JazzMutant‘s touchscreen controller Dexter is now available in Europe.
Dexter is a multi-touch control surface which lets your ten fingers perform simultaneous actions on-screen with great responsiveness.
Key features
- Multitouch sensing with visual feedback
- Built-in computing resources
- Robust design
- Fast ethernet connectivity
- Fully upgradable firmware
Details from JazzMutant’s news page:
MusikMesse 2007 saw the world premiere of JazzMutant’s Dexter, the latest addition to its range of Multitouch enabled controllers. While the Lemur’s modular concept aimed at maximum versatility and adaptability, Dexter is devoted to one unique master plan : bringing the power of Digital Audio Workstations to your fingertips, in a creative and user-friendly manner. For the first time, controlling DAWs feels natural instead of adding an intermediate level of complexity. In a word, Dexter amounts to what DAW users have been longing for years : a Controller. At last.
Great ergonomics
Hasn’t every musician or producer fantasized of controlling their favourite Digital Audio Workstation by touching the actual user interface directly on the screen ? JazzMutant has partnered with leading software companies to make this dream a reality.
Dexter redefines the very interaction between Digital Audio Workstations and the users. This laptop-sized control surface has been designed with only one purpose in mind : making user experience more pleasant, playful and efficient.
At the foundation of this design lies JazzMutant’s patented Multitouch display technology. At last, a control surface combines the two features that any serious controller should offer : great ergonomics for your hands and thorough visual feedback for your eyes.
Intuitive workspace
One glimpse suffices to get acquainted with Dexter’s workspace. Its design is crystal clear and immediately understandable. Dexter is fully self-documented : all functions are available through explicit icons.
The main interface on Dexter accurately mimics the mixer of your DAW.
For greater visual comfort, each individual track is drawn with a specific color that represents its current state : shades of blue differentiate active tracks from muted ones, while red or yellow backgrounds make record enabled or soloed tracks stand out from the rest.
For smarter navigation a unique set of buttons allow you to rearrange Dexter’s mixer on the fly. These allow instant sorting of your channels based on your needs. For example, press the View Solo button to display only the soloed tracks on the screen. With Dexter, channels you don’t need never get in your way.
Unique surround control
With its unique palette of tools dedicated to sound spatialization, Dexter is a dream come true for multichannel work. Its breakthrough surround panner provides live monitoring of up to eight channel positions in the surround space at one time. Sound sources can naturally be moved around using the tips of your fingers in the most intuitive manner.
Dexter also introduces novel ways of reshaping the whole surround soundscape through simple finger gestures. Rotation of all your sources can be achieved by manipulating the panner just like a spinning vinyl ! Drag two fingers apart to spray all sources away from the center.
Instant navigation
Dexter has been designed to offer the most immediate access to any features of your Digital Audio Workstation. The era of dreadful navigation buttons to configure tracks and devices is foregone.
Dexter introduces a novel way of browsing through your project. The Track Edit mode offers a clear overview on all the parameters of an individual channel, including graphical EQ display, effects editing, bus sends, and surround panning.
Dexter includes an arsenal of fancy widgets meant to make operation even more efficient and pleasant. The smart Overview widget displays a miniaturized picture of the whole mixer. Dragging a finger across it discloses the content and state of each bank of tracks.
Superb plugin interface
The way common control surfaces has dealt so far with plugins is just dreadful. Dexter is the first controller ever to address this frustrating limitation. For that purpose, Dexter supplies just the right tools to master all your EQs, dynamics and effects.
Dexter’s beautiful EQ controller will amaze you straight away. Exactly mirroring the filter curve of your sequencer’s EQ, this appealing interface particularly benefits from Multitouch technology in order to bring spontaneity and precision to the uppermost level.
Forget about those unnatural key sequences to access a particular parameter of an insert on a track. Dexter lets you jump from the touch of a finger to a unified interface that shows every effect and parameter in a clear way.
For the first time, DAW controlling actually looks and feels natural.
Unprecedented precision
JazzMutant introduces a whole new concept with Dexter : that of zoomable controllers. You can now tweak in real time the resolution you want to acheive from one controller. Zoom in on your faders when you need that extra bit of precision in a mix. Zoom out when you’re looking for the widest range achievable. Dexter brings matchless precision to your mix that top-of-the-range physical faders just can’t compete with.
At 2349 EUR it’s not extremely cheap, but it looks killer. Visit JazzMutant for more information.
