Novation Dicer Review by Craig Williams

October 20th, 2010 by Craig Williams

Recently, in a few of my favorite magazines, I had seen notice of a new product from the folks at Novation. Normally it might not have stood out to me as different from other ads I have seen from them, however, this one was different: This Novation product was for DJs!

The Dicer fits right in.

The Pepper to Serato’s Salt

The Dicer is a MIDI-based finger trigger specifically programmed to work with Serato Scratch Live, the industry-leading program for digitally based DJs. Normally not known for their DJ equipment, this little piece of tech from Novation definitely caught my eye.

In mid-August I attended the DJ Times Expo in Atlantic City where I got the chance to actually put my hands on the Dicer and get a basic idea of what it was all about. Unfortunately for me (but outstanding for Novation) their booth was so mobbed that I didn’t really have the opportunity to test drive all the things it claimed to be able to do. Fortunately, I was able to put a Dicer through its paces from the comfort of my studio later on.

GETTING STARTED

I immediately plugged it in via its one simple plug-and-play USB. The Dicer comes shipped as a set of two — the second Dicer in the pair is powered and information is relayed via a 1/8” wire originating from the first unit. Because of its small, triangular design I was able to mount them virtually anywhere. Unlike some of the other MIDI controllers I’ve used in the past, these are specifically designed for DJs and take up virtually no room. The data wire between the pair tucks away nicely and they mounted with ease on my turntables by utilizing the recesses for the 45 adapters, as well as by the tempo control of my CDJs (utilizing the included, reusable, mounting putty). If I wanted to I could have mounted them on my laptop, mixer, or basically anywhere else on my rig, increasing their versatility even more.

Right out of the box the Dicer is programmed to trigger all the basic commands in Serato Scratch Live. You can set and trigger up to five hot cue points in each track, set and activate loops from one to sixteen beats in length, as well as trigger on-the-fly loop rolls in five different lengths. The Dicer also actually changes between three different colors to let you know which feature you’re using at the time! And although it only has five triggers, each one can be set up to do three different things giving you a total of fifteen (think FM I, II, and III on a car stereo) triggers.

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This is one piece of tech that can be as easy or intense as the user wants. All of these features makes it easier to use Serato SL to its fullest and can greatly enhance the sets of beginning as well as experienced DJs. If you feel so inclined, the Dicer can also be programmed to utilize any of the functions within Serato that can be MIDI triggered. This includes any DJ FX you may use, scrolling through crates, loading tracks onto decks, etc. If it can be MIDI-assigned, the Dicer” can do it. The options are virtually endless, easy to use, and will not interfere with the original settings! Although the Dicer is set up for Serato SL, and is Serato SL compliant, it can also be used with other MIDI controllable DJ software such as Native Instruments’ Traktor Scratch Pro and KueIt through its “learn” ability.

One Dicer, three flavors

LIVE AND IN-STUDIO WORKFLOW

Since getting my Dicer I have used it in both the studio and during a live set or two and I must say that it is a sure-fire hit. During my live sets the Dicer has greatly enhanced the versatility of Serato. I no longer had to use the laptop to set, remove, and use cue points and loops. Having the controls right at my fingertips rather than having to reach up and away from my decks made it a lot easier to make these changes during the mix rather than before starting a track. This definitely led to much smoother transitions and a cleaner mix. Also, when making the switch from a high-tempo song to a much lower one (never fun), the loop rolls being inches away from my CDJs and mixer provide a new option for getting from one to the other in a more listener-friendly manner.

CONCLUSION

The difference Dicer can make in a DJ’s set both for recording as well as live mixing more than justifies the $99 price tag available at most retailers (MSRP $125.99). It works on both Mac and PC formats and requires no additional software with simple plug-and-play operation. My only real complaint is that it requires Serato users to upgrade to version 2.1. This isn’t really an issue, however I didn’t see that anywhere in the system requirements and I didn’t know why it wasn’t working for me right away. As soon as I upgraded, it was game on.

At the expo, Novation said they wanted to “fight their way into the competitive DJ market.” With the Dicer, Novation has not only fought their way in, they’ve kicked in the door and said, “DJs, we are Novation, and we have arrived!”

Product: Dicer

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