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L to R: Sam Gribben, Bill Mitsakos and Orly Pisa

The last time I did an interview, it was with Same Gribben, the big guy from New Zealand responsible for bringing you Serato Scratch Live. And by strange coincidence, this time I've interviewed exactly the same guy, as well as Aureliano Pisa from Numark who together have worked hard, often till after 5pm to bring you some of the newest nextlevelness aka Numark's NS7 controller and Serato's ITCH. I threw some questions at them, and eversonicely, they responded.

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How did ITCH coming into being? What was the spark?

ITCH has been a long time coming. There were several factors driving it, it's hard to say which came first. We were looking at controllers to use with Scratch LIVE, particularly the MP 4. We were also thinking about what DJing might be like not just in 5 years time, but in 10, or 20. I think that vinyl will play a strong part long into the future, but the next generation of DJs will embrace a whole new type of interface. Around the same time we were encountering the limitations of using Scratch LIVE with CD players, and thinking how much more sense it would make if there were just USB ports on them. This would allow us to get the data we needed directly, instead of via interpreting the audio that they produced. We got talking to Numark some years back, and when the iCDX came about, it was the first CD player with a USB port

Did the advancement of controllers play a part?

Absolutely. We're excited about some of the controllers that are coming out, and the directions they are heading in. When developing ITCH, we were also very conscious of what we felt were the limitations of the existing hardware and software combinations - particularly the gap between what the customer was getting from the company supplying the hardware, and from the company supplying the software. It seemed that in many cases, it was up to the user to add the two bits together to get a working product. With ITCH, our goal is to give the customer a product that they can take out of the box, use straight away, and never be confused about what a button is going to do when it's pressed, or why something isn't doing what it should be.

In a nutshell, what does ITCH do?

ITCH hardware products control the ITCH software. The hardware provides all of the tactile interaction, that software provides the library of music, a nice big display for things like waveforms, and "the brains". The way ITCH is designed, you aren't really conscious of the fact that the hardware is controlling software. It feels like using existing DJ hardware.

How scaleable is ITCH? 4 decks? ITCH for iPhone?

We plan to continue to extend the menu of software functionality that ITCH offers to hardware manufacturers, and new hardware products will come out that take advantages of the new software features. Being software, 'anything is possible', and ITCH is very scaleable. We plan to stick to the formula that has served us so well over the last few years - take the time to do it right the first time, and not be tempted to add lots of stuff that hasn't be thoroughly thought through and tested.

What's this super speed MIDI all about?

Since the MIDI data is transferred over USB 2.0, we have the opportunity to send and receive MIDI information at very high rates, and with very low latency.

Has the development of ITCH been a collaboration? Or does Serato lay down the guidelines that manufacturers have to fit to?



They had us stick to the basic principles of “ITCH Theory", and together we fleshed out the details and features. Because we highly valued each other’s opinion through the development of our respective parts, we were able to get creative with the feature set and maximize our respective technologies.

For new manufacturers coming along, will they further drive the development of ITCH so that all users can benefit?

Yes. Each new hardware manufacturer brings something unique to the ITCH project, and drives it into new areas. There is also a huge overlap between ITCH and Scratch LIVE, so Scratch LIVE users will benefit from the improvements to ITCH, and vice versa.

With Numark and Vestax's ITCH based offerings being so different, is ITCH a fixed software product or tailored to suit particular hardware?

Serato offers hardware partners a 'menu' of software functionality, and both the NS7 and VCI-300 makes use of pretty much everything the ITCH 1.0 menu has to offer. There is a lot of customization of each of the software features to best fit what the hardware does, so you'll notice differences between how the two products implement similar functionality. Every hardware device requires customization to get the most out of it. A great example is the platters - the NS7 and the VCI-300 have quite different platters, and therefore the software algorithms that drive them have to be tailored to suit.

Obviously ITCH will be improved. Are these improvements hardware specific or will ITCH upgrades be available and enjoyed by all users?

Some features are tied directly to the hardware, and will not change. Other features, for example improvements to library management, will be available across all hardware.



Will ITCH ever be an off the shelf solution like Traktor?

No, the ITCH software will only ever work with dedicated controllers. Without one of these controllers connected, the ITCH software will have an off-line player, much like Scratch LIVE 1.8.

Who handles support issues in this partnership?

Issues can be handled by calling or e-mailing any of Numark’s support centres, or by posting to Serato’s web support page.

What he said.

Will we see ITCH being opened up for older controllers or will it be more of a homebrew hack job? ITCH for Total Control for example?

All the ITCH products will be designed from the ground up to make the best use of software and hardware, so no, no plans to retro fit it to existing hardware.

Is ITCH skinnable? Can it be made into a more personal user experience?

Not with version 1.0, but we haven't ruled it out. One thing we are looking at is different needs the user has depending on the ambient lighting. No one interface works in all lighting conditions.

Is ITCH an extendable architecture? Will NS7 owners get the joy of Video-SL?

ITCH has a very extendable architecture. We have big plans for things that we want to ad in the future, and obviously video is something we're thinking of, but we're sticking to the policy of one step at a time, and making sure we nail each step along the way.

NS7 - in a time when smaller is apparently better, why go for one big unit?

You can mix and blend with small controllers, but scratching, cutting and advanced DJ performance is a bit awkward. With the NS7, the first thing we did is figure out the comfortable distance between the crossfader and the vinyl. That dictated the size of the product. All the other features were laid out and we did a formal interference study to sort out the appropriate distances and dimensions. There’s been a mixed response to the 7" vinyl, and I’m not surprised. Regular 7" singles are thin, flimsy, and they skip easily. When we had people try out an NS7 prototype with the weighted 45 adapter, thicker 7" vinyl and pro slipmats, even the biggest doubters were turned on their heads.

Was the NS7 on the cards anyway or was it specifically made for ITCH?

It was made for ITCH.

yep.

Is MIDI really suitable for a vinyl like experience? Can the NS7 handle the nuances of hand control?

MIDI in the usual sense probably wouldn’t be suitable. A MIDI control message is 7-bits, and the standard data rate is 31.25kbps (kilo-bits per second). When a user moves a control on the NS7, two MIDI messages are sent instead of one. The upper 7-bits are sent in one message and the lower 7-bits in another. These combine to form a 14-bit message. This means each control has 2^14 = 16384 steps of resolution. On a 45mm fader that works out to about 3um (micometres), around one tenth the width of a human hair. For the vinyl, our custom optical encoders can detect a 0.15mm movement. That’s around half the width of an eyelash. MIDI aside, the key to realistic vinyl control comes down to the resolution of the vinyl encoder. In addition to all this high resolution, we worked out a MIDI transfer rate to handle the case where an eight-armed hummingbird was rocking the NS7. Maybe it’s a bit much, but I think users will get a very analog sense from the system as a result.

How does this fit with Cue and Virtual Vinyl? Will we see Numark licencing Scratch Live?

The NS7 will support CUE and other DJ applications.

Scratch LIVE is licensed exclusively to Rane Corporation.

Is the NS7 the dongle for ITCH or will we see ITCH torrents floating around?

The NS7 is the dongle.

Without the NS7, you get an off-line player, much like Scratch LIVE 1.8

The NS7 can work with other software. Are these officially supported or is it an ITCH only product?

Other applications will be officially supported and were certainly considered during the design of the NS7, but the emphasis is on ITCH.

Can the NS7 operate independently of ITCH and a laptop? ( I know the answer but people are asking)

Breaking the NS7 down, it is a controller with a high-end audio interface. Without the USB cable attached, audio from the mic&aux inputs are routed to the outputs. This can come in handy for pre-gig music or when swapping DJs.

Will we see more ITCH based products from Numark?

Oh ____ Yeah!

werd

ITCH has received a mixed response from Scratch Live users, bordering on betrayal. How do you respond to that?



Vinyl DJs were very defensive and quick to scoff at Scratch Live when it first came out, even CD DJs felt a need to snub it at first. Just like any transition in technology, we’re hoping some of them will keep an open mind when ITCH is released. As product designers, we need the doubters to remind us to respect tradition just as much as we need the embracers of change to push us forward.

Well, we certainly weren't surprised. (As Orly said) Many vinyl using DJs had similar reactions when Scratch LIVE came out, and we had to win them over by proving that it was a serious solution. It will take time for people to fully understand what ITCH is, but we're confident that we can prove to them that it is a viable option. We must respect the tradition while continuing to innovate. I also suspect that a lot of the bitter feeling came from people who thought that it would mean we'd be putting less attention into Scratch LIVE, which is not the case.

Serato seem to be adopting a Microsoft like role in providing an OS of sorts for hardware vendors. Will ITCH become the DJ equivalent of Windows?

I think Symbian is a better comparison - they make the operating systems for mobile phones, and license to a lot of different manufacturers. When you get a mobile phone, you don't buy a handset in order to use a particular operating system, you buy one to do stuff ... make calls, send texts, maybe take and send pictures. ITCH will be behind a lot of cool controllers, but ultimately it is about enabling the hardware to do what it needs to do. Unlike Windows, the ITCH software is heavily customised for each piece of hardware.

Do you feel MIDI is still relevant? Is ITCH simply a stop gap while something specific to DJs is developed?

MIDI is relevant as long as it’s brought forward and made to take advantage of today’s processing speeds. It’s still the most prevalent method for audio hardware/software.

ITCH is not specifically MIDI only. In the case of the NS7, it made a lot of sense, but in future controllers, you'll likely see some of the technology that the iCDX uses .

Without naming names (unless you want to), how many other manufacturers are lined up to release ITCH products?

All we can really say at this stage is that we're talking to several other manufacturers, many of whom we've been in discussions with for some years, and we're expecting to announce some other partners later in the year.

As makers of DJ stuff, who is in the driving seat direction wise - you or the end user?

Definitely the user. I DJ 2-3 times a week in bars with shoddy sound and wonky turntables as well as clubs with the latest and greatest. Most of us in our respective development labs are DJs. This is a great advantage so long as you know when to take your opinion out of the equation. You’d be surprised how much the Skratchworx website has an effect on our designs. Drawing and talking about product design with pros, gearheads, newbies and even non-DJs is probably the most effective and enlightening for me.

The user is king, and will ultimately decide if the product will succeed or fail, but sometimes it's up to us product designers to take a leap and head in a new direction. I think it's a very important to have a balance - if it's too radical, people wont accept it, if it's exactly what the majority are asking for, many times it'll just be more of the same stuff that's already out there.



Jump back 10 years and remember the DJ scene before digital. Now jump forwards 10 years from now - what do you see?

I still see the motorized platter/slipmat/vinyl interface. I see an evolution in the DJ mixer, but still involving crossfaders and line faders. The immediate access to music is probably the biggest part of the future. The days of being the only one in town with a rare track are fading fast. We’re on the cusp of humming a tune into our cellphones and having it downloaded and ready for playback shortly after, not to mention beat-synched automatically. Change is unsettling to those truly passionate and protective of the art, but it also leads them to do more with their controls and show off their manual prowess to set themselves apart. No matter what new feature comes out, audiences will always sense the magic from a truly live performance. A couple weeks ago, I saw a hip hop act where the DJ was either beat juggling or making the breakbeats and loops manually with double copies for the whole song. By the end of it he was drenched, and the crowd was all over it.

Djing as an art form has always been tied to advancements in technology. In the 70's it was direct drive turntables. In the 80's it was crossfaders. In the nineties we saw CD players take a huge step forwards. This decade has been all about computer based solutions, and the advantages they provide. As the tools get better, DJs will be able to focus on more creative aspects of their performance. 10 years ago, there was a huge gap between the studio and the stage (or rather, the booth). It was very common for a track to be produced by one artist, in a small dark room i isolation, and 'performed' by another artist - the DJ who played it to the crowd. In 10 years time, I think that there will be a much bigger overlap between making a track and playing it. We're seeing that now, with the rise of tools like Ableton Live. I think that this is going to become more and more prevalent, and it's up to us, the tool makers, to create the apparatus for the performer to work their magic, and equally importantly, for the crowd to feel like they are witnessing a real performance. The future looks goooood.