skratchworx - Number 1 for DJ news and reviews!

Mash up with Mashup

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:57:28 PST

One of the advantages of the digital age, is the ability to chuck together mixes in a matter of minutes. Gone are the days of slaving over the cassette deck (look it up) hoping for one take wonders. And Mixed In Key, purveyors of harmonic mixing software of the same name, now bring you Mashup - it's on-screen mixing at it's most basic level.

REVIEW: Numark Red Wave Headphones

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:49:24 PST

The list of headphones checked out on skratchworx continues to grow. I'd say that we already have the most comprehensive list going, but I just want to keep adding to it. This time, it's the distinctive Numark Red Waves - the've been out for a bit, but seem to be gathering a lot of praise. So it seems about time to take a look.

NAMM 2012: American Audio VMS Touch

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:39:31 PST

American Audio's DJ profile has raised in the last few years. The VMS4 was the first 4 channel MIDI controller to hit our consciousness, and has subsequently spawned a 2 channel VMS2 variant. But at NAMM 2012, they showcased a trend bucking proposition - the VMS Touch - a trend bucking part conventional/part touch MIDI controller.

NAMM 2012: The One video

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:22:25 PST

Back at BPM, we broke news of EKS's foray into the software world. The spinoff company - Audio Artery - decided to properly break cover at NAMM 2012 and give live demos of their new "The One" software. We were on hand, along with much show noise and a shiny screen to capture The One in all its singular and modular glory.

REVIEW: UDG SlingBag Trolley Set Deluxe

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:10:16 PST

Despite the hysteria exhibited in some parts, people need more than a pocket to carry their DJ life around. But digital DJing has seen that DJ life be more taxi or flight based than battered white van. Thus luggage is more important than ever, and UDG have been a leading exponent in this field for years. They sent me a SlingBag Trolley Set Deluxe for review, so I dutifully loaded it up and bashed it around the office for a while, and then sent it out to the lucky winner in the 12 days of Skratchmas.

Innofader goes plug n play

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:38:18 PST

Audio Innovate's Elliot Marx has a mission, and that is to make his ever popular Innofader fit everything from old school Bozaks to new school Kenwoods. But in doing so, he's made what should be a straightforward installation appear less than a plug and play affair. So having examined what are the most popular installs, he's radically simplified the classic Innofader, and distilled it into a new product. No, I'm not talking about the mini Innofader that we broke a few weeks ago - this is the Innofader PNP.

PRICE DROP: Traktor Kontrol S2

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:01:52 PST

Hear ye hear ye hear ye. Native Instruments, despite me already announcing it on Facebook, would have it know that they're doing one of their fire sales. This one is a serious slice off of the retail price of the only recently announced Traktor Kontrol S2. Just a few months in and £150 off? What's that all about?

NAMM 2012: Serato Video demo

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:49:49 PST

While I have a heap of NAMM footage to get through, I'm actually tired of seeing the same video that 10 other people shot. So I'm cherry picking the things that I don't think you'll see elsewhere. Just before NAMM, Serato announced Serato Video - the cross platform (well ITCH and SSL) plugin that brings video to ITCH controllers. Aroha from Serato braved the loud NAMM show floor to give us a quick walkthrough the real basics.

NAMM 2012: QuNeo Controller

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:37:06 PST

In an industry that seems constantly drifting toward more of the same, it takes some effort to dig in and find unique and useful controllers. The difficulty of further perfecting the workflow around two decks and a mixer is being realized by bother manufacturers and consumers as more modular setups and touch based controllers enter the market. While neither of those options have been perfected, they are being toyed with in more interesting ways than the past few years have shown us.

The interesting thing to me about DJing these days is the ability to craft my own workflow. It is, in fact, what I spend the majority of my time focusing on when I get a new controller or software. Molding a new method with a standardized set of decks (two platters, two or four faders, and a bunch of buttons and knobs) can be interesting, but eventually they all just seem to feel the same. Enter the QuNeo.

NAMM 2012: Rane Sixty-One and Two demo

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 07:09:01 PST

One of the heavily rumoured and accidentally leaked launched at NAMM 2012 were the new Rane mixers. Yes mixers plural as the baby Sixty-One and Sixty-Two 2 channel mixers were properly uncovered, rather than accidentally appearing on Instagram. We surrounded DJ Big Wiz as he gave us a complete walkthrough both mixers. Video after the jump.

NAMM 2012: Akai MPC Fly app video demo

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:03:53 PST

Numark and Akai seem to have finally got that the iPad is a useful tool for DJing, provided it has some matching hardware. We've seen the iDJ Pro earlier this week, but the Akai MPC Fly was finally seen at NAMM. I was simply a non-functioning prototype kept in a glass cage, but we happened to be in the right place at the right time to get a demo of the actual app from the developers at Retronyms.

The deX-Factor?

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:53:57 PST

I know I have a heap of NAMM stuff to get through, but taxes come first. This story however is just too hot to miss. You know that Simon Cowell? Well he's decided to turn his attention from singers, acrobats and dancing dogs and try to find the next logical star. Yes, he's on the lookout for DJs. God help us.

Controllerism loves skratchworx

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 09:20:07 PST

It has become a bit of a tradition to nicely ask or give no choice to DJ VIPs to pose with the the famous, if not legendary skratchworx picture disk. This year was no exception when I crossed paths with the king and crown prince of the controllerism scene. Moldover is the acknowledged godfather and inventor of the name, and Ean Golden carries the torch for the growing scene.

NAMM 2012: Numark MPC DJ prototype

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:57:31 PST

Having fought my way through draconian security at the NAMM show, I was confronted with a wall of tech on the Numark stand, but it was what was on the during the build that captured my imagination. It seems that the Numark and Akai DNA have been thrown together to make a MPC/DJ hybrid technology. The (wait for it) MPC DJ is a test piece - in no way a real product, and Numakai/Akaimark are floating this trial balloon to gauge the opinion of the public, to see if it should be make real.

NAMM 2012: Sennheiser Amperior Headphones

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:21:01 PST

I know you're all wanting to know about the cool big stuff at NAMM (and it'll come), but for this headphone junkie, when word hit me of an upgrade to the current DJ favourite HD25 cans, I was obliged to investigate. Behold the Sennheiser Amperior - the oddly named superior DJ headphones.

NAMM 2012: Rane Sixty-One and Sixty-Two

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:33:15 PST

It's literally Raning mixers at NAMM (hahaha I kill me sometimes), with not one but two new units aimed squarely at Rane's turntablist hardcore. Looks like the legendary TTM line is no more, but in its place come a pair of numerically described Sixty-One and Sixty-Two mixers. Think upgraded 56S and half a Sixty Eight. That's not all - Z-Trip also has his mark all over the limited edition Sixty-Two Z.

NAMM 2012: Exclusive inside look at Behringer's CMD line

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:27:58 PST

I've been harping on about separates for years. A modular approach is how I see the DJ market adapting to an up and coming watershed moment where controllers simply cannot handle the increasing feature set of DJ software. And the new blood at Behringer have very perceptively spotted this emerging trend and have come up with a set of their own controllers for a wide variety of needs. The UFOs have finally landed and the CMD controller set is unveiled. I spoke with Craig Reeves at Behringer who gave me an exclusive lowdown on all things CMD.

NAMM 2012: Numark iDJ Pro

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:13:06 PST

For DJs, the iPad is the new laptop. Please allow to explain. Like laptops before them, rather than thump around on a touch screen with little in the way of decent tactile feedback or control, people are craving physical controllers. And slowly but surely there have been some iOS devices that worked with algorridim's djay app. But Numark's new iDJ Pro is the first to build the iPad with into the controller itself.

NAMM 2012: Pioneer Limited Edition White CDJ and DJM

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 01:51:11 PST

DJ gear is usually pretty monochromatic, but normally on the dark side. This time however, Pioneer have flicked the light switch and brought out strictly limited edition white CDJ2000s and DJM900s. I also got the first from the show floor pictures of it too. Yep - just me.

Sample the new NI Teaser video

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 02:37:16 PST

Considering that Native Instruments don't do trade shows anymore, they're certainly hogging the limelight right now. First it was the teaser image for their new small format controller and now it's a video which appears to give a lot away but still has me pondering many things.

All new Serato Video - for ITCH too!

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 23:26:28 PST

Video is a weird scene. For some reason, it's a technology that has been awkwardly adopted by DJs using techniques better suited to audio. But that didn't stop Serato from taking a detour from their DVS route to make Video-SL that controlled video with vinyl. But when ITCH came along, controller users wanted a slice of the moving picture action, but alas it was not to be. Until now that is. One of the rumoured ITCH v2 updates has been realised, and at the same time has been rationalised to one plugin. Serato Video is here.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Numark 4Trak official release

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:38:19 PST

Click for hi res

Numark have set DJ hearts beating over the last few years with a couple of high end MIDI controllers. The NS7 and NS6 are in my humble opinion stunning pieces of DJ hardware, but something has been missing from them. Granted, they've run absolutely perfectly with their chosen software i.e. Serato's ITCH, but Traktor love for these controllers has been absent, or at least average at best. But that's about to change - Numark and Native instruments are about to set the record straight. Behold the 4Trak - it's the NS6 dedicated to Traktor.

NAMM 2012: Reloop Terminal 4 Mix

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:25:06 PST

Slightly teased earlier this week with a cup on a button icon image, Reloop have decided to shoot their NAMM load a little early by unveiling their new Terminal MIX 4 controller. Looks like the Jockey 3 went to a full 4 channels.

NI's next big thing - it's quite small

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:55:43 PST

You might hate them, but Native Instruments love them. Teasers that is. NI don't do trade shows anymore, but that doesn't them from wanting to grab some NAMM attention, and this image should do just that. Like all of you, I only have the above to work with. But I've gone with my instincts and extrapolated this tease into an actual layout.

Bitwig - like Live, but with the colour turned up

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 09:40:37 PST

Berlin feels like the silicon valley of music production. Ableton are there, as are Native Instruments. And clearly the influence of these 2 companies can be seen in Bitwig Studio, an all new music production and performance suite. Am I alone in thinking that it's Ableton Live painted with an NI brush?

MPC Studio - watch out Maschine

gizmo@skratchworx.com (Gizmo) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 02:41:20 PST

Yesterday, Akai learned a harsh modern day lesson - put your secret sauce on a web server and someone will find it, and share it. So today it comes as no surprise that Akai have released details about the new MPC Studio, which unlike the MPC Renaissance is the real Maschine head on competitor.