Alesis Vortex and DM Dock at NAMM 2012
Alesis were on the floor peddling their wares with all the other folks at NAMM. While they didn’t jump in on the spectacle hogging DJ controller bonanza (2012 Namm was all about iPads and DJ Controllers if you haven’t figured that one out yet), they were front and center on the iPad, and are a solid reminder that DJ controllers aren’t the only controllers out there.
The Alesis Vortex Keytar
Alesis Vortex at NAMM 2012 UniqueSquared
While one has to lean on technicalities to call it the “first USB keytar controller,” the Alesis Vortex Keytar certainly has one feature that is new to the device. With their accelerometer control built to wire to any midi controllable parameter, it is to be assumed that the keyboardist who has always wanted to charge other players on the stage while triggering pitch bends with their aggression will finally have… Read the rest
AVID Fast Track C400 Review
M-Audio has long been a leading manufacturer of pro audio recording equipment. One of their most popular interfaces, the Fast Track, was considered the industry standard for home recording since it’s introduction in 2004. It was a high quality USB interface that was very simple to use at home or on the road.
The Features
The Avid M-Audio Fast Track C400 is a compact and ergonomic USB audio interface with the capability to record up to 24bit/96kHz audio with up to 4 simultaneous channels at a time with the help of a digital S/PDIF input. When it comes to playback and mixing, the 6 outputs of the Fast Track C400 will come in handy to give you separate feeds for, say, a headphone amp or outboard gear.
The Look
The Fast Track C400 departs from the traditional look of a USB audio interface and comes in an ergonomic form ideal for the… Read the rest
Examining Mobile Studios: Idea or Reality
There was a lofty dream sold ages ago to musicians. As early as ten years ago you started to see the prospect of putting the music studio in your backpack. We began seeing images of people sitting in the subway stations making beats and countless hippies frolicking in the woods with their acoustic guitars and recording their inspiration instantaneously. If you were quick to jump on this train, like me, and gave up that dream after numerous issues – give it a try again. It’s like “plug-n-play.” That term originated during Windows 95 days. Us clever geeks snickered amongst ourselves because we came up with the term “plug-n-pray.” Is there nothing funnier than computer humor? LOL. Plug-n-play never became a reality until the past few years. You can actually plug in many devices and just use them as they have their drivers sitting on the USB chipset itself, for instance.… Read the rest
Stanton SC System 1 Review
Stanton Magnetics introduced the SC System in 2008 and they were one of the first to introduce a universal controller for virtually your choice of DJ software. Since then they have made leaps and bounds in the controller market by revamping and perfecting their flagship SC System 1 which we previewed at Winter NAMM this past January. Stanton sent us the complete system which consists of the SCS1.d deck and the SCS1.m mixer.
Both the SCS.1D and the SCS.1M are fully customizable midi controllers that allow for control of DJ and Production software such as Traktor and Ableton Live. They integrate together as a system for a traditional DJ set-up of 2 decks and a mixer, or can be used separately for complete control due to the ability to map every function to the various pads, sliders, and encoders on each perspective controller. There are… Read the rest
Stanton SCS.4DJ Controller: Look Ma, NO LAPTOP!
Stanton Magnetics introduced the SCS.1 System in 2008 and they were one of the first to introduce a universal controller for virtually your choice of DJ software. Since then they have made leaps and bounds in the controller market by revamping and perfecting their flagship SCS.1 system which we previewed at Winter NAMM this past January. Now they are introducing a new ground breaking controller that fully integrates your computer, software, and controller.
Enter: Stanton SCS.4DJ.
There are a number of similar looking controllers on the market that this closely emulates and right off the bat we can see that the standard issue features are there. There are 1/4″ balanced TRS and RCA unbalanced outputs, a 1/4″ mic input, large transport and sync buttons, large jog wheels, loop section, and 2 channel mixer with 3 band EQ and cross-fader. There is an FX section with 2… Read the rest
