Behringer has made a statement of intent to return to the forefront of digital DJing, with the announcement at NAMM 2012 of seven new Midi controllers due summer 2012.
There’s an entry-level compact controller and a Mixtrack-style all-in-one DJ device, plus an innovative modular DJ system with five possible components – and more planned. Let’s take a closer look (click photos to enlarge). Video at end.
The standalone controllers
Behringer CMD-Micro
This is a tiny DJ controller, similar in size to the Numark DJ2GO, but with more features. It has two cues per “deck”, touch-sensitive platters, backlit lights, and crucially, it will work just fine with either laptop PCs or iOS devices. It doesn’t have an audio interface.
Price: US$69
Behringer CMD-Studio-4A
The “big brother” to the CMD Micro. This is broadly aimed at the Mixtrack Pro area of the market, but has more functionality than that controller. It’s got built-in audio, eight hot cues, full looping, and six-inch touch sensitive platters.
Price: US$199
The modular system
Behringer CMD-MM-1
The MM1 is a four-channel Midi mixer, designed to sit at the hears of your Behringer modular DJing system. One differentiating feature is that it has a four-port, multi TT USB hub. That means that not only can you plug other devices safely into it from this range, but your audio interface, hard disk and so on, and multi TT means it should play nicely with whatever other devices throw at it.
Price: US$149
Behringer CMD-PL-1
This is a single jogwheel platter controller with a 4″ touch-sensitive jogwheel with a “great” resolution. There’s a hi-res pitch control (I tried it – it’s good to about 1/50th of a BPM), with an LED bar to show the software value of the fader (useful when you’re using sync and soft takeup). There are eight push-in coders with LED rings, and eight buttons for cue points, plus four layers – so you could DJ on four decks from the one controller.
Price: US$149
Behringer CMD-LC-1
This is a clip trigger controller, designed primarily for triggering clips in Ableton Live and similar software. It has 32 four-colour backlit pads, eight encodes with button control, and solo/mute/cue buttons. As with all these controllers it’s Midi, so you can map it to what you wish.
Price: US$149
Behringer CMD-DC-1
This is a drum controller. It has 16 1×1″ backlit pads, and eight encoders/buttons with navigation action and push encoders. It would be great combined with the LC-1 to control scenes and effects in Ableton Live, for instance, although you could map it how or to that you wished.
Price: US$99
Behringer CMD-DVS-1
This is very roughly the Kontrol X1 of the range, but it’s approach is different. It is envisaged as a controller for digital vinyl DJs to use to access further features of DJ software, with the emphasis on effects control and looping. There are eight cues as well.
Price: US$199
Video – The all-in-one controllers
Video – The modular controller
What’s your take on these? We’d like to hear your views on both the modular system and the two all-in-one controllers.
Phil Morse
