The unit has not one but two headphones sockets (both 1/4″) one on the top panel, and one on the front – indeed, the headphone socket is the only thing on the front. There are two “infinity knobs” (stepped knobs that “go round forever”), one on each side attached to the pads and their associated controls. The knobs are all rubberised and high quality, with the EQs having a centre click. The crossfader is replaceable, and all the other faders are – like the original RMX – quite short, as befits the controller’s small footprint (it’s really no bigger than a laptop, albeit deeper). It’s good to see “kill” buttons for all EQs, but not so good to see the same type of buttons used for library navigation – a knob is easier to use than up/down cursors for navigating music lists. The sync, cue, play/pause and shift buttons across the front of each deck are the same size as all the other buttons on the controller (ie a bit small), but the buttons have overall been improved from the RMX – on the RMX, they were truly clunky and quite hard to push down, but now they’re rubberised, with a firm “click” that takes only a little pressure to activate. So they’re actually pretty essential for basic controller use. As it’s a small controller, the designers have decided to allow these to be switched between four functions: cue points, sample triggering, loops and effects.
This is of course a nod to the controllerism scene, but in the DJ Console RMX2, these pads are actually more important than that. The performance pads are divided into two sets of four, one per side, and are velocity sensitive.Īnother immediately obvious change is the inclusion of four rubber performance pads for each deck.
The first immediately obvious change is that the jogwheels have been replaced with a vastly superior type of wheel, a type that Hercules has been using in its controllers for a while now, and which I really like (more later). Overall it’s compact, weighty, well-built and inspires confidence. This is a good thing the original DJ Console RMX was a distinctive controller, and the DJ Console RMX2 remains so. The RMX2 about the same size, still made of brushed aluminium with a steel chassis, and overall it feels like Hercules’s designers have started where they left off, rather than with a blank page. It’s definitely staying true to the DJ Console RMX ethic.
Inside that bag is the DJ Console RMX2, fully enclosed in a polystyrene wrap, plus second polystyrene mould containing the USB cord and a power adaptor with US, UK and European adaptors (it needs external power to function). The unit comes in a cardboard box of course, but inside the box, it is contained within a black nylon, messenger-style carry bag – I can’t think of any other DJ controller that comes with a bag too. Can the DJ Console RMX2 put those problems right, and compete in today’s crowded market? Let’s find out… First impressions
And now we have the DJ Console RMX2 ( US$296 / £253 ), its direct replacement.Ī lot has changed in digital DJing since that first DJ Console RMX came out, and while the original model was well-built, reliable and won many fans, it was also clunky to use and had poor jogwheels. Like the Vestax VCI-100, it was a controller that helped digital DJing get established. Hercules was one of the first companies in the digital DJing arena (the first DJ controller review I ever wrote was of one of its products, nearly 10 years ago). But the Hercules DJ Console RMX was the model that really put the company on the map. The Hercules DJ Console RMX2 improves on the popular DJ Console RMX in a few vital areas, while adding some clear nods to current DJ controller trends like pads you can bash… Review: Hercules DJ Console RMX2 Controller