I've been looking around at DJs playing with computer systems and there are commonly two types.
The Turntablist/CD DJUsing the system the “old-school” way. Pitch sliders for beat matching, the cueing the track with needle drop/track intro and almost never using the more advanced internal functions.
The ControlleristThe MIDI masters... Often with a single or multiple controller bashing buttons and turning knobs. Using the internal EQ, effects and filters. Can often lead to very sterile sets.
After the Native Instruments X1 hit the market the turntablists and CD DJs advanced into using the hotcues, loops and internal effects. However the ones I’ve seen using the X1 has not used sync.
I want to take it one step further...What I'm looking at now is to combine the two by using a midi controller instead of the standard audio mixer, thus giving the option to switch between internal and external (relative/direct) modes. By doing so I don't miss out on the great controller surfaces that are available and maintain a structured workflow, and I don't lose the possibility to scratch away if I want to.
One hitch: Lagging midi fadersThe midi controllers has a slight lag on the faders. This will makes the timing a bit tricky, but it does not take very long to get the feel of it. :) A trick is to set the fader curve to minimum so that you get the "cutting" effect.
I’ll present midi mappings and a short demo video in a short while, so stay tuned.
2 comments:
have you tried it and does it work?
Yes! It works very well. But the midi is a bit slow, so you probably have to work a bit on your cutting. I've been putting off makin the video, but I guess I'll make one pretty soon.. :)
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