Sunday, January 20, 2008

Stanton unveils new SCS Virtual Turntable Digital DJ System

Photo of Stanton SCS.1m and SCS.1d digital audio and MIDI interfaces.
The Stanton SCS digital DJ rig gets laptop DJs as close as possible to the vinyl experience without having to lug around turntables. (Credit: Stanton)

This week's 2008 NAMM expo (National Association of Music Merchants) in Anaheim, Calif. came with a treasure trove of slick digital DJ gear. The first cool announcement was the SC series, Stanton's latest take on the laptop DJ interface.

Photo of Stanton's SCS.1d virtual turntable controller.
Stanton's SCS.1d virtual turntable controller features a 10-inch vinyl control surface. (Credit: Stanton)

At first glance, the SC setup looks like a traditional analog turntable and mixing board, but in reality it's an all-digital system (look, Ma--no tonearm!) that makes DJing from your laptop a much more physical and engaging experience. The Stanton SC rig comes in two parts: the SCS.1d virtual turntable ($1,499); and the SCS.1m virtual mixer ($999). Both parts of the system are each rad in their own right, so here's the breakdown on features.

Stanton's SCS.1d virtual turntable is undoubtedly the most eye-catching of the pair, using a 10-inch, high-torque motorized platter covered in real vinyl. Scattered around the spinning virtual record are transport controls, navigation keys, rotary encoders with readout strips, a motorized pitch slider, and a velocity-sensitive MIDI trigger section for launching tracks or samples from your preferred DJ software.

Photo of Stanton SCS.1m virtual mixer.

If you're going to go virtual, the Stanton SCS.1m mixer/audio interface offers up the goods. (Credit: Stanton)

While the SCS.1d is the better-looking half, the SCS.1m is clearly the brains of the operation. This virtual mixing board features four channel strips with EQ control, panning, volume faders, and a crossfader. More importantly, the SCS.1m includes a low-latency FireWire audio interface for your PC, capable of a 96KHz sample rate that should give those vinyl holdouts something to cry about. Each of the four channels also include red LED rotary controls and alphanumeric displays over each fader that can labeled within your software to prevent you from getting confused after a few comped drinks.

The Stanton SC System is expected to ship in May 2008 with the full system (both units) retailing for approximately $2,499.

Source [Crave]

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