Music Thing: Vestax Controller One Turntable Instrument
posted Oct 21st 2005 11:45PM
The nice thing about DJ gear manufacturers is that they're not afraid to experiment. Gemini dropped that weird
iKey recorder a few months back, but Vestax are the kings
of weird. A few years ago, they released the Faderboard,
an utterly baffling synth with no keyboard, but ten faders to play notes. It had the sound engine from a Korg
Electribe, was designed by Japanese DJ Shingo2, and was completely unplayable. Then came the laughable
Scratch-O-Caster
turntable guitar, and now there's Controller
One.
Around the side of a normal high-end scratch turntable are eight buttons, which speed up and slow down the platter
according to musical notes. So, if you put on one of Vestax's special drone records, you can play notes by hitting the
buttons, or sequencing them via MIDI. If you try it with a normal record, it will presumably just sound really, really
irritating. Sure, it will costs £1,000, and is pretty much the least useful thing I can imagine, but at least it's
original…
Good comment! One of the best.
Technics MK2 1210 ALL THE WAY!
I can definitely see turntablists using this.
Heck, a thousand dollars for a limited use toy sounds really, really irritating.
But maybe it will make my Bing Crosby 78's sound a bit updated.
Hmmmm
Yeah, this exciting for Turntablist nerds out there. I know to most of the engadget crowd, this might seem rediculous. But DJs who scratch love to do crazy things with vinyl LOVE this kind of stuff.
See also; Invizibl Skratch Piklz, X-Ecutioners, Birdie Nam Nam, amd Beat Junkies for further turntablist inspiration.
If i'm going to spend too much money on a turntable, it would be the QFO.
http://www.vestax.com/v/players/qfo.html
...but if someone was giving away these vestax tables, i'd take one. I'd even pay up to $150 for one.
If they had designed it so all the "notes" could be played with one hand, it'd have been a lot more useful. As it is, I think a practiced scratcher would prefer the control of the analog (hand-on-record) method.
"Technics MK2 1210 ALL THE WAY!"
Even though these are still industry standard I am sure there are alot better decks these days with higher torque, pitch control etc.
Yet still I have a pair of technics 1200's. I want the black 1210's though. grrr
Errit errit wickuh wickuh wurrrrrr..
The main feature is not the MIDI or the buttons. It is the footpedal. This instrument allows you to keep one hand on the record, one on the crossfader, and use YOUR FEET to accurately change the pitch. Basically, the sound coming out won't sound quite like "skratching" or "traditional" music: it will be a whole new entity.
Those who need to know about it already know (read: musicians). This is our generations' contribution to the music world. Our generations
electric guitar.. .