Novation, a British company, was born in 1992 as a division of the already known Focusrite Audio Engineering, already a leader in the midi controller sector, including the infamous Remote SL keyboards and Nocturn and Launchpad controllers. After ten years, a surprise: a very simple, functional product, a revolutionary launch pad dedicated exclusively to digital DJs. In a word, the Dicer.
First impression
I start writing this review smiling: not because this controller is funny, but because the design and appearance are really nice! Let's start by saying that the English name “dicer”, evoking an unlikely game of dice, is a very good idea. At first glance, in fact, the peripheral comes with 5 numbered keys and 3 keys for changing modes, just like the faces of the gaming dice.
I was hoping for a larger package, perhaps small and space-saving controllers accompanied by a pseudo-box to hide in the meanders of the console: nothing could be more wrong. The Dicer is all there, in a package as large as that of a software, elegant and well built (Fig 1), which contains the essentials: the pair of controllers, a micro USB cable for connecting to the laptop, a 1/8 "TRS mini jack to connect the two controllers together, resistant and reusable double-sided tape to fix them to surfaces and adapt them for any eventuality. Finally, a quick setup guide in English and French is included. The best, however, is yet to come ...
Installation
As you may have noticed, in describing the equipment of the box I did not mention any cd-rom or dvd containing software or drivers. This is not a distraction: Dicers are class-compliant MIDI controllers, meaning they can be connected to any PC or Mac without the need to install any drivers or software. Assembling the Dicer pair in your setup is really simple. In practice, only one of the controllers (Master) must be connected via mini USB to the computer and from the latter a mini jack cable TRS (Tip Ring Sleeve) that connects the other controller (Slave). The small size has been designed to allow the controller to adapt perfectly to the Technics 1200/1210 series cymbals (Fig.2). In practice, the Dicer should be placed in the corners of Technics turntables using the space where the adapter for 7 ”discs is usually kept (the old 45 rpm, so to speak). The controller, with its curved design, perfectly matches the available space (Fig.3) and once inserted it is very stable and resistant to stress.
Obviously it is also possible to mount Dicer on Pioneer CDJs (Fig.4), for example, or directly on the laptop, by removing the adapter for the Technics and using the double-sided adhesive for flat surfaces supplied. However, taking a look at turntables from other manufacturers (Vestax, Numark, Stanton and Gemini), at least on the latest models (Fig.5), I noticed very little space: so it will be very difficult to find a comfortable place to place the Dicers.
The Controller
The controller is easy to use. As already mentioned, we are not faced with numerous keys to be set, but with a compact peripheral (Fig.6) composed of 8 backlit and multicolor soft-touch keys (red, green and orange), which help us to understand at that moment with which type of mode or function we are working. Since the Dicer is an official accessory of the Serato scratch live software, we will find as preset functions:
- for red, Cue-Point;
- for green, Loop Roll;
- for orange, Auto-Loop,
but obviously they can be changed to your liking by remapping the midi setting. Of the eight keys, five are large and are used to interact with the software, while three are smaller in diameter and are used to move from one function to another (keeping them pressed individually they perform the Shift function for secondary commands).
Proof
Testing the Dicer on the Serato Scratch live software would have been too simple and since Novation stated that its controller is compatible with the main software, including Traktor Scratch Pro from Native Instruments, I wanted to test it with the latter. So, let's have fun.
While I was preparing to customize the midi mapping from the “Controller Manager”, I thought of visiting the manufacturer's website to get more information and configure the Dicer in a similar way to the Serato. Surprise of surprises, what do I find? Novation, for Traktor owners, has well thought of adding, in the support area, the download of .tsi files (proprietary extension of Traktor Scratch) both in Traktor and Traktor Scratch versions, complete with files complete with import instructions and mapping index (here the link link). From the control panel I imported the traktorscratch.tsi file (attention! First create a backup of your previous settings), then from the controller manager (Fig 7) I set “Novation Dicer” as device, setting the same value for In-port and Out-port: we're ready!
Mode 1 - Hot cues mode. With the red leds the setting corresponds to a “Hot Cues”. The relative parameters can be associated to the 5 keys: by holding down the key corresponding to mode 1, you enter shift mode and then, by pressing the keys that are already illuminated, the respective previously stored "Hot Cues" are deleted (Fig.8).
Mode 2 - Looping mode. When the leds are green, the first two keys are designed to move portions of the loop back and forth in the song, while the third key activates / deactivates the loop. Finally, the last two keys will increase or decrease (by half or double length) the speed of the loop. Here the shift mode is free and fully mappable by the user (Fig 9).
Mode 3 - FX mode. The orange leds distinguish the function of increase or decrease (DRY / WET) of the percentage of effect to be used (first two keys), with the possibility of activating or deactivating (last three keys) three effects of your choice, eg. delay, reverb or filters. Here, too, the shift mode is completely free and user-mappable (Fig.10).
Considerations
What to say? Dicer is a well-made, resistant and compact controller, but above all economical. I tried a bit to "scramble" him, but all in all he behaved well. Again, compared to other midi controllers that the various manufacturers are churning out (eg Traktor Control x1) it has only the compactness, while the functions are similar - if not inferior. For DJs who want to improve their live performances and try their hand at something new, or who want to improvise and create more than just a static live by inventing innovative cuts, passages and scratches, I can only recommend that you keep in your bag, always with you, a Dicer couple: the evenings will be colored not only in red, green and orange… Definitely a good start to get closer to this type of controller.
…. Until next time DJ Fresella
USEFUL INFORMATION:
Producer: Novation
Model: I will say
Website: www.novationmusic.com
Distributor: www.midiware.com
Price: 100,00 Euro + VAT
