Turntables Meet Controller, Novation Dicer

[Jhone]

Novation Dicer Revealed

Today, Novation announced the 'Dicer' controller that we showed in this cryptic video last Friday. Dicer is a pair of button controllers that fit snugly onto a pair of Turntables providing DVS users with access to performance functions like cue points and loops right where they need them – on the turntable. Since Dicer was my invention, I would like to share a bit of history on the concept and why it was created in the first place. That and a review of how the controller actually turned out after the break!


THE  PROBLEM



About 2 years ago, I started to carefully watch djs that had switched over to digital systems but were only using turntables and the keyboard to control their music. It seemed obvious to me that controllers could be used to great advantage by this group but few bought into the idea. The 2 main issues in the way of controller adoption were:

1) There is no consistently available space in the booth to put a controller in an ergonomic position other than on the laptop. Most booths are small by design and rarely have extra room to put controllers close to the turntables.

2) The only thing you could really midi map that was "performance oriented" in Serato were cue points and loops.  Now with loop roll, effects and cue point juggling in regular use Serato djs are discovering they need controllers to access the full potential of their software.



To solve problem #1, I had to come up with a controller that would fit naturally into a djs existing workflow. Something that could be consistently placed in an ergonomic and stable position, regardless of which night club they entered.  The only thing you can really count on in a dj booth is a Technics MK2-1200.  So if you can only count on the turntable, where on that turntable could you put a controller? The 45-adaptor hole, which provides stability and some clear open space, was the obvious choice

FIRST PROTOTYPE



The photo above was my first cardboard prototype of what would become the dicer (it was originally named the MK-5 and our very own Midi-Fiddler helped develop the first circuit board designs). I took it around to all my Serato dj friends about 2 years ago and tried to convince them that they needed controllers.  Not surprisingly, my handmade cardboard button-thingy was not convincing and no one really bought into the idea. The early prototype did prove 2 things to me though.

1) The core concept of controls on the turntable was worth exploring.

2) Due to the suspension in the turntables legs, I could whack on the buttons and not disturb the record.

Cool – no one wants it yet but its works, now how do we make it?

NOVATION ENTERS THE PICTURE



It became at the outset that in order for a controller like this to succeed, it would need to be produced in large quantities at a fair price and get into all the major stores. That certainly does not sound like a Dj TechTools product to me. We like to make specialized, hand made products that are sold directly to the customer. I genuinely believe a product like this will open up a new world of creative possibilities for turntable djs, so it was more important to get it into their hands at a fair price than sell it ourselves. With that in mind I set off to find a company that would buy into the crazy idea. After showing the concept to a few big names, Novation latched onto the design and really took it to the next level. Novation brought their expertise in manufacturing to the table and produced a controller we never could. Its well made, easy to use, tied directly to Serato and at $99 for a pair- a really good price.

The team at Novation also came up with some cool innovations of their own. They introduced the dice marking concept, which is universally readable from the standard and battle style turntable position. They also came up with the concept of making the 45 adaptor removable and including a pack of good old silly putty which allows you to stick dicers onto a laptop,mixer or CDJs- 3 more great places to put controllers in a crowded dj booth.

HOW DID IT TURN OUT?



I am very pleased with the results. All of my Serato dj friends that now want controllers have been bugging me for weeks to loan them pair. The buttons are responsive and find a happy medium between squishy and resistive. I wish they could have been arcade buttons, but that would have never fit on the turntable. To make up for the lack of spring loaded action, I made the pads the exact same size as our famous 20mm Sanwa arcade buttons so there is plenty of room for finger tapping.

The 3 modes are easy to understand and with 2 different LED colors, easy to see which is on at the current moment. I have also been pleasantly surprised to find that the dicer does not really impede any access to the turntable. The djs I watched use it were able to scratch and pitch bend easily. Now we just need to find someone that can combine finger taps and scratch actions all in one expressive movement.

Because USB ports are just as limited as booth space, the dicers are designed to link up with each other using a common 1/8th inch cable which transfers data and power – meaning you only need one USB to power 2 units.

With 5 buttons and 3 modes (cue points, loop roll and loop) the dicer packs a lot of functionality into a small space. The direct integration with Serato is very cool, although I am excited to come up with a more impressive Traktor mapping that brings FX controllerism directly to the turntable.  Your probably thinking, "Hey Ean, what other designs do you have hiding over in the dj TechTools labs?" Well.... lets just say 2010 is going to be a great year for controllers.

JFB first look at Novation Dicer

Novation Dicer- Leaked Video






4 Song Cue Point Juggle

The Midi-Fighter_4 Song Juggle

On friday we published a reader submitted video, which demonstrated video clip juggling in Ableton Live using a 4×4 grids of buttons. His unique layout inspired me to try a new way of working in Traktor Pro, with 4 deck of cue points triggered on a single controller. The results speak for themselves, this concept is a lot of fun, easy to understand and very expressive. I spent just a few hours working out a basic proof of concept (above), in the hopes of inspiring you to take it further.  Read on for the MP3's and the mapping file from thr video plus information on how you can use them both to win your own Midi-Fighter.

Take the mapping file and mp3's bellow and combine them into your own cue point driven remix using ANY software and ANY hardware. Add a video of your performance as a video response to my cue point juggle demonstration. In one month's time (may 18th), I will personally pick one winner that submits the most creative performance and post that video here on Dj TechTools. The winner will also receive a free midi-fighter controller (which are currently sold out until may 30th due to high demand)

cue point juggle demonstration.



THE RULES

    * You can use any mapping or controller
    * You must use the 4 songs provided bellow
    * You can use my cue points or choose your own
    * The performance must be created and recorded for this contest.
    * You can use any software but the remix must be played live (not sequenced)
    * You must add your video as a response to this video before may 16th

THE SOUNDS



Here are the 4 tracks I used in the video at the top of this post. They contain stripes and cue points for Traktor Pro.

A: Tribe Called Quest "Can I Kick it?"

B: Classic Drum Loop

C: Gangstar "Dwyck"

D: Custom Noise

for sample buzz me !!

THE MAPPING

Its amazing how the simple stuff is sometimes the best for the job. Having 4 songs laid out in a sequenced order above each other makes it easy and intuitive to work together all 4 tracks. Trying to maintain this timing with 2 hands is significantly harder.  The mapping bellow is built for the midi-fighter but should work for any controller sending out general midi drum notes (you may need to change your controllers midi channel to 3)

Download the Midi-Fighter Mapping for Traktor Pro 1.24 and up for sample buzz me !!

[Jhone]

udah ada yang coba ?? share dong

[Jhone]

ini baru yang novation gimana kalo gw kasih lihat yang ini :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsrI7jOX_q8&feature=player_embedded#!

silahkan di obrak abrik

[Jhone]

up up

[mahesautara]

Nice article Jhone, kalo bs tiap ngutip artikel dikasi link aslinya diatas.. hehehe..

[Jhone]

Nice article Jhone, kalo bs tiap ngutip artikel dikasi link aslinya diatas.. hehehe..

siap om laksanakan !!!

[echaaaa]

, kontroller ini aslinya di design buat ngontrol interface Serato Scratch Live (tapi bisa juga buat software lain karena basicnya dia midi controller)

,bentuknya yg integrated sama Turntable/CDJ bikin ngontrollin serato via dicer ini enak banget , ga makan tempat n karena ad 2 biji masing2 nempel ke deck bikin kerasa kayak ga pake kontroller soalnya kita ga perlu jauh2 naro kontroller ( n ga bakal salah mencet hahahahahahaha) meski sebelumnya serato + denon udah ngeluarin HC_1000s (well its like X1 kontroller for serato) dicer yang paling pas !!

lewat dicer kita bisa kontrol loop,Roll loop,library,efek sampe cue point (no sync yah coz serato dont need sync peeeps !! ;p)


ps : coba lo google Serato Bridge Ableton ..... (its the future of dj-ing  )

[echaaaa]

ps controller ini blom masuk indonesia (and im on the waiting list) akhir bulan ini masuk indo kok

[Mr Din]

Saat nya kah Turntable muncul lagi di club2 *just hoping, wishing*

cheers!

[Jhone]

ditambahin ya biar lebih jelas lagi :



************************
Multi-colour backlit soft-touch 'dice' buttons provide real-time visual feedback from the software, and Dicers are so small and rugged that they can be dropped into your laptop bag at the end of the night. Their compact form factor and versatile mounting options enable them to be fastened securely on the corner of turntables, CDJs or a laptop: Dicer mounts into the 45RPM-adaptor hole on a Technics 1200-series turntable, or on to any flat surface using Novation's removable DJ putty. Battle-style or standard, Dicer fits ergonomically into any turntable setup, and one-deck configurations are fine too: just use the reusable DJ putty to secure the second Dicer to your laptop.

Just like Launchpad, which revolutionised the way electronic musicians play Live, Dicer will change the way the Scratch Live DJ performs. With Dicer on the corner of the turntable, CDJ or laptop, you have instant control of Serato's Cue-Point, Loop Roll and Auto-Loop features literally at your fingertips, allowing you to throw tricks into your set without touching the computer. Now, you have the freedom to turn your DJ set into a true performance.



Novation Dicer,kinerja pengontrol yang dirancang khusus untuk DJ digital, dan mulus terintegrasi dengan cue-point dan looping fitur perulangan dari Serato Scratch Live.Disediakan berpasangan, perangkat USB-powered  yang kompatibel dengan Scratch Live setup,baik yang menggunakan turntable atau CDJs.

Dicer adalah peningkatan performa tertinggi untuk Serato, dan bahkan untuk setiap DJ digital. Dengan sepasang Dicers di DJ setup, Anda dapat mash-up beats Anda dengan cepat, dan menciptakan kinerja yang unik setiap kali Anda bermain.

Sepasang Dicers hanya memerlukan satu socket USB; sebuah kabel mini-jack termasuk menyediakan sambungan data dan kekuasaan bus ke unit kedua. Dicers merupakan kelas-compliant MIDI controller, dan mereka dapat digunakan langsung dari kotak pada Mac atau PC tanpa harus menginstal driver khusus atau perangkat lunak tambahan. Sebagai standar perangkat MIDI, Dicers dapat diprogram untuk mengontrol semua perangkat lunak MIDI-kompatibel, seperti Bahasa Instrumen Traktor, Ableton Live atau Propellerhead Reason. Terlebih lagi, dengan menggunakan fungsi pergeseran pemain dadu itu, sampai dengan 60 MIDI penugasan dapat dibuat, untuk mengendalikan segala sesuatu dari efek plug-in untuk samplers software dan instrumen.



dicer diharapkan di toko-toko pada akhir Juni / awal Juli 2010, harga:

USA: $ 99,99 MAP
Jerman: € 99,99 inc. 19% PPN
UK: £ 79,99 inc. 17,5% PPN
Indonesia : segera !!!

nah ini yg di maksud bang echa  :

Ableton Serato - The Bridge



We finally know what the Ableton/Serato combo is. In a nutshell, you can record your Serato sets in Ableton for later editing or drag Ableton sets directly into Serato and scratch them in a Serato deck. Thats enough ammo to ensure no 2 Serato djs sound the same again. 

Saat nya kah Turntable muncul lagi di club2 *just hoping, wishing*

cheers!

seharusnya ia,karena banyak penguna nya

[Jhone]

dengar2 barang udah ada nih di indo hohohoho

[si mbo]

Pake Native Instruments X1 juga hampir2 sam sih fungsinya..
Loop, Roll, HotCue, Tap, Key Lock, Effect, dll..

[Jhone]

Pake Native Instruments X1 juga hampir2 sam sih fungsinya..
Loop, Roll, HotCue, Tap, Key Lock, Effect, dll..

wa ini juragan gadget,gw cari dulu ah

[si mbo]

Pake Native Instruments X1 juga hampir2 sam sih fungsinya..
Loop, Roll, HotCue, Tap, Key Lock, Effect, dll..

wa ini juragan gadget,gw cari dulu ah

halaah...
hehehe...
itu loh.. yg ini...

Bisa di map buat serato juga..
tapi ya itu...
kalo beli novation dicer, bisa dapet 4 biji..
hehehehe...
Kalo emang lebih ke hot cue, juggling, roll, dicer lebih pas dari segi harga...

[Jhone]

wah kakak gede juga ya,dicer kan kecil dan simple tapi bagus juga usulannya mantap 

[echaaaa]

DICER IS IN HAND !!!! mau gw test malem ni ..... gear yg gw pake Rane Serato SL3 + 2X technics SL 1210 MK5 + Stanton S-120 Cartridge + DJM800 + Novation Dicer + Kaoss Pad KP3 ........... report menyusul


vinyl rules again !! yeaaaaaaaaah !!

[AdaGio]

someone sez once to me in this forum that Launchpad looks like  a Calculator...

then i would say that this tiny thing that would took more than 2 sets of usb cables (nonetheless count in for you soundcard, especially if ur on mac )  then i say it looks lake a BABY's GAMEPAD..

hahahaha....

[DJ Rangga_Electros]

Harganya berapa sih disini? klo mo beli gw musti beli kemana ya?ada yg jual?itu dah sepasang?

[Jhone]

Harganya berapa sih disini? klo mo beli gw musti beli kemana ya?ada yg jual?itu dah sepasang?

USA: $ 99,99 MAP
Jerman: € 99,99 inc. 19% PPN
UK: £ 79,99 inc. 17,5% PPN
Indonesia : segera !!!

tapi bang echa da punya tuh,coba tanya" aja info nya hehehe

[Jerome]

gimana reportnya chaaaa

[Jhone]

oia pesan dan kesan nya dong penasaran nii tgg report bang echa

[Jhone]

udah ada yg jual tuh 



klik :

http://www.ravelex.net/forum/index.php?topic=30156.new#new

[echaaaa]

Yo guys , gw pengen report soal dicer

This baby, is super !! ,kecil tapi responsif gila

Basicly dicer ini bisa di pake dgn 2 mode , basic mode (kyk yg di video) d mana smuanya udah di preset utk cue point , loop , n loop roll , dan di mode ini masi ad 2 bank kosong yg bs di set buat browsing n loading lagu ke deck , cuma mungkin mode ini lebih cocok ke hiphop dj's yg banyak maen loop n cue points


Kalo gw sendiri prefer custom mode

Tiap satu dicer ad 5 trigger button , dan ini smua x 6 (scene) so bayangin di satu interface skecil itu ad 30 trigger yg bs di set !!

Gw sih prefer cm pake satu dicer yg bs gw tempel di mixer , cukup buat kontrol browsing,loading lagu,cue points,loop,loop roll , efek

Yeah boys n girls , sekecil itu tapi powerful! Cukup kecil buat gw kantongin , bisa gw tempel di mixer (I don't like big bulky midi controller that makes you look like your playing atari on the booth :p )

Saran gw , meski ini native controller serato , cm gw bs liat aplikasinya yg berguna untuk di beberapa software lain juga , a simple yet powerful controller



That's all folks


Peace

[Jhone]

Yo guys , gw pengen report soal dicer

This baby, is super !! ,kecil tapi responsif gila

(I don't like big bulky midi controller that makes you look like your playing atari on the booth :p )

That's all folks

Peace

Thx bang 

[echaaaa]

new update , im using a 2 dicer now in a custom made . case (cukup kecil buat gw kantongin ) and im gonna upload a video on how i use my dicer and juga gimana cara set up dicer kita buat jadi sampler