What improvements would you like to see in an HDC?

[Excalibur]

For the purposes of this thread, we shall mainly deal with the Cortex 1000/3000, the Numark D2/DDS, and the Denon HD2500. Users of the Pioneer mep 7000 re of course welcome to chip in, as one in particular who I have spoken to about it, tells me that it has some annoying habits. (Not playing Karaoke tracks from an HD being high on the list. )
Right, let's have some for the wishlist.
Cortex 10001) Indestructible buttons. All mine are worn out, the newer one lasted less time than the older one.
2) Removal of the "Sword of Damocles", the feature that with that fateful push of the enter key, changes the easy listening track all the oldies were enjoying, into a spot of thrash metal. :eek:
3) Bigger power supply, I'm sure that's why my three Golden Rules need to be in place.
4) More USB sockets. Remove the urgent need for a hub.

Numark D2
1) A more easily readable screen. Not a patch on the Cortex.
2) Shortcuts. The way to find info about tracks is atrocious. Needs an info button. ( Hmmmm, which controller do we know with one of them? :whistle: )

On a positive note, the crate is fantastic.

Denon HD 2500
1) The search software from the Cortex.
2) As with Numark, a more legible screen. A long time Denon user who got a Cortex remarked to me how much easier the Cortex was to see.
3) The facility to read from the optical drive in a DDS drawer unit. It's the only one that can't. Amazingly. :daft:

That'll do for now, come on folks, don't hold back.

[WWDJ]

Denon HD 2500
1) The search software from the Cortex.
2) As with Numark, a more legible screen. A long time Denon user who got a Cortex remarked to me how much easier the Cortex was to see.
3) The facility to read from the optical drive in a DDS drawer unit. It's the only one that can't. Amazingly. :daft:

That'll do for now, come on folks, don't hold back.

4) Flip out 10" Widescreen colour display. like an in dash DVD player in a car
This would have a virtual keyboard ala ipad and the abiltiy to browse, plus waveforms.
5) on the fly and preplanned playlisting capacity
6) 250gb+ Internal Hard disk
7) Better buttons like Pioneer devices.

[Steve the DJ]

...preplanned playlisting capacity

You can already do that through the Denon DJ Music Manager (http://www.denondj.com/Assets/DImages/Products/Manuals/0ea94b57309441e7ba253cb7b43fd8d2.pdf?ts=093118) software.

[WWDJ]

You can already do that through the Denon DJ Music Manager (http://www.denondj.com/Assets/DImages/Products/Manuals/0ea94b57309441e7ba253cb7b43fd8d2.pdf?ts=093118) software.

Technically you can yes, but everytime I tried it, it created duplicate tracks. Others experience has been better.

[Gary]

What did you mean by 3) above? About the optical drawers (BU4500)?

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I'd like to see some kind of internal battery for the Denon so that if you are just using it on it's own (no backup) and there is a power shortage, it is still powered by the battery which would then cut out the wait of it to boot up again. The battery could also be charged whilst it is powered by the mains so it's always on.

If that makes sense?

It could probably work for all these types of players?

[Excalibur]

What did you mean by 3) above? About the optical drawers (BU4500)?

Ooooooh no, dear boy, heaven forfend. :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: The bit at the bottom of here
.http://www.numark.com/dds80

Optical drive tray, reads anything you can throw at it, removable caddy, powered hard drive, can be brought into the house for updating, Cortex absolutely loves it, the Numark, which it should work fantastically with, is only average, and the Denon can't read from the optical drive.

It should in theory be the answer to all our needs. If it were only 1U high, it would be exactly that. Some of us have looked extensively at this piece of kit, and since the Denon can't read the optical bit, they've had to go down a different road. What we're trying to achieve is a powered hard drive, of unrestricted capacity, which can be removed from a case, and updated at leisure. If it has a DVD drive attached, for when customers bring one for you to play, well that's perfect.

[Corabar Steve]

Denon HD 2500

More USBA sockets 2 or 3 on the side (where they (the USBA & USBB sockets) are at the moment) & one on top (above the screen I suppose would work)

No duplication of tracks when you make a playlist

[Pe7e]

Denon HD2500, A big improvement would be an output to connect an external Hi-Res monitor to in order to bypass that pathetic, small split screen arangement they have fitted, colour would be an added bonus too.

[ppentertainments]

Cortex 1000

The ability to play using any hard drive - not just powered ones.
Agree with the extra USB ports
Quicker to verify the DB using the cortex machine instead of a PC.
Ability to transfer tracks from a memory stick to HD using just the cortex


Denon

The ability to allow novices like myself to be able to drive the :Censored: thing.


With all units I thing a battery backup would be useful, though not neccesary.

[STEVE HANLEY]

[2) Removal of the "Sword of Damocles", the feature that with that fateful push of the enter key, changes the easy listening track all the oldies were enjoying, into a spot of thrash metal. :eek: .]

Is that the same as having a function that stops you accidently loading a track on to the deck that's already playing? A party trick of mine on the cortex:Censored: :Censored: ;) :D

[Excalibur]

Is that the same as having a function that stops you accidently loading a track on to the deck that's already playing? A party trick of mine on the cortex:Censored: :Censored: ;) :D

The D2 won't allow it, even when you wish to do so on purpose. You have to remember to pause a deck to load it.

With the Cortex, after a while you'll get the Pavlovian response: Hit Play, hit Tab. ;) :D

[STEVE HANLEY]

The D2 won't allow it,]

A real Godsend when guests are hassling you to play this track and that track and suddenly you're not paying attention properly;) ;) :D :Censored:

[WWDJ]

The D2 won't allow it, even when you wish to do so on purpose. You have to remember to pause a deck to load it.

With the Cortex, after a while you'll get the Pavlovian response: Hit Play, hit Tab. ;) :D


A real Godsend when guests are hassling you to play this track and that track and suddenly you're not paying attention properly;) ;) :D :Censored:

Denon HD2500 already does this too. By default I think.

[Gary]

Denon
The ability to allow novices like myself to be able to drive the :Censored: thing.


If you'd like to PM me, or start a separate thread, I'm happy to help. I run a pair of DN-HD2500's with a pair of hard drives on each, one with CD-drawers, so we'll have most points covered I'm sure.

The battery-backup idea in the case of a power loss (and Shakermaker, I recall several Basingstoke venues with those lovely power-linked noise limiters, so i get where you're coming from). The DN-HD2500 reboots in 12-15seconds, (and you can tell it in the presets that you've got external USB devices to save power up time) but of course, you'd still need to type in a track name, load it etc. If the unit was running on a battery backup, you'd save those seconds - of course, you wouldnt be able to get that song out to the audience again until the hall power came back on, and your mixer and amps restarted. You can buy suitable Uninteruptable Power Supplies for £30 to cover any of the mentioned Hard Drive Controllers, and mixer, graphic equalisers, and all sorts of other low consumption kit - even some LED lighting but only a seriously big UPS would drive the amp or powered speakers.

I like the idea of the 10inch motorised screen, but there are some drawbacks - the secondary drawback is for some 10inches wont be enough (not that I've had any complaints so far :) ), but...I know that some DN-HD2500 users like to put their mixer above the 2500 (the thought process goes along the lines of "I touch the mixer once per track change or announcement, so about 70 times per night...but I touch my 2500 much more than that so I'll have the 2500 closer to me than my mixer. As the motorised screen slid out and up, it would cover the mixer controls. External screen suggestions have been around for a while, although some users advise that an external monitor is just another something to carry around/connect etc, so the unit would have to have a built in screen(s) to cover both types of display prefs. Colour too is a bone of contention. Some hate the idea, some hate it if its just for cosmetics (eg: You dont -need- to see the Artist name in a different colour from the track title - its just "nice"), whereas having a red line flashing across the display to warn you that the track is your preset number of seconds away from ending...is more effective than having the same line flashing in the same colour as the other lettering.

The optical drive (thanks for explaining what you meant - "Optical" covers many things). Although I'm not sure how much longer there'll be much to throw at it re: Link (http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20028334-261.html) (Yes, I know, It's vinyl all over again - and that's still around, sorta). The CD drawer units for the 2500 have some stunningly useful features though - especially the Source trick. I agree that the other half of the now discontinued DDS80 would be useful - eg: a removable (lockable) hard drive dock, although for some, it would have to have 2 bays for redundancy and smooth running. (you could fit 3 x 3.5'' docks across 19inch - 2U)

The changing playing tracks lock - Yes, the 2500 does this already (and has a nother trick up its sleeve too. You can have "Play Lock" on, which means you cant load a new track onto a deck thats playing...unless you want to. To explain...Lets say its a wedding...the first dance is "scheduled" (im hearing the laughter already) for 8pm....its now 7:55, you're playing Deck A out to the audience, and Deck B is cued up with their first dance...the problem is...no sign of the bride and groom. Rather than ditching the first dance off of deck B, leave it cued, and used Next Track on Deck A. Once selected, the new track you've selected for Deck A will crossfade in over the playing track. You can keep doing that until the Bride & Groom are ready (hunted down).

Playlists - yes, they can be done as already mentioned above. You've also (if you've got the latest firmware) got Hot List. Find any track on any of your harddrives/pendrives, decide that you want it later, but not now, press right hand arrow on a QWERTY keyboard, or a 2-button combo on the 2500 front panel, and the track is added to the hotlist (99 tracks max). When you choose tracks off of the hotlist and cue them up, they get a "tick" beside them in the display, and you dont need to change hard drive sources for playback, regardless of which hard drive you found the tracks on. You've also the "Play this playlist automatically when power is applied" feature. I use this (in conjunction with a plug in timeswitch) when I've set the gear up several hours/day before the function. The gear switches on at 6pm and plays upto 6 hours of background music during a meal for example - I then stroll in at 8pm while they're starting their desserts

Unpowered hard drives....yuk...shiver....This isnt a DJ issue, its a computer industry issue. The "standard" for USB 2.0 is 500milliamps from a USB port. Most hard drives will hover under that current draw during normal read operation, but some will exceed (like >750+milliamps) during spin up and sometimes during "awkward" reads eg: while reading a fragmented track. The computer industry sort of works around this lack of insight by some thirsty hard drives being supplied with a USB Y-adapting cable - so that 2 usb ports are giving the drive 500ma each, but only 1 usb port is transfering data.

The database thing is a bit of a double edged sword. The database on the DN-HD2500 offers truely stunning results, for one thing, they're instantly displayed (not trawling the HDD for matches), and the 2-step search means you can search for say...Madonna, but only where the BPM is around 125 (no ballads then). The downside is that you do need to make a database of the tracks on the drive, either from the front panel, or with Music Manager - although you dont have to do an entire database rebuild when you buy/add more music as the weeks/months go by.

More USB ports...? I'd agree with that on the back or side of the unit, in fact anywhere apart from the front panel. A different manufacturer is having all sorts of fun and games (not) with crumbling USB ports. A 2 inch pendrive sticking proudly upright from the front panel can give a fair bit of leveredge if knocked accidently.

Bigger hard drive inside. Again, whats "ample" for one person, wont be right for another. Ive met some with their entire collection of 128kbps tunes (i know, i know, I bit my tongue...and nearly his nose too) on a 250gb drive, whereas for the increasing number of WAV users 1.5 TBs to 2TBs might be the only suitable internal solution.

I'd personally like SMS received requests to be added into a request queue, but good luck on writing the AI for interpreting freestyle texts... I dont have any tracks by the artist or group "Pls ply"...:confused:

[Excalibur]

Cortex 1000
Denon

The ability to allow novices like myself to be able to drive the :Censored: thing.
.


If you'd like to PM me, or start a separate thread, I'm happy to help. I run a pair of DN-HD2500's with a pair of hard drives on each, one with CD-drawers, so we'll have most points covered I'm sure.
Gary, you may not yet be aware that Chris and I are ardent devotees of the Cortex1000, and have now got the operating policy of this hard wired into our tiny little brains. Despite multiple attempts, I and others just cannot come to terms with the immensely complicated operating system on the Denon.
One forum member who is one of the most technically competent ones I know of, built himself a case with a 2500 inside, took it to a gig, and halfway through switched the :Censored: thing off before he was tempted to beat it to death in exasperation. He then finished the night on his backup system.


The optical drive (thanks for explaining what you meant - "Optical" covers many things). Although I'm not sure how much longer there'll be much to throw at it re: Link (http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20028334-261.html) (Yes, I know, It's vinyl all over again - and that's still around, sorta). The CD drawer units for the 2500 have some stunningly useful features though - especially the Source trick. I agree that the other half of the now discontinued DDS80 would be useful - eg: a removable (lockable) hard drive dock, although for some, it would have to have 2 bays for redundancy and smooth running. (you could fit 3 x 3.5'' docks across 19inch - 2U)

Re CD's yes I'm sure that before long they will go the way of my beloved Mini Disc, so the capability to play them will be less important, but the DDS drive offers a rackmount removable drive option off the shelf.

Why oh why oh why has nobody yet built a range of 1U panels with removable caddies built in? :confused: As you say, you could offer them with one, two or three removable caddies inside, and remove the anguish of those DJ's who have knocked their external drive from its precarious perch on the deckstand and smashed the precious thing to pieces. It would also be compatible with a laptop, if that was preferred.

The component parts (other than the hard drives ) cost little more than pennies, yet the construction of the metalwork is beyond most DJ's. This must surely be the most immense upgrade possible for any digital system.

[Gary]

I wouldnt say that any part of any of the mentioned Hard drive Controllers was complicated. However, I think that for every product out there, be it a microwave oven, A DVD player, or a Hard drive controller - there will be a tiny tiny percentage of miss-match between product and user. It wont be either the person or the products fault, just one of those rare cases where to one person in XXX people, the buttons just seem to be the wrong way 'round, or the workflow not the same as their workflow.

Sky TV for example stopped getting my monthly (tax deductable) subscription from me about 2 years ago, after they brought out their new version of the Electronic Program Guide (Sky Planner). I am very computer literate, can practically "fly" massive Excel Spreadsheets, have got my head around DMX programming, MIDI set-ups, Sound card set ups, latency optimization etc etc - but that wretched program guide was absolutely doing my head in. It wasnt totally my fault, it wasnt totally Skys fault - it was just the overall combo...It had to go! (less the 2TB hard drive I put in it).

I tried the same story of "I cant work it" with the Washing Machine and the Steam Iron, but my other half saw through that pretty quick.

For the HDC side of things, I think all the main three units Gemini Cortex, Denon and Numark each went through several firmware upgrades, making them easier to use as time went on. I know many people started on one unit and up, down or side-graded to another - the most common route I believe was Cortex or Numark, then Denon. but others went other ways of course.

There are quite a few extra features on the Denon DNHD-2500, and like anything with extra features, they're all pretty much optional whether someone uses them or not. Jumping instantly to any letter of the alphabet by pushing in the parameter knob whilst turning, for example, or using the platter itself to spin through a long list of search results. The 3oclock and 9oclock position on the platter can also be used as ENTER and BACK, if desired too. Some people like those sort of shortcuts, others dont. Would people like shortcut options (so long as they're optional)?

Rack mount hard drive wise - the nearest I got to racking multiple hard drives was by using a 2u rack drawer, with velcro mountings for 3 drives, 3 power supplies, and the powered usb hub. I put a qwerty keyboard raised up in the front of the drawer for searching - this meant that the drawer was then "naturally" open for venting the hard drive.

[Excalibur]

Rack mount hard drive wise - the nearest I got to racking multiple hard drives was by using a 2u rack drawer, with velcro mountings for 3 drives, 3 power supplies, and the powered usb hub. I put a qwerty keyboard raised up in the front of the drawer for searching - this meant that the drawer was then "naturally" open for venting the hard drive.

VELCRO? VELCRO? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: I think the time is long overdue for something along the lines of what I described, rather than lashing bits together with what is effectively "chewing gum and string". ;) As I said, it would be safer and easier to upgrade.

I'll leave now, and stop telling you how to do your job. :D :D :D :D

[Ecstatic Events]

A complete redesign of the HD-2500 for me personally - I have never been able to "get on" with it as a stand alone media player. I think the main issue is the screen size. Making the jump from CD's to a HD felt awkward for me. I think there may be slight differences with layout (pitch control etc)

Gary, and internal battery would be a perfect addition. I use the HD-2500 as a midi controller, to control Traktor. When the power "trips" it's often not straight forward (takes longer than I'd like) to sync the devices again.

For me - I wont ever buy another media player. Laptop and controller is my future preference (Kontrol s4)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Gary, and internal battery would be a perfect addition.

You want to take Gary out on every gig? :eek: :D

[funkymook]

Gary, and internal battery would be a perfect addition.

So friends are electric!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

So friends are electric!

<groan> :D

[Gary]

You want to take Gary out on every gig? :eek: :D

I'm up for it. But...you'll need a nice comfy flightcase :)

Seriously though for those with an HD2500 who are sorta wondering what the buttons do, and are carrying it for main, or backup for when the lappy gets a beer tipped over it...let me know.