Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 2-Deck USB DJ Controller for Serato DJ and DJUCED

Product Information

The button to toggle the vinyl mode is found in the top left of both decks with dedicated controls for slip and quantize either side. I found the FX implementation strange, and couldn’t really get my head around it on DJUCED, although it’s perfectly usable and you’d get used to it. White : not compatible Turn to set focus to Sideview and cycle through its views (Automix, Sidelist, Karaoke, Sampler and Shortcuts).

These effect buttons sit inside the two knobs and remind us of the Mixer FX found on Traktor controllers.The Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 really took our breath away with its ability to deliver both excellent beginner experiences and plenty of versatility.

And there are no controls on the unit for tempo range, key lock and key sync, which I’d like to have seen. Of the three controls top left, the Vinyl button switches between Vinyl (“scratch”) mode on the jogwheels and CDJ, or “nudge” mode, but the other two – Slip and Quantize – don’t work, instead triggering one of the prompts to upgrade to Serato DJ Pro. The Intelligent Music Assistant helps to pick out the best song to fit the one that’s playing, allowing you to focus on your mixing. If STEMS doesn’t work well with your computer, you can deactivate the function into DJUCED Settings.Flanked either side of the VU meter is the three-band EQ, complete with trim controls for both decks. You should get an instant answer on whether your application has been successful, though in some rare cases Klarna or V12 may need to look at the application in more detail. The arrows are an excellent bonus, and they illuminate in the correct direction to advise you of which direction you may need to move your jog wheels in to achieve the best beat alignment. They’ll be fine most of the time indoors or in dark parties, but playing outdoors or in very bright rooms, you’re going to struggle to see them. It can work without driver installation on both macOS and Windows operating system, by plugging the USB connector into your computer.

DJ’s can also choose between two sizes (1/4 and 1/8th inch) of headphone output which is an option we wish more controllers would offer. You can record your sets, and you can also choose to output directly to either SoundCloud or Mixcloud, which is cool – RTMP would be even cooler, mind. Finally, the crossfader features hardware controls to change its behaviour, another example of a premium feature on this entry-level controller. Indeed, such is its stature, you’d expect to find an outlet power brick in the box, but no, it takes its power from the computer’s USB – another thing that reminds you that it’s not really a mid-market controller, as its looks suggest. The microphone includes a dedicated trim control with LED ring lighting for level monitoring and dedicated two-band EQ.You can accomplish a lot of the same things with this control as you could with much more expensive hardware mixer.

Use the curve switch to change the crossfader curve directly on the controller (mix, scratch or off)! This means that once the product is delivered, you'll have 180 days to decide that you definitely want to keep it. Size large will fit the Pioneer DDJ-SR, DDJ-SB, DDJ-Ergo, NI Traktor S4 MK2, Maschine Studio, Komplete Kontrol and Numark NV. As the Co-founder of DJ Tech Reviews, Rory Tassell also has over 14 years experience within the music industry covering a variety of roles and disciplines such as a DJ, Music Producer, Tutor, and Studio Engineer. Beginner controllers usually feature no inputs or at best a microphone that’s not routed through the mixer at all.This choice has made for some compromises, primarily when used with Serato DJ Lite which only utilizes four performance pads and replaces the Roll and Slicer mode that Djuiced and Serato DJ Pro use. With the pads, some colours are fine, but some are definitely hard to see under those circumstances. The Hercules DJ Control Inpulse 500 is a fantastic choice for beginners who are working on developing their skills. Mix with music streaming services including TIDAL and SoundCloud GO+ in Serato DJ Lite, and Beatport LINK and Qobuz in DJUCED (subscription to music streaming service required).