We got a look at the new Hercules Universal DJ controller here at NAMM 2015 (outside in the California sunshine for a change), which won an Innovation Award at the CES Show just a couple of weeks ago, and certainly is trying to do stuff a bit differently.
It is a small, entry-level controller but with three distinct modes: Laptop, laptop plus iPhone/iPad, and iPhone/iPad only. The software is DJUCED (the DJ software Hercules used in a lot of its controllers), with an app that runs on the iOS side of things.
They have dubbed the controller “The DJ Party 3.0”, referring to the fact that the app has built-in user feedback, where partygoers can use their phones to feed back to the DJ, suggest songs and so on – kind of a crowdsourced DJing system.
We’ve not fully got our heads around it after just a quick talkthrough at NAMM, but will definitely take a closer look in a forthcoming review. While of course for many DJs the idea of opening your playlists up to suggestions is unthinkable, there is room for a lot of types of DJing and a lot of different styles of party out there, and for some, this may turn out to be a lot of fun.
Have you seen the controller to the software? Do you own one? Do you think the two-way crowd stuff is a good idea, or a gimmick? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Phil Morse
