Back in 2011, we brought news of a stunning MIDI controller called the Emulator that promised to bring the club DJ out of the dark corner and take center stage. The company behind the transparent multi-touch system has now dispensed with the metal legs and gone all-glass for the gloriously stylish XG touch controller.
Like the Emulator before it, the XG is aimed at giving modern DJ's some extra wow factor, but could also find use in museums, gaming events, showrooms, shopping malls and hotels. Touch Innovations (formerly Smithson Martin) says that this latest system is its "most elegant setup to date, bridging us into the digital signage world while retaining high-end performance for all user scenarios." Specs are a bit thin on the ground, but here's what we do know.
The angled glass screen that flows seamlessly from a glass body offers 39 diagonal inches of bezel-free touch action thanks to a projector housed in the base at the bottom of the unit that's reported to result in a display which is "brighter than any other touch screen system." The upfiring projection system is capable of registering up to 10 simultaneous touch points.
The XG is being made available in two flavors. Buyers can choose from the XG Pro, which comes with a built-in computer system running the show, or the XG Lite, that rocks much the same technology but lacks an integrated computer.
Either way, the system ships with the company's Emulator 2 multi-touch software for controlling MIDI apps, which includes numerous sliders, knobs, pads, encoders and buttons that can be customized to user preference or need.
The XG Pro model is currently up for pre-order at a cost of US$6,895, while the Lite edition comes in at $5,999. The release date has been set at January 31.
Update Jan 9, 2018: The company has provided a bit more information on the XG system. The 3LCD projector throws up a 1,280 x 800 resolution image at 3,000 lumens with a contrast ratio of 15,000:1. The touch technology has a 5 ms response time, and the computer system in the Pro model has Core-i7 processor brains with 500 GB of available storage.
Source: Touch Innovations