Hercules DJ Control Air

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Hercules Air

Hercules is known for its variety of DJ controller options; from robust semi-pro delights to miniature wireless efforts, it never stops innovating on what most view as a fixed system.

With the new Hercules DJ Control AIR, the company is at it again, adding a D-Beam-like control to this cheerful £129 DJ controller. Assign up the AIR control and wave goodbye to filtering with a knob ever again!

Hercules DJ Control AIR press release

Hercules, the leader in mobile digital DJing controllers, is proud to unveil its latest device: Hercules DJ Control AIR, the first portable USB DJ controller to feature air control, in addition to touch controls.

Hercules DJ Control AIR includes innovations which aim to make mixing attractive, intuitive and spectacular -whether you're an amateur DJ, or just getting started:

- "Air control", which lets you control the mix from above.

- 8 large pads with velocity sensors.

- A VU meter displaying the beats on the controller.

Hercules has created an ensemble of intuitive, spectacular controls - generally only available to seasoned musicians - on a unique mobile control surface. Indeed, experienced musicians often choose to purchase a dedicated controller for each function, and are able to program a MIDI** map allowing their different controllers to coexist within a software application.

DJ Control AIR also features built-in audio outputs.

It all adds up to a great leap forward in the world of mixing.

Mixing is in the air

AIR stands for "Adjustment by InfraRed": this is a totally new control in terms of mixing consoles for computers.

An infrared proximity sensor, built into the unit, lets DJs control their choice of function, such as volume level or an effect, without touching the controller, simply by moving their outstretched hand above the sensor.

This AIR control function regardless of the ambient lighting, allows users to modulate software settings quickly and intuitively.

Let's scratch and set the mood

Thanks to its two pressure-detecting jog wheels, DJ Control AIR is perfect for scratching. The jog wheels, each 10 cm in diameter, detect the pressure exerted by the user's hand. In this way, the feeling when scratching is as natural as when scratching on a vinyl record or a CD turntable - ideal for learning and perfecting scratch techniques, just like on professional DJ hardware.

The jog wheels also allow for easy control of the pitch bend function, as well as browsing through playlists.

8 touchpad's with progressive sensors

For users keen to control sounds with a minimum of gestures, like famous DJs do, Hercules has included 2 sets of 4 progressive pads. These pads transmit a command and its velocity, to control loops, samples or effects. Just tap your finger on a pad to play an effect, for example: the pad lights up when touched, and transmits not only the On/Off command, but a gradual command as well. This lets the user easily vary the attack of a sound sample, or its volume, or modulate the amplitude of an effect.

The backlit pads, along with the lighting on the other controls, allow for easy viewing even in low-light or dark conditions.

A VU meter that displays the beats

DJ Control AIR includes a VU meter displaying beats, composed of 2 lines of 4 LEDs. Each line displays the beats in a track, allowing DJs to see at a glance whether the beats are in sync, without having to look at their computer screen. In this way, the DJ can stay focused on the dancers: if the LEDs light up at the same time for both tracks, then the 2 tracks are synchronized - and this, of course, is the basis of all mixing.

Built-in audio for the mix and for previewing tracks

Finally, Hercules DJ Control AIR features 2 stereo audio outputs:

- to play the mix over speakers: one 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack output.

- to preview tracks on headphones: one 6.35 mm stereo jack output.

The controller is bundled with the DJUCED DJing software: a powerful application that lets you mix, sync and manipulate tracks, and add your own personal touch to the music with the sampler and the arranger, while providing an intuitive graphical interface, for use with Mac® and PC.

Hercules DJ Control AIR is the versatile, innovative digital DJ controller that lets amateur and beginner DJs get mixing right away: all you need is a computer, headphones and speakers, and you're ready to go. It will be available from November 2011, at a suggested retail price of £129.99.

* Microsoft Windows® 7, XP, Vista (32 and 64-bit), Mac® OS 10.5, 10.6 or 10.7 on Mac Core Duo.

Hercules DJ Control AIR connects to the computer via the computer's USB port.

** The exchange of data between the musical controller and the computer.

Chris Barker