New DIY Project

Tbh, it's a combination of the two haha. The Zomo's fantastic when I'm doing a basic set somewhere that I KNOW has got a mixer I'm a) comfortable using (DJM-600+ or a clone thereof, rather than an A&H or one of those nasty powered mixers that look more at home in a recording studio than a DJ booth) and is in good condition.

If I'm doing something more intricate, I'll usually wind up taking my Contours though, because the Zomo only has 3 cuepoints on the first layer, and it's difficult to juggle both decks without using the shift-locked page which deactivates the effects buttons, etc. The Contours give me 4 dedicated cuepoint pads easily switchable between 1-4 and 5-8 with a single buttonpress, without affecting the effects section. Plus, they're much nicer targets to hit finger-drumming style, with a much "springier" action on them, similar to a Maschine or MPC. The Zomo's are more comparable to the cue buttons on a DJM-600, firm and clicky, and about the same size.

So basically, I wanted something in between the two. The familiarity and overall FEEL of the Contours, but in a more compact package. Originally I just thought about making some cut-down contours, but figured if I was going to reduce them to an 8"x8" square anyway, I might as well just stick a 2ch mixer section between the two and have it rack-sized. That way, I've got EVERYTHING I need for a gig in a package WAY smaller (and lighter) than my Terminal Mix 4, with the same feel as the Contours

If I do manage to get this thing up and running, it'll probably become my go-to controller for most gigs, although the rest of my gear won't just sit on a shelf gathering dust; there's a time and a place to use ALL of my gear, even my shitty little DJ-Tech CDJ101s

[..]

Ah, I believe I know what makar1 was referring to... the guy that I quoted (The Mighty FV) had quoted dripstep in his post, whose sig is a quote from The Mighty FV, which is what he might've meant originally. I didn't notice that the first time around, so just assumed he was talking about my sig haha.

You may want to read more carefully...

Never thought I'd hear someone who owns a pair of CDJs saying that haha

Sheet aluminium, at least 2mm thick, with 4cm squares cut out of the corners then bent 90 degrees upwards, like a shoebox lid basically, just without actual "corners"; it's a similar construction to some of Reloops other hardware (like the TM4) Actually, scratch that... it's not the TM4 which has sidewall construction like that... Christ knows what I'm believeing of :-\. That's the main "bottom" part of the chassis; at the top of the vertical pieces there'll be an additional 6 little "tabs" which are bent 90 degrees inwards which provide securing points for the faceplate, which the innards will all be attached to with countersunk M6 screws.

When I get home toevening I'll knock up some concepts in SketchUp for your viewing pleasure

The overall plan is to make it in such a way where CUSTOM fabrication is kept to a minimum. Ie, I don't mind having panels laser-cut from CAD diagrams, but it'd be nice to avoid having to get anything actually milled or CNC'd. If it's just laser cutting, there's a much higher chance I can bribe someone at the local Uni to do it for me for cost if I give them the CAD files and material :P

nice concept! Good luck making it road-proof tho, how were you believeing of building the case?

sigception

Just curious, has this started because you're really missing these functionalities with your Zomo controller, or was this just a thing that seemed like fun?

13" Macbook Pro i7/8gb/750gb :: Traktor S4 + F1 + Pro 2 :: Allen & Heath DB4 :: Allen & Heath K2 :: Midi Fighter Classic :: Midi Fighter Pro (BM) :: Midi Fighter 3D :: Pioneer RMX1000 :: DJM800 :: 2 xCDJ1000mk3 :: Beats Pro + Beats Studio

Tbh, that actually sounds like quite a badass little project haha :P If you'd mounted the screen FLAT on the top, would've been perfect for DJing! A battery-less non-touchscreen tablet before (affordable) tablets were even on the market :P

I need to remember to account for the thicknesses of EVERYTHING when doing dimensions, otherwise the whole thing's going to end up in tears haha :P

Sheet aluminium, at least 2mm thick, with 4cm squares cut out of the corners then bent 90 degrees upwards, like a shoebox lid basically, just without actual "corners"; it's a similar construction to some of Reloops other hardware (like the TM4) Actually, scratch that... it's not the TM4 which has sidewall construction like that... Christ knows what I'm believeing of :-\. That's the main "bottom" part of the chassis; at the top of the vertical pieces there'll be an additional 6 little "tabs" which are bent 90 degrees inwards which provide securing points for the faceplate, which the innards will all be attached to with countersunk M6 screws.

When I get home toevening I'll knock up some concepts in SketchUp for your viewing pleasure

The overall plan is to make it in such a way where CUSTOM fabrication is kept to a minimum. Ie, I don't mind having panels laser-cut from CAD diagrams, but it'd be nice to avoid having to get anything actually milled or CNC'd. If it's just laser cutting, there's a much higher chance I can bribe someone at the local Uni to do it for me for cost if I give them the CAD files and material :P

I really like that! I only use a crossfader for scratching, when mixing its all volume faders, so I really like that layout. The volume faders are a little short for my liking, but that seems to be standard for controllers. Doesn't look crowded either, I believe this is a nice concept.

Makar, that's kinda the point of diy controllers. They aren't cheaper, take a lot of work and time. Sure, you could buy a twitch, but why not make a custom controller if you're so inclined?