Via the DJ Destruction blog.

About halfway through, he gets to some hands-on demos with the internal effects and controllers, which demonstrates some of what makes the ZERO8 unique. Thanks for sharing this one, Adam!

Adam’s rig — the mixer, a DJ app (Virtual DJ), and use of the internal mixer and effects — qualify him as what is likely the target audience for the ZERO8. And you can see he’s pretty happy using it in that way.

We have heard some dissent, though, from people who wanted to use the ZERO8 for live laptop performance with Ableton Live, or with DJ sets that push the envelope a bit into the live performance area. In fairness, that may not have been the ZERO’s target audience, but as it is a target audience for CDM, I’ll be interested to see what gear can fit the bill.

Also, I don’t like to bring up anecdotal evidence, but do any ZERO owners out there know if Korg was able to resolve the “hiss problem” we heard readers complaining about?

What about the alternatives?

For various reasons I remain interested in the Ecler line. I don’t think it’s immediately comparable to the ZERO, but its focus on combining MIDI control and mixing features make it very interesting to the Ableton crowd. That’s nothing against the Korg kit, but in this emerging category, it may be closer to what this niche wants. I hope to look more at that soon. See our previous story (which also includes commentary on the Korg, so I’m not the only one making the comparison):

MIDI + Mixing: Ecler EVO4 DJ Mixer Specs, EVO5 Update

At least now we know what the thing looks like:

I like the design — it’s not hard to imagine digital musicians and laptopists/electronicistas having good fun with this as much as traditional DJs. The MIDI controls look a little disappointing, though.

Previously (with lots of comments):

MIDI + Mixing: Ecler EVO4 DJ Mixer Specs, EVO5 UpdateMIDI + Mixing: Ecler EVO4 DJ Mixer Specs, EVO5 Update

That’s the approach taken by DJ-focused mixer maker Ecler. Their EVO5 (shown at right) does all of this, but at a hefty price premium — about U$1900 street. (That price could be more worth it, however, with updated firmware capabilities — more on that in a moment.) A rumored EVO4 at a lower price (expected at a non-cheap, but possibly mortal-compatible US$1000-1500) has been making the rounds on the Web. Today, Ecler confirmed those details and promised the final unveiling at Musikmesse next month in Germany and here Stateside for Remix Hotel Miami later in March.

No photo or official pricing yet (meaning if you’ve seen a photo, it’s an unauthorized leak or fake), but here’s what Ecler has to say:

The EVO 4 equips the latest digital audio technology with 24 bit stereo A/D and D/A converters and 96 kHz sampling rate.

The mixer is powered with 25 assignable MIDI controls on channels 1 to 4 and a dedicated MIDI panel with 4 rotary and push encoders.

However, the main strength of the EVO 4 is a double effects processor at 24 bit 96 kHz. Processors EFFECTS 1 and EFFECTS 2 are placed on each side of the mixer for an intuitive and ergonomic use, and both of them feature DRY/WET crossfader and 3 parameter controls. Both processors feature 18 sound effects, including different kind of filters, delays, beat crusher, sweep, flanger, phaser and loop sampler with automatic beat detection, to name a few.

Last but not least, the EVO 4 is equipped with an output limiter protected with password for a safe use of the PA system, as well as extra large ergonomic EQ knobs, loop to external effects units, faders and crossfader shape adjustment and much more.

The EVO 4 will be available next June

I was especially interested in the ability to combine MIDI functions with mixer functions. Some complained that the EVO5 did only one or the other — but a firmware upgrade announced last week addresses that, allowing you to send MIDI and process audio signal simultaneously on the same channel, if you so desire.

The EVO4 is a little different, says Ecler USA’s Jon Ghoddoussi:

On the EVO mixers (the EVO5 as well), you can choose to put channels 1/2/3 in MIDI mode, and then leave channel 4 in normal AUDIO mode to accept the signal from Ableton (or whatever). I believe this is the smartest method.

That could be appealing to people looking to merge a laptop-based setup with a hardware-based setup. And — as with a lot of DJ gear — I think the odd hard-core electronic musician, not just DJ per se, could find real use for this. (If you want DVJ capabilities — with MIDI controlling visuals while traditional audio mixing functions are handled normally on the same controls — the EVO5 appears to be the way to go.)

I expect to see more Ableton Live support — alongside traditional apps like NI’s Traktor, for which Ecler is a certified provider — showing up in templates and the like for both mixers.

We’ll keep tabs on this as it emerges. I think the ways in which digital DJing is evolving are just beginning to get interesting. 

Ecler USA

EVO by Ecler [Worldwide site]

It’s a 12 x 12 FireWire audio interface. It’s a customizable mixer, with curves, filter styles, and ranges editable via a color LCD screen. It’s a MIDI controller. It’s an Italian sports car, molded by design house Giugiaro Italdesign. And it has password-protected audio output limiting, so those sleazeball DJs don’t blow your club’s speakers. (No, seriously. They need a password to defeat the limiter.) Hell, like you’re going to let anyone but you get their grimy hands on this. We’ve been watching the Ecler hardware, and its needlessly-overblown pre-launch hype. Now we can enjoy the hardware itself. And it is awful purty, even if you actually don’t need / can’t afford it. -PK

Ecler has officially launched the EVO5 DJ mixer + audio interface + effects unit at Messe, though you’ll have to wait until October to get your hands on one. Its yet-to-be-determined price will be in the range of $1500-$2000. Full details on this 5-channel digital DJ mixer can be found at Ecler’s new EVO product mini-site.

Here’s the quick rundown on the specs, if you’re not still distracted by the looks:

It’s got 24/96 converters and a 2-port FireWire sound card that supports 6 stereo inputs and 6 stereo outputs. Route any of these channels to your computer and back for effects processing, mixing tracks from your DAW of choice, or recording to computer, etc.

Eight editable effects can sync to MIDI or the built-in beat counter (which can output MIDI Clock): Delay/Echo, Filter, Flanger, Phaser, Transformer, Panoramic, Pitch and Reverb. You can chain two effects together and also save presets to your computer via FireWire with the included EVO5 software. There are also two editable effects just for microphone: a Noise Gate and Compressor.

10 push switches and 4 rotary encoders can be mapped to MIDI. 64 layouts include ones for Native Insturments Traktor and Ableton Live. As expected in a digital mixer, you can customize settings for EQ and fader curves. There is also an output limiter to help save speakers from impassioned DJs.

The user interface, designed by Giugiaro, features a 320 x 240 TFT color screen with 262,144 colors. Thanks to an anodized technique, the lettering and markings on the black aluminum faceplate will not fade before Ecler delivers another revolutionary DJ mixer.

CAUTION: if you are still enjoying the EVO5 countdown, and don’t want to be tainted with any product details until the official announcement at Musikmesse in 15 days, STOP READING NOW!

Preliminary specifications for the EVO5 digital mixer obtained by Create Digital Music reveal the folowing:

1. It’s a 5-channel mixer with MIDI and effects. (Ok, you might have guessed that, but anyway…)
2. The EVO5 includes a 12-channel FireWire interface that provides 6 stereo in and 6 stereo out, so you can stream audio to and from Ableton Live, Native Instruments Traktor, and other applications.
3. 4 channels of the EVO5 can handle the FireWire audio, the 5th is for microphone input.
4. MIDI can also be transmitted over FireWire and there are both MIDI In and Out ports.
5. 4 continuous rotary knobs under the display can be used for MIDI control, as can the channel EQ knobs, which are non-continuous.
6. I/O includes 4 phono preamps, 5 line inputs, and RCA and XLR outputs.

Beyond this promising feature set, much of the EVO5′s potential success seems to be riding on its user interface. The EVO5 has apparently been in development for over a year with the revered Italian design firm, Giugiaro, best known for high-end European sports cars like Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. This is the first time Giugiaro has designed a DJ product and their involvement raises expectations for a fresh perspective on the DJ mixer UI.

One can only assume that the low-res rendering images floating around won’t do it justice!

Ed.: Hmmm, I think I’d probably take an Alfa Romeo over what looks like a fairly ordinary mixer, but we’ll see! -PK

At www.evobyecler.com, visitors can see the countdown—currently about 20 days, 23 hours, and 37 minutes—after which time Musikmesse commences and the revolution will be fully revealed.

As the clock ticks down, speculation heats up.

From touch screens to VST hosting capabilites to surround sound effects to moving faders to high-definition MIDI control: there seems to be no shortage of guesswork as to what might be so special about the EVO5.

“It’s got a fingerprint reader, and if you’re not the DJ, it won’t work,” said Joey C., a Wednesday night DJ at a Detroit gentlemen’s club. “In fact, it gives you a shock. Nothing lethal or anything, but just like to say, back off.”

“I heard the EVO5 is going to be the iPhone killer,” said Neil, a barista at a large chain coffee shop. “But they can’t announce it right now because they’re settling with Mitsubishi over their EVO5 car. So they did the timer thing.”

Just as Y2K came and went without a trace, some countdowns do end with more fizzle than bang. Yet the mere declaration of this revolutionary mixer is already having an impact on the industry.

“I traded my Hercules for Halo 2 and was about to get the Torq,” said 12-year-old Justin. “But now there’s the EVO5 coming in just 21 days, 14 hours, and 3 minutes. I mean, it could be way cooler. I’ll wait.”

DJ Sonny B. of Newark, NJ is three years into digitizing his vinyl collection of over 5,000 records. “All that shit’s on hold now,” he said. “I mean, what if this revolutionary thing is something that will like just digitize the shit automatically? Then I’d be wasting my time now.”

Even people with no intention of buying a DJ mixer are being swept up in the euphoria.

“It’s mesmerizing,” said Pearl, a side-door receptionist at a Kansas YMCA. “I’ve been seeing this countdown in my sleep. It’s better than Tetris.”

Good news, Mac fans. The Ecler NUO4 DJ mixer we covered last week in fact has Mac software, according to Ecler. That means you can easily assign the NUO4′s fabulous MIDI-capable knobs to whatever you want. This thing is seriously drool-worthy for Ableton Live and Native Instruments Traktor DJ, among others, so I hope I get to try one out.

Windows lovers, check the article for a link to a Windows software download. Macheads, I don’t have a direct link but am assured there is software there.

And get ready to witness the second coming of the Eternal Magnetic Crossfader.

Okay, enough of using wooden blocks for music for a bit: let’s get back to the veritable DJ mixer. The Ecler NUO4 (that’s the letter “O”, 4, not “04″) DJ mixer claims to be the first DJ mixer to add full MIDI control. I’ve heard from the North American distributor for the NU04, Jon Ghoddoussi at Soundwerks, and he’s got some juicy details. Jon writes us:

The NUO4 is a standard 4-channel audio mixer. Each channel can operate in the usual PHONO/LINE modes and all channels are fully assignable to the cross-fader. Each channel also offers independant external effects loops, with PRE/POST settings.

Crossfaders and upfaders are ECLER PRO Faders, rated at 4 million operations. Each are reversable, as well as adjustable for curve. In addition, the cross-fader can be upgraded to ECLER’s award winning ETERNAL magnetic fader (same as the HAK 360), which makes it FULLY scratch-worthy.

(now for the good stuff) Channels 2 & 3 can be switched to MIDI mode. Once in this setting, controls such as GAIN, EQ and FADERS now send MIDI commands (which is especially useful for programs such as TRAKTOR).

The center “channel” is a reprogrammable MIDI controller. It features 4 knobs, each with push/turn functionality, 4 buttons, a TAP button, and a layout switch. The layout switch allows you to switch between 3 functions for each knob, effectively tripling the controls on this center channel. The MIDI section is also programmable via USB, to allow the user to program their own desired MIDI functions into the mixer. Users can also print out their own templates with an included software to match their customized MIDI setups.

dashjk erul#Hjhkf jkhdjhl jklhds, adsh;j ;li! SDhljdhj adsk;lj, btu hljf ;oiwe kjl; ? HLJKdsjkh hkjsd kjhf dsh k ,. . . whoops, sorry, there gang. My keyboard got a bit slippery with drool. It happens. Anyway, yes, this looks like the killer DJ mixer not only for DJs but laptop Live virtuosos and the like, too. And the MIDI integration sounds nice, indeed (though we are seeing some other mixers going that direction, so it may not be alone for long.) There’s still nothing at the Ecler DJ site about the NUO4, but I’ll update you the moment there is! Don’t have pricing yet, but the NUO3 runs about US$500, and the NUO5 $1500.

How did I miss this? The new Ecler NUO4 (“nuo” / 4), reported in a skratchworx exclusive (with no information available anywhere else — Ecler’s DJ division included) is a mixer-control surface hybrid. From what I can get from the photos and limited description, the four knobs in the center are MIDI-assignable, with some additional MIDI triggers and an A/B tap button. Not only that, but looking at some of the close-ups it appears all the effects controls and faders can be switched between analog hardware mode and MIDI mode.

In other words, this is potentially really revolutionary, a perfect hybrid between analog mixer and MIDI control surface for Traktor/Live/Max/VJing/whatever. (Thanks to yet another anonymous Guest for getting the scoop in comments! Sign a name or something so I can give you credit, folks!) Needless to say, we’ll be watching for NUO4 updates.

Speaking of credit where it’s due, major props to skratchworx, a terrific site devoted entirely to turntablists who have gotten all the major scoops from Musikmesse. Sorry I spelled your name with a “c” instead of a “k” in my first link, guys. Go check out their site, and soon you’ll wax poetic (sorry) just like me.