NAMM preview: M-Audio's dedicated controller for something

So far it's nothing more than a picture on a MySpace page, but this is the new thing from M-Audio. Sensibly, given their enthusiasm for cheap plastic and ugly design, they've decided to photograph it in the dark, although it must be said those coloured lights and glowing buttons and knobs are pretty. Concensus of opinion seems to think it's a dedicated controller for Ableton Live - with what looks like 10 clip launch buttons (maybe in four banks?). Perhaps they've done some Behringer-style borrowing of the Faderfox form factor and added a Fisher-Price lighting scheme. An Ableton controller would make sense, as M-Audio own distribute Ableton (and so they're both part of the Avid empire, along with Digidesign/Pro Tools and Sibelius). Presumably we'll know everything on January 18th, when NAMM opens. (Thanks Danny)
UPDATE: See, this is why I write about stupid videos and weird-looking synths. Turns out Ableton might be divorcing M-Audio, so this is unlikely to be an Ableton controller, and more likely to be connected with M-Audio's Torq DJ-ing software (produced by their 'SynchroScience' department) Thanks to everyone in the comments...
UPDATE 2: Here it is. It's called Torq Exponent and it's proper Fisher Price... (Thanks Tomasz)


Comments:
M-Audio "owns" Ableton? Wow, that's some news. Are you sure about that? Last I heard, a German bank was the single largest owner of Ableton.
 
Sweet! The Lite Brite Controller
 
that's a DJ mixer. two identical banks on the L and R with three band eq controls and an xfade in the middle.
 
M-Audio does not now, nor has it ever owned Ableton. Ableton is not part of the "Digidesign Empire" at all.

Wait for NAMM - There will be more info which will shed light on this posting. It's just a few days away....
 
>>that's a DJ mixer.

Makes sense. M-Audio may as well get in on producing a controller for Live 6.

Ableton is perfect for mixing audio and mp3s, for mashup and regular dj-ing, etc. They've taken a huge chunk away from Native Intstruments' Traktor/Final Scratch. Last I heard NI is dropping Final Scratch for 2007.

As far as Ableton being owned by M-Audio, etc, I think they've just got the right to distribute them in the US [possibly elsewhere] which is why you see them advertised together in Remix, Future Music, etc.

At the very least there's an association with Avid and the rest as there's an M-Audio configured version of Pro Tools (M-Powered) for PC.
 
Think about it, the only thought out dj mixer/midi controllers/audio interface is the Hercules, the behringer joint, and the A&H Xone. Be nice to have one in between the behringer and the out of price reach Xone. As for the looks, I dont give a fuck if it looks like lite brite, Ill rock it with 2 KP3's on each side with some fuckin xmas lites wrapped around my 1/4" cables, fuckin Brits always complaining. If its M-audio sure you might not make a "pro" polished album, but for live use...tis the dogs bollocks..if its even a dj/midi thingy! I'm sure it will have more stage appeal than a diy job controller that looks like a a homemade terrorist dirty bomb detonator.
 
Actually, Ableton just announced that they are taking over their own US distribution... so it looks like the M-Audio/Ableton relationship is at an end.
 
This isn't going to be an Ableton Live controller. It's going to be made for TORQ whicj is an M-Audio product. The last poster who said Ableton is taking over it's own US distribution is 100% correct. This probably does do away with their relationship to M-Audio. Why would they make a controller for the application now?

They should have created one years ago. They would have sold a lot more of them then vs. trying to do it now.

And the arguement can be made that there is NO controller that can be created for Ableton Live simply because so many people use it so many different ways. It's not black and white like Traktor or Torq.

I haven't said this ever but Music Thing clearly miss-fired with this headline.
 
Image makes me think a "Lite Brite" controller would be awesome... 80x120 matrix where all the pegs light up...
 
Guys, use your brains...if you look at the buttons on this unit, and look at the buttons in the interface of M-Audio's Torq software, then you'll know this is more than likely a controller for Torq, not Ableton.

Doesn't Allen & Heath already make an Ableton controller?
 
I noticed the jabs a M-Audio build quality. I am totally in agreement... my old Oxygen 8 was a piece of crap. The difference between the Oxygen 8 and my Novation is NIGHT AND DAY. My M-Audio soundcard is also a cheap plastic box whose drivers barely work. Hope they put some real money into their industrial design if they plan on creating a dj mixer.
 
You sunk my battleship!
 
can someone (numark, m-audio, NI) please for the love of god make a affordable controller thats just a simple box with ENDLESS encoders

godd°mn I dont get these companies
if the kore controller would be available without the copy protection and the software with hefty price tag (kore + ni komplete) it would have made a killing
 
If you want an affordable controller with endless encoders get a Behringer BCR-2000. Build quality sucks, but you are going to get that if you want "affordable" (which seems to mean "absurdly cheap" nowadays). A "high quality" controller with "high quality" endless encoders would likely be a little over $1700 (based on current prices for encoders and standeard markup). The Behringer is $129. Bang. So I bought three - two as back ups.
 
Many reviews I read of the X-Session Pro controller (presumably for Traktor) complained it didn't have enough buttons for Ableton use.
 
I don't think M-Audio stuff is ugly (in general).
 
i think it's a dance very serious dance floor for ants
 
...Many thanks to previous poster (postman?) Pat for this:

"i think it's a dance very serious dance floor for ants"

God I've been up all night trying to get my head around those pearls of wisdom. I'm sure I don't care about the mystery m-audio controller anymore.
 
Great.

It's that time of year again when a bunch of clueless fuckwits see a carefully marketed, yet blissfully obscure picture of something they know NOTHING about and have NEVER seen and then go on to post ad infinitum about how good it is, what it does do, what it doesn't do, how shit it is, how it signals the end of mankind as we know it and how they'd never be dumb enough to buy it, yet they will be the first cunts to blow their wad when they see what it really is and then they'll infest the net forums with a vast pile of turgid bollox, having verbal pork sword fights with each other and gaining the ability to forsee a company's future and where it went wrong and how they could've done better and they will join new forums and post 1500 posts on the subject before they've even laid their sweaty little cum stained hands on a single working example and they will claim to know someone in the industry or they had coffee with the CEO of said company at NAMM when in actual fact they have a complete lack of social skills and would run and hide in some seminar by Logic just to look like they are a "professional" musician and then it will be time for Summer NAMM and it will all start again.

I fuckin' hate this time of year.
 
doepfer used to make a typically doepfer "built like a tank" little midi controller with 4 banks of 16 endless rotary controllers. It's called a 'pocket dial'. you might find a dealer which still has one or you might find one used. It's 'absurdly cheap' and also a great product.
 
Isn't that the new Alesis MMT-8 Mark 2?

Does anyone know how to mod a steering wheel video game joystick into a midi crossfader controller for Live?

Also has anyone thrown the guts of a midi controller into the body of a scratch mixer? Hotglue a usb mouse touchscreen on the top and Bob is literally your Uncle!

DJ McManus
Freelance Massage

Was this designed by the guys from The Mighty Boosh?
 
"sweaty little cum stained hands"

that's the name of the new aphex twin album.
 
"It's that time of year again when a bunch of clueless fuckwits see a carefully marketed, yet blissfully obscure picture of something they know NOTHING about and have NEVER seen and then go on to post ad infinitum about how good it is, what it does do, what it doesn't do, how shit it is, how it signals the end of mankind as we know it and how they'd never be dumb enough to buy it, yet they will be the first cunts to blow their wad when they see what it really is and then they'll infest the net forums with a vast pile of turgid bollox, having verbal pork sword fights with each other and gaining the ability to forsee a company's future and where it went wrong and how they could've done better and they will join new forums and post 1500 posts on the subject before they've even laid their sweaty little cum stained hands on a single working example and they will claim to know someone in the industry or they had coffee with the CEO of said company at NAMM when in actual fact they have a complete lack of social skills and would run and hide in some seminar by Logic just to look like they are a "professional" musician and then it will be time for Summer NAMM and it will all start again."

And yet you click your greasy fingers on each and every one of these threads. You eat up every single word.
 
"And yet you click your greasy fingers on each and every one of these threads. You eat up every single word"

Oh, you'd so like to believe that while you beat off to it, wouldn't you ?
 
erm ... yeah ...


I'm building a usb keboard/touchscreen mouse/griffin powermate controller for Live.

I might fit it with a glowstick holder to compete with this thing.
 
Avid owns Digidesign.
Avid owns M-Audio.
Avid has never owned Ableton.
M-Audio has never owned Ableton.
M-Audio once served as the US distributor for Ableton.
Ableton now does its own US distribution.
 
^ Yeah, and farts stink. Who cares.

Let's see this controller!
 
Anything but Csound is for losers anyways, so who cares?
 
It's the $750
Torq Xponent
 
Looks like someone finally copied Behringer.

Funny that nobody guessed it would be the scratch mixer controller they already had with a soundcard (which they also already had) and the whirlie plates.

Who the hell uses those whirlie plates anyways? How embarassing are they?

More I try these controllers the more a Doepfer pocket control and usb mouse seems ideal.

Disappointed?
 
Just got home from NAMM. This is a dedicated DJ controller for M-Audio's 'Torq' DJ Software. They had this little guy on lockdown, bringing it out of the case for only a couple demos. My guess is that it's still a prototype, and from the looks of the demos, not the best interface announced at NAMM.

http://www.torq-dj.com/products/index.php
 
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