Are you suggesting something like this, only for SSL?

www.allen-heath.com

www.cortex-pro.com

It looks like a good idea at least

Yeah and lets also make it auto beatmatch, pick the best songs for you, get you drinks, book gigs, and rap to chicks for you. :|


I dont like this idea, if thats what you want go get PCDJ and a DAC-3.

This is VINYL emulation.

I think the xone:3d is still a regular mixer with some midi controllers added.

I did not know about the cortex-pro, seems interesting, but the "scratch wheels" are to small I think and I don't see faders, so maybe you need and additional mixer.

What I suggest would be to do the complete signal processing (mixing) in the software on the laptop and the faders on the control surface and the scratch wheel(s) would only send their position like with midi.

I was thinking of something like a combination of the scratch wheel of the CDJ-1000 and the controls of the TTM57.

I could imagine that this hardware controller has *only one scratch wheel*.

You use cue buttons to quickly assign one of the tracks that are currently playing to the scratch wheel. When you assign a track to the scratch wheel is keeps playing and when you touch the scratch wheel it stops and you can cue, scratch, backspin or whatever. Of course you could also assigne a cue point to a certain position in a track.

For turntablists (i.e. not for me ;-) it would open up a whole new world of possibilities because they could jump to any position in any track and would be able to scratch instantly by just pressing a button... Or assign any scratch sample to the scratch wheel by just pressing a button.

For techno DJs (which I am neiter ;-) they could mix as many tracks as they want simultaneously and assign each of the tracks to the scratch wheel by just pressing a button to cue up new tracks or adjust their mix. (Here automatic beat matching would make sense because I guess its hard to keep a mix with more than two tracks playing).

It also would have the advantage that everybody could use their strong hand for cueing/scratching with the scratch wheel and their strong hand for the crossfader with the crossfader *all the time*. Maybe the scratch wheel comes in a separate enclosure that can be setup left or right to the mixer section.

Why does this require the mixing to be done in the software and faders that only send their positions to the software?

Because with a traditional analog mixer each time you would assign a track to the scratch wheel you would additionally have to assign the crossfader to this track manually (for example with a two channel scratch mixer you would have to press the channel reverse switch each time you assign a track to the scratch wheel).

I my opinion vinyl emulation is a temporary work around that is there mostly for compatibility reasons with existing equipment and because some DJs have problems with technical progress.

Concerning automatic beatmatching I think everything that a computer can do better then a human should be done by a computer.

You can use the time that you save with automatic beatmatching for being more creative with the music that you play.

Vinyl emulation is not a work around its the solution for a lot of people. Just look on this forum and you will see how many people got back into dj'ing because of it.

First of all sorry, I think my previous response was a bit too agressive...

To understand you point of view better: What is the reason that you prefer vinyl emulation over a specifically designed controller in the style I suggested, assuming this controller would work decently?

Do you agree that an such a controller would offer some advantages over vinyl emulation? I think it would open up lots of new possibilities that we now cannot even think about.

Sticking to the current two turntables and a mixer setup slows down the innovation process from my point of view.

VERY TRUE .... vinyl emulation is NOT a workaround. There are many decent workarounds already available to non-vinyl types. You do NOT have to tie yourself to two TTs and a mixer. Emulating vinyl is a choice made by those who prefer it over other methods.

I do not see how this slows down the innovation process considering that a lot of innovation is going on in many products out there that are being used without vinyl e.g, You could use the Serato MP4, PC-DJ, TRACTOR, ABLETON, the DAC based products etc ....even straight up CD players.

When you are doing just a little bit of scratching and backspinning, not even anything spectacular, then there is *currently no decent alternative to vinyl emulation*.

That's exactly the reason why I was suggesting a decent hardware controller.

Like CMOS you don't say *why* you prefer vinyl emulation, would be interesting for me to know to better understand your point.

I prefer vinyl emulation because it lets me continue the 'artform' of playing an actual vinyl record on an actual turntable.

Look at it this way, if you are an artist you can use computers to generate very spectacular art. But there are those who still prefer the old canvas, paint and paintbrush method. It does something to the soul.

I get your point but and I think a controller with a "scratch wheel" and controlling SSL with real turntables can peacefully co-exist.

Concerning automatic beatmatching I thought about it and I think you are right. It might indeed take some of the "soul" from a mix in the same way a drumcomputer does not have the soul of a live drum beat. However, if only the tempo of the songs is matched automatically and the beats are aligned manually I think it would sound OK.

i agree with Boogie, though i also agree with the idea about technology erasing the "soul" of djing (like other artforms replaced with computers).

... but you know, we are becaming technologic animals, like it or not...

... in fact, digging inside a crate full of vinyls was a part of the "soul" of djing, and SSL has almost make it unnecessary.

auto beatmatching, scratch wheels instead of ttables, keylock and auto key matching... will come soon or later.