- Amazing Build Quality and Durability
- A Non-Cluttered Layout
- Two Different Software Options
- Ergonomic Popup Feet
- Some Plastic Elements May Not Appeal
- Not The Best Option For Avid Serato Fans
Hercules, one of the market leaders in digital audio technology, has introduced an exciting new controller for modern DJs. Leveraging more than 3 decades of expertise, the Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 is a controller built to help any creative professional achieve their goals.
The Hercules Inpulse 500 was created first and foremost for DJUCED and the Serato DJ Lite software.
If you’re keen to learn more about the budget-friendly controller now available from Hercules, you’re in the right place. We took a closer look at this amazing device to bring you some crucial insights.
Is the Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 any good? (in short)
The Hercules DJ Control Inpulse 500 is a fantastic choice for beginners who are working on developing their skills. The Hercules Inpulse 500 features a stunning and durable design, with a high-performance sturdy metal backing plate and extendable feet for ergonomics.
Watch Our Review Here
Hercules Inpulse 500: Introduction
The Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 is a powerful beginner controller with high-performance materials, and a selection of features to help you enjoy your music.
There’s a hardware mixer for your audio inputs, a dedicated FX and Filter area, two large jog wheels, and a touch detection system for scratching. You’ll also get 16 backlit rubber RGB pads, and helpful light guides for mixing.
Hercules is a brand that’s earned a powerful reputation over the years for offering budget-friendly DJ products to a wide range of customers.
Many of the controllers built by Hercules were originally designed for DJUCED, a homegrown DJ software solution, and an alternative to Serato.
This new beginner-friendly model aims to give users more flexibility while maintaining an affordable design.
Features include:
- Built-in audio interface
- Velvet sound DSP solution
- Master outputs: 2 x RCA and 2 x ¼ inch 6.53 mm jack
- Headphone output 1/8 inch and 3.5mm stereo mini jack plus 6.35 mm jack
- Aux input: 1 3.5mm stereo mini-jack and 2 x RCA
- Microphone input: 6.35 mm jack
- Audio res: 24-bit 44.1 Khz
The Hercules Inpulse 500 controller takes the standard beginner-entry devices from Hercules to the next level. In the most recent system, the microphone section has dedicated filters for high and low frequencies.
This is an excellent addition because it means you can add your own voice in a host of unique ways.
There’s an extensive effects section including a 3-band EQ and a 4-filter set of FX buttons available to trigger with a larger filter button, so it’s easy to switch between various awesome effects. The AUX section also has its own dedicated filter option.
Hercules Inpulse 500: Features
The first thing we noticed about the Hercules Inpulse 500; is how wonderfully professional it looks.
Despite being budget-friendly, the Hercules Inpulse 500 looks great, as a big two-channel controller with plenty of distance between different components, so nothing seems overly cluttered.
There’s plenty of depth too, so you get a really substantial feeling device.
The set of four fold-out feet on the bottom of the mixer is excellent for improving the comfort of your controller. Although the feet only add a couple of inches to the height of the deck, it’s enough for a significant boost to ergonomics.
There are even fantastic LED lights underneath the unit to give it an ultra-cool finished aesthetic.
- Amazing Build Quality and Durability
- A Non-Cluttered Layout
- Two Different Software Options
- Ergonomic Popup Feet
- Some Plastic Elements May Not Appeal
- Not The Best Option For Avid Serato Fans
Although we’d still describe this device as a budget controller, the metal plate, size, and overall look of the product makes it feel incredibly well-built. You’ll have no problem convincing others that this is a mid-market or more expensive product.
The Inpulse 500 from Hercules measures around 54 cm wide, with a mostly plastic chassis and metal underbody. Compared to other controllers, only the Numark Platinum seems to match up in size.
Although size isn’t everything for a beginner controller, it does mean that the layout is easier to manage if you’re getting used to finger placements and other factors.
The Mixing Decks
As mentioned above, this is a two-channel mixer with a set of two decks, each with a 5.5-inch capacitive jog wheel.
The touch-sensitive units come with a textured top to help with grip, and there’s a button to toggle between vinyl modes too. You can even access controls for quantizing and slipping functionality.
Notably, the things you can do with your decks on the DJControl Inpulse 500 will depend on the DJ software you choose.
Certain functions like Slip and Quantize are only available with DJUCED, and there’s no support for Serato Lite.
Serato users will need to pay for Serato DJ Pro before they can tap into full mixing functionalities, which is a bit of a headache. However, if you’re a fan of Serato, it’s nice to have the option there.
The play and cue buttons on the mixer are made from strong plastic, unlike many competitors, which choose rubber buttons instead. We actually liked the fact that these two buttons were plastic because they offer a better level of texture and feedback.
The Performance Pads
The performance pads on the Hercules Inpulse 500 are rubber and feature a hot cue, slicer, loop, and sampler mode option on the top. The software you pair your controller with will have a direct impact on the function.
The pads feel excellent under your fingers, with extra-soft materials. There’s also a click button at the bottom for more responsivity.
The addition of RGB lighting on the pads might seem like anything new, but it’s still a nice touch. Some reviewers might complain that the lighting is quite dim, but we didn’t think it was too bad.
You may have some problems if you’re surrounded by many bright lights in a booth, of course.
The Mixer, Faders, and EQ
The DJControl Inpulse 500 breaks its mixing functionality down into three sections, each dedicated to a specific task. The center section works on tasks, while inputs are handled on the left.
The mixers all have physical ports which line up with a clear text to help you find your footing as a beginner.
On top of the two-channel hardware input mixer, you’ll find the browsing control, complete with load buttons for both of your decks.
The knob features an LED light that illuminates beat match guiding, and DJUCED assistant access. There’s also a dedicated assistant button separately for DJUCED users, or you can use the same button to access AutoMix on Serato.
The center of the mixer features a big VU meter equipped with LEDs, so you can check the output of each channel with ease.
This section is a lot more extensive and detailed than you might expect from similar controllers, at such a low budget price point. However, the lighting might be a problem yet again here, because the LEDs don’t hold up well to bright environments.
On each side of the VU meter, you’ll find the three-band EQ functionality, with controls for both of your decks.
The crossfader also comes with hardware controls built-in, so you can adjust the functionality as you mix. This is another feature we were surprised to see such an expensive function on a largely affordable device.
Hercules Inpulse 500: Effects and Transitions
The Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 controller offers a host of smooth and original transition options, ready to connect with your preferred software.
The filter controls are large and easy to use, with a High/low pass filter running as standard until you choose your effect.
The buttons on the controller will allow you to change the filter knobs, so you can apply and adjust filters from both Serato and DJUCED. The FX4 button is separate from the rest of the controls, as it focuses on changing beat divisions of effects within Serato.
Despite a wide range of features, it’s pretty easy to get everything set up as a beginner. The device is quickly powered by USB, and it comes with outputs for speakers, DJ headphones connectors, and even a microphone too.
Inputs and Outputs
As mentioned above, the DJControl Inpulse 500 is no stranger to offering a wide selection of audio input and output options.
We were extremely impressed by the versatility here, especially when you consider how limited many beginner controllers are when it comes to offering input access.
Beginner DJ controllers usually have limited audio inputs or simply connect your microphone that connects to the laptop rather than the mixer itself.
This isn’t the case with the Inpulse 500.
This beginner controller has its own dedicated TRS microphone input, as well as a TRRS 3.5mm aux input and stereo input.
Not only can you connect your microphone easily, but there are dedicated trimming controls including LED lighting for monitoring your levels, and a two-band EQ management system included too.
Hardware high/low pass filters are also available, making this device an instant standout from some of the other cheaper products available today.
The output management is located on the right side of the mixer, and they also go above and beyond what you might typically expect from an entry-level controller.
There’s a dedicated VU meter and outputs are delivered through line-level RCA connections. You’ll also get a pair of TS unbalanced outputs for audio interfaces, guitars, and more.
DJs will choose two different headphone output options, and there are dedicated cue and volume controls included as part of the setup.
All that, and everything is very easy to get up and running, even if you’re a total beginner.
- Amazing Build Quality and Durability
- A Non-Cluttered Layout
- Two Different Software Options
- Ergonomic Popup Feet
- Some Plastic Elements May Not Appeal
- Not The Best Option For Avid Serato Fans
Bonus Features
As you may suspect by this point in our Hercules Inpulse 500 review, there’s still more to cover. This is a beginner mixer that’s not limited by any previous expectations. One of the most exciting features, as with many Hercules controllers, is the beat match guide function.
Your large jog wheels and tempo faders will come with a small red-light arrow that illuminates to let you know when you need to speed up or slow your track to match the rhythm of the master deck.
Once you hit the perfect speed, the LED light simply turns green to let you know you can stop adjusting.
The arrows are an excellent bonus, and they illuminate in the correct direction to advise you of which direction you may need to move your jog wheels in to achieve the best beat alignment.
This is just one of the many features that makes it much easier for beginners to start learning new skills on something like the Hercules Inpulse 500.
Aside from the beat match functionality, you can also access things like the Intelligent Music Assistant in DJUCED to help you access suggestions for the perfect upcoming tracks to add to your music library.
There’s an auto-play function available for Serato Lite too.
Another function we quite liked was the Aux filter knob, which allows users to add filter effects onto external audio sources like smartphones without having to tap into your software.
The Software
When you buy the Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500, you’ll have the choice between Serato DJ pro, or DJUCED as your go-to software. The DJUCED solution is the proprietary software designed by Hercules, and if you don’t have any prior preferences, it’s a great option for beginners.
The DJUCED DJ software gives you access to four decks, although you can only access two using this controller.
There are various great features, like key detection for harmony-based mixing, Beatsource, Beatport streaming services, and a host of other features too.
You can record your sets, output directly to Mixcloud or Soundcloud, and experiment with AI assistant functionality.
The performance pads also get a lot of great functionality on the Hercules Inpulse 500 when you’re using DJUCED. There are tons of hot cue, loop, sampler, slicer, and tone play options to experiment with, and you can tap into things like Slip mode with ease.
All around the software experience is great, and a fantastic choice for beginners.
With Serato, you’ll really need to upgrade to the full Pro version of the software if you want to access all the functionality you get with the DJUCED.
Obviously, this does mean spending a little more, but it’s worth noting that a lot more controllers do work with Serato. This could mean that if you decide to change your controller as you develop new skills, you’ll be better off learning how to use Serato effectively early.
Many DJs love the functionality of Serato DJ Pro, which includes everything from tone play to a library management function and flashing beat elements.
Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 Pros and Cons
Ultimately, if you’re looking for a beginner DJ controller that doesn’t feel like it was designed for budget-conscious users, this is it.
Despite its low price tag and its simplicity, the Inpulse 500 really does exceed all expectations. We knew going in that this device was designed to impress, but we had no idea just how powerful an entry-level controller could be.
If you’re keen to start developing your skills, you’re sure to appreciate the ability to tap into more advanced features and functionality as your talent grows.
You can accomplish a lot of the same things with this control as you could with much more expensive hardware mixer. While this device is definitely strong enough to hold up to use by a mid-level professional, it’s also got beginners in mind, thanks to functionality like an AI assistant and beat match guide.
If you need help learning the basics, the Hercules Inpulse 500 has you covered every step of the way.
There are some imperfections we could mention if we’re being picky.
Ultimately, the layout seems to be better designed for Serato users than DJUCED, even though the second option is specifically for the Hercules hardware. This means that you might find that you get a totally different experience depending on the kind of software you use.
Unfortunately, although functionality with Serato is good, it’s also more “beginner level” in style than many of the other features of the Hercules Inpulse 500.
Pros:
Cons:
Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500: The Verdict
Finding the right beginner controller can be difficult. You need something that’s simple enough to pick up but with enough flexibility so you can enhance your skills over time.
The Hercules DJControl Inpulse 500 really took our breath away with its ability to deliver both excellent beginner experiences and plenty of versatility.
Robust and versatile, the Hercules Inpulse 500 will work for a range of environments and circumstances.
Although there are better Serato DJ systems out there, you’d struggle to get something like this for the same price and with the same intuitive professional design.
We’d definitely recommend the Hercules Inpulse 500 as the go-to solution for beginners in the DJ space.
- Amazing Build Quality and Durability
- A Non-Cluttered Layout
- Two Different Software Options
- Ergonomic Popup Feet
- Some Plastic Elements May Not Appeal
- Not The Best Option For Avid Serato Fans
