Vestax Spin - Review
On opening the box you see the console well-protected by polystyrene packing. It is placed diagonally in the box where you will also find USB cable to connect it, desk microphone, 6.5/3.5 jack adapter, multilingual English - Japanese operation manual and CD containing software djay.
Examining attentively the hardware you can see that it is assembled carefully even in small details. The body of Spin, even though made entirely of plastic, makes the console look solid and very reliable. There are 30 buttons, 13 sliders, 3 knobs (output master is hardware and is not MIDI-mappabile), and 2 metal touch-sensitive jog wheels on the upper panel, everything ergonomically well-arranged.
The buttons made of rigid plastic are very precise, they click when you press them and they are beautifully backlit with different colours intended to indicate performance of each particular function. Each deck has a vu-meter with 5 LEDs which can be mapped via a MIDI out. The master output can be monitored too with help of a double LED stereo panel which, however, cannot be mapped and is connected directly to the master output.
Volume, channels and pitch sliders are moving smoothly but at the same time rigidly enough in order you could shift them even slightly, as well as the crossfader, which is moving softly and is intended for those who love to scratch. Key and pitch sliders block slightly at the central position which is also their zero point.
Among the connections of the console there is also an input for optional external power supply with a 3-positional switch (USB-Off-Adaptor). Vestax has optimized power consumption in order to make 500mA, which USB ports of modern computers can provide, sufficient, and the external power supply unit is not really necessary.
First of all we need to connect the console and then install djay software. The installation goes smoothly on MacBook made in 2008 with operating system Leopard on it.
We’d like to point out that version 3.0 of djay which goes in bundle with the console is a FULL version, i.e. a complete one with all functions. It can be updated free of charge to version 3.1., which we used.
Testing with Virtual DJ and Traktor on PC and Mac
In order to use it with Traktor Pro 1.2.5 it is necessary to search the Internet a little bit in order to find a mapping which will provide for functioning of all buttons, LEDs and vu-meters, while the new Virtual DJ 6.0.8 recognizes the console natively, and it works perfectly well.
With both types of software and ASIO drivers ASIO4ALL you can use preview function on any PC with any version of Windows installed on it, in our case we have tested it with Windows 7 32 Bit.
Unfortunately, microphone cannot be used with Traktor and Virtual DJ, but it functions perfectly well with djay software on Mac. We hope Atomix and Native Instruments teams will feel the need to integrate microphone support to their software.
After the success that consoles VCI-100 and VCI-300 had, Vestax continues to believe in controllers for DiJs, and it can only please us. It introduced entry-level market segment with Spin, creating this product as excellent small-sized all-in-one hardware, simple in installation and completed with dedicated software and all basic functions.
In our lab we tested the soundcard which showed good but not exceptional quality. Due to this we can advise it for application at parties for friends and in small clubs and point out that its performance on more powerful equipment can be somewhat limited due to too “compressed” sound at some frequencies.
We would also like to bring to your attention that when 2 volume faders are moved quickly, all types of software which we tested showed a delay in changing the volume, the same defect we noticed when testing Numark Total Control console, but Numark resolved this problem with help of the next firmware update. We hope that Vestax as well will fix this small defect.
ADVANTAGES
- Reliable design and components
- Precise touch-sensitive jog wheels
- Powerful headphones output
DEFECTS
- A limited number of available commands
- Key and gain controls in the form of vertical sliders which is not seen too often in controllers
- Slight delay in MIDI of volume faders
Vestax Spin is sold in Italy by Exhibo and is available in best stores of musical instruments at the price of about 250,00 Euro (VAT included).
Vestax Corporation - www.vestax.com
Exhibo (Italian distributor of Vestax products) - www.exhibo.it
Luigi Bressan aka Luz DiJ (Digital Jockey lab in Ferrara)
Alessio Falavena aka Thyo DiJ (kindly provided us with a MacBook)
By Cioce DiJ
