2/19/2023 0 Comments Cross dj midi controllerYou can then have it built to your spec and shipped to your door. Most recently Dave Cross has launched a new brand and website that allows users to design a custom MIDI device through a software interface on the Zayik website. I got to meet his family, received advice on a variety of topics, and I shared some tips on what I’ve learned. It was a geek-out weekend, talking about the state of custom MIDI Brains, about DJing iOS apps, gourmet hamburgers in Windsor, and the early days (this was just as he was wrapping up his Arkives box set). I went to Windsor to meet with him, and it was a great experience. In early 2011, he had a short stint in the US without gigs, so we decided to meet while it was relatively affordable for me. The focus of the conversation was mostly on DJ and Live PA tech. Lots of back-and-forth, email chats dying off, then picking up again. He seemed to enjoy an article I had written. This was right after I got some great press on the launch of 60 Works. “Hawtin wrote me out of the blue about a year ago. If they ask, I’ll share my opinion, but they’re the artist.” I may respond with suggestions based on ergonomics and parts availability, but I wouldn’t try to force them towards a particular performance philosophy. “If a client comes to me with an idea for a product, then it’s clearly their call. Especially in the controller realm.”Ħ0 Works’ devices are built by hand in a variety of forms using Hale Micro OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) components built to the needs of individual artists. I simply feel the market can bear a wider variety of manufacturers than is currently available. “This isn’t some xenophobic reaction to Chinese manufacturing. “A lot of what I’m doing is a reaction to mass produced goods,” Cross says. It was built for a certain type of DJ. This person understands the computer DJ experience, but wants to retain a traditional workflow, only dipping a toe into the computer world. “The Third Deck was me imagining how a vinyl die-hard could be eased into using a laptop in the booth. It’s an experiment in form and function because it’s something that the controller industry would most likely never make but something that DJs would use. During that time Cross had also worked for Ableton’s press department, stockpiling more knowledge of what users want out of performance controllers while simultaneously building his own knowledge of music production and performance.Ħ0 Works’ Third Deck is a beautifully constructed unit that was created to do just one thing – add one digital deck to your setup. The project caught great response online and from performers / producers (some of whom he’s not allowed to mention because of non disclosure contracts) who pushed him to follow this path of creating boutique devices. It was an attempt to motivate myself to play out more with Ableton Live.” The Briefcase was put together with an OEM parts kit from Doepfer that was arranged inside the chassis of a 70′s-era portable Sony microphone mixer. I wanted to fully encapsulate a 3-track DJ Mixing paradigm in a single controller. “It predates most DJ-oriented MIDI controllers on the market. “I built the Briefcase (above) in 2006 while I was working at a DJ magazine,” Cross explains. project has now become a full time gig in developing creative hardware solutions for performers and producers. He’s collaborated with Matt Moldover on a MIDI controller for Bassnectar and he recently visited Richie Hawtin to talk shop about interface design for performance. 60 Works currently specializes in custom hardware creation of MIDI controllers that Cross builds by hand and he’s just launched a new site, Zayik, where you can design your own dream controller that he’ll put together for you. Sixty Works’ Dave Cross was not satisfied with the selection of hardware MIDI controllers on the market, so he built his own.
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