Novation unveil Twitch

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    Tue, Apr 5, 2011, 17:04
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  • The new DJ controller, designed in collaboration with Serato, has just been debuted at this week's Musikmesse fair in Frankfurt.
  • Novation unveil Twitch image
  • Novation have announced details of their new DJ controller, Twitch. Billed as a "DJ controller with a difference," Twitch has been developed for Serato's ITCH platform (the software comes bundled), although is capable of being MIDI-mapped to popular alternatives such as Ableton and Traktor. The two-deck offering comes with some notable twists on the dedicated DJ controllers currently on the market, with its pair of Touchstrip controls and two banks of eight Triggerpads. "The two LED-backlit Touchstrips let you manipulate your tracks using gestures as you would on a multi-touch trackpad or touchscreen," explains the accompanying press release. "Now, you can grab, pinch, tap and nudge to navigate, perform and improvise with your tunes." Twitch has four performance modes—Hot Cues, Slicer, Auto Loop and Loop Roll—that all appear self-explanatory, although Slicer offers something a bit different in that it allows users to re-arrange tracks and chop up beats on the fly using a step-sequencer. All controls are one-to-one, so dedicated to their software counterparts in ITCH. Twitch also includes a 2-in 4-out USB audio interface, software FX control and is bus-powered, meaning a single USB connection to a laptop is sufficient. Twitch enters the market at a time when most of the major developers are pushing hard behind their own DJ controller offerings, although at a recommended retail price of $599, it's entered at a quite considerably lower price point than rival offerings from Native Instruments and Pioneer. Twitch will be available in early July 2011 at a recommended retail price of $599/€529/£399.
RA