The name of the new Hercules DJ Control Steel conjures images of Grandmaster Flash introducing the world to the burgeoning art of scratch-DJing via his Technics SL-1200 "Wheels of Steel." While the Hercules DJ Control Steel does have actual steel in its construction, it's basically just the top and bottom center faceplates, under the mix controls. Hmm. . .

Whether the Control Steel actually has the durability of the original WoS remains to be seen (or felt), but the Control Steel does feature a wealth of knobs, sliders and buttons, along with two "high-precision" scratch-jog-shuttle wheels. Those wheels also feature adjustable resistance for emulating old rusty decks.

Truly, the biggest selling point of the Hercules DJ Control Steel seems to be that it offers "ample space under the DJ’s fingers [for] precise mixing." The deck measures 13" x 9.7" x 2.6", which doesn't seem unusually large. Indeed, it's slightly smaller than the RMX. At the same time, the "Steel" squeezes 6 sliders, 13 rotary knobs and 46 push-buttons onto it's surface. Hmm. . .

With an MSRP of $299 (which includes a carrying case and VirtualDJ 5 DJC Edition software for Mac and PC), the best way to think about the Control Steel is probably this: right between the RMX ($349) and the MK2 ($249).