The rumours surrounding the Numark MPC DJ build, as it looks set to launch at Musikmesse
The Numark MPC DJ was one of the most interesting and unexpected announcements at January’s NAMM show. The prospect of a unit that combines features from Numark’s best DJ controllers with an MPC sample workstation is one that has very broad appeal. When Numark threw open a forum for users to suggest features that should be included on the MPC DJ, the anticipation of it’s arrival was ramped up dramatically. In the last few days, tweets and social media posts suggest that the unit could be due for its official launch at Musikmesse next week…
Possible features
The ‘suggestions’ forum for the Numark MPC DJ has generated some interesting, and clearly well informed ideas for features. These range from the technical to the practical, from those geared towards the club DJ, to those geared towards the function DJ. Here are some of the more interesting and popular suggestions:
The MPC-DJ should support a wide range of software
One of the criticisms that has been levelled some DJ controllers is that they tend to be geared towards one particular DJ software package, with integration with other packages incomplete at best, and clumsy at worst. If the MPC-DJ can provide accurate and usable maps for the major packages, such as Serato Itch and Scratch, and Traktor Pro, it will already have a huge potential user base.
12-Inch Platters
The images of the Numark MPC-DJ seen so far suggest it may include the motorised vinyl style platters of the NS7 and V7. This offer incredible, authentic feel without the risks of needle skips associated with traditional vinyl. However, many from a traditional DJ background would be more comfortable with 12” platters.
Premium faders
The MPC-DJ is an integrated unit, with the mixer section built in. One of the drawbacks of a design like this is that scratch DJs often have preferences for the type of faders they like to use. On integrated devices these are neither fast nor precise enough for the typical turntablist. Including premium faders would fix this.
Other suggestions for the MPC-DJ have included VSTi/ AU integration (which seems to make sense in the wake of the recent MPC products), additional USB sockets to enable easy transitions between one DJ’s laptop and another, and making it beer-proof (!). Well, in week we should find out for sure what this monster of a DJ controller should include. I, for one, can’t wait….
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