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REVIEWAPRIL 2007COMPUTER MUSIC| 095

reviews

MIDI controllers have come on

in leaps and bounds over the

last few years.The likes of the

Mackie Control Universal and

Novations ReMOTE SL series have

made the mapping of MIDI CCs to

software parameters literally effortless,

and they offer so many knobs, faders

and buttons that surely no computer

musician could ever want for more.

They could, however, want for less

Rotary clubKentons Killamix Mini (the little brother

of the forthcoming Killamix DJ) is aimed

primarily at the laptop DJ and is a very

straightforward proposition indeed. A

class-compliant USB unit that

measures a dinky 12.6x2.6x1.8, itfeatures nine rotary encoders, nine

buttons and a joystick. Theres no fancy

auto-mapping, no automated faders,

no software editor and not even any

sort of display just an array of

illuminated controls sending out fixed

MIDI CCs across 16 MIDI channels.

What puts the Killamix Mini in a

KENTON

success: the unit is solidly built, feels

immediately intuitive and delivers an

incredible amount of control for such a

small device.

Killa priceOur only criticism is reserved for the

price, which does seem very high in

the context of the current controller

market. However, the Killamix Mini is

made entirely of metal (right down to

the encoder spindles), features a lot of

LEDs and is manufactured in the UK.

All good reasons, were sure, but the

fact remains that it is still a pricey

controller. Fortunately, its also a truly

excellent one. cm

niche of its own is the brilliantly

simple way in which it switches

between these channels: each

numbered encoder is also a button,

and pressing one sets the whole unit

to channels 1-9. Holding down

encoder 9 and pressing one of

encoders 1-7, meanwhile, gives you

access to channels 10-16.

What this all means is that you

actually have 144 knobs, 144 buttons

and 16 joysticks at your fingertips. You

can switch between 16 banks with the

encoders (rather than digging through

menus or up/down stepping), and

crucially, the encoders have channel

indicator LEDs above them so you

always know which bank youre

currently on.

Endless funThe encoders are endless and finely

stepped, but operate at a range of

resolutions depending on how quickly

theyre twisted (small steps when slow,

bigger jumps when fast). Each encoder

is surrounded by a ring of LEDs that

lights to indicate the current value

(from 0-127) of that MIDI CC. Values

are remembered when the MIDI

channel is switched, andcommunication with the host software

is two-way. This means that if you

change a parameter onscreen thats

assigned to an encoder, the encoder

and its LEDs will reflect the change

(assuming your DAW outputs

corresponding MIDI data from

parameter changes).

The Killamix Mini has been

designed with software MIDI learn

functionality specifically that of

Ableton Live and ease of use inmind. On both counts, its a great

Killamix MiniKenton have launched their new range of DJ

controllers with a tiny device thats far moreflexible than you might think

3SYSTEM REQUIREMENTSPC:USB port

Mac: USB port

3TEST SYSTEM

Mac:Apple MacBook Pro 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo,2GB RAM, OS X 10.4.8, Ableton Live 6

Kenton have already responded to userfeedback and released a number offreely downloadable firmware updatesfor the Killamix Mini. The joystick, forexample, has been tweaked since the

first release so that it can be set tosend two MIDI values (one vertical, onehorizontal, centring at a value of 64 forboth) or four (one left, one right, one up,one down, all set to 0 in the centreposition). Furthermore, the buttons cannow be set to one of three modes: ononly (sending out a value of 127 whenpressed); on when pressed/off when

released; and the traditional on/offtoggle. By the time you read this,another update should have beenreleased to enable encoder presses

to send out CCs rather than changeMIDI channels (again at the behest ofmany users).

Setting these options (and others)is done by pressing combinations ofencoders and buttons. This mightsound like a hideous step backwards in

terms of hardware design, but itactually turns out to be a verystraightforward process.

Firm friends

VERDICT

FOR

+ Tough and compact

+ Massive number

of controls

+ Channel switching is

brilliantly implemented

+ Copious setup options

+ USB class-compliant and

bus-powered+ Perfect for Live DJs

AGAINST

Expensive

The only thing stopping the KillamixMini getting a 9 is its price tag. Itsa superb boutique MIDI controllerin every other respect

RATING

8

3ALTERNATIVELYNovation ReMOTE ZeRO SL

cm105 >>8/10>>229Much more powerful than theKillamix Mini, but at the expenseof size and immediacy

M-Audio X-Session Pro

cm108 >>6/10>>79

Cheaper and fuller-featured, butbigger, less intuitive and, er, plastic

1Our style-o-meter almost exploded

when it clocked the Killamix Mini

PERFORMANCE

PRICE:230CONTACT: Kenton, 0208 544 9200

What is it?DJ-friendly MIDI controller

WWW.kenton.co.uk

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