hi all,
i am trying to get a usable crossfader setting for technical scratching (e.g crabs) and no matter what i try it seems that the hercules inpulse 300 crossfader only activates around 0.5cm in. is this a physical limitation? i have tried setting the crossfader curve to scratch but it still doesnt work. any ideas?
dj rawshark
Hello Rawshark
Welcome on the forum.
The space where an electromechanical component does nothing is called the dead zone.
A 5mm dead zone at both ends of the crossfader is not surprising on a mix oriented mixer, I suppose mine is similar.
The workaround to eliminate dead zone is to fill this dead zone with a spacer on both ends of the crossfader, as it was done on this crossfader for example.
https://www.pssl.com/products/vestax-cls-1-fader-cut-in-time-enhancer-spacer
Here is my suggestion to manufacture spacers for the crossfader.
It requires a black plastic tape, 1mm diameter steel nails and a pair of tweezers.
1) Take a black plastic tape, as a 10mm wide insulating tape (you may use vinyl tape instead, but then reduce the quantities as vinyl tape is much thicker)
2) Take 1mm diameter steel nails
3) Cut the tip and the head of the nail, and remove them
4) Cut 4 nail sections of 4mm length
5) Wrap the tape around 1 nail section, 1 turn, with no air inside, and cut the tape
6) Repeat the operation for each of the 4 nails.
7) As the nail is shorter than the tape, cut the section of tape which is not around anything.
8) you should now have 4 black coils of 5mm x 1.2 to 1.5mm diameter: if a coils diameter is thicker than 1.5mm, the process is not satisfying so either the wrapping was not strong enough and there is too much air, or the tape is too think
9) Wrap strongly together 2 black coils for 1,5 turn, with no air inside: you should get an oval part whose maximal thickness is between 3 and 4mm, minimal thickness between 1.5 and 2mm, and height still unchanged at 5mm. Now we can call the oval part a spacer
10) Repeat the operation 9 in wrapping together the remaining 2 black coils.
11) Wrap a spacer in the same way as on step 9 for 1.5 turn, but this time with the gluing side outside, so you get a sticky spacer you can hold only between top and bottom, at it is glueing everywhere else
12) Cut a electrical tape section of 20mm made of 2 rectangle attached: a 10x6mm rectangle and a 10x10mm square
13) Stick the 6mm side to the spacer to cover its basis and the smallest side of the spacer. You keep the other 10x10mm square no stuck. Covering the smallest side of the spacer provides a surface to handle the oval
14) Hold the spacer with tweezers, place the spacer in the crossfader hole, push the spacer to one end (left or right) of the crossfader hole.
15) The oval part should be instantly stuck when pressed against the crossfader hole end
16) Fold the 10x10mm square on top to cover the spacer.
17) Repeat operations 11 to 16 with the other spacer.
Please precise your computer operating system so that I check whether some calibration program may be added once most of the dead zone has been filled by a spacer.
Wow, thanks so much for the detailed response, I very much appreciate the help!!
Unfortunately this is a bit more work than I am able to do currently. I am going to return the Inpulse 300 and try the Pioneer DDJSB3 instead. My goal is to find a controller with a small footprint but which allows me to scratch normally. I am probably asking too much from an entry-level controller but I remain hopeful!
Thanks again.
Hello Rawshark,
As you want, if you have the opportunity to test the controller in your store, I suggest you test its dead zone as I am not sure the other controller dead zone is different: crossfader with no dead zone generally require a travel below 40mm (except on luxury models as Innofader).
A faster process to build a spacer than my nail & tape suggestion is to cut an adhesive pad shock absorber and stick it on both sides of crossfader hole, but my process with metal nails & plastic tape has the advantage the crossfader does not bounce while shock absorbers makes the crossfader bounce.
If you have no intention to test any spacer, I think that's all.
If you want to try a spacer, please let me know so that I send you (in the private messaging area) the crossfader calibration process.
Yes you are probably right. I have the Rane 61 so that is the fader I'm trying to get close to - probably no chance LOL! All the stores are closed unfortunately so I don't have the option to try a variety all at once.
If I do end up trying your fader modification I will let you know.
Thanks again!
Rane 61 crossfader is indeed higher end that what you may find on small controllers.
Hercules manufactured the DJConsole Rmx2 (a DJ controller with 2 stereo audio inputs - not a mixer, the audio inputs were processed through the software), a small compact controller, on which you could remove the crossfader and place inside an Innofader Mini. On this controller, after changing the crossfader for the innofader Mini, you would have been happy with no dead zone (but jog wheels were mix oriented, not scratch oriented / exactly as Inpulse 300 jog wheels are mix oriented rather than scratch).
I do not know if there are still on the market small controllers with scratch ready crossfader.
What type of features do you look on a small controller?
