The PLAYdifferently Model 1.4 Mixer: An Interview with Richie Hawtin

There’s no crossfader! Before the Model 1 did you find
yourself setting channel faders thru or did you leave them to A/B and just
leave the crossfader in the middle? Or did you use the crossfader?! How does
this affect your mixes?

The problem with a crossfader is that it only has the
ability to go between two channels at a time, and, since I’ve always had more
than just the “records” going (sometimes effects, sometimes samplers, etc.),
I’ve always felt more comfortable riding the faders during a mix. I guess it
comes from my intention as a DJ and that I was also, from the early years of
DJing, a producer, as well. An important fact is that, when I’m in the studio,
most of the music I create is recorded as a “live” take, a jam session so to
speak, and there I’m always riding multiple channels at a time, making small
changes and bringing sounds, ideas, components, or records in and out. With
that type of intention, a crossfader makes little sense... I guess if my
intention was to scratch or to just do one record after another, I’d have a
different answer.

Having the “sculpt” section on the PLAYdifferently Model
1 in lieu of a traditional EQ is brilliant. I love having the LPF/high-cut at
the top of the channel and the HPF/low-cut at the bottom — what was behind the
decision to go in that direction?

The idea from the very beginning of the design of the Model
1 was to do something different, to go against what was considered “normal” in
the DJ world and give people an alternative way of mixing. Since Andy
(Rigby-Jones) and I were both DJ geeks and studio-mixer nerds, we wanted to
bring those two worlds closer together. The very first thing we did as we
started on the design process was to build one channel with this idea, two
filters, and one sweepable EQ to see how it felt. Once we tested and played
with that channel, we were convinced that it was time for something different
in the DJ-mixer world, and we went with our gut feeling that DJs needed a new
creative approach.

How do you use the second headphone/third effects send?

Good question. One of the other things that Andy and I
discussed during the development of the two-cue system was giving two different
ways of cueing. You’ll notice that Cue A is based more on the A&H way of
cueing, where each channel cue cancels each other out as you select them, while
Cue B allows you to choose a number of channels to listen to at one time (more
like the Pioneer method). With that in mind, it allowed Cue B to kind of act
like a quick extra effects send if you took the headphone out (or used the DSUB,
which has Cue B on it for this reason). This was something that I specifically
requested (on the DSUB), since the early prototype of the Model 1 that I had on
the road had three effects sends, but they were so close to each other that it
made it difficult to use all three of the knobs; and, in the end, Andy and I (myself,
very reluctantly) decided to go back to two sends. So, basically, this built-in
effects send number three is a hack that gave me the extra control I wanted. In
the beginning, I joked to Andy that I could not be part of another DJ mixer
with only two sends, so we creatively found a way to stay true to that need!

What is your current favorite piece of gear (besides the
Model 1)?

Very hard question to answer. Well, over the past nine
months of corona, I wanted to really learn more about the latest digital
developments and got completely sucked into Bitwig and its very, very unique
architecture. The workflow is somehow more related to an analog methodology and
really allows you to create very warm, rich, and beautiful sounds. Along with
that, a friend and I developed a sequencer script for Bitwig that is my main
tool for writing at the moment. We’re working on an update for it, and then
we’ll release it for free to the public so others can see if it connects to
their own creativity. On a hardware level, I love the Seq sequencer by Polyend
(as you can see, I love sequencers), and, at the moment, I’m testing the Akai Force,
which I really love as a fully autonomous central workstation away from the
computer. As you can also see, I’m fascinated with all types of digital and
analog gear, and I’m always in pursuit of new technologies that allow me to
take my particular sound or way of working further. Ah, the Sequential Pro 3
arrived during early corona, and that’s a beast of a synth, too — great to see
a modern take on the beloved Pro One. Also, on a DJ front, I love the continued
innovation over at Algoriddim, and they’re constantly developing djay software
— such power on an iPad!

Explain the need for the Model 1.4 and the difference.

Creativity should not be forced into an “industry standard” type of approach where basically all the tools out there follow the same guidelines and offer the same parameters. True artists and creatives need to have different options for how they can interact with the music and frequencies they are working with, and the Model 1 changed the paradigm by combining different features that were not found all on one mixer before. From the parametric EQ to both low/high filters on each channel, dual headphones for collaborative performances, professional-grade DSUB inputs/outputs, etc. It’s really how all of our features combine together, along with our commitment to the quality of components and overall sound, that gives people the option to just play differently.

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