Hercules DJ CONSOLE User Manual

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User Manual – 9/14
6. USING THE DJ CONSOLE AT A PARTY
6.1. Overview
You are now about to learn everything a DJ needs to know to host his or her first parties. Let’s
start at the beginning, namely setting up the party: no DJ would allow himself to arrive
unprepared, which is why he would have organized his material and selected his records
beforehand.
You should do the same by sorting through your music. Have a good look through your collection
of CDs as well as your MP3 and WMA files and select the songs you are going to use. In order to
be able to mix tracks effectively, you must know the pieces perfectly.
Once this is done, make sure that you have all of the hardware you will need. Got your computer,
DJ Console, a pair of speakers, headphones and microphone handy? Perfect, then you’re ready
to go!
You’re probably asking yourself: and now, how do I get started? By way of introduction, here are
the basic principles of DJing: a DJ works with two decks (or turntables). The first deck plays one
part of the musical piece, while the DJ uses the second deck to listen to the next part on his
headphones. He can then work on this second part (speed it up so that it is at the same tempo as
the rest of the piece, etc.) before playing it out loud. At the end of a part, the DJ plays the part on
the other deck by doing a mix, which is to say a blending of the two parts creating a perfect
transition.
In concrete terms, you will launch a DJ software application provided with your DJ Console and
program pieces onto each of the decks. Please read through the following sections to learn more
about the art of DJing.
Note: the functions of controls may vary according to the application you are using. For example,
some applications will use the Pitch slider to regulate the deck’s volume; similarly, the procedure
for creating loops may vary from one application to another. We therefore recommend that you
consult the online documentation of the software applications provided with your DJ Console for
more information.
6.2. Previewing with headphones
To prepare his musical line-up, a DJ does a headphone preview: he listens to a track on his
headphones while the other one is being played over the speakers, allowing him to adjust the
tempo so that the tracks flow seamlessly together. He can also add audio effects, set cue points
(markers) to start up at a specific point in a track, create rhythmic loops, adjust bass, medium and
treble frequencies, etc.
Your DJ Console allows you to carry out this kind of headphone preview. In DJ mode two analog
outputs are enabled, each of which can broadcast a different signal (output 1-2 broadcasts sound
over the speakers and output 3-4 is reproduced on the headphone output).

Hercules DJ CONSOLE Specifications

General

I/O ports	1 x audio - line-In; 1 x microphone - input; MIDI - input / output; 1 x audio - line-out - RCA; 1 x audio - line-out - mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm; 1 x headphones - output; Audio - SPDIF input; Audio - SPDIF output.
Audio quality	24 bit
Minimum RAM	64 MB
Minimum processor	Pentium II 400 MHz
Minimum storage drive space	100 MB
Compatible operating systems	Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition / Windows ME, Microsoft Windows 2000 / XP
Audio system maximum sampling rate	48 kHz
Bundled software	Virtual DJ (DJ Console Edition) from Atomix Productions, a dedicated version of a professional DJ software suite; New DJ SE from GMIXON, the easy-to-use DJ mixing software; Ots CD Scratch 1200 and OtsDJ demo from Ots Labs, a virtual turntable CD player and a revolutionary MP3/CD/WAV playback system for DJs, radio stations and music lovers; Storm 2.0 DJ Edition from Storm Music Studio, a powerful audio sequencer; DJ Console Softmapper from Hercules, a powerful mapping interface allowing you to assign keyboard shortcuts to your DJ Console’s controls for hands-on control of audio applications (mapping of digital controls only).
Compatibility	Audio: Microsoft DirectSound compatible; ASIO 2.0 drivers included; General MIDI compatible.