contributed by:
Andre Cato
Manufacturer:
Hercules
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Lets face it, everyone wants to be a DJ, but only a fraction of us ever get an opportunity to purchase enough DJ gear to make it happen or simply learn what its all about. When buying a DJ system, you need a mixer, two turntables or CD players and this is just to get started. Buying this can get very costly especially if you are just a music enthusiast that wants to experience the world of DJing without the cost.
Hercules is a brand that for years has been well known around the world for creating computer audio and gaming solutions. Their latest offering to the computer audio world is the DJ Console, a fully integrated hardware and software solution that could possibly open up the world of DJing to anyone who owns a PC, laptop or Mac..
The first look at Hercules DJ console certainly puts a cheeky smile on your face. It looks like a DJ console, it seems to have all the buttons and knobs that you would need on a DJ console, but it sure don’t look big enough to be a DJ Console! This is a very different review for me as I normally deal with products aimed at DJs as opposed to consumer goods, but the Hercules DJ Console, as you are about to find out, is a great product that for under $500 offers exceptional value, sound quality and interaction meaning countless hours of fun.
What is it?
The Hercules DJ Console is, as the title assumes, a DJ console control surface that, once connected via USB to your computer will play, mix and manipulate tracks stored on your hard drive. Ok, so that is the main focus of today’s review, however the DJ Console does so much more. As a mobile sound card, the DJ console will split your laptop’s DVD audio into a pure 5.1 surround signal and as a midi controller will enable you to control a range of software packages, assigning the different onscreen functions to the buttons, faders and knobs on the DJ Console control surface.
So, who is this for?
Well, if you are planning a career of international stardom, or even club work, then this is not something you want as your main console as in comparison to other professional DJ products, it is really a toy, but its capabilities make it almost impossible to describe this tool in this way.
I believe this is for young professionals, gamers, mp3 collectors, DJs and simply audio freaks. Unless you want to DJ professionally, why bother spending a minimum of $1000 and more like $3000 on a simple DJ console… The DJ Console enables the fundamental functions associated with DJing to be accessed by the masses in a physical console, not just software. This is due to the fact that most of us in today’s world own the most expensive part of the DJ Console equipment…some form of computer.
Why would DJs want one? Consider this, we buy loads of new music every week, so why not use the DJ Console to record in your collection through your mixer at home so you have a catalogue of all your music. It also means you can hear all your new music with other tunes in your collection meaning you can audition the perfect mixes without even pulling out the tunes from your crate!
Oh, and one other thing… Many car stereo systems now include a line input for a CD or minidisk player…. As we tested last night, crusing down the Chapel St (sic mate), you can plug your laptop and DJ console directly in to your car and bump and grind all the way down Chapel St, Kings Cross or Northbridge, just like Mousse T in his
‘Horny’ film clip!
So basically, the DJ Console is for anyone with a computer and a taste for musical interaction.
What’s in the box?
As stated earlier, the DJ console works by combining a hardware component (see image 1) and software component (see image 2), so included in the box you will find both a DJ Console complete with its own lid and a CD rom with software, drivers and manual. Also included is a shoulder strap and USB cable.
The Hardware…
The DJ Console hardware looks comprehensively detailed, thanks to the ingenious all in one DJ console interface (mixer, effects unit, sampler, looping, cue point, scratching and mouse). The chassis of the DJ Console is plastic which keeps the costs down, but does nothing for the strength of the unit compared to a metal finish.
There are 10 knobs, 29 buttons, 3 faders, a joystick and 2 control wheels to control the software applications included and front panel inputs. This may not seem like that many, but in a space of 20cm x 24 cm, it is! These controls allow instant access to FX, cue points, loops and all general operation such as play, EQ, monitor, track selection, pitch and cross-fade. To put it simply, it looks cool and interacts in the same way you would with a fully professional unit. Oh, and the console lights up like a spaceship Christmas tree - easily operational in dark bedrooms or lounge-room raves!
At the front of the unit, you will find a stereo (rca) line input for recording in your tracks through the DJ Consoles digital 24 bit sound card, a headphone ¼” input, peak monitor indicator and headphone volume/talkover combination knob/button! The rear of the unit has an analog audio out section that includes connections for 5.1 speakers via either rca or mini stereo jack. There is also a digital (optical and coaxial) audio in/out, a midi in/out section and a USB plug.
The Software…
Included on the software CD are three DJ programs to choose from to work as the brain for the DJ Console hardware. I loaded all three but concentrated on just the one program, Virtual DJ made by Atomix, which has been custom set to the DJ Console hardware. It was all very easy to install and gives you step by step instructions on loading all the different software and driver applications. There is also a good support network online where you can download a host of user patches, effects, skins etc…
The Virtual DJ interface is very easy to get around if you have played with any sort of audio software in the past, even if you have simple computer skills you will be able to get around this unit without too much hassle. By using a simple drag and drop process, you can control the software to load your tracks, samples effects and loops to playback through either your home stereo or through a mixer. The features and functions can be mostly controlled by the DJ Console interface and the movements that you perform on the console will appear on-screen (cool).
How you operate Hercules DJ Console?
So you now have a host of music loaded onto your computer and you want to mix. Load up tracks on the two decks on your computer screen. You can then play the first track and cue up the second or simply select beat-match and have the computer automatically match the BPM for you…. How simple.
You have a cross fader to mix between the left and right channels and a 3 part EQ on either side. The onscreen EQ cross-fader also allows you to blend the EQs onscreen with some awesome accent effects that almost sounds like you are remixing the tracks live. There are various buttons on the face of the unit that allow you to turn on up to 3 effects at any one time, while also activating up to 3 loops and 3 cue points on either side at any time… There is little or no latency on cue play, but if it’s not quite right you can easily adjust it with the jog wheel or pitch bend buttons that are surprisingly accurate.
There are a few options with the sound output which I really liked with this unit. For the DJ, there is advanced mode, which will send the stereo signal from lines 1 and 2 in the anologe output section. ASIO mode will do the same but take away monitoring and microphone capabilities. The standard mode is a balanced 5.1 split signal that connects to either a 5.1 powered speaker system or amplifier.
There is a double buffer mode that will protect you while in the mix. Computer crashes are very common occurrences and so Hercules have included a system that protects and fixes problems called Crash Guard, which will apparently save your PC from almost any crash. Great as the mixing and sound file sizes are huge, sucking an enormous amount of power from the laptop… I tested this on an ASUS laptop P4 2 gig processor and obviously it ran like a dream.
What else could they add to make it…. betteeeerrrr.
I love the fact that Hercules included a line input for recording digital instruments such as CD or digital turntable, but I want the option to use the line input for playback. This would enable another control surface and playback device such as a CDJ1000, DN-S5000, TTX or CDX-1. This would also allow DJ’s to take advantage of the sound capabilities of this small unit, while still feeling safe with tools of the trade they are familiar with.
The joystick is great to have, but I found its use rather annoying in comparison to loading things through my laptop mouse and using it for scratching is not really as accurate as many of the other effects and loops. A phono input would also be fantastic allowing purist 1200 heads to join in the revolution of the tiny console!
Where can I play with and buy the Hercules DJ Console?
DJ City in Clayton has a working copy of Hercules setup in their showroom ready to be played with. You can also pre-order the DJ Console if you are really serious as DJ City has a $50 discount to anyone who pre-orders this product before its release date. DJ City – (ph) 9579-5991.This review is also available for video download in the video area of 12am.com.au.
And just on the serious side… We need to all do our best to ensure the protection of electronic recording artists and all recording artists in fact around the globe. Please purchase the tracks you want to play and record them through the line input. This will ensure the ongoing success of our industry and in particular ensure that professional and talented artists continue to write, produce and release music for us to play. Game on.
12am.com.au is an Australian online DJ resource. If you have any product you would like to see reviewed, or have any questions please email
andre@12am.com.au or go to
www.12am.com.au. I would like to thank Rudolph from DJ City for helping organise this product for review.
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