Wish list: what features would you like to see in a controller/mixer hybrid?
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Wish list: what features would you like to see in a controller/mixer hybrid? Posted on: 05.12.2011 by hesham seleem Hi guys,I'm currently getting started in the hardware development business and am in the process of designing a 2-channel DJ controller/mixer hybrid in the $200-300 price range. I have a few unusual ideas that I will integrate into the product, but I'd love to hear from you, the community, what kind of features you would really like to see on a product like this. Additionally, what traditional features could you do without? For instance, I'd like to drop jog wheels and add a chunky browse knob. Please let me know - all input is highly appreciated and will be taken into account. Thanks! Argus | |
| Era Roka 06.12.2011 |
Originally Posted by Argus
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| hesham seleem 05.12.2011 | Hi guys, I'm currently getting started in the hardware development business and am in the process of designing a 2-channel DJ controller/mixer hybrid in the $200-300 price range. I have a few unusual ideas that I will integrate into the product, but I'd love to hear from you, the community, what kind of features you would really like to see on a product like this. Additionally, what traditional features could you do without? For instance, I'd like to drop jog wheels and add a chunky browse knob. Please let me know - all input is highly appreciated and will be taken into account. Thanks! Argus |
| Santiago Brasier 03.01.2012 | Indeed, the market has been lacking a good four deck midimixer for a long time. Now the K2 might fill that void for many. Still believe it would be great to find a four channel midimixer with 5 knobs per channel plus an encoder or two. some might use it for scrubbing, others might do other things. I would also include at least: pfl, load, sync, play, cue for each channel. I might miss something now when spitting it out fast... perhaps nudgebuttons if you wanna make it work stand alone in a pinch. With a clever shift function a lot of stuff can be sqeezed into that. I have been believeing along theese lines before and have not been able to come up with a good solution that that includes everything I would want in one small package. I would say modular slimline is a good format. Make a few different controllertypes with the same format that can be combined according to preference. Not saying you should necessarily stick to tradition decks and mixers. New layouts would be refreshing for sure! Just a good deck with 8 hotcues and plenty of fun would be great. And perhaps a stand alone fx unit. with four full units... I'll just stop now, I could go on about this all day Looking forward to see what you come up with! Cheers |
| Janyce Henningson 14.12.2011 | I know most of the people on here grid there tracks and tag them etc. But I never do - so using sync matches the tempo, but the beats are not always aligned properly, I just nudge my jogwheels till its right. You could get away with no pitch fader but without pitch bend buttons a controller would be no real use, sorry. If you're not putting an audio interface in then it would be a midi-controller - so the filter knob would map to the filter control in traktor. I believe there is a market for an extended more modern version of the m-audio pro that maps to traktor - and sits alongside 2 denon sc2000's or 2 a+h k2's or whatever - believe along the lines of a mixer rather than a controller imo |
| hesham seleem 14.12.2011 | Thanks for all the feedback and ideas! Here's a few thoughts: 1) After a lot of research, it doesn't seem feasible to include an audio interface in the product - that means you'll need an external 2-channel one, like the Traktor Audio 2. Is this a deal-breaker considering that most controllers now have interfaces built in? 2) I'm trying to keep this product on the small side, so I'm facing some difficult decisions about what controls to include. I would love to have pitch faders and pitch bend buttons or jog wheels, but those take up a lot of space. I know this will be out of the question to many of you, but do you believe there is interest for a controller that relies mainly on the sync button for beat matching and drops traditional pitch controls? 3) what is the activity you find yourself doing the most while DJing? browsing? EQing? cueing? beat matching? 4) some of you mentioned filter knobs. do you prefer notched LFP/HPF hybrids or dedicated big LPF knobs? should they be in the audio circuit or be MIDI assignable? thanks again, guys! |
| Patrica Giancaterino 06.12.2011 | Definitely a dedicated filter knob.. as far as pitch goes, a couple controllers use a push encoder, and when you turn it while pushing it, you get fine adjustment. It would be nice to have 8 buttons per deck for cues as opposed to many controllers that only have 4. 8 tactical buttons not soft ones. |
| Yong Aptekar 06.12.2011 | The ability to run timecode is a must for me, as well as fx banks with 4 buttons and 4 knobs-midi assignable. I like the knobs that light up on the bcr2000. Midi mappable everything! Jogwheels and pitch faders for sure. Lots of buttons and knobs, and light up everything! |
| Era Roka 06.12.2011 |
Originally Posted by Argus
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| Marva Cupid 06.12.2011 | Something to control sample decks. Good loop and move controls too. May u let us in on ur eq thing that is unfinished, we could maybe contribute as a community. |
| Chandra Lean 05.12.2011 | pitch control is a must IMO, can you include 5 knobs on each channel, Gain, 3 eq's, and a filter knob? not a lot of controllers have a dedicated filter knob & gain knob and can you include arcade buttons? or something that has easy feedback |
| hesham seleem 05.12.2011 | I should probably list a few of the components that will definitely be included, so you guys can add to it and give your opinions. - two MIDI assignable FX sections with 4 buttons and 4 pots each - one large assignable browse knob - load and sync buttons per track - 8 assignable buttons for cue points or other applications - a new frequency mixing and EQ concept I'm still working on, which is probably going to be the main draw of the product. - plus obvious components like line and crossfaders, cue and master volume, and cue mix. Concerning Zhao's comment, how would you guys like to seek through your tracks in the absence of jog wheels? a touch strip, like he suggested? an encoder? any other ideas? I'm asking because a good touch strip is difficult to make, as a lot of people have had complaints about the one on Novation's Twitch. also, do you believe pitch controls are absolutely necessary in our times of near-perfect sync? thanks for the input! |
| Patrica Giancaterino 05.12.2011 | Maybe something in place of jogwheels like the twitch's touch strip? I don't really like using buttons to jog/scrub etc. Just me though. |
| Chandra Lean 05.12.2011 | sounds like a VMS2 |
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