Fresh from releasing the PLX-1000 direct-drive turntable, Pioneer DJ has announced the October arrival of the DDJ-SX2, which is the first controller to give DJs yje ability to control Serato Flip, a the paid Expansion Pack for Serato DJ that lets DJs record and replay hot cue sequences on the fly. The four-channel unit sports performance pads with multi-coloured cue point LEDs and on-jog digital cue point markers. Plus its Serato DJ DVS upgrade-ready and boasts improved jog wheel latency, which is suited for scratch DJs. The DDJ-SX2 will list for €999/£GBP 809. More details can be found below:
Exclusive: designated buttons for intuitive control of Serato Flip
New: Performance Pads with multi-coloured cue point LEDs
New: Enhanced jog wheels with digital cue point markers and countdown
New: Serato DJ DVS upgrade-ready
Multiple inputs and outputs
Slip Mode
Sound Colour Filters on every channel
Crossfader curve adjust
Needle Search
Master level and channel level meters
MIDI and Traktor Pro2 TSI mapping file compatible
Fifty years after introducing the Moog Modular, which was the world’s first voltage controlled synthesizer, Moog Music unveiled the new Emerson System at Moogfest, honoring Keith Emerson, of Emerson, Lake & Palmer fame, and his seminal collaboration with Bob Moog. Development of the custom handcrafted unit took three years with designers using the original documentation as well as circuit board and art files for nearly every original Moog module. To celebrate the introduction of the new Emerson Moog Modular System, Moog Music featured Emerson as a headliner at Moogfest 2014. In the video below, Emerson explains how he came to know Bog Moog and the learning curve he faced when he bought his first Moog synth.
According to Gizmodo, the unit will sell for at least $90,000. Crazy? You decide.
While vinyl afficiandos are chomping at the bit to find out more about the turntable Pioneer teased last month, there’s a buzz building about another deck. Available exclusively at select indie record shops in the U.S. on Record Store Day on April 19, the Crosley Peanuts Cruiser Turntable is a perfect throwback for those who grew up with portable turntables, or those wanting to share the experience with the current generation. The briefcase style unit is made out of wood and bound in a leatherette material and includes built-in stereo speakers. The turntable retails for $119.95 and will definitely sell-out, meaning that notorious sad sack Charlie Brown definitely won’t get one.
Features
NP6 Needle
Belt-Driven Turntable Mechanism
Manual Return Tone Arm
Plays 3 Speeds – 33 1/3, 45 And 78 RPM Records
Dynamic Full Range Stereo Speakers
Output – RCA, Headphone Jack
AC Power Adapter
Dimensions
Unit (L x W x H) = 4.63 x 14 x 10.5
Unit Weight (Lbs) = 5.5
Shipping (L x W x H) = 15 x 15 x 10
Shipping Weight (Lbs) = 9
One of the things that makes Ableton Live the best DAW for dance music production is their bundled partner application, Max For Live (M4L). What’s really cool about M4L is that the environment is a completely open domain, allowing developers to create their own devices that work perfectly in the M4L or Ableton world. One such amazing device is the new Herse from K Devices (MSRP:$29). This unit is probably the most comprehensive slicer/effect/step mangler created so far in the M4L world, and competes with anything from Sugar Bytes, etc. Basically what Herse is designed to do is to take audio from a live input (no need for buffered or sampled audio), and slice and rearrange the audio in a multiplicity of different ways.
From a rudimentary perspective, Herse will use a step-sequencer (user selectable time resolution) to define the steps of the incoming audio, and allow you to rearrange the slices however you seem fit. In addition, each slice can have a number of effects applied to it, each time-synced to the transport, and each effect’s parameter can be synced or stepped. The effects include roll, waveshaper, amp envelope, lowpass filter, amp modulator, resonator and volume modulator. This makes for a very complex take on whatever signal source you are feeding into it.
From very subtle effects on live guitar or vocals, all the way down to extremely glitched-out drum loop pandemonium, this versatile effect is a key choice for all Ableton (M4L) users. While this effect can go incredibly deep for the advanced user, those just starting out can get amazing effects in just a few minutes. Several key features that beginners and masters will both enjoy are, randomization for almost every parameter and drunkwalk mode, which randomly morphs the sequencer’s direction/position.
And if all of these features aren’t enough to tweak your sound, you can save several different snapshots of all your parameters and then morph between them, creating extremely complex effects. If you find that you need to add a little bit of edge to your recorded or sampled loops, this amazing time-based effect can complement or destroy whatever you throw at it. Modern producers should take special note, and this innovative device could morph your sound into the future of music.
