There is absolutely no reason why onboard sound need be in any way inferior to that from external sound interfaces. An all-in-one controllerĪnother big change is that the VCI-100 Mk II has a built-in sound interface, meaning you do not need a separate DJ sound interface to be able to DJ properly with it – everything you need is on board. There is, in my view, a lot of snobbery out there about onboard sound. Overall, the unit is of a higher standard of construction than the Spin and Typhoon controllers at the bottom end of the Vestax range, but it’s not as solid (or heavy, or big) as the VCI-300. I wonder if someone will come out with a firmware hack to turn them off? It’s hard enough to get people to take controllers seriously at times anyway, and aesthetically this doesn’t help the cause. They give the unit the appearance of a toy, which it isn’t. The only thing I didn’t like about the new design were two thin strips of blue light along the left and right underside of the unit. Similar lights to these were popular on the underside of cars driven by teenagers in our neighbourhood a few years ago, for about a week, until even they realised how uncool they were. It may use more plastic and weigh less, but those jogwheels are excellent. The jogwheels, moreover, are extremely good quality rock-solid, with no give in them at all. This is due to a plastic underside against the all-metal construction of the original VCI-100. While some may bemoan this change, the unit felt sturdy enough to me (I picked it up and gave it a good twist!) and the top is still metal. However, the first thing you notice is that it is substantially lighter. The VCI-100 Mk II looks reasonably similar to the VCI-100 a little more streamlined but certainly in the same ballpark.

Still, I saw enough to be able to write a reasonably in-depth review. I got a chance to have a good look at and play with it at the show, but I didn’t get to plug it in or mix on it, unfortunately. But unlike the differences between the VCI-300 and the Mk II version of that controller, the differences here are quite substantial, and so I believe the VCI-100 Mk II needs to be regarded as a “new” controller in order to do it justice. As the follow-up to the VCI-100 – the controller that arguably started the ball rolling for this method of DJing, but which was looking decidedly dated of late – it has a lot to live up to.Īny Vestax VCI-100 Mk II review has to bear this legacy in mind.

The Vestax VCI-100 Mk II DJ controller was officially launched at this year’s BPM DJ show.

Vestax vci 100 mk1 sound card