DECK SELECTOR (MIDI channel): some users may use Dark Wheel for one deck only, or might use 2 separate Dark Wheel‘s for deck A and B, so they do not need any deck selector.  They want to use this button for other MIDI mapping, similar to normal buttons.  Other users may want to use one Dark Wheel for 4 decks, so they wish to toggle between decks with the button (A>B>C>D>A).  2 deck user may be bored with a 4 state toggle, they wished to toggle faster, 2 states only (A/B). 4 deck user with two Dark Wheel may want to toggle A/C on left and B/D on right controller.  And some user even would love to switch to deck B only while holding a button (and jump back to deck A after the button is released).  And most users expect that the controller is doing this via MIDI channels, and not via hacks in the MIDI mapping, right? And isn’t it annoying that many vendor offer different mapping versions for the use cases above ?

SHIFT features: A SHIFT button is a powerful feature of many controllers.  It allows giving any other button a different function in the DJ application.  Many controllers send a single MIDI note for this button only (and the DJ application has to fire another action), other more clever controllers change the MIDI command of any other button in SHIFT mode (so the user can easily map 2 features to 2 different notes). So what’s best for Dark Wheel?  We decided for a ‘clever’ and flexible concept of changing MIDI notes, so as soon as you press SHIFT all other buttons send a 2nd note.  But we wished for even more: should SHIFT work in the typical ‘momentary’ mode always (active during press and hold)? Our opinion: Yes, as the default mode. But we would also allow that the users could use SHIFT as a toggle (not very common, but often helpful).  And last but not least: some users do not need any SHIFT at all, they want to use the left bottom button for any other MIDI actions.  A hard coded SHIFT button would be a waste of a button for them and hacks in mappings (to avoid the 2nd note) would make their mapping quite complex. 

BANK features: Only a few controllers offer such a more enhanced feature (the Allen&Heath Xone K2 is a nice example).  BANKS often are called LAYERS.  But do any users need Layers? Maybe some prefer that they use this button (with the LED) as a normal button, e.g. use it as SYNC button (with LED on/off).  In particular on small portable controller like Dark Wheel we do not want to waste any button.  Most users may love Layers, they want to toggle between Layer 1 and 2, e.g. Layer 1 for hotcue’s, on Layer 2 mapping FX effects, using the encoder too. And of course they expect from an intelligent controller that the notes are different in Layer 2 (to allow easy mapping). More questions: Does the user need 2 or even 4 Layers? And last but not least: why not allow a momentary behaviour on the Layer button? (active as long you press and hold), is this nice idea reserved for SHIFT only?

Difference between SHIFT and BANK layer: In our vision there should not be a difference, as long as we pick up the pros from both, making them flexible, then the users can decide what they need on both buttons.  SHIFT and BANK buttons follow the same idea at the end; they modify the notes of other control elements.  Exception to keep in mind: Some vendors label a button only as ‘SHIFT’, but this knob is a ‘normal’ button only, not modifying any other notes at all (even the Xone K2 with the nice bank Layers struggles on this, the K2 SHIFT is labeled SHIFT only), which makes a ‘SHIFT’ mapping for the user very difficult.  So this simple ‘labeled‘ SHIFT are not meant here.  Coming back to (real) SHIFT and BANK buttons: both buttons produce the same benefit, so users can map additional and totally different DJ app features to the same control element. Saying this, the mapping does not have to take care about conditions or modifier, each note is unique and can be mapped quite easy.  So what’s the difference between both on most controllers?  It’s the behaviour on press/release: Most vendors realize the SHIFT only in momentary mode (press and hold SHIFT), and the BANK button in toggle mode (also called latching or permanent mode), so the layer changes after release.  Dark Wheel overcomes this limitation: the SHIFT is a real SHIFT (modifying other control notes) and we allow the SHIFT and the BANK buttons as momentary or as latching behaviour, so both could be exactly same, there is no need for any dogmatic difference.  Whatever is needed, the controller has to take care that all works together, and of course even in case that you combine them – e.g. if you press both at same time! (activating e.g. shift Layer of Bank 3).  And as always: users who do not need Layer at all could use both knobs as ‘normal’ buttons with MIDI LED receive features. Finally you may understand why we also made a flexible DECK selector:  it’s nothing else than a different layer (with other MIDI channel, so users can customize to their needs (normal button, momentary, latching, 1/2/4 deck).