The Spank! Records Blog

Motor City Drum Ensemble Drive By...

Motor City Drum Ensemble is one man with a drive for soulful music and a passion for disco, house and techno. His 'Raw Cuts' series has propelled him into the spotlight with their stripped-back grooves & old-skool 4/4 beats and he is now at the forefront of the re-emergence of house music.

His name is Danilo Plessow. He is from Stuttgart, Germany, home of the Mercedes Benz and the Porche, hence the 'motor' reference. He has been making music since he was 11 and he will be playing in Sydney on December 5 for the Co Op crew in a five-hour set that is exciting those local train-spotting forums across the internet.

He took his foot off the pedal for five minutes so we could chat about his talents, his torments, his tunes and his timing.

Drums at 6? Did you ask your parents for them or were you given them? What made you want drums if you asked for them?

In my family, all of us kids had to play an instrument. I chose the drums simply because I thought it was the coolest. 

It sounds like music filled your house when you were growing up? What was in your parents' record collection?

To be honest, I wasn't influenced that much with my parents' taste. They were listening to classical stuff like Bach and Mozart most of the time. I never really got into this stuff.

Your bio says you found your love of jazz from being in the school band. It’s quite a style of music for a child to fall in love with. What did you like about it as a child?

It was just the funkiest stuff to play. I had the most fun playing swing and break-beat rhythms. We didn't play the most tasteful of stuff in that band but there were 'lucky moments' when we would play things like 'Shaft' by Isaac Hayes.

It is pretty incredible also that you started writing music on computer from the age of 11. Is that true? And what computer and program were you using back then? Your parents sound amazing and very nurturing. Were they?

I kinda got into that myself. I don't really know how anymore. I think there was a demo version of a cheap sequencer on some CD I got and then I got the full version of that software (MAGIX Music Maker...haha!) from an uncle of mine for Xmas. I soon switched to Fruity Loops though, Version 1.0. The good old days!

So you were releasing stuff at 16? It sounds like you were pretty prolific? How much music were you making at this time and were you sending everything off to labels?

I was making music everyday. It was really what I wanted to do - smoking weed, listening to hip hop & jazz and making music. I did tons of trip hop stuff. I also got together with my mate Joachim Tobias and we soon decided to give that project a name (Inverse Cinematics). We got our first track signed through a friend of ours, a Pakistani in his late 40s who had been cooking in Stuttgart and had got to know Flo from Pulver Records. Then things took off quite fast.

Are you like Prince with a vault-full of unreleased stuff? Any production secrets?

Yes, I have a lot of them. The thing is, I never really work that long on a track. Either I can finish it in two days or it will stay unfinished in Cubase forever. As time is limited now, pretty much everything I make gets released, but it's just because I don't have the time to do as much as before. I still have like 50 tracks from the last two years lying around.. but only a few are good enough to release in my opinion.

Inverse Cinematics was an earlier partnership with Tobias. How did you two meet and was this a special period for you? How long were you together and was it a mutual end?

We met on the school campus. He approached me, asking if I was the little brother of that guy making hip hop beats he had heard about. It was me. He didn't believe a 12/13 year-old could do that (ha ha ha!). Then we had a nice period of like 4 or 5 years - lots of weed, music, going out, the first DJ gig - all shared experiences. But he decided to move far away to study and he also had a kid very early on so he didn't have the time for the project anymore. I also studied from 2004/5 on. We are still close friends and I would love to do something again, but time is really limited for me at the moment.

There were more productions later but new fans are now discovering your work as Motor City Drum Ensemble. With this you have re-discovered your love of house. Tell us about where this project started and why?

About that time I was already starting to get fed up with broken-beats - nothing was happening anymore and at the same time I recognized that I just loved to play straight-up 4/4 stuff. I haven't been DJing much. I only started when I was 16/17, so around my 20th birthday, I started to play out more regularly. I realized that disco, house and techno for me were just the perfect club music. As opposed to all the minimal stuff that was big back then, I started to play loads of Detroit and Chicago house again and as a consequence, I felt like I wanted to produce more stuff with a 4/4 beat and with 90s house vibe.

The re-emergence of deep house and Chicago house has really increased your profile. How do you find the new wave of house?

Its a good time for house music, but at the same time, as with every trend, it's also kind of sad to see so many people are now raving about 'deepness' when they were playing Minus records the day before. You can't just put a 'preacher vocal' over some loop and call it deep - there is more to it. But there are also many amazing new artists and labels. It's been a good year for sure!

Talk us through The Raw Cuts series. How did these come about? What were you listening to at the time or were you just re-listening to  your old records?

The first 'Raw Cuts' was done in 2005, I think. It was just the kind of house music I was missing in my sets, so I made it as a personal 'weapon' to play out but never really thought it was good enough to release until Pablo Valentino (my partner at MCDE label) encouraged me to try it. I was listening to a lot of disco & jazz at that time - stuff like Minnie Ripperton, Terry Callier, Pharaoh Sanders - and sampled these things for the 'Raw Cuts'. I tried to build it up only on samples.

Do you see the MCDE as a long-lasting project? LP maybe?

Yes, I definitely think that some of my best and more timeless pieces have come out on that name and I've never been more happy with it. Sometimes I am even stunned myself at just how much emotion is in 'Raw Cuts #6', for example. I really want to do timeless, emotional music, no matter what genre and as MCDE I try to put that in house music. As for an LP - I really want to do a proper album but it will take time. Right now, there's a lot of hype around the project and it would be a good time to release an LP but I don't want to release something mediocre. It needs to be dope. Give me time!

What’s your impression of Australia without having been here before? Has there been any Australian producers you have been following?

Thomas Schumacher told me it's unbelievable and I am really gonna like it so I trust him on that! And yes - 30 degrees, beaches and kangaroos sound cool to me! Music-wise, isn't Sven Libaek from down under? He did some crazy 'library-like' stuff I really dig. I'll try to hunt down some jazz in Oz for sure. 

Who are you listening to at the moment? Is there a track by anyone of late that you wished you had written?

Yesterday I bought the new 12" by ___ (unfortunately, this word was left out of his reply - Noooooo! Comment what track you think he said and we'll let you know when he arrives!). It's really a standout track for me. Sounds like Larry Heard in his best days. Shame they limit their releases so much. 

Any parting thoughts?

Cant wait to be in Oz, oh, and 'Music is the healing force of the universe'...always remember!

Nuff said. Keep an eye out for the Raw Cuts 12"s instore at Spank Records. Pure gold!

Murphy.

Vestax Handy Trax Now With USB

The Vestax Handy Trax allows the vinyl enthusiast to take their passion anywhere and listen to their favourite wax in any setting. Vestax has now wisely included USB compatibility for digitizing vinyl to your PC or MAC. The Handy Trax is fitted with a headphone mini-jack out, Stereo RCA out as well as mini-jack line in. The motor is belt-driven and power is supplied by an AC-12V power adaptor (included).

Functions:

- Dynamic balanced tone-arm, durable enough for anywhere can be played at almost any angle and strong enough to resist the pressures of the modern vinyl user.

- Volume control fader.

- Pitch control and tone control dials.

- Line in, line out and headphone out.

- Tri-speed playability - 33 1/3, 45, and 78 rpm.

- Inbuilt speaker.

So if you are on a trip and can't bare to be without your vinyl or you want to digitize that massive shed full of wax... This could be your answer. 

In store now.

Love

Rich.

Free Automap Pro/FX Suite with Novation Launchpad & Nocturn

Here's a very tempting pre-Christmas promotion from the good people at Novation.

Anyone picking up the brand spanking new Novation Launchpad and Novation Nocturn 25/49 keyboard controllers can register online to recieve a free download of Novation's Automap Pro Software and Novation FX Suite plug-ins software.

Existing Novation users can still get in on the action. Owners of Remote SL or Original Nocturn products can grab a free upgrade to Automap PRO with a purchase of either a Launchpad OR a Novation Nocturn Key.

Redemption for this promotion can be claimed via the Novation Website here.

Thanks,

Matt

Spank! Records.

Darshan, Metro Area, 9/11 & That LP

Darshan Jesrani and Morgan Geist are Metro Area, one of the most acclaimed production teams that electronic music has seen this decade. Their self-titled debut LP on the Environ label made every top LP list in 2002 including Rolling Stones' Top 50 LPs of that year. It got raves from places as far apart as the New York Times to Wire magazine and walked away with the BBC's 'Dance Album Of The Year'.

People use the word 'Classic' too frequently but to say this LP is a classic is classically understating just what a classic this classic really is! 

Metro Area's use of disco-infused soulful grooves on the LP revolved around older production styles with the pair injecting a much needed dose of funk and sensuality, mood and space,  back into the loop-based and seldom-subtle world of underground dance.

Darshan is a frequent visitor to our shores and will head back to play GoodGod on Friday, December 11. I thought it would be interesting to sit down, LP in hand, question in mouth, and get Darshan to give us some insight into how this classic LP came about, track-by-track.

First up, can you give me a little blurb on how you two came together to start the LP. Just a little story on where and when it was done and how long it took ect.

Sure..our first album came together from the work of our first four years of releasing Metro Area EPs (1-4) on Morgan’s Environ label. We took the strongest of those and put them on the album plus a few new ones written around that time specifically to round out the release. A lot of it was done at my studio - at the time I had a small room in a loft in downtown Manhattan, very near what was the World Trade Center. A couple of the earlier tracks were done at Morgan’s place - he was living in New Jersey, about 30-40 minutes away, so sometimes I would take the bus out from the Port Authority, occasionally with gear, like a big mic preamp and cables in a backpack.

Okay, let's go through each track:

'Intro' 

This is like a mutated version of those really loud, extreme 'radio intros' with big ascending sounds that you might here on a commercial FM station. That was the idea. Next time we’ll probably do the voice-overs and everything. This was definitely in keeping with the theme of minimal human presence (really edited playing, extremely spare or no vocals) on the record.

'Dance Reaction'

This song came from some a jam session we had in my studio. I was doing the silly rhythm guitar part and Morgan was playing the bass sound on a Prophet 600. We recorded a bunch of that and then built the rest of the song around it.

'Miura'

Morgan put together a drum arrangement from a break he’d found, including what was a cover version of 'Funkytown' (disco classic). I went over to his place in Brooklyn and he had the idea for the bass part ready to go, so we recorded it. A single note, through a delay, with a turnaround. We decided on a vocal concept, called on Kelley Polar for the string parts and did mixing and effecting back at my studio.

'Pina'

The break we used for this is from a record that I still play all the time. Morgan recorded his Mom’s piano for this and I added the acoustic guitar stuff. Morgan did the bass part which I still think is amazing.

'Square Pattern Aura'

This was one of the tracks written specifically to be included on the album. For some months after the World Trade Center attack, I was working freelance at an internet start-up downtown. You could still smell the smoldering site from all the way up where I was working! In the midst of all that, there was a guy who used to walk up and down Broadway, right outside our office, shouting something about what had just happened at the WTC, and that the FBI would immediately shoot anyone with a 'square pattern aura'.

'Machine Vibes'

I remember this being one of our earlier ones. It features Morgan’s girlfriend at the time, Ana, on the flute. I did the bassline on one of Morgan’s synths.

'Atmospherique'

Our very first single. We did this before we were able to use our Macs for digital multi-track recording. This was done on a portable hard-drive recorder called a Roland VS-880. Morgan sequenced and arranged the sketch/outline at his place and brought it over, then we overdubbed more synths and did some editing and that was it. The record cut by Detroit legend Ron Murphy at NSC.

'Soft Hoop'

Another one done for the album itself. Morgan did the chords and feel and his neighbor Jamie played electric bass. I did the synth parts.

'Let's Get...'

This came from a drum break I was playing with for a while before this song grew out of it.

'Orange Alert (DFA Remix)'

I can’t remember how exactly this came about but I remember us going over to DFA’s studio to listen to the mix-down. James thought we may hate it, and didn’t want to be in the room while we were listening, which was funny.

'Strut'

It’s the record Larry Heard never made for Prelude in 1983.

'Caught Up'

Morgan arranged the drums and played the chord changes on his Rhodes. We recorded his Mom’s piano again in New Jersey for this one (see my story above about bringing gear to his place)! I did the bassline, Kelley Polar did the strings and we put together this song which alternates between sweet/melancholy and a weird percussion break.

Okay and lastly, will there be another LP?

Yes, we’re working steadily on it right now. It’ll include a couple of things from earlier EPs and is an extension of the sort of soulful, melancholy, spacey and sometimes funny vibe we were playing with on the first record, with even more of a focus on songwriting and vocals.  Please stay tuned!

If you haven't heard Darshan play, Picnic is a must.

Murphy.

Amazing New Prices on Ableton Products

Marking their tenth birthday this year, Ableton have dropped the prices across the board on their highly regarded range of Live DAW products. You can now grab a copy of Ableton Live 8 or Ableton Live 8 Suite in store or online from Spank! Records for the following prices:

Ableton Live 8 $649.00

Ableton Live 8 Suite $849.00

Ableton Live 8 Educational $429.00

Customers new to Ableton Live, and interested in joining our in-store Introduction to Ableton Live course, will be pleased to know that enrolment in our course qualifies you for the Educational price on Ableton Live 8.

Thanks,

Matt

Spank! Records

Recloose...not really!

Every interview Recloose (aka Matthew Chicoine) has ever done, the 'demo on rye' story always features prominently so I'm gonna refrain from even mentioning that he gave Carl Craig his demo while serving him a sandwich in Detroit which eventually got him signed to the producer's Planet E label...DOH!

Fact - His career is as legendary as that story. As mentioned, he has recorded on Planet E as well as performing as a turntablist with Carl Craig's Innerzone Orchestra and the more esoteric Uri Caine Ensemble.

Fact - He's done remixes for people like Herbert, Tei Towa, MJ Cole, Azymuth and more and has released three critically-acclaimed full-length LPs, some live recordings and a DJ-mix compilation. His track 'Dust' is now an absolute house classic.

Fact - He fell in love with New Zealand on a visit and in 2001 relocated there to explore fresh musical horizons.

Fact - He has a live band, now called Starblazers, and for his 2008 long-player 'Perfect Timing' won the prestigious Tui Award (sort of like NZ's ARIAs) for best Electronica/Dance album of 2008.

Phew. This man has a reputation! So I cornered him in a dark Outlook space and threw down some questions at him hoping for some juicy stories, inflammatory rumors or libelous comments...and got none. Damn the inter-web!

Tell us about 2009? What have you been doing and what have been some of the highlights for you?

This year has been bananas. While I haven't been putting out a mass of original music, I've been remixing my ass off (Los Amigos Invisibles, Sunburst Band, Soulparlour, Shake Aletti, Based on Kyoto, Pablo Sanchez) and prepping new stuff for release soon. (Band recordings of my crew Starblazers, a track for the Stones Throw Do-Over series etc). I've also toured The States and Canada in June/July, just got back from Europe (Southport Weekender rocked!), heading over to Australia next weekend of course and hitting Japan the last weekend of this month. (*catching breath....*). On top of all this I've been hella busy with my radio show Hit It And Quit It which I co-host with my man Frank Booker. You can peep the archives here.

You've got a new LP coming out soon. The last was an amazing journey through funk and jazz-infused electronica. What can we expect from the new one? Tell us a bit about it.

Well I've really got a number of shorter things coming out. LPs seem a dated format. I haven't given up on them of course, but for now I'm focusing on EPs. We've been finishing up the Starblazers thing for a minute which consists of my band doing an array of hand selected disco/boogie/soul covers and then getting friends to remix them (including Pants, Julien Dyne, Daz-I-Kue, Frank Booker etc.). I'm also finishing up re-working some unreleased material for a 2010 'Recloose Early Works' release for my good friends Rush Hour. And after that, we will be releasing some brand new EPs on Rush Hour to be compiled as an LP later.

The band seems to be more important now? Tell us about where you want to head with it and why the 'rebirth' (the name Starblazers for one)?

To be honest, I've taken the band on more as a recording project now. I really enjoy working in the studio with these guys but the logistics of an 8-piece touring band has been admittedly pretty hard on my consitution and wallet. So for now we're focussing on the release and may take it on the road if the interest is there. And yeah, the Recloose Live Band is now known as STARBLAZERS.... (for the record).

How has living in New Zealand been for you to be able to make the band happen? The community is obviously smaller there than, say, the US.

There is no shortage of musicians and vocalists here so it's been great. Some of these cats are still kind of fresh to the styles that I'm acquainted with from Detroit. In a way this can be a liability but it can also make for some really cool results when performing and recording.

What have you been listening to of late and have you seen that creeping into your productions?

I've been going back to my roots more and enjoying more electronic music - mainly classic Detroit techno and electric funk/boogie. This has always been part of my repertoire but I think I've been missing my samplers and synths so we've been getting down more as of late.

Do you write every day? Do you listen to music every day? I'm interested to know if music is your whole life and has it always been?

Its a huge part of my life but sometimes you need to shut it off or it starts to sound like white noise. I would love to just be in the studio (like my moniker suggests) but this isn't always realistic as I'm a full-time dad, radio show host, blogger, touring DJ etc. etc. And at the moment the studio is in shambles as I've just moved for the third time in a year (with boxes and boxes of records) so its gonna be a minute till it's firing on all cylinders again.

Do you get the same buzz from your band as you do DJing? How is it different?

Not really, I've got a lot less control of the direction of the band even though I'm the musical director. We depend on each other to steer the party and vibe so its definitely more communal. Being a DJ is different but because the flick of a fade is all you need to do an 'about-face' with the musical momentum.

With DJing, what style are you spinning now and how has it changed over the past few years?

To be frank, (and not to alienate my vinyl loving brethren, I'm still one) Serato has really helped develop my DJing. I've always taken a multi-disciplinary approach (ie. hip-hop and house styles in one) but Serato has enabled me to start mixing things I could never blend before on vinyl. On top of this though, I think I've gotten a lot more bombastic on it, really attacking the mix and engaging the crowd more with the mix, with the mic and with outboard stuff. The great thing to me is that my DJing has become as much of a live show as it has been a more traditional DJ set. Doing this with Julien Dyne (NZ DJ) has been great, I know we're both really looking forward to the set!

How do you feel about the 'chicago house/disco' revival? Was it inevitable or is the word 'revival' a dirty word?

I..... am kind of sleeping on this revival. I know that house and techno have been making a comeback in general though and I think this is a great thing because for the last 7-8 years it seems like people forgot electronics and soul are actually really good companions.

And lastly, what if anything, do you miss about Detroit?

The peeps, the vibe, the music, the records, the food, the Pistons.

Recloose will be spinning some tunes on Friday, November 20, at 202 Broadway alongside Julien Dyne (NZ), Inkswel, Rambl, Edseven, Prize, Lorna Clarkson and Mikey Mutante.

Murphy.

Native Instruments Traktor Scratch X1 Controller Announcement

It’s been a long time coming but the team at Native Instruments has finally announced tits first official control surface for Traktor Scratch – the Traktor Kontrol X1. The X1 gives Traktor DJs hands-on control over the most desirable (dare I say necessary) features of Traktor Scratch & Traktor Scratch Pro. As the X1 has been designed in-house by Native Instruments, users can take comfort in the knowledge that the X1 includes a raft of features tailored specifically with advanced Traktor usages in mind.

The controls provided by the X1 can be loosely divided into four sections for effects, browsing, looping and transport controls.

The effects' section provides 8 knobs and 8 buttons matched to the virtual knobs on Traktor Pro’s two DSP effects units. The buttons are backlit with feedback and labeled in accordance with the two Traktor virtual effects units making control easy and obvious.

The browser section gives you two push button encoders assigned to decks A & B (C & D if you add a second X1) that allow you to browse your track-list and select desired tracks for play on the relevant decks. The shift button allows you to swap the function of the encoders over to seek/scroll so you can quickly navigate through your digital .wav display using the X1.

The loop control section features buttons from dropping loop points in & out and a further two encoders for adjusting the quantize length of auto-cue drops. The Hot-cue buttons allow these rotaries to launch and navigate the hot cue selections. The shift key allows you to use the encoders to shift the loop position throughout the track.

The transport controls include beat-jump forward and back, cue and cup buttons, track play and track sync buttons. You can shift swap these buttons into alternate functions, which include tempo bend, jump to track start, jump to next cue, tap tempo and key-lock on/off.

We are inviting customers to place a $50 deposit to be one of the first to receive the new Native Instruments Kontrol X1. We expect the product will sell for $299 however at the time of delivery we will charge you the lowest advertised price.

Traktor Kontrol X1 will be available February 1st, 2010.

Thanks

Matt

Dubstep Or Die! Part 3

Welcome to another installment of D.O.D. We have some gems here so let's dive in...

1. Hyetal 'Gold or Soul' (Soul Motive)

This is a new label dedicated to the emotive, musical and innovative styles of bass heavy music.

2. Fused Forces 'Boy Cried Wolf' (Substance Abuse)

Fused Forces are Adsassin and Moriatti, both 26, who are producers/DJs from Essex UK.

3. Unknown 'Is This Love' (Get Set Records)

Get Set Records is founded on the principle that musical performances released onto the world are the intellectual property of no one man or woman; rather they are merely various spectrums of color on the vast palette of humankind's accomplishment. Sample wisely friends.

4. Playdoe aka Sibot & Spoek 'Freeze Step' (Rwina Records UK)

Rwina Records is a new label out of Amsterdam distributed by Triple Vision and ST Holdings. In Moroccan, rwina means 'never ending chaos, and not sticking to the script is exactly what the label is about. It is pushing the global bass music scene's boundaries further away from the center.

5. Idle Hands 'On & On' (Idle Hands UK)

Idle Hands is a new vinyl-based electronic music label operating out of Rooted Records in Bristol. The focus of the label is on raw and experimental dancefloor tracks, in the best traditions of the UK underground.

6. Mr Gasparov & Octa Push '1975' (Steak House UK)

Steak House is a UK-based label which release global garage, carnival beats and tropical house.

7. Skream 'Burning Up' (Digital Soundboy Records)

Digital Soundboy Recording Company was set up in 2005 by the legendary Shy FX. As one of the original pioneers and stalwarts of the jungle scene in the early 90’s, he has cemented his name in British underground folklaw, whilst staying true to his art-form and continuing to stay relevant and at the forefront of dance music.

8. Slack 'Kick In The Floor' (Dark Circles Records UK)

Grumpy dubstep raver with a deeper techy stepper on the flip.

9. Scuba 'Speak' (Naked Lunch Portugal)

The solid gold is saved for the flipside, finding a glowing sweet spot at the center of Basic Channel-indebted dub techno, artwork-styled 2-step rhythm alchemy and a sort of lonely post-Garage vibe.

10. Various 'Hyperdub 5.4 EP' (Hyperdub)

Hyperdub is a London-based record label, founded and run by Steve Goodman, which so far has specialized in releasing Dubstep and variants of the genre.

If you like your 'Step then drop into the store and check out our large selection of 12"s.

Until next time...

Love

Rich

Able10 Intro Details Revealed

 

To celebrate the company's 10th anniversary Ableton has released a new introductory package. Ableton Intro makes it easier than ever to start enjoying the intuitive performance and recording features that have made Ableton Live a household name amongst music lovers world-wide.

 

Ableton Intro lets you record and mix music without any sacrifice to quality. Intro pulls no punches with multi-track recording resolution up to 32 bit/192 kHz. Ableton Intro’s sets provide up to 64 audio tracks, 2 effect sends and 12 Ableton effects at once. While obviously this is a going to restrict the complexity of tracks you can compose in Ableton Intro it’s certainly more than enough options to get imaginative and pull together some great performances and home productions. To use a golden oldie, if you can’t make a good sound with what Ableton Intro offers, it’s not the gear, it’s you.

 

The cornerstone of Ableton's popularity comes from its unique approach to performance looping, sequencing and time stretching. Ableton Intro gives you access to the entirety of Ableton's DJ mixing features. You can set up standard MIDI controllers to trigger and mix in Ableton Intro. It runs natively with the two brand new Ableton-endorsed controllers, the Akai APC40 and Novation Launchpad, so it is an excellent inexpensive way to give these two great new controllers a test drive.

 

Reason 4.0 users looking to check out Live's functionality in conjunction with ReWire can do so with Intro. Full ReWire support means you can plug your Reason sets right into the back-end of Ableton. I personally use Ableton 8 with Reason ReWire all the time and find it to be an outstanding setup. Ableton Intro offers a great inexpensive way to check out ReWire's features before moving onto the full version.

 

Ableton Intro will also support all your favourite VST plug-ins, allowing four simultaneous VST instances per project.

 

The RRP on Ableton Intro at this stage is $199.99 and will be available instore or online from Spank! Records shortly.

 

Thanks,

 

Matt.

Clash of the Titans!

Today we will be exploring some of the ins-and-outs of the two major players in the world of digital mixing - Traktor Scratch Pro and Serato Scratch Live. There have been recent updates to both programs that have raised the bar significantly in terms of creative possibilities.

Now to me, in the world of audio, quality is key. So it is important to consider what kind of quality you will get from the hardware interfaces with each of these packages. The Audio 8 boasts a very sweet 24 Bit/96Khz signal output whilst the Rane SL3 produces 24 Bit/48Khz output - the audio difference, therefore, is minimal. What turns me towards the Audio 8 in this comparison is not, however, the superior sample rate but the mic input option. This can come in handy in so many ways, from producing and recording to patching into a channel at your next top 40 gig and lamely announcing the next track to a crowd of nonchalant forty-somethings mingling mindlessly to the Black Eyed Peas... or something.

The user interface of both these programs are reasonably simple and straight forward. Serato has mastered simplicity in this area with everything clearly laid out in front of you. Waveforms can be easily seen and recognized with bars running down the center of the screen giving visual feedback to kick phase. Whilst Traktor has an excellent waveform analysis and the kick phase meter on each of the decks is very helpful, especially when one track is set to master so the other simply relates to it instead of both trying to relate to each other. Serato's design of laying the waveforms vertically next to each other is genius.

So let's get down to brass tax man... four decks (Traktor) that can be sync-ed to an external/internal master clock or to each other; or eight decks (Serato), i.e. six sample players, two main decks, that can not be sync-ed but all have pitch control allowing you to mix in the conventional way. The only problem with Serato here is that there is no cue for the six sample players. I'm hoping that this is remedied soon as it will make for a very impressive tool. What I also dig about the Serato sample player is that you can trigger your samples automatically from any saved cue point in the track that is currently playing. Add a MIDI controller such as the Faderfox into the fray and you've got some instant sample fun times.

Unfortunately for Serato, Traktor has dominated effects integration, which these days are a must for any creative professional... or DJ Hero. With 28 sweet effects patches to play with, sonic mayhem is not only possible, it is practically a no-brainer. Looping functions are also a major incentive for today’s market and how could we pass on this important feature. Serato has 9 loops and 5 cue-points that can be saved to each track. The loops cannot, however, be called up with a click. You can have them stored and activate them when the track reaches that section but they cannot be jumped to. While Traktor has only 8 spaces for cue-points and loops to be stored, the loops can be punched in with a single click whenever you so desire. Yum!

While I feel I have only touched the surface today, I hope I have provided some food for thought and if you are having trouble making your mind up between the two perhaps we have clarified some things. If you're close to the store, we can demo both for you.

Until next time...

Love

Rich