VCM 600's are the sex

 

I have long understood and admired the flexible capabilities of Ableton Live. It has always resonated with me on a deep and primal level that this program allows one to build new songs out of sampled, live and midi audio sources in real time and that this function should be the driving force behind a whole new conception of what is possible for live electronic musical performance. Problem is, it's never been quite as 'fun', 'intuitive' and 'easy' in practice as it has been in my (admittedly vivid) imagination. Then the other day I set up a Vestax VCM 600.

First in a new generation of midi controllers designed to ape the session view of Ableton Live, the VCM 600's layout definitively bridges the gap between what you want to be able to control and what you can control with two hands and a midi signal. Six mixer channels, each with assignable EQ controls, separate faders for FX send/master channel controls, scene selection scrolling with play punches on each channel and enough buttons to swap through all the onscreen feedback you could possibly ask for without resorting to the mouse really help to bring alive the complex mixes in Ableton you always knew where academically possible.

The LED feedback signals are spot on, with different colours for each section (transport, EQ, FX ON/OFF) it's easy to tell just by looking at the board what's playing when and where and how much any parameter has been affected. The ability to look directly at all of your EQ kills is indispensible when trying to mix six channels and you will find yourself leaning towards using these kinds of blends when mashing the drums/synths/guitars/vocals from all six different sound sources.

For me it's the simple features like the CLP. VIEW and TRACK buttons that really help this unit bring Ableton alive. You want to be able to swap between looking at your tracks EQ or the FX sends and getting right down into the clip itself to set loop parameter as quickly and with as little fuss as possible. If you're mixing six channels it's all about selecting the right loop from every track that's going to blend and make 'sense' with the others, getting the EQ sorted out and applying any effects FAST. With the VCM 600 you can do this in roughly 10/15 seconds.

The FX section, once set up allow you to turn on/off four chained effects on each FX send and manipulate the wet/dry blend on each independent unit. You could control more parameters on each send with less FX units, though the layout of the controller seems to naturally lead you to the assignment formerly mentioned. This felt like plenty of FX control while manipulating a live set, provided some forethought goes into which FX units you put into each chain and if you do want to control some extra fiddly parameters there are always mouse or keyboard assignments to lean on.

I could rave on (I could) but I don't think any further hyperbolic praise will help to convey just how much I enjoy this particular piece of equipment. If you're interested, by all means come in store and ask for a demo, I would be more than pleased to sing praises in person. Should you trust me already (or be geographically impaired) you can also purchase one of these controllers online here.

Thanks,

Matt.

Spank!