"Good starter controller, but READ UP on firmware omission!"
Sound:
No sound since it's a MIDI interface.
Feature:
Has an abundance of assignable pots and rotary encoders. Actually far more than most beginners will generally use when getting used to Traktor or Cue. Lots of room to build up a more complex mixer with multiple effects and parameter controls. Definitely a nice bonus that the Total Control can continue to be useful as your skills grow.
Ease of Use:
Here lies the biggest issue with this. Numark shipped most of these without the firmware or program templates installed. So there have probably been countless people opening these up, booting Traktor LE, only to find the Total Control sits there like a dead pig. Worse, Numark does not indicate this anywhere in the manual or literature. When you start searching for troubleshooting tips, you are led to believe that the issue is a driver conflict with Logitech webcams that are commonly installed on computers. After a lengthy registry deletion process that is frustrating on it's own, the Total Control still does not respond. After 3 hours of searching, you finally learn that you have to actually install the TC firmware yourself, using an archaic sysex loading program, then also upload the traktor/cue drivers for the thing to finally burst to life. This would be incredibly annoying to someone who has minimal experience in both computer troubleshooting and DJing, and would probably make some less committed people quit before they even start. Maybe that's not a bad thing, but for Numark, it's only going to lead to lots of returned Total Controls, and surely sounds very misleading when the product is tagged with a decal proclaiming "PLUG AND PLAY!" Is it that much of a hassle to just design the thing to use driver discs and install wizards? I will save everyone the white knuckles and wasted heartbeats and post the location where I found the fix tutorial.
http://www.gearwire.com/numark-totalcontrol-01.html
Quality:
Overall build quality is not bad, but definitely not meant for rigorous use. Hollow plastic housing and jittery faders let you know this is not going to let you run wild on it. One major issue is that the pitch control faders do not respond to very subtle bumps. At some points I'd have to flip them up and down for them to respond, which causes the tracking in the program to bounce up and down by 20 to 30 bpm Definitely not acceptable in the middle of a mix. This would force most beginners to rely on punching the sync button instead of using more tactile pitch control of the track. The sync buttons are also located right above these barely functioning controls, so when you do want to use them, it's very easy to knock the pitch faders with your arms, sending your mix into sneaker and dryer mode. The pots and encoders could use a bit more resistance, but worked perfectly with any control I assigned them to.
Manufacturer Support:
Did not contact Numark directly for the firmware issue, but their forum and website knowledge base is very poorly organized. I only found the template and firmware links after trying a bunch of search strings on google.
Value:
In short, is this product worth its typical selling price compared to other
items? It's a decent value, but I think given the choice, I'd save up another $100 and get something that wasn't rushed out of the factory. The lack of onboard audio interfacing means you'll probably have to spend that money anyways just to have a cue monitor, and puts this in a rather unenviable position under the higher quality, better designed, audio capable Hercules RMX.
The Wow Factor:
No one is going to ask where you got this, that's for sure. Orange LEDs kind of make me feel like I'm operating a construction crane panel.
Overall:
This is a serviceable starter controller. Once you get past the rather pointless issues with set up (and regain the sanity lost therein) it's easy to start throwing together tracks and getting used to the layout. If you already have an audio interface, you may find the Hercules RMX an unjustified purchase, despite it's higher quality. Or maybe you just go doe eyed for orange LEDs, which the TC has aplenty. If you can run circles around the limitations and flaws in the TC, you'll probably be able to handle any other controller in the future.
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