Technoscan Awards Results

After an exciting year for new DJ products, we are proud to announce the winners from the 2004 T-Scan Awards, as decided by our readers and a panel of experts.
Here are the pictures from the awards ceremony from a West End restaurant held after the PLASA show on Sunday 12th September.

Winners Decided by our Readers

1. Best Dual CD Player
Denon DN-D4000
Denon are famed for creating robust and reliable players suitable for the install and mobile market and while they have their reputation coming firmly from these grassroots DJ scenarios, this new player embraces MP3 technology more reliably and sensibly than any other player of its kind.

2. Best MP3 DJ Product
Stanton Final Scratch 1.5
Certainly the most popular solution for playing MP3s, the Final Scratch concept still astonishes people when they see it for the first time. Since teaming up with software demons Native Instruments, the concept has been advancing steadily over the past two years. Now with Final Scratch 2 out, things are really hotting up in this field.

3. Best DJ Mixer Under £300
Stanton SMX-501
With another feature-laden mixer at a reasonable price, Stanton still seems to dominate this sector of the market. This three-channel mixer suits both the scratch DJs and the beatmix DJs. With a VCA crossfader and balanced outputs, there is no lack of quality here.

4. Best DJ Mixer Under £200
Numark DXM-06
Being the first ever 24-bit digital mixer, this two-channel effects beast benefits from incredibly low signal to noise ratio. It sounds superb and packs in more features than any other mixer in this price range and offers tight control over the effects than some mixers in higher price brackets. This really is excellent value for money.

5. Best DJ Mixer Under £100
Kam Scratch Pro 100
Kam have been building a name for themselves as the budget DJs choice - their products are always great value for money. This two-channel mixer has four-band EQ, mic and loads more. It's pretty solid too and has been winning the hearts of many beginner DJs.

6. Best DJ Effects Processor
Korg Kaoss Pad 2
This is another DJ product that seems too futuristic for the present. The Kaoss Pad 2 has a touch-sensitive pad which allows DJs to control two parameters at once with the X/Y axis. Not only is it a great concept - controlling resonance and cut-off at the same time - but the effects also sound amazing. It's as useful at home in the studio as it is live in a DJ set. We're still totally impressed with this little box of tricks.

7. Best New Sampler/Workstation
Akai MPC1000
The new kid on the block, the MPC1000 is the latest in a line of truly legendary Akai music workstations. This new sampler/workstation finally brings the Akai crunch to the £1000 market and it's a lot more portable than its predecessors - easily fitting in a laptop bag. Complete compositions can be made and rearranged on this one box.

8. Best Studio Software
Cubase SX2
Cubase finally returns to the top after a few years lurking in the shadows. No doubt Cubase has benefited from Emagic's move to make its Logic Audio software exclusive to Mac OS systems. However, Cubase SX2 has proven itself to be just as advanced and easily compatible with packages such as Reason. With Cubase SX3 on review in the next issue, the Steinberg name is looking set to further rise above the competition.

9. Best DJ/Producer Course
Point Blank
The London based DJ and producer school has been going from strength to strength, continually adapting to new trends and offering courses in all the latest technologies including Final Scratch and advanced turntable techniques. We congratulate the enterprising team on another well-earned accolade.

10. Best Retailer of the Year
JB's Music
Boss Jonathan used to be in a punk band called The Anti-Nowhere League. This has nothing to do with running a shop, but his Tunbridge Wells base is continually expanding across the UK, offering a reliable mail ordering service. JB is definitely going somewhere this time...

WINNERS DECIDED BY THE PANEL

11. Most Innovative New Product  Pioneer DVJ-X1

The competition was definitely hot this year and there were some mixed opinions, but Pioneer took the crown with the first hardware product to truly bridge the gap between audio and visual mixing. The new player is the most logical ground-breaking upgrade to what is already the most popular club CD player, the CDJ-1000.

OTHER NOMINATIONS>>
Numark CDX
Ableton Live 4
Ecler Nuo5
Technics SL-DZ1200

12. Best New Turntable    Stanton ST-150

Stanton's ST-150 deck deservedly earns this title, mainly for its sturdy build and its wide range of features, but also for its sound reproduction. After thorough A/B testing we established that it clearly has the best sound quality of all the top decks.

OTHER NOMINATIONS>>
Technics SL1210 Mk5G
Vestax PDX2300 Mk2 Pro
Numark TTX

13. Best New Single CD Player  Numark CDX

The CDX is the first CD player to accurately reproduce both the sound and feel of a standard deck. Its effects are varied and usable while all features work for both CD and MP3 music files. A world's first in vinyl emulation.

OTHER NOMINATIONS>>
Technics SL-DZ1200
Denon DN-S5000
Pioneer CDJ-1000 Mk2

14. Best DJ Cartridge    Shure Whitelabel

The Shure Whitelabel differed from the competition in this category in that it didn't put out as much volume, yet consistently it sounded best. Its ability to track the groove for both cueing and fierce scratching also proved it to be the most versatile cart.

Ortofon Electro
Stanton Trackmaster
Numark CS-1
Shure M447

15. Best DJ Headphones   Sennheiser HD-25

These headphones have long been a firm favourite with many DJs including a few on the panel. Gaining most recognition for their impeccable sound, they are also lightweight and easily maintained. They suffer from easily detachable pads, but still get the majority vote.

OTHER NOMINATIONS>>
Stanton DJ Pro 3000
Pioneer HDJ-1000
Technics RP DJ1200
Sony MDRV700

16. Best DJ Mixer Under £800  Pioneer DJM-600

This was a difficult category to choose and the decision is definitely a representation of real-world popularity. The DJM-600 is one of the most commonly specified mixers on DJ riders. Its creation brought workable effects to DJs' fingertips for the first time.

OTHER NOMINATIONS>>
Pioneer DJM-909
Denon DN-X1500
Stanton SA-12
Allen & Heath Xone:62

17. Best DJ Mixer Over £800   Allen & Heath Xone:92

This mixer has won the appreciation of all top-ranking DJs who have had the privilege to use one. It also breaks the barrier between syncing studio gear with turntables using MIDI clock, and not only sounds amazing but is innovative and well thought-out in design too.

OTHER NOMINATIONS>>
Allen & Heath Xone:92
Numark PPD-9000
Ecler Nuo5
Vestax PMC-CX

18. Best Scratch Mixer    Pioneer DJM-909

The decision was split 50/50 with the PMC-007 and DJM-909 this year and the final call was left to Woody. Familiar with Vextax's 007, Woody was not convinced the 909's features could beat it, but after some extra time using it, the balance was tipped. The first mixer with two independent effects, just a shame there isn't a three/four-channel version.

OTHER NOMINATIONS>>
Stanton SA-5
Numark PPD-01
Ecler Hak 360
Vestax PMC-007 Pro

19. Best PA Manufacturer   Funktion One

This was almost a unanimous decision, based on experiences that could almost be described as religious. The Funktion One Dance Stack hasn't been out for long but has already been installed in some of the most respected clubs the country over. The sheer clarity and richness of bass won the panel's heart.

OTHER NOMINATIONS>>
Mackie
Turbosound
Martin Audio

20. Best Lighting/Visual Product  Edirol V-4

With plans to expand this category further next year, it was a tough decision between some drastically different products. But for offering the greatest value and empowering VJs to create professional performances, the V-4 has remained the most popular visual tool.

OTHER NOMINATIONS>>
Abstract DJ Extreme
Pioneer DVJ-X1
Hippotizer DMX Club
Mac 2000 Performance