NAMM Show 2009

Pioneer's exhibit was entirely focused on their video DJ solution, which is cool since we all know that video DJing is the wave of the future. Pioneer had secured a room upstairs rather than a booth down on the hall floor and it looks like they put in a lot of work creating a night club themed room (complete with a bar and club tables in the back). They even created a little alcove called the club experience, where they lined up three plasma screens aligned vertically and displayed images of people partying in a Vegas sized club. In front of these TVs was their video DJing solution for DJs and show goers to try out for themselves.

The video offering itself was really cool. The centerpiece of this setup is a huge mixer complete with a sizable display that lets you preview video, choose your fade style, etc. The mixer as flanked by two of their CD decks, which were actually just being used as control surfaces for this setup. Bad Knews had the system mastered in about five minutes, which tells you its simple and intuitive enough for most.

The age of digital DJing has come full force. Most venues will now have to implement LCD/Plasma screens to accommodate the extraordinary technology Pioneer has produced. It seems as if everything possible has been implemented as far as effects and fading and everything else imaginable. It would appear that the company has done it yet again. With their brand-new SVM-1000 A/V Mixer, it seems Pioneer has managed to bring all of their standard special effects into the video arena. Not to mention, they’ve added a whole suite of new and improved effects that cater specifically to the Video World. Not only does it have a large touch-screen, allowing the DJ or VJ to instantly change how an effect is applied, you can mix the Audio, Video, or Both instantly. The 11 inch touch screen is responsive and provides a great visualizer to manage your effects in real time for both audio and video. The automatic beat sync for AV is amazing and inputs are unlimited with an SD card reader, USB and 2 two additional channels, one of which we ran a live camera feed through. There are a huge range of inbuilt effects that you can apply to the audio, video or both. A DJ will be able to operate this just like you would find on a standard Pioneer mixer and its almost impossible to make the images look bad. VJs will like the midi capabilities to access any VJ software using the touch screen. Now don't get me wrong, this is one powerful mixer but along with quality comes a hefty price tag. You will definitely have to save some serious cash for this bad boy or have a ton of gigs lined up. All in all this will liven up the performance of your basic set and even make sub-par DJs look good.

Audio Input Terminal
DVD/LINE x 6 (RCA)
PHONO x 2 (RCA)
DIGITAL IN x 2 (COAXIAL)
MIC x 2 (XLR & 1/4-inch, can also be used as PHONE x 1, 1/4-inch PHONE x 1)

Audio Output Terminal
MASTER OUT x 2　(RCA x 1, XLR x 1)
BOOTH OUT x 1　(1/4-inch PHONE)
HEADPHONE MONITOR OUT x 1　(TOP PANEL 1/4-inch PHONE x 1)
REC OUT x 1　(RCA)
DIGITAL OUT x 1　(COAXIAL)

Video Input Terminal
DVD/VIDEO x 10　(COMPOSITE RCA)
S-VIDEO x 4　(S1/S2)

Video Output Terminal
MASTER OUT x 4
(COMPOSITE RCA x 1, COMPOSITE BNC x 1, COMPONENT BNC x 1, S1/S2 x 1)
MONITOR OUT x 2　(COMPOSITE RCA x 1, S1/S2 x 1)

Stanton has an interesting new product called DaScratch. I've seen it at Guitar Center tons of times, but I actually got to see it in action at the NAMM Show booth. DJ B-Side was doing a demo there, so we pulled aside and watched. This interface simplifies lots of stuff DJs do in Serato from scrolling through tracks and crates, to loading and manipulating tracks. It was amazing to watch how fast DJ B-Side worked with this interface.

Now with the introduction of Video SL 1.1 DaScratch will be a huge asset in manipulating videos and being able to control and do just about anything you need to improve your set. Price wise it is really not a big chunk out of your wallet. Size wise is also a plus, its compact and to be quite honest, it looks pretty damm trick. Also there isnt a ton of wires, just one USB cable and thats it. This is one of my only problem with going digital, too many damm wires. It looks like an octopus sometimes. All and all I totally reccomend this this DJ controller. I'd much rather have this to my left or right than a big MPC or Midi Keyboard.

One of the more interesting products I've seen in the last 2 years or so was in the Vestax booth. They have a relatively new USB MIDI controller called the VCI-300 Itch that works in conjunction with Serato Scratch live. The coolest part of this product is that its an all-in-one unit, mixer, controls and two jog wheels built in. You can literally do an entire gig with this unit, headphones and a laptop; no mixer or turntables required.

The simplicity of this USB controller can't get any easier than this. You may have to learn the new software but that will not take long at all. Its very precise and pretty cool to look at. Size is also a major asset to this device, it is very slim and not that much bigger than a Mac Book. One great feature is the [Emergency Thru Switch], which avoids the sound from stopping when the computer freezes, is an added feature from study of user feedback. Another is the new weight reduced JOG wheel and the adjustable JOG wheel torque mechanism to avoid vibration from low frequency feedback. Price wise, you cant go wrong for under a $1000 dollars, also have to figure in, that means no more lugging around 2 turntables, a mixer and for some of you...the dreaded coffin. Honest opinion I love this for the mobile DJ but just my opinion, you cant beat the feel of 2 turntables and a mixer, call me Old Skool.