![]() No matter how good the internal components are, if users perceive the surface components to be cheap that's the impression of the machine they'll be left with. I know the T1 is produced to a price-point, but consumers are buying into the Pioneer brand with their £900 and they want to feel as if they have a solid Pioneer product under their fingertips. They're the same on-off slider switch used on my '90s Remington alarm clock to engage alarm mode, not the reassuringly chunky push button we've come to know and love on Pioneer gear. Less good are the fader start switches and the on/off switch, which are unforgivably cheap for a Pioneer product. They're smooth yet have a decent amount of resistance, which means they'll stay in place and won't move just because you're battering the hot-cue buttons. In comparison the EQ and FX dials feel fantastic, possessing a smooth, fluid movement, as do the channel faders. There's nothing to suggest they'll fall apart anytime soon, but it's undesirable nonetheless. As an example, there's a bit of unwanted play in the movement of the AUTO LOOP and BROWSE pots. It does mean that the buttons have a plastic feel you wouldn't ordinarily associate with Pioneer if you're used to their 'Pro' gear. The DDJ-T1 has inherited the component feel of the entry level 350 series, which is no surprise given the T1's price. Only the jogs on the S4 can compete and that's because NI have an advantage over the competition when it comes to integration of hardware and software.Īnd the build quality? Well, it's important here to make a distinction between perceived build quality and actual build quality. In comparison to other Traktor controllers, however, the jogs on the T1 are a thing of wonder. There's nothing inherently wrong with them, but I do prefer the comfort of a larger jog wheel. Sadly, the CDJs in question are a pair of CDJ400s, which possess a jog wheel of which I cannot claim to be overly fond. An excitement that MIDI controllers rarely invoke, most probably caused by the sheer joy of having what is two Pioneer CDJs and a DJM mixer fused together to form one coherent whole. The second thing that hits you is the excitement the thing generates. On-screen the images make the DDJ-T1 look cluttered, its layout irrational and confusing, but in reality the unit is large, the controls are well spaced and their purpose is so obvious you only need to read the manual to make absolutely sure there's nothing you've missed. The first thing that hits you when you see the DDJ-T1 in the flesh is how little justice the promotional images have done to it. So in a world in which the Kontrol S4 already exists, why would you want to buy a DDJ-T1? Read on… Not because it isn't very good – it is, as you'll see, but because it cannot compete with the favours bestowed upon the S4 by Native Instruments. On the surface it looks the part and appears to be the Traktor controller we've desired for years, but no matter how pretty it is, no matter how much it flashes you a winning smile with its jog lights, it will always bear the inadequacy of its bundled software. It is this troubled landscape into which the DDJ-T1 has been born. No matter how good the Pioneer controller there's no way they can offer the same integration of software and hardware that NI can with the S4. And on the face of it, they might have done it, had NI not gone Microsoft and created the hardware/software marvel that is the Kontrol S4. ![]() Given Pioneer's late entry into the controller market you can only assume that they've spent the last few years studying the competition, biding their time until they've come up with the one design that will dominate bedrooms everywhere.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |