David Weiss: November 2009 Archives

Dutch company EKS is one of the venerable names in the DJ-Gear World, known for its innovative design and indestructible workmanship. Latest off their line is Otus, a software/MIDI controller that eliminates the need to carry around bulky dual-CD decks and a thousand pound pile of music. Download drivers, attach cables to laptop, configure the software (probably Traktor or Deckadance) -- and boom, you are ready to spin, chop, mash-up and beat-match to your heart's content. Not only that, you are going to look subzero cool doing it.

Touch sensitive controls and a smoothly solid illuminated 7.5" jog wheel provide most of the hands-on action, enabling one to scroll through vast amounts of music on your laptop without having to mouse around in a dark and cavernous club. You can even adjust the touch-sensitivity of the controller surface to make sure it's working ergonomically correct. And speaking of efficiency, the whole rig runs off your computer's USB bus, so there's no need for additional power cables.

As cool as it presents itself, the real goal is shoe-shattering dance-floor sounds, and Otus is well up to that task as well. Its Burr-Brown sound card delivers fat basses and shimmery high-frequency transients without distortion. The touch-sensitive platter dominates the surface and -- like other jog-wheels -- acts as a pitch bend when touched on the side and scratches when you touch the top. The pitch slider takes a bit of getting used to and the overall feel of the aluminum-sheathed unit is solid without being bulky.

In the end, you do have to be able to re-orient your thinking to get the most out of Otus, but once you've bowed down to its forward-looking grid, you can control two decks with the ease of steering an automobile, and with twice the MPG! This is technology at its best.