02 Oct An Inside Look Into The Emulator Elite: The DJ Turntable That Looks Like A Glass Wall

Exciting New DJ Technology: Emulator Elite
By Amina Otto

Within the amorphous miasma of DJing hardware and software, there wages a furious arms race to see whose product can be the fastest, the most cutting-edge, and the most efficient. Everything from turntables to midi controllers is employed by DJs today, based on their personal preferences and style of performance. While these tools of the trade get the job done and produce amazing tracks for an audience to groove to, it is almost impossible to tell how the person in the booth is affecting what comes out of the speakers. To most of the crowd, all that can be seen is the back of a laptop and some small (though sometimes theatrically exaggerated) hand movements. What did that finger twitch do? Is he twisting something? What is he even looking at? And while the visual displays of lasers and hypnotizing screens accompanying the act certainly up the ante, that tells us nothing about what is going on behind the decks. Is there a way to visually engage the audience and actually show them what they’re hearing?

There is now! With the Smithson Martin’s Emulator Elite, DJs have the ability to put on a show that is no longer just for your ears. It’s what you get when you cross a tempered-glass 43”x28” accurate projected capacitive touchscreen (protected by aircraft-grade honeycomb aluminum), a high contrast full 3000 Lumen HD projector, and a Motu 4-Pre soundcard. This amalgamation of highly advanced sound/display technology and sleekest hardware is an all-in-one dream come true for the modern DJ. The touch screen technology is ultra fast, with a latency of only 18ms, and extremely accurate. The Emulator Elite comes pre-loaded with Emulator PRO, Traktor Pro 2, Abelton Live 9, and more; it is compatible with all midi software, and has an on-board 8GB Intel 7 1TB Mac Mini (bootcamped with Windows 8.1). If this sounds too futuristic and outlandish, ask Tommy Sunshine, who’s been a DJ/producer for two decades. After trying it out for a short time he stated, “I love it. It’s a lot of fun to DJ like this. I think that’s my favourite thing about it, that it’s actually a lot of fun to use…This is fantastic.”

To read the full article on The Emulator Elite and get even more exclusive content check out the magazine now. This article can be found in Issue 7 of EDM World Magazine and is our free gift to you for our 1 Year Anniversary! Apple users click for access on your iPhone or iPad. Android users click for access here.