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Ecler EVO 5: Brief Review & Thoughts on Use w/ Ableton
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| Max Thomson |
OK so I just wrote this huge long post with tons of info on the Ecler EVO 5. Like an idiot, I hit the back button and it all got erased so here is the condensed version:
I'm going to mention things in this review that haven't been covered already. I have yet to read a third party review on this thing, which is why I'm posting this. For a more complete review (including an overview of Traktor Scratch compatibility), check out Johnny Thrice's on djforums.com. Just keep in mind Johnny is the main North America distributor for Ecler, so he's not an entirely objective source ;) Good info nonetheless though: http://www.djforums.com/content/200...er-evo5-review/
Also, the Ecler forums are a decent resource, and are growing in numbers everyday. http://www.eclerdjdivision.com/ec_f...ewforum.php?f=2
I bought the EVO 5 because I decided to go 100% Ableton after being a vinyl and CD DJ for a number of years. I found that as time went on, I was doing more and more work in Ableton because a) I hate burning CDs, b) I love the editing possibilities of working 100% in MIDI, c) the FX totally kill any mixer/FX box out there, and d) Ableton bridges the gap between production, re-editing, and DJing. If you can think it, you can do it in Ableton. You just have to put up with staring at a laptop instead having a more tactile feel. But thats where the EVO comes in!
Here's how I use Ableton in Windows XP SP2: 3 decks, each with 3 band EQs + High & Low Pass Filters. I also have a 'superlooper' audio rack (courtesy of Tarekith over at abletonlivedj.com). I have 6 FX sends: 2 delays, 1 flanger, 1 dblue glitch VST, 1 redux, and 1 reverb. On the master channel, I have a fade to gray effect to kill any unruly tracks, and a gater for a transform like effect. I run PSP's Vintage Warmer and Xenon Limiter on the end of the signal chain for added "oomph"
My desktop:
Abit IX38 Motherboard
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 @ 3.0Ghz (aircooled)
2gb ddr-800
Samsung 500gb SATA II HDD
WD 200gb SATA II HDD
ATI HD 3870
Texas Instruments 1394 chipset
Windows XP Pro SP2
On this machine I can manage about 3-4ms latency with no dropouts or glitches.
My laptop:
Asus Z71V
1.86ghz Centrino (Intel 750)
2gb ddr-333
100gb 7200rpm Hitachi Travelstar HDD
Geforce Go 6600 128mb
Generic 1394 Chipset (didn't like my old M-Audio 410, works fine w/ EVO)
Windows XP Pro SP2
On this machine I can manage about 10ms with no dropouts/glitches while Rapid Evolution runs in the background.
Build Quality: The Evo is pretty light (only 15 pounds), but its built like a tank. The knobs are thick and feel great. The silver endless rotaries are slightly less solid, but are still durable and great. The faders feel excellent. I was used to my evolution uc-33e which feels cheap and flimsy and comparison. Some people question spending $1900 for a mixer + sound card, but I can't stand the cheap feel of most MIDI controllers, and really think the rugged, "old-school mixer" feel of the EVO is worth the extra cash. 9/10
Sound quality: Its better than my old NUO 4. Warmer and punchier than the DJM-800, and on-par with a Xone. 24bit/96khz audio just plain rocks. With a decent warmer, you get a sound that is just as phat and lovely as vinyl. Just my 2c. 10/10
Sound card: Well engineered, excellent routing options. For me, the ability to route audio straight through the mixer to the MIX OUT and PFL buses without wasting an audio input really sold me. There are a few bugs I've ran into, but nothing major. Here they are:
1. Unable to apply FX to Mix Out (9/10). Jordi @ Ecler says this is a confirmed fix in the next firmware update. Thanks brotha!
2. Sample Rate switch is not effected through Windows. When working at 96khz or any other frequency besides 44.1khz, sounds through programs other than the DAW (Traktor, Ableton, etc) are not audible. For instance, I cannot listen to a song in Winamp (or media player classic, VLC, and WMP) while Ableton is running but not playing a clip. Clips play fine through Ableton. Other programs are unable to detect the switch. Rather than being told by windows to operate at a certain sampling rate automatically, the switch is applied only in the DAW, rendering other audio apps inoperable. They try to operate @ 44.1khz, can't, then crash. This may be because the sampling rate switch is applied within the DAW only, and not through Windows. I could switch sampling rates at will with my Presonus Firebox, and the change was always picked up because it was a Windows level change. This problem is might be related to bug #3...
3. Under Sounds and Audio button in Control Panel, the EVO5 is not recognized as the default audio device. When EVO5 is selected under the Audio tab, 'No Audio Device' is displayed beneath the Volume tab. Under the Audio tab, Default Device is set to EVO5 MIX, but this is not reflected under the Volume tab. Changing outputs does nothing. I suspect this leads to the issue with other apps besides DAWs not being able to see the sound card when a DAW is open.
4. When syncing from Ableton -> Evo 5, the BPM is off by .4/.5 For example, my BPM now is 122, but the EVO reads it as between 122.4 and 122.6 bpm. It doesn't stray much further than that, but it would be nice to see this tightened up. My audio buffer is set to 256 samples (5ms latency)
FX: Although I haven't used them extensively, the FX are of high quality and can easily be manipulated. Again, the LCD really shines the way. 9/10
Conclusion: As with any bit of kit, the effectiveness of it comes down to how you work. Prior to buying the EVO, I knew exactly how I wanted to use Ableton and had a template setup around it. I looked over the features + pix of the EVO extensively and realized it could do everything I wanted it to. I'm happy to say it does just that. Another main selling point of the EVO for me was portability. At just 15 pounds, I can throw the mixer + laptop and a few cables in my bag, and am ready to rock anytime, any place. Its not quite as convenient as a book of CDs, but I think its the best compromise between control and portability. Also, Ecler is coming out with a trolley bag that fits into an overhead compartment. Badass.
Well I hope at least someone found this info useful. If you're interested in buying one, I'd suggested contacting Raymond at Spectrum Audio. He only sells over eBay, but if you call him up, you can place an order using a credit card. I was lucky enough to snag an open box EVO 5 for about $1630. His contact info is on http://www.eclerusa.com/cali-dealers.php
Any questions, ask away.
thanks for reading!
-Max |
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| Ryan0751 |
Cool cool. Do you find you have enough MIDI control with just the Evo, or are you supplementing it with something else?
How well does the "soft" MIDI control work using the screen? |
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| Soundwerks |
Great little review! I'm trying to figure out what you mean by the issues with the soundcard switching between sample rates. I'm no expert in this, but I do know that you must set the correct sample rate via the EVO5 settings.
I would assume that if youre not using 96khz sounds in windows (Windows sounds, Winamp etc), then it will not be compatible with the EVO when it is set to 96khz, since they are usually 44.1khz sounds.
Does that make sense? :conf: |
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| Max Thomson |
Well I'm not 100% sure it has to do with the sample rate. You simply can't have two audio apps open (i.e. Ableton and Winamp) and play tunes from both, regardless of the sample rate. But I've had a few apps get confused about the sample rate, and get playback thats much faster (chipmunks) or much slower because of this. Granted this isn't as big of a deal as it sounds, I've kept everything at 44.1khz and its fine. Not being able to get playback from two apps simulateously is kind of wack though.
As far as the MIDI goes, I feel like I have just enough at my disposal. I haven't touched my UC-33e since I got the EVO, so I guess thats a good thing. I'm getting a Remote 25 SL this week, so hopefully it will compliment the EVO well in the production area of things. |
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| Soundwerks |
| when you have two different apps open, are you sure youre not using the same FW channels on the EVO? I havent really tried this yet on my EVO...but gotta make sure not to use conflicting EVO channels! |
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| Max Thomson |
| Well it comes down to Windows. All apps (except for DAWs) are set to use the 'default audio device' set in the control panel. I set my default audio device as the EVO MIX OUT, which gives me playback from whatever app I open. However, I can't have two things going at once, i.e. a youtube video and a track in winamp playing simultaneously. I hope thats more clear... |
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| Soundwerks |
| hmmm...thats weird. Actually, whats weirder for me is that the EVO doesnt show up on my list of Windows audio devices at all! only in Traktor, Ableton etc.... Well, thats probably because I was using an older version of the EVO, havent tried it on a new one yet. |
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| AnomalyConcept |
This can happen with any soundcard. I've experienced this with the Echo Indigo DJ, and I do believe it happens when different programs at different sample rates try to utilize the same channels. With the Echo cards, there is an option to have the sample rate set to 'unlocked', which most likely means it can be changed dynamically on program demand.
I'd just make sure that you don't have multiple programs trying to use the same channel. I'm not sure how it's set up, but there should be enough channels so that there isn't any overlap.
I know that I'm not being very specific, but that's only because I don't have an Evo5 with which to check. :happy2: |
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| Max Thomson |
I'm using the latest firmware, 1.12r13. It really shouldn't have anything to do with the channel. With my Presonus Firebox, I simply set the default audio to Out 1/2 and all my apps used that output. That's the same way I've used all my other soundcards too. I could have Ableton open w/o playing tracks and still play tracks through Winamp.
Maybe this has something to do with the EVO having to "engage" every time a program wants to use the sound card. I can only describe it as a little click thats audible just before playback. Maybe the EVO can only "engage" one app at a time?
One last thought: it would be great if the FX/PFL/Talkover buttons could be used as triggers. You can set them up to trigger things in Ableton (using the "Note On" designation), but they still act as toggles in that the LED for each one lights up when you push it, and doesn't turn off until you push it again. It would be cool if you could just push down on one of the buttons and have the LED come on, then turn off when released. Just a thought.
I'm also perplexed as to why the MIDI clock reading is .4-.6 bpm off. |
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| Soundwerks |
K cool...I'll try to bring up all these issues with ECLER ;) I dont know if they can change the PFL/FX SEND buttons to not light up, as that is how they work..when you engage PFL or FX SEND, the LED will light to let you know it is engaged.
Although, I think I know what you mean. When I mapped out Ableton, I used the EVO PFL button for the CUE in Ableton, and noticed the light would go off when engaging the CUE in ableton. So I just did the opposite...pressed the PFL on the EVO before mapping it, so it the LED would go on when cue was engage in Ableton ;)
For triggers, I would use the buttons around the screen, as they dont have any LED's |
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| Max Thomson |
Cool man, thanks for the attention to these minor details. All in all I'm very happy with it! It's just good to know that people who can correct these slight issues actually pay attention to their customers (ahem Korg)
edit: I would think its pretty easy to solve the trigger/toggle issue with the button. You could have the light go on and off (like a trigger) when in "Note On" mode and have it work as it is now, as a toggle, when in "Note On/Off" mode. |
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