Was 2006 the year that manufacturers really started paying attention to visualists? Sure, the DVJ-X1 has been out for 3 years now, but prices of video mixers and custom video hardware like the DVJ mean it’s not really a tool for aspiring VJs to dip their toes into the form. So purpose-built VJ hardware has […]

While music manufacturers struggle to create “integrated hardware solutions”, enterprising DJs and VJs are picking up US$40 Nintendo Wii remotes and having a blast. Here, the controller gets assigned to audio filters on the computer (I’m guessing the Max/MSP/Jitter external may be at work as it’s on a Mac), and controls glitchy visuals. I’ve been […]

I’ve tried, Behringer, really I have. I’ve tried to support and defend you, to explain your quirks and help people use your promising but terribly flawed BCD2000. How do you repay me? You make some OSX drivers, fix compatibility with Traktor, give the BCD2000 a new coat of paint and then sell it as the […]

Traktor + vinyl + audio interface = Traktor Scratch. And while NAMM is cluttered with new DJ gear, this one deserves special attention. The audio interface alone may be worth a look, whatever system you use. Months after they cut the cord with long-time partner Stanton and Final Scratch, Native Instruments is not surprisingly back […]

There’s a certain company — don’t want to name names, but it makes very popular products and rhymes with “Migidesign” — that sells decent audio converters and DSP systems at very expensive prices. They lock you into a single software solution, and when you want to go mobile, you have to give up all the […]

There are generally two kinds of KAOSS Pad users. There are people who play their KAOSS Pad(s) like an instrument, basing entire performances around slick finger moves. DJ Logic, for instance, has a new album coming out that makes heavy use of the new, flagship KP-3. Then there are people who just want an extra […]

Every time I hear someone talk about their first experience hearing a Moog product, the response is the same: “I had no idea it could do THAT.” NAMM is generally a time for looking at lot of pictures and spec sheets on gear, which is funny, because music is all about hearing. (Forget the floor: […]

A funny thing has happened this year: just as multi-core computers are making software more powerful, DSP has gotten easier and cheaper. Result: new hardware that behaves like software. Look no further than long-time software-only, analog emulation house Arturia, who have unveiled a new hardware synth called Origin that builds on the legacy of their […]

It’s NAMM time, which means we’ve got a deluge of new gear to sort through. And while here at CDM we believe you can make music without pricey tools, we enjoy drooling and lusting as much as anyone else. Next week, we can go back to being practical and budget-minded. CDM Team Coverage begins now. […]