For those that have been following my writing, you will know that I am not the kinda guy that’s too into wasting money on unnecessary gadgets and gimmicks. I used to be easily enticed towards shiny new objects but in a world torn between over-consumption and minimalism I have taken a step closer to the minimalist side of life, always striving to do more with less, or even do less with less.
Understanding this, you will know that a recommendation from me to buy something comes along very rarely and this is why you don’t see me doing too many equipment reviews on Traktor Tips. I want to keep it more about the art of DJ’ing with Traktor than the equipment itself.
Having said this though, I have recently been pulled towards the pretty colours of the DJ Tech Tools Chroma Caps store and thought that it might be a novel idea to upgrade my controller knobs.
Why Buy Chroma Caps?
A good question indeed and perhaps something that is hard to answer until you own them.
Chroma caps seem to be one of those extra things you just don’t need, but after using them, they seem to fit more into the category of: “you don’t know what you’re missing until you try them“.
The main two reasons I would suggest buying Chroma Caps are:
- The Look
- The Feel
The Look
Now when I say ‘Look’, I don’t mean from the ego place of, “check out my awesome controller, it’s got prettier colours than yours!”
I mean, “Wow, I can see what I’m doing now!”
The brighter colours definitely make it easier to navigate the controller and not only in dark room situations, but even outside, on the brightest of days, the colours simply grab your attention and help you quickly find the knob you’re looking for.
Now, you would think that you should know what knob does what by now, and that by changing the colour of a knob wouldn’t make a difference in locating it, but it does. The colour draws you in and segregates the controls to make it more obvious where you need to jump with your hands. It’s like bolding a word in a sentence, it just stands out.
The Feel
The feel is also a nice upgrade from the somewhat plastic-like touch of the original knobs. Not only are the knobs a little bigger; making them easier to grab and twist, the grip is improved due to the rubber compound and they just feel a little more tactile to use.
Using the Chroma Caps you can certainly feel an improvement in both the ergonomics and the aesthetics of these control knobs. It makes the experience of using my Kontrol S4 much more pleasurable.
Chroma Caps Video Review
By watching the video below you will see how easy it is to transform your existing dull controller into a feast for the eyes.
Are they Any Good
In short, yes, buying these Chroma Caps has re-invigorated my use of the Kontrol S4 and has made mixing even more fun. It’s not only nice to be able to add your own creative flair to your equipment, but to bring a more pro feel to it too. As I mention in the video, the Chroma Caps remind me of the Allen & Heath EQ controls and who wouldn’t want their controller to feel like an Allen & Heath mixer?
Depending on the size of your controller and the number of buttons you want, the cost of picking up a set of Chroma Caps will vary, but you can pick up a great supply for around $50 – $60.
It’s certainly a lot cheaper than getting a new controller, yet still gives you that ‘new controller feeling’. It’s the cheapest and most effective way to upgrade the feel of your existing controller and I recommend Chroma Caps to anyone that feels pulled towards adding their own creative touch to their controller. Even if a splash of colour is not your thing, you can stick with the standard colours and simply experience a more tactile feel to your controller.
Head over to DJ Tech Tools to order your set today.
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