BPM 2013: Best Of The Rest

Amid the bright lights, battling sound systems, huge stands from top-name manufacturers, live performances, ebbing crowds and general madness of the BPM Show, as usual we managed (we hope) to bring you all the big news, as it happened. But inevitably there’s always stuff we want to feature that slips the net. That’s why we have a “Best of the Rest” round-up, to gather up all the loose ends from our show footage, digital notes and photos. So here’s this year’s: From cartridges to controllers, keyboards to cases, this is the stuff we think you may be interested in that hasn’t made the site as yet.

BPM 2013: Best Of The Rest

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Reloop KeyPad & Keyfadr Ableton Live Controllers

Reloop’s new Keypad and Keyfadr are compact Midi controllers designed for users of Ableton Live. While both offer 25 velocity-sensitive mini keys, eight faders, 16 rotary knobs and eight endless encoders, the Keypad also adds 16 velocity-sensitive backlit drum pads. Transport controls are included on both devices, too.

Both products have onboard arpeggiators and come with copies of Ableton Live Lite 9 (they’re sold as plug ‘n’ play with Ableton’s software).

More information from Reloop’s website.

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Pioneer DDJ-SR Controller

Just a quick talkthrough from Chris at Pioneer of the previously covered new Pioneer DDJ-SR controller for Serato DJ, a cut-down take on the hugely popular DDJ-SX.

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Reloop Concorde Cartridges

To coincide with the launch of the Reloop RP-8000 Midi turntable, the company has also announced a team-up with respected cartridge manufacturer Ortofon, to rebadge some of the company’s cartridges under the “Concorde” banner.

There are three cartridges in this style that particularly grabbed our attention: The entry-level Concorde Black (pictured), the Concorde Blue pro all-rounder, and the Concorde Green, with a higher output apparently best suited to timecode/DVS use. No word yet on prices and availability.

More information from Reloop’s website.

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Novation Launch Control

Chris from Novation (there are an awful lot of people called Chris in this roundup!) show us the diminutive and clever little Novation Launch Control, which alongside the popular Launchpad S, can offer a powerful complete control solution for everything from Ableton Live to Traktor’s Remix Decks.

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Magma DJ Workstation XL & XXL Road Cases

If you’ve ever spotted the Traktor S4 hard case out in the wild and wanted the same design for your own DJ controller, it appears that this new release from Magma is exactly the same case that Native Instruments badged up for Traktor, but now available in two sizes. Thus these bulky, heavy cases retain the gliding laptop platform, ball corners, plywood construction and removable top/front panels.

Between them, and thanks to the provided fitting kits, these cases can fit just about every DJ controller out there, meaning whether it’s an S2, S4, VCI-380, VCI-400, CMD Studio or MC-6000 (“Workstation XL”) or a DDJ-SX, XDJ-R1, NS6, Mixdeck Quad or iDJ Pro (“Workstation XXL”) that you want to offer top-grade protection to, you’re covered.

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Pioneer DDJ-SP1 Add-On Controller

A quick look at the new add-on controller for Serato DJ software. In it, Chris from Pioneer shows you what the use case for the unit is, and we discuss the difference between it and similar units like the Traktor Kontrol X1 Mk2.

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Akai Pro RPM500 & RPM800 Studio Monitors

“Engineered for modern music” they say, with frequency response “up to 30kHz” plus “unique low end control”. Not sure why we need 30kHz response when everyone’s hearing stops way lower than that, but who am I to question?

These Class A/B amplified active speakers deliver 90W per unit in total (500) and 120W (800), and for the style-conscious DJ/producer, they look mighty striking in their red/black livery too. They are Kevlar coned and rear ported, and will be available in October at street prices of US$199 and $299 per speaker respectively. Very nice indeed.

More information from the Akai Pro website.

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Finally…

I’ve got a little video for you I shot on my iPhone on the way to a meeting in Starbucks outside the main hall (tip: if you want to bump into the great and good at a DJ show, find the nearest quiet place, where they’ll all be having their business meetings!).

For me, the wide-eyed fun in evidence at BPM in everyone, from kids and teenagers (as pictured here) to their parents who were often also in tow, sends out a great message, which is this:

If you’re stuck in your decades-old way of doing things, if you feel DJing has had its heyday, if you wonder if there’s any hope for DJing as the next generation comes through, move over! This lot are ready to step into your shoes – and they mean business! (Our Scratching for Controller DJs and Switching To Digital seminars at BPM were both packed, showing that the desire to learn is alive and kicking). So here’s the DJs who keep the faith alive. It was a pleasure to meet so many of you (new and old!) this weekend. Let’s all look to the future together.

Video

• Thanks to DJ Hombre for compiling the video footage.

What was your favourite thing from the BPM show this year – apart from our seminars, of course! 😉 Share your thoughts in the comments below…