Hercules DJ Console Portable DJ Console

by Hercules

Product Details

Product Manual [341kb PDF]

• Item Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4.5 pounds
• ASIN: B0000U3CJ6
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #218,526 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • #90 in Musical Instruments > DJ, Electronic Music & Karaoke > DJ Equipment > DJ Sets
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 13, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Why haul around all your DJ equipment along with that crate of records when you can take everything you need with you in a digital deck the size of a small mixer? Make the move from analog to digital with the Portable DJ Console. In a compact console that combines a DJ mixer and two turntables all in one, you'll find everything you need to mix, scratch, and manipulate digital music in real time.

The Portable DJ Console accesses thousands of digital audio tracks in MP3, WMA, or CD formats from your computer via the supplied powered USB cable (which means that no other power supply is needed). You can mix directly on the console by spinning and scratching the two vinyl-style jog wheels, adjust cue points to create great loops, adjust bpm (beast per minute) for smooth transitions between tracks, and speed up or slow down music.

The Portable DJ Console supports popular audio software applications including Cakewalk SONAR, SONAR 2, SONAR 3, Cakewalk Pro Audio, Home Studio, Steinberg Cubase VST, Cubase SX, Emagic Logic Audio, Ableton Live and many more. It also comes bundled with a variety of applications to get you started including Virtual DJ (DJ Console Edition) from Atomix Productions, New DJ SE from GMIXON, Ots CD Scratch 1200 and OtsDJ demo from Ots Labs, Storm 2.0 DJ Edition from Storm Music Studio, and DJ Console Softmapper from Hercules, which lets you assign keyboard shortcuts to the console's digital controls.

Connections include MIDI in/out, 5.1-channel output via minijack (3.5mm) or RCA plugs, stereo line input (2 RCA plugs), .25-inch (6.35 mm) stereo microphone input, and .25-inch (6.35 mm) stereo headphone output.

What's in the Box
Portable DJ Console, protective cover, shoulder strap, USB cable, bundled software on CD-ROM, user's manual, and warranty information.

Product Description

HERCULES DJ Console -- Whether you're in a club, at a party or in your room, you can enjoy the thrill of creating real-time live music mixes and pro quality compilations -- right on your desktop or laptop PC. Forget the clumsy physical complications of handling vinyl! With this intuitive, sophisticated system you'll add like looping, cueing, search and more to your arsenal of skills. 1 crossfader for seamless mixing 6 ergonomic potentiometers + bass / mid / treble controls 2 rotary encoders and 2 sliders for tweaking volume or changing music speed in real time 28 buttons to play / pause songs, speed music up or down, add effects, cue points and loops on the fly, skip through tracks & more Soft rubber mini-stick for mouse emulation or special DJ FX control Compatibility - Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 & XP I/O - Optical & Coaxial Digital, MIDI, stereo line input, 1/4 mic input, 1/4 headphone output Package includes USB cable, detachable cover, shoulder strap, drivers on CD-ROM 2 year warranty

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Idea...Uncertain Reality, January 10, 2004

By 

Brian E. Kotek "brian428" (Raleigh, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hercules DJ Console Portable DJ Console (Electronics)

As a person who loves electronic music and DJ's, I was very interested in the DJ console. I bought one and tried it out with the included software, as well as Mixvibes (www.mixvibes.com). The results were mixed (no pun intended). While the unit works, it has its problems. There is some major latency between using the console and response from the software (25-50 ms). But worst, about every 5 minutes or so the unit sends false data to the software. So you could be mixing between 2 songs and have a perfect beat match, and suddenly one channel will speed up or slow down randomly, ruining the mix. Or you can have a song cued to a specific spot, and suddenly the song starts moving slowly backwards as if you were turning the jog wheel. I got these random signals in each software package which means it must be a driver problem or a problem with the console itself. I contaced Hercules but they haven't been much help, despite the fact that users on other web forums are experiencing the same thing. So the bottom line is, it's an interesting and fun thing to play around with, but if you want to try doing serious mixing, get a better controller like the PCDJ DAC-2 or Numark DMC.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Has Potential, April 22, 2005

By 

Negus Shabaka (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hercules DJ Console Portable DJ Console (Electronics)

This device has some potential, but it's not close to being a professional tool. Don't plan on taking this thing on the road. One small bump and you'll hear loose screws shaking inside. The play/cue buttons are terrible too, so mixing and blending can be a pain when you have to press the button repeatedly for it to play. I can't seem to get a scratch effect either, though it's supposed to be capable of it. If that sound it makes when you spin the wheel is what they are calling scratch, then the effect needs some work. If you're just doing house parties and/or want a DJ toy, get this. Otherwise get turn tables (CD or Vinyl) and Final Scratch.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars works great with Mac and Traktor DJ software, August 13, 2005

By 

AKA DJ Willy (San Francisco, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hercules DJ Console Portable DJ Console (Electronics)

Sounds like you PC guys are having problems with Hercules. I bought the Mac edition and hooked it up to my Powerbook with a G4 processor and I don't miss a beat. I can see room for improvement with some huskier hardware, but overall the little box gets the job done and the Traktor software is incredible!