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View Full Version : Time for SERATO to give us a dedicated controller



DJ STU-C
04-09-2012, 06:34 AM
Do any other serato users wish rane/serato or another company come up with some kind of dedicated controller for triggering loops/cues effects samples etc. i know the novation dicers are good but i want to have 3 decks running, id like something along the lines of the x1 but with larger pads and every function catered for. something that mirrors the exact layout of serato. i hate using my keyboard to do the jobs at the moment

JuxtaPoser
04-09-2012, 06:44 AM
Then only thing I use my keyboard for is to navigate my library and load tracks (something I wouldn't want to use a controller to do). My dicers do everything else. The 3rd/4th deck thing is something of a conundrum though. I've been thinking about buying another set of Dicers to control them but I need to look at exactly how they would map...

antFastic
04-09-2012, 06:45 AM
Denon DN-HC1000s? This is a dedicated Serato controller with it's layout specifically designed for SSL. I use one of these and absolutely love it, you get light feedback etc, it's a great addition to SSL.

If you want larger pads for a specific purpose I would just add an MPD and map it however you see fit.

DJ STU-C
04-09-2012, 09:54 AM
ive currently got a dn sc2000 which i thought was gonna be perfect but upon use ive found it ridiculously small and with the shift function can become very confusing, ive got the platter custom mapped to work on serato but the problem is the platter cant be mapped to the third deck which means one of your decks has to be sent through the aux channel therefore rendering keyboard shortcuts useless so ive ended up mapping the cue points to the aux deck yet the platter is for the phono 2. its quite a mess lol

DJ STU-C
04-09-2012, 10:00 AM
Denon DN-HC1000s? This is a dedicated Serato controller with it's layout specifically designed for SSL. I use one of these and absolutely love it, you get light feedback etc, it's a great addition to SSL.

you know what i love the idea of that controller, can they be custom mapped?? i wonder if i use 2 of these side by side then one can be used for the 3rd deck, and the spare channel could be mapped to whatever else, might look into that

antFastic
04-09-2012, 10:19 AM
Is it really that small? I was wondering about checking one of these out myself, the only drawback for me would be the lack of light feedback coming out of SSL. And yeah using shift functionality can become quite confusing, if you try and do too much at the same time, an intuitive layout is often better.

It seems like you want Traktor like MIDI control in SSL tbh, it's not really set up for use with controllers this way, the decks are intended for use with timecode. Can't you timecode the 3rd deck?

If you aren't using timecode and want full MIDI, then maybe you need to be thinking about a different solution? Itch / Traktor? It's a bit of a drawback that SSL doesn't provide a bit more flexibility on the MIDI side of things, but it is what it is.

Oop just seen your second post, yeah the DN-HC1000s has 4 pages of control, the first page is mapped natively with light feedback etc for decks 1&2, pages 2-4 you can map yourself for effects or whatever else. Not sure about using two together, I assume the MIDI channel can be changed so they can be identified, I will check.

Hmm I checked, not sure if you will be able to use two DN-HC1000s, the shift changes are MIDI channel changes 1-4, usually MIDI channels are used to reserve a channel for a single device, not sure if SSL will actually recognise them as separate devices or not? I know on the DN-SC2000 you can change the MIDI channels for this purpose. But with the 1000, the Native functionality only works on channel 1, the other 3 pages are for custom mapping. You could definitely use one HC1000s alongside one or even two SC-2000s if you wanted, you would just need to change the channels to 5/6 and/or 7/8. But like you say, there is no MIDI platter control for decks 3 and 4 afaik. and the existing MIDI platter control you are currently using, while it is still there, it is no longer supported.

DJ STU-C
04-09-2012, 10:55 AM
Serato have a little bit of catching up to do dont they, im considering selling my sc2000 and buying one of the controllers you have then maybe getting a 2nd hand cdj800 and just having that as my third deck with minimal midi control on that channel, i can use the cue and play functions on the deck anyway so maybe just have that as a slave deck and do my accapellas etc on my turntable with the hc1000s mapped to it. i wouldnt recommend getting an sc2000 its ok but ive found myself not using it cos the platter is literally tiny and the buttons can get really confusing. dont you just wish someone like pioneer would bring out a single deck midi controller with full functionality and all the appropriate knobs and buttons

Interracial Tea
04-09-2012, 12:54 PM
The new Behringer CMD controllers looks like it'll be able to do a lot of that (although you'd have to map it yourself).

http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/CMD-DC-1.aspx

http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/CMD-DV-1.aspx

antFastic
04-09-2012, 01:02 PM
Yeah those Behringer controllers are an interesting option.

Thanks for the heads up on the 2000 STU, I was just curious to see how well it worked in place of a turntable, purely for mixing. I reckon the 1000s is worth a try for sure, just set up your work flow so that you get the most out of the native functionality, and then map all the extras you need. I expect you may want to re-map maybe a track load button to load to deck 3, and use instant doubles to move incoming tracks to an un-used internal deck? The handy thing about the 1000s is that it is already labeled up for functions that exist in SSL, and the light feedback makes it easy to use.

I don't think there will ever be such a thing as a perfect controller, everyone customises things to suit their own work flow, so you either have to submit to the limitations of the system, or choose a different one. But I agree, it would be great if SSL had a bit more going on with the MIDI side, then you could probably get more out of the 2000.

DJNR
04-09-2012, 02:00 PM
I don't know about dedicated controllers, but everything is midi mappable now that it gives you options in terms of price and all the competition. I am a Traktor user and I use an X1. While the X1 is a controller mapped for Traktor, Faust and Shortee use it with SSL. They have a pretty good mapping for it.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmVwmDM39_s

DJ STU-C
04-09-2012, 02:49 PM
ive seen that dj shortee video loads and have complete respect and awe of what they are achieving with the x1 mapped to serato but its still an unlabelled controller where you have to memorise all the buttons etc. and i reckon they had a good practise at that routine before releasing the vid. ive relabelled my sc2000 as well as i can but im still hitting the srong button on occasion. im gonna try that 1000s and get myself a cd deck with timecode cd for the 3rd deck. the other problem i have is my stupid laptop only has 2 usb ports so i would need a usb hub to add more controllers. those dicers look ok but apart from loops etc they dont do much else do they

VjQue
04-10-2012, 12:12 AM
ive seen that dj shortee video loads and have complete respect and awe of what they are achieving with the x1 mapped to serato but its still an unlabelled controller where you have to memorise all the buttons etc. and i reckon they had a good practise at that routine before releasing the vid. ive relabelled my sc2000 as well as i can but im still hitting the srong button on occasion. im gonna try that 1000s and get myself a cd deck with timecode cd for the 3rd deck. the other problem i have is my stupid laptop only has 2 usb ports so i would need a usb hub to add more controllers. those dicers look ok but apart from loops etc they dont do much else do they shortee and faucet X1 have custom labeled skins on them with the right setting. they got them from 12inch skins

DJ STU-C
04-10-2012, 03:57 AM
I'm gonna look at those beringer controllers they look pretty good and won't cost the earth


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nem0nic
04-10-2012, 09:33 AM
...ive seen that dj shortee video loads and have complete respect and awe of what they are achieving with the x1 mapped to serato but its still an unlabelled controller where you have to memorise all the buttons etc...
The X1 comes with an overlay for Serato ScratchLive. The flip side of that same overlay is blank so you can label it yourself. No additional purchase necessary.


I'm gonna look at those beringer controllers they look pretty good and won't cost the earth
Me too!

DJ STU-C
04-11-2012, 09:02 AM
decided im going to sell my sc2000 and invest in the 1000s, thanks for the input on options available

Interracial Tea
04-11-2012, 04:29 PM
Me too!

http://i.imgur.com/0iYr6.png