- This feature-packed beginner controller
has a built-in Beatmatch Guide system
that aims to train and improve
the manual beatmixing skills of new DJs.
It's a two channel controller
aimed at novice DJs and beginners
who want to get serious with their DJing.
It ships with DJUCED software
so new DJs can get started straight away.
Hercules is known for it's accessible,
budget-friendly, and
quirky DJ controllers.
They're well loved by beginners
and we've used them a
lot in our digital DJing.
So we were pleasantly surprised
when Hercules introduced the
new Inpulse range of devices.
Made up of the Inpulse
200 and Inpulse 300,
they are more mature
and conventional looking DJ controllers,
at least as far as today's
digital DJ gear go,
and they kind of look more in step
with Pioneer DJ's sleek, minimal look
as compared to Hercules'
more adventurous designs
like the Hercules Universal,
P32, and even the Jogvision.
Though the Inpulse 300
may look more serious and professional
compared to Hercules' past offerings,
this is something that will
actually sit comfortably
beside gear in a pro DJ booth,
it's still got Hercules
DNA written all over it,
which means it's still
awesome for beginners.
For example, you've got the new
Beatmatch Guide indicator lights
beneath the jog wheels and
beside the pitch faders.
These tell you if you need to
speed up or slow down a track
while you're beatmatching, which
can be useful for beginners
getting to grips with manual beatmatching.
You've also got other stuff here
like the Assistant and Energy features
which are found in the
included DJUCED software
and which we'll cover later in this video.
So right now let's get an
overview of the Inpulse 300.
The Inpulse 300 is a two channel device
with touch sensitive jog wheels,
eight performance pads
per deck with eight modes,
Looping controls, Slip
and Quantise buttons,
and a full three band EQ section
complete with filters and
gain knobs per channel.
Each channel has an FX
knob and a dry/wet knob,
plus an FX on or off button.
It's got a browse knob
along with the Assistant access button
at the top of the unit,
plus master and headphone output knobs.
The Beatmatch Guide can
be toggled on or off
via a button in the centre of
the unit where it's flanked by
short-throw volume
faders and a crossfader.
The front of the unit has an
eighth inch headphone jack,
and the rear has RCA master outputs,
a socket for an as yet
undisclosed Hercules add-on,
and a USB jack for connecting your laptop.
The Inpulse 300 ships
with a braided USB cable,
which is a nice touch considering
almost all DJ controllers
come with a generic plastic cable.
You'll have to supply your own RCA cables
to connect the master outputs
to your speakers, though.
but feel solid.
They're stiffer than what
you'd find on most controllers
from say Pioneer DJ or Denon DJ,
and that's not a bad thing.
I like them because they feel like
I can get really rough with them
without overcorrecting
when I line up the beats,
and they also don't feel like
they're going to fall off
if I do some heavy handed scratching.
They are responsive and
are touch-sensitive,
meaning you can scratch
and scrub through a track
using the jog wheels.
but it's not a total deal breaker.
It also doesn't have a centre detent,
meaning you won't feel the
fader settle into a groove
when it's at the default 0%.
You're going to have to look at the lights
beside the Tempo faders
to know for certain.
There are eight performance pads per deck
on the Inpulse 300.
That's the most pads ever found
on a jog wheel-equipped
Hercules controller.
The pads are rubbery and stiff,
though they still act as buttons
meaning you have to click them
in order to register a pad press.
That means these aren't
velocity-sensitive pads
like the ones you'd find
on more expensive DJ
controllers or drum pads.
Again, not a deal breaker
considering this is a beginner
controller, after all.
Toneplay, FX, Slicerloop, and Beatjump.
The Beatmatch Guide is a system
that consists of a pair of
lights below each jog wheel
and beside each tempo fader.
Here's how it works.
Let's say you've got a
track playing in a deck
and you load a new track in the other one.
If you need to speed up
or slow down the new track
in order to match its tempo
with the one that's currently playing,
it'll point to up if you
need to slow down the deck,
or down if you need to speed it up.
Once you've done your tempo matching,
you need to line up the beats.
This is where the Beatmatch Guide's
Beat Align lights help you.
If you need to nudge the track forwards,
the arrow pointing to
the left will light up,
and if you need to nudge it
backwards or move it slower,
the arrow pointing to
the right will light up.
It's easy to follow and
is useful for new DJs
who still haven't got a good handle
on tempo and beatmatching.
Once manual beatmixing becomes
second nature later on,
you can then turn off the Beatmatch Guide
just by pressing the on or off button.
which includes the new Intelligent
Music Assistant feature.
The Assistant is able to
give you song suggestions
based on what you're currently playing
and what's in your DJUCED library.
It also lists songs that are
experiencing heavy rotation
and are being played by
other DJs around the world,
and it can sort and arrange your tunes
according to energy level.
These are all helpful for
both new and intermediate DJs
who still haven't dabbled
with software-powered song selection
because they're easy to use
and they're pretty well
implemented in DJUCED.
and professional looking
controller Hercules has put out,
but it still continues
the company's tradition
of accessibility and
being beginner-friendly,
thanks to the addition
of the Beatmatch Guide
and Assistant features.
There are very few controllers
with this level of functionality
that still has novice DJs in mind.
Even the entry level Pioneer DJ DDJ-400
doesn't have Beatmatch
Guides, for instance.
At just under $200
this is also one of the most affordable,
serious beginner controllers
that's got pro-features onboard,
plus it comes with DJUCED software
to get you started straight away.
It's also got Virtual DJ
compatibility forthcoming
so you also have the option to
use that as your DJ software
should you prefer that over DJUCED.
Overall, a solid offering from Hercules,
and also a brave, new,
and mature direction
for its DJControl line
of beginner controllers.
So that's it for this review
of the Hercules DJControl Inpulse 300.
I've got the full detailed review
over at the Digital DJ Tips site.
The link is in the description box below.
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My names is Joey.
Thank you so much for watching.
I'm going to see you next time.
