Review: Vestax VCI-300 With Serato Itch
Sep 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Ean Golden
DIGITAL DJ PACKAGE TURNS THE TABLES ON TURNTABLES
Itch offers really stellar key locking. Serato also makes one of the industry's best key-lock programs, Pitch 'n Time. While they can't just slap Pitch 'n Time into Itch, there is certainly a quality trickle-down effect here. Even at pitch changes to a maximum of ±50 percent, the kick drum and bass stay tight and solid, keeping your tempos locked and the crowds moving. This especially shines while pitch bending, where you can make really dramatic adjustments to the jog wheels and the crowd will never even hear a thing. In Itch, it was possible to keep the entire intro of “Sweet Child O' Mine” in time over a beat with flawless tempo adjustments. Pitch bending that all-too-well-known guitar solo normally sounds terrible, and it's usually a major chore to keep their coked-up drummer in time with key lock engaged. You can check out a demo of that mix and the quality of the key lock at Remixmag.com
BUMP IT!
The VCI-300 comes with a built-in soundcard that serves most basic needs. It proudly sports a microphone input on the front and headphone output with independent volume controls. Two master outputs (RCA and ¼-inch) on the rear join an analog input that is a handy way to plug in a CD player or an iPod for emergency backup. If Itch crashes, the auxiliary input can be routed directly to the master outputs, so you can keep playing music even if a computer reboot is required. One catch is that you must choose to send either the auxiliary input or the PC output to the master output, so you won't be able to mix in an external source along with two songs from Itch. The entire unit is powered by USB or via an optional power supply if you need to keep music flowing while the computer is turned off.
The USB soundcard seems to be reliable, with low latency and clean outputs. While I didn't get the chance to try it in a club environment yet, the VCI-300 was bumping my apartment loud enough to bring adequate complaints from the neighbors.
TAKE IT HOME
Many hoped the VCI-300, would be a bigger leap forward in features, technology and design over the VCI-100. While the VCI-300's improvements are subtle, many benefits come from the unique strength of combing the VCI-300 with the new Serato Itch software, rather than from just the controller itself. There are two types of DJs I imagine would be most happy with the VCI-300/Itch package: DJs who already use Serato Scratch and newcomers to the digital DJ department.
For the existing Scratch user who wants a low-cost, light way to play smaller gigs and mobile engagements, the VCI-300 will be very handy. If you're an old-school vinyl guy or a new DJ looking to test the waters of the digital DJ scene, the plug-and-play simplicity of this package will mean more fun and less hassle. Those looking for a MIDI controller that can be used with other software might find the exclusive Itch support a turnoff. All in all, I'm hard pressed to find many complaints, as Vestax achieved what it set out to do: create a reliable, all-in-one digital DJ solution that is well-built and straightforward to use.
Pros: All-in-one design means easy setup and reliable performance. Excellent hardware and software interaction. High-resolution jog-wheels provide precise scratching and pitch bending.
Cons: No software effects or control re-mapping in Itch. Incomplete support of other software.
Contact: www.vestax.com; www.serato.com
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Mac: G4/1.5 GHz; 1 GB RAM; OS 10.4.11 or later; available USB port
PC: Pentium 4/2 GHz (Windows XP) or Core Duo/1.6 GHz (Windows Vista); 1 GB RAM; Windows XP SP2 or later/Vista SP1 or later; available USB port (Windows Vista 64-bit not supported)
Note: More RAM is recommended if you have a large music library.
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