Because StikAx is so cool, I'm really hoping the Ministry of Sound (the brand behind StikAx) reads this review and makes some changes.

There's a trend with media programs to try to help the users just a bit too much. One of the most common approaches is for a media program or media library to decide it's going to scan your computer for all media files, so you don't have to tell the program what media to work on. TrakAx does this as well.

In fact, TrakAx insists on scanning your computer each time it launches, unless you turn off the option. Once the scan starts, you can't stop it without aborting the program. And that means, the first time you launch the program, TrakAx is going to do a scan.

My desktop computer has over 2 terabytes of drive storage. Once I finally decided to let TrakAx do its thing, it took hours and hours to do the scan. Then, of course, when I quit the program, I didn't expect it to do a rescan. It did. And when I tried to quit the program, the settings got corrupted.

I finally uninstalled and reinstalled the product, allowed TrakAx to do a complete scan the first time all over again, and then turned off that feature.

The problem is, I suspect TrakAx keeps the data from the scan in memory. Rather than simply letting me tell it where my loops were located, I had to dig through all of TrakAx's discoveries. After using ProTools, Acid Pro and Vegas Video, this was frustrating.

My guess is my file system overwhelmed the program. As Figure D shows, TrakAx spent a lot of time showing me blank screen areas and missing menus (see the inserts).

FIGURE D


TrakAx lost its way. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Frankly, although I was able to create a small mix, the program spent the bulk of its time generating 100% CPU utilization and providing me with those blank screens and menus. It was virtually unusable. And that's a shame.

The opportunity
This is a product that just screams with promise. It's got nice packaging, a very clean set of Flash tutorials (I wish all devices and products had the quality of training materials StikAx comes with), and a great concept.

Were it to work reliably, this would be a really special addition to a composer's toolkit or a DJ's bag. In fact, I'd like to see the product evolve into a professional tool.

Today, the StikAx device connects to the computer via USB. But the device could well act as an instrument and is crying out for a Bluetooth interface. If any device needs Bluetooth, this is it. I can definitely see a musician out on stage jamming with a wireless StikAx.

The StikAx is also a device calling out for an API (Application Programming Interface). There's no reason this device couldn't work with professional mixing programs, many of which support plug-ins. This device should not be reliant on home-grown mixing software like TrakAx, when there's such phenomenally good software in professional use.

Lastly, the StikAx is an input device. I can see its use in gaming as well as music. You could program each button to kick off a macro or a key sequence. We reviewed the Nostromo SpeedPad N52 back in June, and the StikAx could play in this same category as well.