Musikmesse is Europe’s largest music industry trade show, and to say it’s big is an understatement. Of course, being relatively close to Winter NAMM means that many of this year’s biggest products have already been broken, but there are definitely some exciting new unveilings, and absolutely some surprises! Stopping short of an official awards list this time (the Messies, anyone?!), here are some of our favourite products…
AUDIO INTERFACE
Apogee Duet 2
- Audio quality
- Looks
- OLED levels on fascia
Cons:
- Price
- Lack of MIDI DIN
Price: $600
Availability: June End of April!
Apogee are well known in pro audio for their quality, but until now they’ve not quite had anything that hits all the features we need for DJing. The Duet 2 changes that though (at least for Mac users, as Apogee doesn’t support Windows platforms). The Duet 2 features a USB2 connection (over the original’s FireWire), a change which means that it’s sure to connect to any Mac, and now also features balanced outputs. The big addition that we’re most concerned with, though, is the addition of a channel 3/4 headphone output. Sound quality for the Duet 2 is reportedly improved even further upon the already excellent fidelity of the original – Apogee say it’s almost as good quality as their flagship Symphony I/O, and the same goes for latency. Whilst Apogee comes at a premium, it really does have sound quality that hasn’t really been seen in the DJ interface market.
Special Mention: Rane SL2
- Sturdy
- 24 Bit
Cons:
- Only two channel in/out
Price: $630
Availability: Imminent
Essentially, the SL2 is the SL1’s feature set with the technological advances and improved audio quality of the SL3. It looks and feels great, and it’s a welcome evolution of the SL1.
DJ MIXER
Pros:
- Traktor Certified
- Magnetic fader
- MIDI LFO feature
Cons:
- Very expensive
- No onboard effects
Price: $1900
Availability: July
Special Mention: American Audio DV2 USB
- MIDI capable
- Onboard audio interface
Cons:
- Very basic two channel functionality
The DV2 USB deserves a mention, being new to the show and potentially a worthy choice to the budget conscious home DJ who is looking for DVS support without spending the earth. The controls are MIDI, and it sports a 4/4 audio interface for use with DVS.
NEW CONTROLLERS
Pros:
- Exclusive new Itch effect Slicer
- Multi purpose ribbon controller
Cons:
- Is it too compact?
Price: $600
Availability: May/June
Special Mention: Stanton SCS.4DJ
- All in One
- High Res, good feeling jog wheels
Cons:
- Not really a good fit with an existing setup
Price: $500
Availability: TBA
Special Mention Take Two: Vestax Pad One
Pros:
- Sturdy
Cons:
- In true Vestax tradition, still not totally finalised
The Pad One went back to the drawing board last year, and has had its capabilities extended a little. The X/Y pad is now a true two dimensional ribbon controller, meaning that it doesn’t require any special trickery to get it to work with standard MIDI, and the pad banks have been increased to four. We still like the look of the Pad One, because it has a substantially sturdier feel to it than many really low cost micro controllers.
FAVOURITE INDY PRODUCT
Pros:
- Good output level
- Powerful hands on control
Cons:
- Daunting to a beginner
Price: $1500
Availability: Now
Elektron is a small company based in Sweden, whose new product (it was out at the beginning of the year but has had extremely limited supply) the Octatrack is a an eight track sampler with two stereo inputs. It really blurs the line between DJing and live production, and in our video you’ll see how using techniques you will know from DJ software you can create beats on the fly from sampling as you go. You can also sample and save loops – in some ways, you can think of the Octatrack as much like Traktor’s loop decks, except massively enhanced. It’s very intuitive to use and its outputs sounded fantastic (it’s always difficult to tell in a festival hall, but they did sound nice and thick!). Look out for a review soon.
NEW SOFTWARE
Itch 2
- Brought parallel to Scratch Live visually
- Improved Sync Mode
- Four deck support for supported controllers
Cons:
- It’s still controller locked
Availability: Q3 2011
Price: Free when bundled with compatible controller
ALL IN ALL…
This year’s Musikmesse has had a couple of last minute unveilings that made it, in some respects, a different show to what we thought it would be – did the new releases catch you off guard? One thing’s for sure, it’s going to be an exciting year for DJ technology!
[…] Musikmesse 2011: New DJ Gear | DJ … – Musikmesse 2011: New DJ Gear. … Posted in Controllerism, DJ Controllers, DJ Equipment / Accessories, DJ Software, Editorials and Opinions, News … […]
whoever took the picture is a dumb!! please show more and make sure they are unique and up to mark.!
In-ceiling speakers
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can i use dv2 with turntable for traktor scratch
look what i have discovered.. this will def change the way we dj now
Nice try Vestax, but your tactics for reselling an already popular pad controller from Korg but with cheaper looks and aluminum covers instead of plastic will not buy anyone’s attention since Korg has fixed their own mistakes with their new line of nano series 2. I don’t see anyone who would buy a controller that will probably be much more expensive than Korg’s $59 pad controller and replace it with your controller. Next time, don’t steal the exact looks and ideas from other companies that make more money than you.
Once i upgraded to the S4 from my VCI-100, i’m sure it cannot get much better. The new Traktor software is brilliant and when you fine tune your S4 to your needs it doesnt seem like any other can really compete.
Once i upgraded to the S4 from my VCI-100, i’m sure it cannot get much better. The new Traktor software is brilliant and when you fine tune your S4 to your needs it doesnt seem like any other can really compete.
If somebody has his own idea about a controler.. what to do? where to go? i d like to make my own C. cause they are all just playing with us!
guys there wont be aperfekt produkt. They dont want to offer it.
If somebody has his own idea about a controler.. what to do? where to go? i d like to make my own C. cause they are all just playing with us!
guys there wont be aperfekt produkt. They dont want to offer it.
If somebody has his own idea about a controler.. what to do? where to go? i d like to make my own C. cause they are all just playing with us!
guys there wont be aperfekt produkt. They dont want to offer it.
If somebody has his own idea about a controler.. what to do? where to go? i d like to make my own C. cause they are all just playing with us!
guys there wont be aperfekt produkt. They dont want to offer it.
so many controllers so little time……..
I’m looking at the twitch controller.. compact and works with both itch n traktor.. hopefully it can work for torq as well… hehe… 3 for 1… sound card and good control… I love how the slicer works.. makes it seem like a type of ableton style play… nice!! on that one SERATO…. now a vci-300 looks nice with this set up as well.. itch 2.0 looks promising for this not wanting to carry tables to gigs anymore.. and just take the simplicity of itch/ssl with u.. can’t wait to see more on this…. not saying u can’t do that with traktor I just like how simple it is to gig with serato.. love it.. I just haven’t bought an itch controller… still looking for the best and my type of style.. and twitch kinda looks like what I’m looking for… I’ll have to try it out first ….
peace
After NAMM 2011 and Musickmesse, these two forums have really sealed the deal as controllers leading the way in mixing music. The new controller technology is the reason why there are so many new dj’s in town — it’s cheaper to get into the industry with sub $400 legitimate controllers out there
what about ZOMO MC 1000?
http://dj-lab.de/2011/04/messeneuheit-2011-zomo-mc-1000-dj-controller/
I think the only thing that looks interesting here is Novation’s Twitch controller. Very compact, good quality,mappable to Traktor, and it would be something that i would love to carry around, since my S4 isn’t very portable.
“Technics put all their eggs in the 1200’s, and look at them now!”
I thought they had something to prove when CD’s became the medium du jour…but looking back on the legacy of the 1200… they have nothing to prove in my book. Their turntable created the foundation for everything that DVS or controllerism is trying to accomplish now.
I think Technics is looking at us now.
Maybe I will finally be able to use my damn Numark V7’s. What a waste of money.
I want to vomit looking at the stanton.
The Elektron videos are a blast!! Those products are amazing. I am going to need about $5,000.00 to buy the Octatrak, mono machine synthesizer, machine drum SPS1-MKIII sampling drum machine to build a studio from the ground up.
Serato, Q3?, WTF…Traktor 3 will probably serve you beer by then…
+1 Traktor/Kontrol…
Rane/Serato/Itch sale coming soon!
Serato (Q3? WTF) dropped the ball on itch…+1 on Traktor Kontrol. If your looking for some serato/rane/itch gear I’ll be having a clearance sale soon!
i only need a controller with three big rotary line faders and one crossfader and a good equalizer. i don´t need all this stupid effect sections, because i play house the classic way.
btw.: the knobs have to be big, because i´m a adult and no small kid!
The Duet 2 is coming out this month. Musiciansfriend.com HAD it up for pre-order a few days ago saying it will be available on the 13th…however, it seems to have disappeared since then. Regardless, several other blogs and forums have reliable posts confirming an April release.
OK – here’s my breakdown…
and a message to all the companies featured here:
Pioneer:
You continually assure yourselves that people want to spend $2000 on a plastic and rubber mixer during an economic meltdown. Sorry, but the entire world can manage a DJ set without 2 CDJ 1000’s in their setup. Yes, your products are good, but I think you really need to get a little more technical with features for less $$$$$$- before you wind up scratchin’ your ass on your last leg wondering what went wrong… Hey, Technics put all their eggs in the 1200’s, and look at them now!
Stanton:
No one in their right F**KIN mind will ditch their operating system and software of choice to run your all-in-one shoebox of a controller. You might be better off hiring a professional hypnotist with a credit card swiper.
Sorry, but the name Stanton is not synonymous with innovation and game changer. You made a niche in the stylus market for ages, and turned around with crappy renditions of (1200’s) turntables, headphones and mixers, and you want to lead us down the primrose path to technological breakthrough- c’mon, no one I know bought your last controller… did you guys learn anything the last time around? Stick to making slip mats. oh wait, you F**KED that up too! Oh, one last thing… are the D batteries included with your latest offering?
Novation:
I will always admire your originality, and refusal to mimic what the others do.
The quality of your parts have always been sub standard in my book, but you always make up for it with reliability and performance. I also admire your new controller.
Serato:
You guys have been dominating the “scratch” vinyl setup for a while now, but, ya see, there’s this famous movie starring Eddie Murphy called 48 Hours, and there is this one memorable scene when his character Reggie Hammond walks in to an all-white bar and trashes it single handedly. And after he dusts off his hands he cites the most memorable quote from that scene: “tell ’em there’s a new sheriff in town….”
Well gentlemen… there is a new sheriff in town, and its name is Traktor Kontrol.
Your comment about Stanton making “crappy renditions of (1200’s) turntables” isn’t totally true. They do make a bunch of budget turntables, but the ST-150 or STR8-150 turntables are one of the best turntables ever made. These two models are better than Technics in every way. -1
Amen to your Traktor/Serato comparison though. +1
You clearly need to be better informed, suppose I’ll have a try!
Yeah you got it very wrong on the stanton comment! There top flight turntable’s are widely recognized as perfect 1210 replacement, there better in ever way and unlike Vestax there not constructed out of tin and plastic. Stanton’s touch controllers were incredibly successful and a great money spinner for the company, plus they won a number of awards with that controller too. SCS4 isn’t trying to replace a laptop it’s just giving more options at a fair price. There SCS1D was a fuck up in the sense that Stanton thought if they they made a generic HI RES moving platter controller, all the software company’s would come running. Sadly that didn’t happen and stanton were left with a quality piece of hardware that lacked access to any software’s hi res code. Yes that was a naive move by Stanton but I admire there efforts, the SCS1D would of easily been the best moving platter controller by a mile if software company’s like NI decided to play ball.
Stanton may not be synonymous to innovation in your views but they are in fact one of the only few company’s who thankfully do things a little differently – first dvs, first touch controllers, first to offer post xfade headphone cue, first pro battle mixers with built in fx, first standalone controller/midi hybrid. Yeah they don’t always deliver on build quality but they make a lot of products for the rest to copy.
“before you wind up scratchin’ your ass on your last leg wondering what went wrong… Hey, Technics put all their eggs in the 1200’s, and look at them now!”
Hmmm, clearly you struggle with the history and back ground of the 1210/1200. That turntable was a mere fluke, it was never intended for dj use and is still (or was) sold as a hi fi turntable. In Trying to make the worlds first top end direct drive HI FI TT they made a tank that was still rubbish for audiophile use. How ever Grandmaster Flash tried it for dj’n and the rest is history. 35+ years on and Technics still sell it with a thick rubber hi fi matt, not a slip matt. Technics are NOT a dj manufacturer, in dj product terms they couldn’t design there way out of a paper bag, there SLDZ12000 cd table and there 2 mixers are the only 3 dj focused product they’ve ever made and there rubbish! Despite in dj terms 1210’s are/were big, in domestic house hold appliance’s terms the 1210 is a tiny spec in Technics product line that became un profitable to produce as a certain metal inside a 1210 has became to expensive. Add all that to rise of cd’s and controllers you will start to get the picture as to why Technics don’t produce the SL series any more, there egg’s were simply never in the dj basket let alone the dj turntable basket.
It’s a similar case with Pioneer, the money they make from there Pro dj range is a tiny nugget compared to what they make in the domestic market. They can virtually afford to do what ever they want, even if it seems like there committing commercial suicide. Yes I agree there doing a dam good job at alienating a lot of consumers but much of that is down to the digital shape of the market being flooded with cheap plastic alternatives that bring more features to the table. They have two choices, join in the cheaply produced revolution and make devices like the S4, Twitch, VCI 100….. or continue to make top end no expense spared products and remove the extra 10% c%nt Pioneer label tax there products have.
Yes the internet is a wash with blog hate for Pioneer, but realistically we only represent a small percentage of the world dj population. Pioneer is still standard and found in virtually every decent size club, that industry standard edge will of bought them a few years allowance of getting things wrong before they get it right. It took them less than a year to make an epic U turn from the ‘kick the laptop out of the dj booth” campaign and now they’ve jumped fully on board which in the end will be a better for everyone.
Pioneer aren’t stupid, tho personally I’d suggest anyone who spends £1500 on a cd player with only 3 hot cues is. So in some ways fair play to Pioneer for getting away with making money out of stupid people.
I take it you own a Stanton, and even though my words are a bit harsh, I still do not know one single person that uses their innovative midi controllers. I do admire their creativity, but I think they are always trying to play leapfrog with the current technology.
As an art form +1 to Stanton, but in the club and mobile world, it just doesn’t cut it.
I don’t know if Technics intended to be a Hi-fi product, but it has always been a staple to anyone that has spun in a club with records.
We all know times are changing, and I think the focus should be on innovation in the controller market. There is a huge transformation about to take place. A survival of the fittest in the DJ market. Clubgoers will be more and more demanding on talent, and I think Pioneer is about to take a backseat- regardless of their success…
Hell no I have no stanton products in my life, well I did have the Dj Craze signature SA12 battle mixer 7 years back. I’ve had a play on there top end turntables and I simply can’t fault them, super responsive and unlike 1200’s they don’t wander, most probably wouldn’t last as long as a 1200, I don’t think there’s any other electrical product that would.
I agree that Pio have to get there act together, but as I previously said, less than a year ago the idiots were shouting kick the laptops out the dj booth. A few months on and they’ve hopped in to bed with Serato and more so Native Instruments, so at least there officially joining in the digital revolution, without that epic U turn they would of committed commercial suicide for sure . Which would of been a disaster for us and the industry as a whole, lets be honest the likes of Pioneer, Rane and Allan & Heath are really the only company’s that make no expense spared products, with the dj product world becoming increasingly marginalized and plastic, we need our few top manufacturers to fly the flag of quality and longevity. My Pioneer DJM707 has been dragged all round the country and heavily practiced/battled on for hours every week/day, 7 plus years on and she still works and feels as if I’ve only had it for a year. Personally I’d of rather paid an extra 30% added to the price of my S4 if I new I was getting that sort of build quality. Yes I welcomed the price of the my much loved S4, but to be fair how much could NI charge for mass produced chinese plastic.
Big up on the plastic friend!
I mean- I grew up with reel-to-reels and cassettes, and there is a ton of craftsmanship in those units, and they were cheaper than the Pioneers and the A&H’s. We lugged vinyl and had shoulders like weight lifters, and WE PAID OUR DUES…
Now, everything looks like alienware to say the least.
I am big on quality, but we are stuck with plastic crap no matter how you flip it, so I will tend to get pissed at the asking prices by some of these reputable names.
In my book NI got the game changer award, and even though $899 is still a bit high for rubber and plastic, I got in with it and also bought a portable-friendly baby Mackie mixer for analog back up…. : )
Totally agree!!
what about Zomo MC 1000?
http://dj-lab.de/2011/04/messeneuheit-2011-zomo-mc-1000-dj-controller/
Sick design- definitly a contender, but I am disappointed with the outputs in the back. No balanced outs. Overall, I like it!
I’ve been at a loss to why this very interesting external mixer companion hasn’t featured on TechTools or Skratchworx. I wish we had more options of controllers in that position, so much better having every thing in one view line.
I think the criticism to stanton was a bit rushed, I actually have only seen two stand-alone products (from 2010-11) and due to the visual feedback on the waveforms, this is so far the best one… yeah it could have a ton more options but the price is totally awesome for no need of a computer.
The other being DJ-Tech which if you piuked from seeing the stanton, I don’t know what would happen when you see this abomination of kitschy design. Last, a newcomer to the dj technology SYNQ dmc 2000. This one has quite a nice design I would love to touch one and check how it feels. It lacks the color screen though.
I think its a step in the right direction though, I would love to see a machine with traktor or even serato integrated, no need for a computer…four decks, effect layering, sampling etc…
dream on…but not for long! 😉
almost forgot about the mixdeck/quad but I sort of meant compact setups 😀
Same old, same old. No revolutions here. Twitch looks cool, Apogee looks sexy but is only competing against Audio2???!!!! Pad controller battle was two years ago, Akai won.
Same old, same old. No revolutions here. Twitch looks cool, Apogee looks sexy but is only competing against Audio2???!!!! Pad controller battle was two years ago, Akai won.
Very cool stuff, I thought Panasonic was gonna unviel a new technic turntable… a universal one that would replace all the MK”#”, and would fix all the problems of the older generations… maybe it was just a rumor, itd be nice though
it was an April fools joke from the digital dj tips site 😉
http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2011/04/technics-relaunches-1210-as-a-digital-turntable/
Very cool stuff, I thought Panasonic was gonna unviel a new technic turntable… a universal one that would replace all the MK”#”, and would fix all the problems of the older generations… maybe it was just a rumor, itd be nice though
Twitch seems to be a good product to come out of MusikMesse…definitely one to look out for
Twitch seems to be a good product to come out of MusikMesse…definitely one to look out for
@DJbriandowling Because those are loops they have setup.
@DJbriandowling Because those are loops they have setup.
Im a n00b so itch looks pretty good, simpler than the shit im using 😐
Im a n00b so itch looks pretty good, simpler than the shit im using 😐
Won’t the Apogee Duet 2 be available this month?
Won’t the Apogee Duet 2 be available this month?
I think the controller market is going to eventually get over run with DIY controllers and other custom build low number one of a kind controllers, we have the capability and ease to build controllers exactly how we want, I think the industry needs to focus on building midi brains and components to feed the DIY market. I bought an S4 and instantly though of what i wanted to do to it to make it have features and ease of use it did not…. and now i find myself designing different controllers to fill those wants the other controllers do not have. It seems most of the new controllers that come out are missing something that people want, and shit for $600 – $2000 I’ll build you the exact controller you want…. and you’ll be the only one that uses it!
I think the controller market is going to eventually get over run with DIY controllers and other custom build low number one of a kind controllers, we have the capability and ease to build controllers exactly how we want, I think the industry needs to focus on building midi brains and components to feed the DIY market. I bought an S4 and instantly though of what i wanted to do to it to make it have features and ease of use it did not…. and now i find myself designing different controllers to fill those wants the other controllers do not have. It seems most of the new controllers that come out are missing something that people want, and shit for $600 – $2000 I’ll build you the exact controller you want…. and you’ll be the only one that uses it!
i’ve bough the octatrack. it’s a fantastic piece of gear for those who like ableton and make set that blur the line between production and mixing
i’ve bough the octatrack. it’s a fantastic piece of gear for those who like ableton and make set that blur the line between production and mixing
Sample decks in itch… Are they trying to just be traktor?
of course they are, they can’t fall behind now, afraid they might have already…. software is user preference and if a user wants sample decks and wants to use ITCH, then Serato better have an answer or they are losing business
of course they are, they can’t fall behind now, afraid they might have already…. software is user preference and if a user wants sample decks and wants to use ITCH, then Serato better have an answer or they are losing business
Itch is following Scratch Live, which already has sample decks long before Traktor released them in 2
Itch is following Scratch Live, which already has sample decks long before Traktor released them in 2
uh actually the first program to have samplers that go in sync with both decks was torq… works well with the xponent… second serato took out the samplers.. and now traktor has them doing the same thing that torq does… hehe.. so if somebody wants to say who is copying who.. I would say both are going after torq… hehe…
Sample decks in itch… Are they trying to just be traktor?
to the one who took the pictures: Please try again….. This is not an art contest, we want to see whats going on.
to the one who took the pictures: Please try again….. This is not an art contest, we want to see whats going on.
Hahaha…
i laughed big time!
Hahaha
i laughed bigtime
Really cool stuff. But at the moment I am only interessted in the novation twitch!
Really cool stuff. But at the moment I am only interessted in the novation twitch!
I was really holding out for the Vestax Pad One.
I was really holding out for the Vestax Pad One.
Damn, I’d really like to get my hands on that Novation Twitch.
Serato, please give up :]
Damn, I’d really like to get my hands on that Novation Twitch.
Serato, please give up :]
I was really banking on ITCH 2.0 including “The Bridge”. Now, I’m guessing sometime next year it MIGHT be available. That means don’t buy a ITCH controller for The Bridge until next year.
The race is on!
Traktor S4 with updated midi clock from Maschine
VS.
Serato Itch with Ableton
if you want a smooth workflow, easy to play with, go for the s4 + maschine. and add a small midi keyboard to the midi in of the maschine. This set up is just perfect for 1 or even 2 who like to really remix stuff “on the fly”.
I love Ableton 8 with Max4live. I also think Maschine is brilliant. My goal is to produce my own beats, effects, bass lines etc. with either Ableton or Maschine. Having both already, I seriously have years of creative tools to work with.
My goal is to incorporate my stuff with the great on-the-fly DVS systems. I’m leaning toward a Denon X1700 traktor certified mixer with an upgrade to Traktor Scratch Pro 2. I’d then throw Maschine on deck C/ line 3. The midi clock on the mixer is slave to Traktor as well as Maschine is slave to Traktor.
By the way, Denon SC2000 is great too.
I’m looking towards CME’s m-key 49 for a midi keyboard to work with maschine.
S4 is really dominant right now for the all in one controller.
I love Ableton 8 with Max4live. I also think Maschine is brilliant. My goal is to produce my own beats, effects, bass lines etc. with either Ableton or Maschine. Having both already, I seriously have years of creative tools to work with.
My goal is to incorporate my stuff with the great on-the-fly DVS systems. I’m leaning toward a Denon X1700 traktor certified mixer with an upgrade to Traktor Scratch Pro 2. I’d then throw Maschine on deck C/ line 3. The midi clock on the mixer is slave to Traktor as well as Maschine is slave to Traktor.
By the way, Denon SC2000 is great too.
I’m looking towards CME’s m-key 49 for a midi keyboard to work with maschine.
S4 is really dominant right now for the all in one controller.
if you want a smooth workflow, easy to play with, go for the s4 + maschine. and add a small midi keyboard to the midi in of the maschine. This set up is just perfect for 1 or even 2 who like to really remix stuff “on the fly”.
I was really banking on ITCH 2.0 including “The Bridge”. Now, I’m guessing sometime next year it MIGHT be available. That means don’t buy a ITCH controller for The Bridge until next year.
The race is on!
Traktor S4 with updated midi clock from Maschine
VS.
Serato Itch with Ableton
The videos are “Private”…
The videos are “Private”…
controllers look dissapointing
controllers look dissapointing
I wish it made sense to use serato anything
I wish it made sense to use serato anything
Itch 2.0
Cons:
– Not released until Q3 2011 ( probably, hopefully)
Itch 2.0
Cons:
– Not released until Q3 2011 ( probably, hopefully)
all about traktor 2.
all about traktor 2.
i’d love to know why some of the tracks are green in itch 2.0
i’d love to know why some of the tracks are green in itch 2.0
green = portion of track that’s looped
green= protein of a gangleonucleac amino acid.
green= protein of a gangleonucleac amino acid.
green = portion of track that’s looped
they are marked as played
they are marked as played
there not “itch certified” tracks….ha
there not “itch certified” tracks….ha
as said by Stephen Is, green means its marked as played. Itch is following the GUI of Scratch Live.
as said by Stephen Is, green means its marked as played. Itch is following the GUI of Scratch Live.
http://www.furitta.com The case for DJ controllers