Vestax VCM-100 USB Midi Audio Controller Review

Layout

Even at first glance, the VCM-100 has a simple and intuitive layout. The front panel is made up of 3 main regions, which include 2 independent left/right channel sections and a center master section. Each channel section contains 6 knobs, 7 buttons and a tempo slider with 2 fine tempo adjustment buttons. The center master section includes 3 knobs, 4 function buttons, a 4-way scroll button and a cross fader. All the controls are positioned in an easy to reach configuration, which is a helpful in low light environments. In fact, all of the buttons within the channel sections on the VCM-100 have a soft incandescent glow and when selected or pushed, the buttons glow blue. All together, the VCM-100 has 41 controls that can be programmed and/or re-assigned via any MIDI-compatible software application with MIDI output capability.

Honestly, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the VCM-100 and take it for a test drive. The first thing I had to do was make sure the necessary MIDI and audio drivers were installed. After a quick peek at the user manual, I simply plugged the VCM-100 into my laptop via the included USB cable and turned it on. Fortunately, my Macbook Pro already had Traktor LE and the needed drivers installed, so set-up was a breeze. Under Mac OS X, the only piece of software I needed to install was the Maya44 Control Panel application, which is included on the VCM-100 installation CD. The Maya44 Control Panel is necessary to lower and raise the desired input and output levels within the device. For Windows users, I suggest following the installation guide within the user manual to insure proper installation and connection.

Once the proper connection had been established, it was time to get mixing. Within Traktor LE, I made sure the Maya44 sound source was selected from the Audio Setup preference pane and preceded to load my first track using the 4-way scroll button on VCM-100. The 4-way scroll button includes up/down and load left/right functionality, which allows easy navigation and song selection within Traktor's LE play list window. Without a hitch, the track was loaded and ready to be played. By selecting both the Cue and Play buttons within the channel section, I was able to monitor the selected track through both the Monitor outputs and Headphone output at the same time.

Within the center section of the VCM-100 there are 3 rotary knobs that need introduction, a Master Level knob, a Monitor Select knob and a Monitor Level knob. The Master Level knob controls the master output level via outputs 3 and 4, where as the Monitor Level knob controls the volume level for the cued tracks via outputs 1 and 2 and the Headphone output. This is where it might get confusing; the Monitor Level knob controls both the Monitor and Headphone outputs simultaneously but, unfortunately, is not designed to manage them individually. The Monitor Select knob, on the other hand, controls the mix between the 2 cued channel tracks. In essence, it's possible to hear the mix together before going out the main outputs.

Once the track was rolling, I began to play around with the EQ knobs. There are 3 EQ knobs per channel (Hi, Mid, Low). Surprisingly, all of the knobs on the VCM-100 are smooth and precise; especially the left and right channel Level knobs. Both channel Level knobs on the VCM-100 look and feel just like the Level rotary knobs on the high-end Vestax R-3 mixer. There are also 2 more knobs located in each channel section, a trim knob and a balance knob. The trim knobs control the channels' gain and the balance knob is used to pan the channels' output. Once I had the desired sound I wanted, I decided to mix in another track. Unfortunately, my new track's BPM was not in sync with the current one.

As I stated before, each channel section has a Tempo slider with 2 fine tempo buttons. The Tempo slider on the VCM-100 is reminiscent of the pitch slider on a Technics SL-1200 turntable. It has a center detente and can either slide up or down depending on the desired tempo. The 2 fine tempo buttons located below the Tempo slider are, unfortunately, locked to tempo inside Traktor LE. In order to reassign them you'll have to upgrade to Traktor 3. After a few adjustments, I was finally ready to mix the 2 tracks together. To do this, I used the Cross Fader. On the VCM-100 the Cross Fader is located in the center section near the bottom. Just like the rotary knobs, I found the Cross Fader to have the same smooth and precise movement with little friction between positions. Even though there is not a cross fader adjustment control on the VCM-100, the transition from one track to another was seamless and tight.