In the past couple of months we decided to replace our external DJ mixer with a MIDI controller. We’ve always liked to mix externally to our laptop, always a bit wary of latency getting in the way of mixing. There were a number of reasons to finally make the switch though: reduce our footprint in the DJ booth, make lugging our equipment around easier and give more options to the mixing. And since we’re sporting a fresh MacBook Pro now we decided the latency problem would no longer be an issue.
Unlike most DJ teams, the three of us DJ together at the same time as opposed to back-to-back. We each have our own roles: mixing, effects and triggering; but we are always looking for ways to improve on our setup.
After a lot of research and discussion we finally decided on a Faderfox FT3. In the end, it was a close call between that and the (as yet unreleased) Novation Twitch. The Twitch does look like an amazing piece of kit but eventually it was the lack of four true channels that put us off.
So yesterday, having placed our order last week, we eagerly took delivery of a brand new Faderfox FT3. And after an evening of playing with it here’s the first impressions:
It’s small, but not too small. I seem to be able to control each knob and slider easily enough. It’s light as well, which is great for lugging around but maybe too light for performing steadily. We’ll see.
The faders and knobs are pretty solid. I’m really impressed with build quality so far. The crossfader is much stiffer than our DJ mixer, but I tried it out a bit and think it will be ok. Maybe I won’t be able to do the really quick cuts that I’m used to, but I can probably map a button to cut the tune in and out anyway, like a mixer transformer button. And maybe after a few weeks of use, it’ll loosen up anyway.
Faderfox have managed to pack in a lot of controls into it’s tiny package. It has a LOT of modes: EQ, effect, global, deck etc, Each time a different mode is selected, the knobs and buttons do different things, plus there’s a Shift button which effectively doubles each control. It’s gonna take a while to put a template together that we like and then get used to.
My worry with this controller was that all the knob are endless encoders so their current position is unknown. That’s normally ok for individual DJs, because they can just look at the screen and see where they’re at. But for us, Phil might be doing something completely different on screen so I can’t quickly look to see a knob position.
Faderfox’s solution, however, is really neat. When you click on a knob, it ‘resets’ it back to zero. So you know you can always get the sound back to normal by clicking the knob. Only four of the nine knobs have this feature and the default Ableton Live template just uses it for three: EQ low, mid and high.
The unit is designed as an all-in-one controller for mixing, triggering and effects and the Live template that comes bundled is set up to achieve all that. But we’ll obviously set up the template to concentrate on the mixing aspect. There’s no need for me to be triggering clips, for instance. And that is gonna take a little while to get right.
There you go then. One evening’s thoughts on our new controller. Be sure to check back again for a more in-depth review in the next month or so.
