XPONENT Deck Control
The Xponent is a DJ style MIDI controller. Both decks have 100mm pitch/tempo sliders, tempo nudge buttons, touch sensitive scratch/jog wheels, cue/pause buttons, 4 quick cue buttons, advanced looping functions, track search buttons, 4 effects knobs, 4 effects buttons, and 2 user programmable buttons. I like the look and feel, particularly the rubberized, translucent, and glowing buttons. After an hour of practice, I felt at ease with the controls. The basic play, pause/cue, and track search buttons work fine. My only complaint is the looseness of the pitch sliders. Roll your sleeves up when you play, it only takes a feather touch to move them. If possible, try before you buy. How you like the interface is ultimately a personal thing. At first I was unsure, but the more I use it, the more I like it.
Each deck has 5 user-programmable instant cue buttons. Once set, they are memorized by Torq and are recalled every time you load that particular song. This makes finding (and remembering) important parts of a track a snap, and can lead to complete rearrangements on the fly. These backlit buttons can be played like a percussion instrument. Try cutting up an acapella and playing over another track.
There is also a touchpad on the Xponent. It serves a dual purpose- it can either control the pointer on your computer like a standard computer trackpad, or it can be an interactive, touch and drag audio effects controller. The user can adjust delay time, wet/dry mixes, EQ movement, and more. Similar in concept to a Korg touch pad- it's intuitive and fun to use. That's one of the great appeals of the Xponent- it invites you to touch and play.
XPONENT Mixer
You'll find a crossfader with assignable curves, separate High/Mid/Low EQ knobs on each channel (also with kill buttons), LED level readouts, transform buttons, adjustable level/trim knobs per channel (also with kill buttons), and a level slider on each channel. The buttons and knobs feel good, the sliders, again, feel loose. All of the sliders on the Xponent offer very little resistance. I think this one characteristic will lead many people to assume the Xponent is low quality. But again, this is a personal preference, and other people may feel entirely differently about the loose feel of the sliders. My personal style is not to use a crossfader on any mixer, and am pleased the crossfader here can be disabled, leaving volume control for the volume sliders and trim knobs. If you like, the crossfader curve can be adjusted in software from sharp to equal power and many steps in between. There are folks in the Torq forum who have been able to easily mod the faders to have more resistance. Look into it if it's a major concern for you. Although the Torq forums (or most any forums) can seem overrun with complainers, if you sift through them, you will find constructive, inventive, and helpful advice with a distinctly positive tone. Well worth the sifting if you ask me.
The LED meters do not reflect the actual main out volume, but are triggered via Torq's MIDI information. My biggest problem with the mixer is no pre-master out level reading when the crossfader is disabled. In order to see the cue track volume, the volume slider must go up, therefore bringing the cue track into the mix without the opportunity to adjust for volume differences. So, if you mix like this, you'll want to keep your ears open. If you do use the crassfader, then you do have a meter level for how loud your next song will be. I know there are a good amount of DJs who do not use a crossfader, and so this is a problem. Automatic volume gain is rumored to be in the upcoming Torq update, which would help considerably. Overall the volume metering is adequate, but it would be nice to see readouts that actually reflect the main output as well as pre-main level meters.
The EQ is not the best I've heard but not the worst either. This is a Torq software issue, and you'll find helpful tweaks to the EQ preferences file in the Torq forums. I find the factory presets to not cut the low end as much as I'd like, and the mid band notch too wide. Tweaking the prefs file is OK, but ultimately not the preferred solution. Yet it will have to do for adjusting EQ curves until the Torq software gives you more control over EQ options. Until then, it's well worth your while to tweak the Prefs file.
Every mixer has it's unique characteristics, and there's no substitute for getting to know your equipment. The more you use it, the better get at bending it to your will. Don't complain, train.
