DJ controller, not just a midi controller

j_dunavin

Well-known member
I have seen many midi controllers as I have searched, but not one that is also the sound card as well.
I am wondering what it would take to build something like this:
http://www.denondj.com/products/view/mc6000mk2
This controller not only controls the software, but outputs the audio as well, and has two analog inputs to act as a 4 channel mixer.
Now this may very well be cheaper to buy than to build, but I am wondering if two teensys with audio shields could do the job.

thanks
 
One Teensy 3.# should be able to do this... quad audio via the library is possible and mixing in MIDI is not very taxing on the processor so you'd have lots left for a reasonably low latency audio interface via Paul's audio library...

It would, however, not be 24 bit audio... (16 bit 44.1 kHz 'CD' quality) ... If you want higher you cannot use the audio library and I think that eliminates Teensy if that's a deal-breaker for you.

Don't even ask about it being added
https://www.pjrc.com/teensy/td_libs_AudioRoadmap.html
 
well, quad mono audio, I'm looking for quad stereo.
I'm thinking that the quad audio would still work for mixing the two song on the pc.
Then output that to my opamp section where I could route it to pre fader listen, master out or booth out.
Perhaps the two analog aux sources would just bypass the teensy set up and go straight to the analog mixing section?
 
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You could definitely rig a teensy to become a USB CD player, stream the music from the PC and adjust volume, pause/play skip, even read mutlple tracks and mix them together. 3.x will do that just fine. But...

I don't think It would be a bad reflection on ANYONE who was unable to singlehandedly create one of those - irrespective of cost, or time!
My advice (and what I'm currently doing) is to approach something like the novation launch control. I've got a SDJ2, which gives me nice platters, 4 virtual decks and handles the sound well, and one the side of that I'm using a teensy in a controller to add 80 buttons and 20 knobs. You can definitely make a nice midi controller, that has exactly what you want and for a reasonable cost.

I know that's the exact opposite of what you've said but seriously that's a big task. If you've not already made a midi controller do that first, and actually if you do go one to make something bigger most of the work you do in the first controller will feed forward into that.
If you really are interested (even just academically) I can break down some of what I think the challenges are and why thery're so damned difficult.
 
Yeah... do not do this to save money... Behringer makes something similar (Studio 4A DJ Controller) for about US$200... building the box and fitting out the controls will cost you that much unless you have a source of parts to plunder.

And then you still have to figure out how to program it!
 
Oh I agree that it would be a huge undertaking.
I really am not sure that you could build something as nice as that Denon piece for the $550 they are selling for new.
I'm just interested if it's possible.
 
Totally possible! I think if I had a spare 6 months (and I mean that at 37.5 hours a week) and about £4-5k I could get something done. The platters would be the really difficult bits of hardware, it's not that easy to make something that behaves perfectly - with the right weight and feel.
As for the software, I've no Idea how easy to interface a (100%) custom controller is. Serato usually lets you midi map the hell out of it, but I dont know how far down that goes.
 
Teensy's audio lib and USB MIDI support can definitely help on the software side, but indeed there's a LOT of mechanical work to do anything even close to that Denon product.
 
Teensy's audio lib and USB MIDI support can definitely help on the software side, but indeed there's a LOT of mechanical work to do anything even close to that Denon product.

Just interfacing all those buttons and knobs and LEDs is going to be tricky to say the least...
 
Just interfacing all those buttons and knobs and LEDs is going to be tricky to say the least...

You're not wrong, it would be non-trivial! I think you'd either end up with some b-e-a-u-tiful wiring, all loomed up and complete with diagrams - or something that looks like a dreadlock!
 
Hmmm shooot!! .. I need to build this and the links on the above website aren't working anymore .. :( .. can anyone help, please?
 
I don't know anything about the TeensyMonster, but I did find <this> with a google search . . . don't know if it might be of any help.

Mark J Culross
KD5RXT
 
Yeah, I found that one too .. that is just the code .. I would need to know what parts I need, how to assemble them etc. etc. .. thanks anyway, friend!
 
Looks like the page at Instructables still exists

 
As for the original website, you can get an idea of what it has from the Internet Archive.


Notice at the top they have 30 captures of the site over a period of several years. The last few look like just 404 errors, but many earlier ones have info. But that info really looks like the site just sold the parts and all the real build info was at Instructables.
 
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