Serato Itch

Serato Itch isn’t new to digital DJing scene. Just go on youtube to find countless videos of DJs cutting it up on the NS7. They all have great things to say, “it pretty much like cutting a real 7-inch that never skips!” A little more investigation reveals plenty more possibilities with this combo including beat juggling, complex scratching, drumming, and anything else that can be done on 2 turntables.

But what do I think?

First of all, take note that I’m using a crappy old Windox XP desktop with 1 gigabyte of DDR Ram (circa 2004). I get no latency or sound distortion.

The platers on the NS7

The NS7 has 2 turntable-imitation platter, but to be honest, with the 0 latency and very sturdy feel, it feels exactly as if I were using real vinyl. Compared to Torq, it different universe of control over sound and controller acuracy. Serato Itch really takes the cake on this one.

I particularly wanted a controller that felt like real vinyl, with rotating platters (and, if you were wondering, they feel way better than the Denon faux-vinyl CDJs).

If you currently have any of the following units: M-Audio Xponent, Hercules RMX, or the Vestax VCI-100, the Numark NS7 is a drastically superior controller and a worth upgrade if you don’t want to make the leap to Turntables or CDJs. The NS7 is the only controller that doesn’t feel like a toy, which is saying a lot. Analog is not very easy to replicate.

But say you prefer the feel of CDJs more and you want the platter to stop spinning? No problem. The “motor off” switch turns your NS7 to a turntable -> Serato Itch interface into a CDJ -> Serato Interface. Pretty cool, especially if you’re going to play with different people.

Personally, I like vinyl, so my platters will keep spinning!

When you stop the platter, the sound is exactly like hitting the start/stop button on a Technics 1200. Even when the platter is virtually stopped, but still moving reallllly slowly, you hear a slow drawn out sound, just like you would with vinyl. The attention to detail they’ve put into this thing is really impressive.

NS7 Fans

One complaint I’ve heard is that you can hear the fans.

All I’ll say is, if you can still hear the fans, you’re probably doing something wrong. If you have decent sound comming out of your speakers or you have your headphones on, the fans won’t bother you. And if you have a sleeping baby, no, they’re not loud enough to wake anyone up. Want to compalain about fans? Try having a desktop from 2004 like me!

Trust me, you want these fans, and, no, they’re not a problem.

NS7 Cross Fader

While, the NS7 cross fader is no Rane TTM-57sl, it feels nicer than any of the pioneer mixers and not as plasticy. Some people complain about it being clicky, but I don’t get that because those are the same people that are using their 10 year old Vestax PMC-05s? Forum knitpickers be damned, I say this is a pretty good crossfader.

It can’t even compared to the M-Audio Xponent or any similar products, its a hands down winner (no latency!). Even has nice curve controls and a reverse switch for the hamster scratchers gone digital. What more can you ask from a Rane Serato Itch Controller?

Do your own research, but I’m really thrilled with the Numark NS7 as a Serato Itch controller and give it my whole hearted endorsement. I think you’ll find similar sentiments online.