Want to reignite interest in DJs who actually use their hands and fingers to slice up and juggle sounds? A cavalcade of “laptopists” is the ticket. Suddenly, at least in some corners, people are again interested in turntablism. It’s nice to see how a controller can integrate digital loop and cue points with a setup that still focuses on scratching. And Stanton’s SCS.3d turns out to be scriptable in the open source DJ software Mixxx. As some live PA musicians revert to a “push play” mentality, DJs can keep it interesting.

I’m generally not so interested in posting videos from manufacturers, but in this case it’s fun just watching DJ Jungleboy work behind a pair of Stanton SCS.3d controllers. These instruments seem designed for him. In a way, a lot of what he’s doing could easily be done with a sampler and drum pad, like an MPC setup, but then he’s got it mapped in a slightly unusual way, and the radial layout serves that nicely.

Oddly, what Jungleboy is doing is “DJing,” whereas some people with Traktor or Ableton Live supposedly doing “live PA” (some, not all) are basically just playing finished tracks – something you might more accurately term “iTunesing.” It’s a strange world, and what may ultimately happen is that we start to divide things between people who are making an effort to be musicians, good or bad, and people who aren’t.

These SCS.3d’s I see are now at a street price of US$200, which could make them a nice buy.

Open Source SCS.3d Scripting?

Need another reason to check out the SCS? All due respect to the folks at Serato, here’s a neat twist: you can script the SCS.3d with Mixxx, the open source DJ tool for Windows, Mac, and – yep – Linux. Serato is a terrific and solid tool, but if you’re looking for something a little different, Mixxx looks terrific.

This also demonstrates why choice makes controllers much more powerful, just as you’d want choices and versatility with a musical instrument. There’s a detailed post over at Mixxx’s blog from back in February. Basically, if you’re a power user, you can make the SCS.3d do any trick you like with its controllers, response, and lights. If you’re not, you benefit from the hard work DJ Pegasus has been doing to make this possible.

MIDI Scripting and the Stanton SCS.3d (Videos)

Now, I wonder if we’ll see this scripting applied to Akai’s APC40 soon, too, in Mixxx – my guess is yes, if that team gets their hands on one.

One thing’s for sure: the spirit behind turntablism, virtuoso manipulations of sound, lives on. And those of you just faking turning knobs? You’ll have to figure out how to live with yourselves.

Five hundred bucks. In music tech terms, that usually gets you, what, a single app bundle? Now, it can get you a whole computer, pre-loaded with a bunch of music software. It may not be as powerful as a modern laptop, but it’s also in a cute, smaller form factor you can keep everywhere in case inspiration strikes, or balance on the corner of your Steinway grand. Meet the Indamixx laptop. Whether you want one or not, it’s emblematic of the ongoing commoditization of laptop technology, with ever-cheaper, lower-power brains.

Highlights:

• Brains: 1.6Ghz Intel Atom CPU netbook (looks similar to the Asus, but it’s actually Sylvania)
• energyXT bundled: Runs energyXT, the awesome music production workstation with modular features and some unique editing capabilities – sort of the “indie” electronic music workstation of choice
• Full laptop-like specs: a full complement of I/O including 3 USB ports; an 80 GB hard drive (not bad for a machine this size!)
• Custom Linux distro + apps: Tons of pre-configured Linux music production software running on a custom distribution called “Transmission” – with Hydrogen Drums, Ardour DAW, DJ software Mixxx (that’s three x’s to Indamixx’s’s two – don’t ask), and lots of other lovely tools
• Sounds pre-loaded: 2900 drum sounds, 350 samples + scratches
• Import sessions: The new Ardour Xchange imports from your existing DAW (worth its own article, I think!)
• Broadcast your sets: Included Internet console for streaming your live gigs, etc.
• Hosts Windows VSTs: An included Windows-compatible host for your existing plug-ins
• Bundle: includes 1GB SD card, free carrying case, free US shipping, a t-shirt, and 30 days software support while you get it set up

$499 for the whole bundle – stuff like Ardour Xchange alone lists for US$75, energyXT is commercial, and you get these other goodies, as well (the memory card, case, etc.). So I think this is very competitively priced.

More reflections from Liliputing, which is a must-read blog if you’re into netbooks. (And it’s the creation of Brad Linder, audiophile and NPR producer who occasionally checks in on mobile recording here.)

In a story I originally broke here, Trinity Audio Group has already built an all-in-one, ready-to-run Linux audio machine in a UMPC form factor, the Indamixx. I reviewed that Samsung Q1 Ultra machine for Keyboard Magazine, and was particularly impressed with the software configuration. I’ll be honest, though, personally I could never get that comfortable with the UMPC-style Indamixx, because I found input methods to be overly cramped, and the tradeoff for the UMPC’s extreme mobility is vastly trimmed-down performance – at a price (US$1199) that remains awfully steep. Touch is appealing, and it’s worth holding one just to marvel at the technological achievement, but in practice I just didn’t like the thing that much. I know some people feel differently – EnergyXT creator Jørgen Aase adores his – but you realize that maybe traditional laptops have something going for them.

I’m not alone. The netbook market has already more or less clobbered the UMPC in the market. Under the hood is the same enabling technology: increasingly power-smart, low-heat Intel mobile CPUs. They still fall well short of what the Core 2 Duo can do, but they’re getting better. And in the netbook, they have two massive advantages: one, they’re super cheap, even relative to bigger conventional laptops, and two, they’re in a familiar form factor that’s been made more compact.

Turns out, that whole laptop form factor isn’t so bad, after all. It tilts the screen up, and allows for a big screen. It provides ample keyboard input. It folds to protect the vital bits. It has plenty of I/O.

So, whereas the original UMPC Indamixx might have only niche appeal, you can bet the Indamixx netbook could be a huge hit.

You can pre-order the Indamixx laptop with a US$99 deposit, and guarantee delivery by Christmas by ordering by December 15. With USB2, you could easily plug in audio interfaces and keyboards, some of which have excellent support on Linux. On the downside, unlike something like the Lenovo S10, it won’t run Ableton (at least not with some effort – anyone tried WINE?) On the upside, Linux has audio features Windows XP doesn’t, it comes pre-configured with a bunch of software, and runs nicely on this kind of hardware.

I hope to test one of these machines soon. And yes, before people start protesting, there still is a great argument for conventional laptops — $500 will buy you a fairly impressive conventional machine, and you can install Linux on that, as well; with more of an investment, you could get a machine that easily smokes this one. I do like maxing out the capabilities of just those kinds of machines. But you have to admit, you can see some appeal to this machine, as well. And I do think some of the developments here, from the low-power CPU to the use of the Linux distribution, have some implications for all laptops. Stay tuned.

Indamixx Laptop Pre-Order Page

Software Review: Mixxx Open Source DJ Software [Vinyl Project]
Previously: Mixxx, Open Source DJ Tool, Adds Vinyl Control

He does, however, wonder if a controlled operating environment would help. As it happens, I’m testing Mixxx on just such an environment, the custom-Linux UMPC Indamixx. Stay tuned.