The most significant feature of the S-5000 is that the platter spins - the machine is a true CD turntable. To emulate a record deck as closely as possible, the turntable has a vinyl disc on with grooves cut into it, replicating the feel of a conventional record! The S-5000 offers the ability to manipulate the vinyl disc in the required stylistic manner, plus the added bonus of no stylus - and no jumping! The Forward/Back function is perfect for ‘cutting in’ samples without having to close the mixer fader - like having an extra hand! The platter can be assigned to scratch either the main or the alpha track as well as the onboard sampler. ‘Power off’ slow down effects are achievable using the adjustable brake facility, and a useful ‘dump’ mode plays words backwards.
The Alpha Track facility allows two tracks to be played and mixed simultaneously from the same CD, through independent outputs whilst the Hot Disc facility allows the currently playing disc to be ejected with continuance of the music for up to 35 seconds before being neatly ‘tailed off’ with an echo effect. The DN-S5000 also enables ‘beat juggling’ via its Mirror Mix function without needing two copies of the record or two decks. This allows the same track to be played through different outputs, with one running a fraction of a beat behind the other. For instant access to pre-selected parts of the disc, up to four Hot Start positions can be set and saved to memory for later recall.
In the event of a drive failing, the complete drive assembly, including lasers, can be changed ‘live’ in less than one minute with a bit of nifty screwdriver work. Other DN-S5000 features include four on-board samplers; 5000 memories to store cue points, loop locations and hot starts as well as key adjust and varispeed settings and an on-board auto BPM counter.
(Ruth Rossington)
