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Hercules DJ has just released their most professional-oriented DJ controller yet: the Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500. To be clear, this is not a professional-level DJ controller, but it does come very close to being in the same range as, for example, the Pioneer DJ DDJ-SR2, and that for roughly half the price.

the Inpulse 500 features a lot of features that will please beginners, such as the beat align that helps you to beatmatch tracks with the help of LED lights under the jog wheel, and the Intelligent Music Assistance feature that helps you to select tracks.
Another great “feature” is the size of the unit. It’s larger than you might think!

And that is great because it means the controller feels and looks much more expensive than it actually is, and it also spaces out the controls making them easier to use.
The jog wheels look great, the overall build looks solid and it works with Serato DJ Pro, Serato DJ Lite, and Hercules DJ’s own DJuced.
Key Features
Audio
Built-in Velvet Sound DSP from AKM: processing audio inputs and outputs
- Master output (speakers): 2 x 1/4” / 6.35 mm jack + 2 x RCA
- Headphones output: 1/8” / 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack + 1/4” / 6.35 mm stereo jack
- Auxiliary input: 2 x RCA + 1/8” / 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack
- Microphone input: balanced 1/4” / 6.35 mm jack
- Audio resolution: 44.1 kHz / 24-bit
Controls Per Deck
- Play, Cue, Shift, Sync
- 2 x 8 soft pads with RGB backlighting
- 8 pads x 8 modes (hot cue, loop, slicer ….)
- jog wheels with touch detection (diameter of jog wheels: 5.5” )
- Loop: In / Out + loop encoder
- Modes: Vinyl, (+ Slip and Quantize in DJUCED and in Serato DJ Pro)
- Beatmatch guide
Controls On Mixer
General:
- 1 crossfader with curve adjustment
- Master volume knob, headphones volume knob and Cue/Mix knob
- Microphone volume knob with High EQ knob and Low EQ knob
- Auxiliary volume knob and filter knob
- 2 VU-meters + Master VU meter
- Filter/effects rack with 4 effects buttons and 2 filter knobs
Per deck:
- 1 filter knob
- 3 EQ knobs
- 1 gain knob
- 1 volume fader
- 1 VU meter
- Music library controls: Rotary encoder + 2 Load buttons + Assistant button
Beatmatch Guide
Tempo guide: light guide alongside each tempo faderBeat Align guide: light guide underneath each jog wheel
IMA (Intelligent Music Assistant)
- The Assistant in DJUCED suggests well-suited upcoming tracks to be played from your music library, and in Beatport LINK and Beatsource LINK as well. Enable the Assistant to launch Autoplay in Serato DJ Lite.
- The Energy feature in DJUCED helps you select tracks according to the energy level for your party
Pricing and Availability
July 2020, USD 299.