or every two. It’s kind of like a gate, it kind of chops up the audio there. Really nice, so those are the effects.

Now let’s talk about the loop section. The loop is actually going to loop the audio that goes in, but it’s not going to stop your sample. So you can actually do those rolls in there.

You can do up to four measures of a loop, all the way down to half, ⅛, 1/16, and 1/32. There’s the loops, and of course you have the award winning filters on each side.

I can put the other filter on this side. Alright, so there it is, Allen & Heath DB4 Xone Mixer, it is a beast.

There’s a lot of questions you guys might have, leave me a comment and I’ll be sure to get to it. As always follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and check out our blog as well. I’m Scott Magno DJ MadFlip, be you, be unique, at UniqueSquared.com.

[uniquesquared]

Pioneer DDJ-ERGO First Impressions

Pioneer dropped off the DDJ-ERGO today and I wanted to take a few brief moments to write down my first impressions, or my first five impressions. Even before I opened the controller I was struck by its looks, its called ERGO for ergonomic not "therefor" ergo. The ERGO places a high level of focus on the ergonomics of its operation and design.  The controller is unlinke anything Pioneer has ever done before, its got a white shell on the outside and a very consumer friendly take on the CDJ in controller form.  Much like the S1 and T1 controllers in the series, the ERGO is laid out like a CDJ. This is great for people that are comfortable with that style of layout but for some controllerists, the lack of a mirrored set up will have you mashing buttons that look like they share functions, but are actually effecting something completely different. Specifically the sample volume and auto loop knob. Design

This controller is all about design and it is obvious that Pioneer spent a lot of time designing something that would be useful and easy to understand.  There are no mysteries to the design but finding out that the feet in the front can pop off with the simple twist of a screw was pretty cool, that means you can have it lay flat or elevate one end so you can put your laptop under it. Ins and Outs For headphones there are two ins with both 1/4 inch and 1/8 inch inputs, this is great because you can forget about constantly having a 1/4 inch adapter on deck and just plug in and listen on whatever headphones you have available, its great for two man mixing too.  It has two quarter inch TRS outputs, two RCA outputs as well as a mic and auxiliary input that are selectable with an input select switch. Faders The crossfader feels light so it will be good for making quick cuts between the songs but its made of plastic so it has a mild plastic feel to the action.  It feels better than most economically priced controllers but when put up against the pro controllers out there its not quite there.  The line faders feel great with quite a bit more resistance than the cross fader and cool backlighting that really makes them pop. Platters The platters appear to be very similar to the DDJ-S1 and T1 except for being plasticized around the outside.  This means that it looses some of the feel of the other controllers but it is substantially cheaper so the difference with that considered, is negligible.  The platters have what seem to be ball bearings  which make them a bit loud when you spin, but I'm okay with it because the luscious silky feel of the jog more than makes up for the noise. FX Section There are two effects banks that can be applied to either side of the controller and each FX section contains a "Control" knob for wet/dry and three additional knobs for controlling individual parameters of the effect.  I relly like the way the FX section is laid out because its position makes it easy to get at your effects with maximum control over parameters. Conclusion The DDJ-ERGO is a great controller for anyone looking to get into four decks, its build is rather plastic heavy so I wouldn't reccomend it for the touring DJ but you wouldn't feel too out of place setting this up in a club somewhere.  It looks good, feels good and I think its going make an impact on the DJ controller market, we'll just have to wait and see. Peace and Love Zack Rocket

[uniquesquared]

Denon DJ SC3900 Review

Bring that funky beat back!  Denon DJ has just announced it's soon to be award winning digital turntable media controller, the SC3900.  This is a breath of fresh air in the world of DJing amidst a growing number of all-in-one DJ controllers that have been introduced in the past 3 years.  Not to say that I don't like controllers any more, I love them, but it has been quite some time since I truly got excited about a CD player, especially one that has a ton of very hot features at a pretty reasonable price.  The SC3900 boasts a nine-inch rotating vinyl high-torque turntable which is certain to make turntablist finger's wet with anticipation, and compatibility with Serato Scratch Live, and Traktor, as well as it's new "Engine" PC direct software.  You are able to mix and scratch direct from USB devices, CD's (all media formats), laptop, as well as conventional DVS systems without the need for timecode discs.  You also have the ability to connect via the network between SC3900's and to your iPad using the Engine app for file analysis, management and loading.  This is pretty much the final frontier of digital turntables for now and we were completely stoked to get ours in for an exclusive demo.  Here's what we found. Engine Engine is DDJ’s second generation Music Manager Software designed specifically with the SC3900 and future models in mind.  With Engine, a DJ can manage any files on any USB drive to any of the players connected via a router.  This also allows users to play files that reside on their computer by any of the players connected.  Engine can manage up to 100,000 files per drive or db. What’s really incredible about Engine is the searching capabilities of the system.  Because Critical Audio processing is done at the actual player and not in the computer, ENGINE searches a DJ’s database of hundreds of thousands of files at speeds that leave other software systems in the dust.  And again, because the processing is done at the player level, the DJ does not need a super powerful computer like other software systems.  Even an off-the-shelf $299 netbook from Target fits into the minimum specifications to run Engine with up to four players.  This is a great feature for those DJs who have yet to move, or are reluctant to move to a computer based DJ system. Engine will also feature an iPad app to monitor the set.  Assuming the user connects the players to a router with wireless capabilities, then Engine for iPad gives the user the ability to load songs to any connected player (again, up to four) and create playlists, etc…  Also gives them a large touchscreen display to monitor there set/performance.  NOTE that the first generation of the iPad app will not allow the user to physically engage PLAY of a machine, nor are they able to play audio files that reside on the iPad.  But as we all know, this technology probably isn't too far away. New High Torque Platter The platter of the SC3900 (although it looks like the S3700) has been completely redesigned to mimic the feel of a real direct drive turntable.  Complete with a new direct drive motor that has adjustable Start and Stop times, as well as adjustable torque (weight) the SC3900 is the first Controller and Digital Media Turntable that stands up to the traditional vinyl that many artists are used to.  Turntablists won't feel like they're cheating on their 1200's.  But they will be, willingly.  

Hybrid MIDI mode

Just like the S3700, the SC3900 has the DDJ HYBRID MIDI Mode to control various DVS based DJ software applications.  Also included in this new HYBRID MIDI mode is the ability to turn on the button LEDs, which is a feature customers have been requesting since HYBRID’s launch and not available on the S3700.  In theory this allows for use with DVS based software without the need for timecode CDs.

Seamless Source Switching

To switch between sources on the S3700 meant the user had to effectively shut down the playback of the device to switch source modes.  The SC3900 now allows users to freely select tracks and files from any of the source mediums on the fly with absolutely seamless operation.  This is massive because you can easily switch sources and browse and prepare your upcoming tracks without interrupting the playing track.  GENIUS.

Player Link The SC3900 now employs a Player Link function that allows the DJ performer to share files from one USB HDD or thumb drive across up to 4 players.  All of the players connect to a standard off-the-shelf network router and then tie to each other.  With the Link function only one HDD is needed and all files on that drive can be accessed by any of the players.  Therefore in a 4 player setup, the user still has three available USB ports to plug into should they need to.  And again, any of those files would be made available on any of the four players.  Take THAT laptop DJs.  Seriously, we'll take it. Road Test and Demo

Construction and Design: Okay, so the reason why this demo was so much fun was ultimately because of the turntable itself.  It was dreamy.  To be fair, I have enjoyed using my Kontrol S4 over the course of almost two years, but I really have a deep affinity for the feel of vinyl on my fingertips.  As a DJ who learned the craft over twenty years ago on turntables, the SC3900 represents a return to my roots, but without the headache of the extra record crates, slip-mats, cartridges, and extra stylus'.  It's not as heavy as a Technics 1200 and it's more compact without compromising performance.  The 9-inch vinyl record and slip-mat is the perfect size and feel for any serious turntablist looking to make the switch to digital.  The torque is incredible and there is absolutely no lag or drift from the loaded track and you never have to worry about the quality of your vinyl or your needle skipping on this turntable.  Denon nailed it.  There is currently no jog wheel or platter on the market, whether on a controller or CD/media player, that feels as accurate as this one on the SC3900.  I seriously can't wait for all of you try it out.

Denon DJ SC3900 Overview and Demo UniqueSquared

Set-Up: Right off the bat the SC3900 was very easy to set-up.  The turntable, slip mat, and vinyl were easily aligned and installed in a matter of seconds.  The size is slightly smaller than a Pioneer CDJ-2000, lighter and actually a little less bulky.  I set up a pair of SC3900's with a Denon DN-X600 battle mixer and linked them with a CAT-5 cable.  That way I was able to read and load all of my music to both SC3900's from one thumb drive on the USB input.  It took only a few seconds to load my libraries and files to either turntable, and if I wanted to switch to reading tracks from a CD or my Engine enabled laptop it was as easy as pushing a one of the source select buttons on the Heads Up Display.  It had been a minute since I had played without using a laptop, and honestly I really miss it.

Aligning Tracks: The SC3900 makes it very easy to align my tracks because the pitch adjust has a range of 6 percent to 100 percent and it is very accurate.  I like to mix really quickly and the BPM display immediately gives me a great reference point to adjust my incoming track.  Once I grabbed the first beat of the incoming track on the turntable, I  can throw it on the "1" or set a cue point on the Hot Cue buttons so I could trigger start too, if I wanted.  But seriously, why should I do that when I have such an accurate high-torque turntable at my disposal?  Anyway, I like to set a kick and a snare on separate Hot Cue buttons just in case I want to drum in the intro.  It's seriously easy and accurate on the SC3900 to play like a controllerist or a drummer because the buttons are more like pads.

Loading and Playing: So loading and playing the tracks was easy and as expected from this CD player and it was time to test the looping accuracy.  You can loop your music manually using the loop In and Out buttons, and easily exit or reloop the segment using a separate dedicated button.  I however, like to use the Auto-Loop button.  I can set my loop using the plus and minus to the left and right of the Auto-Loop button and then just hit it when I want the loop on or off.  The HUD tells me how long my loop is set from 1/8 beat all the way to 32 beats.  I stick with 16 beats because it makes sense musically and I usually want to play the whole intro coming in or the whole chorus, phrase, or outro mixing out.  The loop is pretty accurate but you might encounter some glitches if you don't hit it perfectly or the track is not perfectly analyzed.  LUCKILY, you can edit the start and stop points of your loops by holding the shift button and using the turntable to accurately fine tooth the beginning and end of your loop.  SUPER COOL.

The Verdict I really enjoyed using the SC3900 and I think it is a vast improvement from the S3700.  The layout is cleaner, there are 4 hot cues, and the ditched the on-board effects.  Actually, the absence of effects on the SC3900 in my opinion is a good thing.  On a CD deck they are often just a novelty considering the better quality that you find in DJ software and professional club mixers these days.  The Hybrid Mode (originally introduced in the S3700) is another feature that will score high with me if it can be used with Virtual DJ Pro, Serato Scratch Live, and Trakor with zero latency.  In theory it can, but we had limited time with ours and did not get the chance to try it.  We will be certain to update you guys when this is officially released and we get them in stock.  Denon's Engine software is also very intriguing.  It is likened to Pioneer's Rekordbox with many similar features, but with Engine's wireless network compatibility with iPad this indeed could be huge.  Ipad integration in the DJ world is such a hot trend at current and Denon was very wise to anticipate this with Engine.  We are very excited to see how this develops. As far as its place in the market, the SC3900 will certainly give the Pioneer's CDJ range a run for the money.  This is Denon's flagship deck and it is roughly half the price of the Pioneer CDJ-2000, but with a smoking hot high-torque turntable.  We all know that production of the Technics SL-1200 turntable has ceased for a few years now, and although Vestax, Numark and a few others continue to produce quality turntables, it will never be the same.  So most pure "true school" twelve-inch vinyl-only enthusiasts might eventually have to make the switch if they hope to continue working through the next 20 years.  This is where Denon and the SC3900 have the edge.  Turntablists and vinyl enthusiasts will most likely swarm to the SC3900 with its rotating platter over any Pioneer CDJ, especially because the Denon range is more affordable.  Let's not forget about traditional mix and blend, non-laptop, and DVS DJs, and even controllerists.  All the bases are covered with the SC3900 as far as media compatibility, network, link and midi functionality, and the exceptional layout.   It could very well be the final frontier, for now anyway.  At the end of the day it will take some major endorsements from big players for the SC3900 to become the industry standard, but I truly believe it has a great shot.  Please feel free to share your questions, thoughts, hopes, and dreams with us in the comments below.  Until next time, happy gigs!