Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 User manual

User manual

1. Overview

2. Box contents
-Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500
-USB cable
-Installation and quick start guide
-Warranty information

3. Controller specifications
3.1. Mechanical specifications
-Dimensions: 21.3 x 11.7 x 2.2 inches / 54 x 29.6 x 5.6 cm (width
x depth x height, with feet retracted, i.e. folded in) — 21.3 x
11.7 x 3.6 inches / 54 x 29.6 x 9.1 cm (width x depth x height,
with feet extended, i.e. folded out)
-Weight: 7.1 lb / 3.2 kg
3.2. Technical specifications
USB MIDI controller, featuring:
2 DECKS
-2 x 4 transport buttons: SHIFT / PLAY / CUE / SYNC
-2 sets of 8 pads = 16 in total; and 2 sets of 4 mode buttons for
pads = 8 in total (HOT CUE, LOOP, SLICER, SAMPLER, MODE 5,
MODE 6, MODE 7, MODE 8)
-2 x 3 LOOP controls: LOOP IN and LOOP OUT buttons on each deck;
1 LOOP SIZE rotary encoder on each deck with built-in push button;
Reloop (exit the loop)
-2 x 3 mode buttons: Vinyl / Slip / Quantize
-2 jog wheels with capacitive touch detection
-2 pitch faders
-2 x 2 light guides (Tempo and Phase), to help with beatmatching
MIXER
-Navigation controls:
o1 rotary encoder with built-in push button to navigate through
the music library, and 1 backlit ring showing the energy level
of the master track
o2 buttons to load tracks onto the decks (virtual turntables)
o1 Assistant button, to help you select tracks to be played
o1 Beatmatch Guide button
-Deck mixing controls:
o2 three-band equalizers with HIGH (treble), MID (medium)
and LOW (bass) frequency knobs
o2 deck gain knobs
o2 deck volume faders
o2 deck volume VU-meters, with 9 levels each
o2 buttons to enable/disable monitoring of the decks on
headphones, and 1 button to enable/disable monitoring of the
Master output on headphones
o1 crossfader, plus 1 switch to select between the 3 different
crossfader curves

-Filter/Fx controls:
o2 filter/effects knobs
o4 effects buttons to enable an effect controlled via the
filter/effects knobs
-Mixing controls for inputs and outputs (via hardware):
oMicrophone input: 1 microphone volume knob; 2 microphone
equalizer knobs for HIGH (treble) and LOW (bass)
frequencies; 1 two-color VU-meter (off = no audio signal /
green = audio signal / red = audio signal saturation)
(hardware adjustment)
oAux input: 1 auxiliary input volume knob and 1 auxiliary filter
knob (hardware adjustment); 1 two-color VU-meter (off = no
audio signal / green = audio signal / red = audio signal
saturation) (hardware adjustment)
oHeadphones output: 1 headphones volume knob; 1
Cue/Master knob to select what you hear on your headphones
(hardware adjustment)
oMaster output: 1 master volume knob; 1 master VU-meter,
with 5 levels (hardware adjustment)

Built-in multichannel audio interface
Audio resolution: 24-bit
Sample rate = 44.1 kHz
Outputs:
-Speakers output (= 1-2): 2 x RCA outputs + 2 x 1/4” / 6.35 mm
jack outputs
-Headphones output (= 3-4): 1/8” / 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack + 1/4”
/ 6.35 mm stereo jack outputs
Inputs:
-AUX auxiliary input (= 1-2): 2 x RCA inputs + 1 x 1/8” / 3.5 mm
stereo mini-jack input
-MIC microphone input: balanced 1/4” / 6.35 mm jack input

4. Installation
4.1. Connections
Connection to a computer (via USB)
Note:An LED illumination sequence (called Vegas Mode) starts up each
time you connect the controller to your computer, showing you where the
LEDs are located.
Connecting speakers
Connect the inputs on your active speakers to the Master outputs on the
DJControl Inpulse 500 (2 x RCA, or 2 x 1/4” / 6.35 mm jack).
You can use both output formats at the same time: for example, by
connecting one pair of output connectors to your main speakers that will
play your mix for the audience, and the second pair of output connectors
to your monitoring speakers.
Connecting headphones
Connect your headphones to the 1/4” / 6.35 mm stereo jack output or the
1/8” / 3.5 mm stereo mini-jack output on the front panel of the DJControl
Inpulse 500.

4.2. Downloading the software
Serato DJ Lite
Please visit: https://serato.com
Download and install Serato DJ Lite.
Note:DJControl Inpulse 500 includes a license for Serato DJ Lite, not a
license for Serato DJ Pro. If you install Serato DJ Pro instead of Serato DJ
Lite, Serato DJ Pro will work with your DJControl Inpulse 500 for the
duration of a trial period. Should you wish to keep on using Serato DJ Pro
at the end of the trial period, you will have to purchase a license for
Serato DJ Pro.

DJUCED®
Please visit: https://www.djuced.com/hercules
Download and install DJUCED®.
Hercules drivers
Please visit:
https://support.hercules.com/product/djcontrolinpulse500/
Download the driver pack for your computer’s operating system.
-For macOS®: HDJCSeries Mac
-For Windows®: HDJCSeries PC
Windows®needs the drivers in order to use DJControl Inpulse 500 in ASIO
mode, which reduces the latency in relation to WASAPI mode, and is
generally more stable.
The drivers also let you test your DJControl Inpulse 500 and verify the
firmware version in both Windows®and macOS®.
4.3. Getting started with DJUCED®
Detection
When DJUCED®starts up, the software displays the message
“DJCONTROL INPULSE 500”, indicating that the controller is detected.

Connections
When you run the software for the first time, DJUCED®guides you
through connecting your headphones and active speakers (or lets you use
the speakers built into your computer, if you don’t have external active
speakers).
Audio settings
To modify the sound card settings in DJUCED®, click the gear wheel icon
in the upper right-hand part of the screen, which opens up the
Settings menu.
In the Settings menu, the Audio menu lets you select your sound card
and assign the headphones and speakers outputs.
The standard setup for Windows®is as follows:
Audio device: DJControl Inpulse 500 ASIO (ASIO)
Output:
Master: Outputs 1&2
Headphones: Outputs 3&4

The standard setup for macOS®is as follows:
Audio device: DJControl Inpulse 500
Output:
Master: Outputs 1&2
Headphones: Outputs 3&4
DJControl Inpulse 500 mixes the inputs in hardware mode (via hardware
mixing). Don’t bother enabling the inputs (1-2 = Aux and Mic) in the
software’s audio menu, unless you plan on recording (or broadcasting)
these inputs.
4.4. Hercules DJ Academy
The Hercules DJ Academy video tutorials built into DJUCED®can be
accessed by clicking on the graduation cap icon, to the right of the
audio library.

5. Overview of features
5.1. General DJControl Inpulse 500 overview
1. Transport buttons: play/pause, Cue point, SHIFT
2. Performance pads
3. Tempo fader with beatmatching help (glowing red arrows), green LED
showing the original tempo, and SYNC (synchronization) button
4. Loop In/Out (start of the loop/end of the loop), size of the loop, and
Reloop (exit the loop)
5. Mode: Vinyl (scratch), Slip and Quantize
6. Navigation through the music library, buttons to load tracks on the
corresponding deck, Assistant and backlit ring showing the energy level
(in DJUCED®) or the rhythm (in Serato)
7. Gain and 3-band equalizer (HIGH / MID / LOW)
8. Filter/FX: filters and effects
9. Mixing with volume faders, crossfader, and switch to select between 3
different crossfader curves
10. Microphone volume and 2-band equalizer for the microphone input
(hardware functions = independent of the software being used)
11. Aux (auxiliary) input volume and filter on the auxiliary input (hardware
functions = independent of the software being used)
12. Master volume knob and master volume VU-meter (hardware functions =
independent of the software being used)
13. Headphones volume knob and Cue/Master knob to select what you hear
on your headphones (hardware functions = independent of the software
being used)
14. Jog wheel with capacitive touch detection, with beatmatching help
(glowing red arrows)
1
7
6
5
43
2
12
11
10
9
8
13
14

15. MASTER output (or Main or Mix) = channels 1-2 (2 x RCA, and 2 x 1/4” /
6.35 mm mono jack), for connecting active speakers
16. MIC (microphone) input (1/4” / 6.35 mm mono jack): balanced input,
compatible with both balanced and unbalanced microphones
17. AUX (auxiliary) stereo input (2 x RCA, and 1 x 1/8” / 3.5 mm stereo mini-
jack)
18. USB port (type B)
19. Hercules Add-On Reserved: reserved extension port
20. Stereo headphones output (1/4” / 6.35 mm stereo jack, and 1/8” / 3.5
mm stereo mini-jack)
16 18
19
17
15
20

5.2. Decks
Loop controls
In = Loop In: inserts the marker for the start of the loop.
In (long press): starts a 4-beat loop.
Out = Loop Out: inserts the marker for the end of the loop, and starts playing the
loop.
Shift+In/Shift+Out: divides the length of the loop by 2/doubles the length of the
loop.
Autoloop: turning the encoder changes the length of the loop.
To exit the loop:
-In Serato: press the encoder = Reloop.
-In DJUCED®: press the Out button.

Playback modes
Vinyl (or Scratch): puts the jog wheel in vinyl mode, allowing you to scratch when
you place your hand on the top of the jog wheel.
Shift+Vinyl: In DJUCED®, turning the jog wheel using the ring on its edge in
Shift+Vinyl mode creates a Beatjump effect.
Slip: mode which plays the track at its normal speed in the background; at the end
of a scratch, it returns to the point where you would have been if you hadn't
scratched, thereby keeping the track's original phrasing.
-Serato DJ Lite does not include Slip mode, while Serato DJ Pro does include
Slip mode.
-DJUCED®includes Slip mode.
Quantize: mode which lines up actions with marks on the beat grid, in order to
synchronize the triggering of a sample or the placement of a cue point with the
rhythm of the track.
-Serato DJ Lite does not include Quantize mode, while Serato DJ Pro does
include Quantize mode.
-DJUCED®includes Quantize mode.
Shift+Quantize: in Serato, Shift+Quantize changes the pitch scale (for example:
+8%, +16%, +50%).
Tempo controls (pitch/BPM)
Tempo fader (pitch fader): adjusts the playback speed of the track.
Shift+tempo guide: in Serato, you can move the tempo fader without changing the
speed, to shift the tempo scale (for example, switch from a tempo scale of -8% –
+8% to 0 – +16%).
Tempo guide: glowing arrows indicating the direction in which you should move the
tempo fader in order to play the track at the same BPM as the track on the other
deck.
Sync button: instantly adjusts the speed of the track to match the BPM value of the
track being played on the other deck.
-In DJUCED®, Sync locks the BPM value of the “slave” track to that of the
“master” track continuously.
-In Serato, Sync is a one-off action: the BPM value is instantly adjusted, but
not locked to that of the other track being played.
Transport buttons
Play/Pause: plays the track/pauses playback.
Cue: when stopped, inserts a marker at the current point in the track / during
playback, moves playback to this location.
Shift: use this button in conjunction with other buttons — for example, Shift+Cue =
return to the start; Shift+Hot Cue = erases the hot cue; Shift+Sample = stops
playback of the sample…

Pads
Pads 1 to 8: in Serato DJ Lite, pads 1 to 4 carry out the actions of the selected
mode, while pads 5 to 8 carry out the Reverse, Rewind, Fast Forward and Censor
actions.
In DJUCED®and Serato DJ Pro, pads 1 to 8 carry out the actions of the selected
mode.
Pad modes
DJUCED
®
Serato DJ Lite
Serato DJ Pro
*
1
Hot Cue
Hot Cue
Hot Cue
2
Loop Roll
Manual Loop
Manual Loop
3
Slicer
Auto Loop
Slicer
4
Sampler
Sampler
Sampler
5
TonePlay
–
Pitch Play
6
FX
–
Loop Roll
7
Slicer Loop
–
Auto Loop
8
Beat Jump
–
Beat Grid
*Serato DJ Pro licence not included
-In Serato DJ Lite, modes 1 to 4 (Hot Cue, Loop, Slicer, Sampler) enable the
following modes on pads 1 to 4: 1 = Hot Cue; 2 = Manual Loop (Loop In, Loop
Out, Reloop); 3 = Autoloop; and 4 = Sampler.
-In Serato DJ Pro, modes 1 to 8 enable the following modes on the pads: 1 = Hot
Cue; 2 = Manual Loop; 3 = Slicer; 4 = Sampler; 5 = Pitch Play; 6 = Loop Roll; 7
= Autoloop; 8 = Beatgrid.
-In DJUCED®, modes 1 to 8 enable the following modes on the pads: 1 = Hot
Cue; 2 = Loop Roll; 3 = Slicer; 4 = Sampler; 5 = TonePlay; 6 = FX; 7 =
SlicerLoop; 8 = BeatJump.

Jog wheels
The jog wheels let you move within tracks, and modify the playback depending on
the part of the jog wheel that you touch (the ring [edge] or the top), and the
selected mode (Vinyl mode enabled or disabled).
In Serato DJ Lite and Pro:
-Vinyl mode disabled
oDuring playback: speeds up or slows down playback (= pitch bend).
oWhen no music is playing: slow movement when you touch the jog
wheel's ring (edge); medium-speed movement when you touch the jog
wheel's top.
oShift + jog wheel: beatjump = very fast movement.
-Vinyl mode enabled
oDuring playback: scratch on top of the jog wheel; pitch bend on the jog
wheel's ring (edge).
oWhen no music is playing: slow movement when you touch the jog
wheel's ring (edge); medium-speed movement when you touch the jog
wheel's top.
oShift + jog wheel: beatjump = very fast movement.
In DJUCED®
-Vinyl mode disabled
oDuring playback: speeds up or slows down playback (= pitch bend).
oWhen no music is playing: slow movement when you touch the jog
wheel's ring (edge); medium-speed movement when you touch the jog
wheel's top.
oShift + jog wheel's ring (edge): beatjump = very fast movement.
-Vinyl mode enabled
oDuring playback: scratch on top of the jog wheel; pitch bend on the jog
wheel's ring (edge).
oWhen no music is playing: medium-speed movement when you touch the
jog wheel's ring (edge) or top.
oShift + jog wheel's ring (edge): beatjump = very fast movement.

5.3. Software mixing
Navigation controls
Rotary encoder: turn the encoder = move through your audio library; press the
encoder = change levels.
Light ring around the rotary encoder: displays the energy level of the master
track in DJUCED®; displays the rhythm in Serato.
Load: loads a track onto deck 1 or 2.
Assistant: in DJUCED®, brings up the Assistant, which suggests well-suited tracks to
be played; in Serato, enables Automix (automatic mixing of tracks).

Gain and EQ line
Gain: gain (= volume before the volume fader is taken into account) on deck 1 or 2.
3-band equalization: lets you adjust the HIGH (treble), MID (medium) and LOW
(bass) frequencies on each deck.
Mixing
Volume fader: adjusts the volume for virtual decks 1 and 2.
Crossfader: adjusts the mix of the sound between decks 1 and 2.
Crossfader curve: switch that lets you select between 3 different modes for the
crossfader curve:
-Mix = progressive mixing of the 2 decks.
-Scratch = very fast mixing of the two decks.
-Off = crossfader disabled (to mix using the volume faders only).
Deck VU-meters
VU-meter with 9 levels for each deck.
Filter/FX
Filter: low-pass filter and high-pass filter on each deck, enabled when FX1, 2, 3 and
4 are off.
FX1 to FX4 buttons: applies effects FX1 to FX4 (modulated via the Filter knob) on
deck 1 or 2.
- In DJUCED®, FX1, 2, 3 and 4 are selected in Settings > Mixer.
- In Serato, FX1, 2 and 3 are the effects loaded on the slots for the virtual decks,
while FX4 lets you activate the Beats setting to assign to the effects.
Monitoring
The buttons with a headphones symbol on them let you play the sound from the
corresponding deck on your headphones, when the Cue/Master knob (for the
headphones) is set to Cue mode.

5.4. Hardware mixing: inputs and outputs
Microphone input
MIC VOL:controls the microphone volume (hardware adjustment).
Light ring:
off = no audio signal / green = audio signal / red = audio signal
saturation.
2-band EQ: lets you adjust the HIGH (treble) and LOW (bass) frequencies for the
microphone.
Aux (auxiliary) input
AUX VOL: controls the volume for the Aux input (hardware adjustment).
Light ring:
off = no audio signal / green = audio signal / red = audio signal
saturation.
AUX FILTER: filter for the Aux input.