UniqueSquared Pro Audio Blog

American Audio VMS4 Traktor Controller Review

Zack Rocket — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:45:12 +0000

American Audio is breaking into the Traktor game and they are getting it done with their new controller the VMS4 Traktor Controller. Drawing off of the success of its Virtual DJ cousin, the VDJ VMS4, this version has been given an updated paint scheme and comes with a specal version of Traktor that is mapped perfectly to the controller. It’s a four-deck mid-range Traktor controller with some pretty cool features. We are going to break down the controller piece by piece to see how it stacks up against its Virtual DJ counterpart.

Construction

Construction wise this controller is a beast, it is made of solid metal and has four rubber corners that give it good traction on the DJ table. The rubber edges elevate the controller slightly off the table which is nice because DJ tables have tendencies to… Read the rest

Native Instruments Kontrol F1 – First Look

Zack Rocket — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:50:00 +0000

We were expecting the Kontrol F1 sometime in the next week so it was completely unexpected that someone with one would show up unannounced. By the time I had arrived in the office, I found the team frantically skirting around the room setting up the set. I had been planning on doing an F1 demo when the unit was released and had only began to plan something out in the days prior to our unexpected visit and was unprepared to demo the unit on a whim. I made a call to one of my friends that produces tracks with me and asked if he would send the stems from our latest track for a demo.

At about 11 o’Clock the artist made his way back to the video room carrying with him a suitcase full of just about any piece of NI gear you can… Read the rest

Ableton Vs Maschine – Which One is Best?

LonelyPaul — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:20:26 +0000

We stumbled upon a bit of a debate while looking into how to deal with some upcoming tutorials. Apparently, a very hot topic of debate out there is being approached as “should I get Ableton or Maschine?” In other cases it manifests as just, “Ableton vs. Maschine.” I think this is an interesting approach to the topic. I’m not going to say this is the wrong way to approach these kind of decisions. I do, however, want to suggest that this mentality suffers from some critical issues that often make the discussion derail itself early on in a forum context.

Forums

Forums are a blessing and a curse. Some forums are extraordinarily helpful and even have policies in place about not having “flame wars” and generally being polite to one another. Other forums are less worried about this and the admins don’t intervene until the last… Read the rest

Korg Kaossilator 2 and Mini KP2 Review

djscottmadflip — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:52:36 +0000

We have just received the Kaossilator 2 and the Mini KP2 and we are stoked to get our hands on them. Korg first introduced the Kaoss Pad in 1999 and it was a one-of-a-kind touch pad effects unit that took the world by storm.

I remember the first time I used the original Kaoss Pad during a gig many years ago; it was a lot of fun to use because it had a lot of cool effects and it was really the first FX touch pad that I had ever seen. I could plug a mic into it as well and do cool vocal effects whenever I performed in a live PA environment. I also remember watching a guitarist run a Kaoss Pad inline with his guitar pedals, using the pad FX with his bare foot while he played. It was really versatile and… Read the rest

Hercules HDP Headphones Review

djscottmadflip — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:25:00 +0000

Hercules has long been a player in the DJ world, being one of the first companies to introduce a controller to the mobile DJ market. Drawing on its 20 years of audio expertise, the Hercules team is bringing a fresh new personality to the world of DJ headphones by combining professional sound quality and ergonomic design with the comfort demanded by exacting users. Whether DJing at home, in the studio or performing live sets. There are many DJ headphones to choose from in the market today, and Hercules delivers three new ones, at varying ranges of affordability, that meet various needs of DJing or production whatever your budget or skill level.

HDP DJ M40.1

The entry level selection is the DJ M40.1. They have a very familiar DJ aesthetic and closely resemble the immensely popular Sony MDRV-700′s, which are still around today. They come in matte black,… Read the rest