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Pacemaker DJing system gets demonstrated on video
Just months after catching wind of the Pacemaker handheld DJ system, the (lucky) folks over at Digital-Lifestyles managed to get their hands on a prototype unit and spend a few quality moments perusing its features. Interestingly, their unit did indeed sport a color display, but still retained the 120GB hard drive that was previously expected. 'Course, you're already well aware of what this thing can potentially do for you, so without further ado, be sure and check out the hands-on videos waiting after the break.Update: Aaaand we have a price. €520, about $700 US, shipping in December. More info here.
Denon launches USB / MIDI-equipped DN-HC4500 for digital DJs
It was close to this time last year when Denon unveiled the DN-HD2500, and now it's time for DJs the world over to get a glimpse of the DN-HC4500 Media Player and Controller. The unit itself is the firm's "first USB / MIDI audio interface designed exclusively for computer performance club and mobile DJs," and it plays nice with both Macs and PCs. Additionally, you'll find internal 24-bit processing, BU4500 drive support, a touch-sensitive jog disc, integrated displays, and a trial version of Reflex LE software. Word on the street tags this sucka with a pricetag close to £399 ($795), and while you won't be able to get your hands around it 'til next month, click on through for a few more looks.[Via TechDigest]
Friday Video: Two DS Lites and a microphone
Turntable? Pfft. If you have a DS, do you really need that kind of stuff? Not if you're using Protein DScratch, which looks like it's still in early development. We would love to see more on this one, because it looks -- and sounds -- really awesome for anyone interested in audio manipulation. Plus, the video is just cool (despite getting off to a rough start), and so we just had to showcase it in this week's spotlight. Check it out after the jump.
Tokyoflash's BPM watch: for DJs and runners alike
Cramming a heart rate monitor into a wristwatch isn't all that difficult, but Tokyoflash's BPM watch does the trick in style. This multipurpose timepiece dons a stainless steel face, spits out the time in digital fashion, keeps track of the date, and includes a "mini-torch" backlight to find your way to an empty seat when entering a theater seven minutes late. The standout feature, however, is the built-in beats-per-minute mode, which allows you to "tap the button to the rhythm of the beat" or monitor your current heart rate. Additionally, BPM mode brings out textual inspiration in the form of random DJ phrases that are presumably meant to get you even more amped up. Not too shabby for ¥7,900 ($65), eh? Check the closeups after the jump.[Via PlasticBamboo]
Bird Electron's micro mixer DJ-4 sports retro look
While not quite as wildly popular as iPod sound systems, you shouldn't have any trouble locating an iPod mixer these days, but Bird Electron is aiming to give you yet another interesting option. The retro-styled micro mixer DJ-4 sports a minuscule stainless steel enclosure, a couple of electric guitar volume knobs, two 3.5-millimeter auxiliary inputs, and a 3.5millimeter stereo output. Of course, the iPod inclusion is more of a marketing gimmick than anything, as the company itself admits that any audio source can be used without issue. Regardless, this nifty (albeit limited) device should hit the Japanese market next week for ¥9,600 ($79).[Via Impress]
The Pacemaker: 'world's first' pocket-size pro DJ system
Watch out NuMark, 'cause there's about to be a new product on the scene to challenge your iDJ line of mixers -- and not only does this one rock 120GB of internal storage to obviate the need for a pair of iPods, it's actually small enough to fit in your pocket. The upcoming Pacemaker from European start-up Tonicum -- set to be unveiled tomorrow -- promises to contain all the necessary features for bringing your mixing skills on the road, including a crossfader, dual 3.5-millimeter stereo jacks, direct-to-hard drive recording, and a multifunction touchpad for adjusting bend and pitch, among others. No bells or whistles like an FM tuner or color screen on this patent-pending player, but with both Mac and Windows support, we have a feeling that the Pacemaker is going to develop a small but dedicated following. Check out some more angles as well as an annotated diagram in the gallery below... %Gallery-2964%
Hercules Mobile DJ MP3 mixes it up sans wires
While it's not like we really needed another ho hum digital mixer to go along with all the others, Hercules' Mobile DJ MP3 does manage to differentiate itself from the (oftentimes far superior) competition by cutting the proverbial and literal cords. The somewhat chintzy looking machine is designed to be highly portable in nature, as it features a lightweight shell and gets power from a pair of C batteries. Specs wise, you'll find "two decks for mixing, scratching, and synchronizing the MP3 or WAV files stored on the PC," twin LCD screens for track information, built-in loops / "special effects," and wireless functionality thanks to the included dongle that plugs into your laptop or desktop. Essentially, the unit assumes your sound system is wired up to the corresponding computer, and any mixing you do gets beamed back to the PC and subsequently blasted out to the four people who actually showed up for your shindig. Nevertheless, Hercules can get your next party started without fancy cabling and a whole lot of dough, as the Mobile DJ MP3 will set you back just £59 ($119).[Via Gearlog]
Stanton DJ unveils T.90 USB turntable
If you're looking for a quality, high-torque turntable that will also let your rip your vinyl to a PC, Stanton's got a new model in its T line that should do just the trick. Besides the usual features you'd expect from one of the premiere manufacturers of pro audio equipment -- straight tone arm, two start/stop switches, S/PDIF out -- the T.90 USB also delivers USB connectivity (obviously) along with extras like "Key Lock", which allows you to adjust the tempo without affecting pitch. So far price and release remain a mystery -- Stanton's PR figures all we care about are the specs -- but plan on paying a few hundred bucks for gear of this caliber whenever it does hit shelves and etailers.
DJWiiJ.com bought by Nintendo?
Back in the day, so to speak, we brought you news of a homebrew project using the Wiimote called "WiiJ"ing, in which one (or two) Wiimotes were used to control various functions of popular mixing software (Traktor). We're convinced the technology is indeed real at this point, but according to the WiiJ creator and head-honcho, Nintendo has come forward and straight-up purchased the website and concept from him for release in a future game.Sounds cool, and certainly in line with Nintendo's strategy, but color us a bit skeptical. A quick WHOIS shows domain registration as unchanged in the site's history, and in addition, the front page news post regarding the deal has a bazillion-word long actual game description. It's unlikely that Nintendo would simply allow the creator of WiiJing to simply dictate the full design of a videogame, and at this point, certainly, little to no actual development has been completed.What say you? Even if it isn't real, would you enjoy or look forward to an application like this?[Thanks, Jason!]
Wii + DJ = WiiJ (Duh!)
OK, we'll admit it, we have no idea what is going on in this video (also embedded below after the jump). All we see is some guy waving his arms in the air (like he just doesn't care) while the computer drops some funky beats. Supposedly, the Wii controllers in his hands are actually activating the various looping samples, but we can't make hide nor hair of which motions are supposed to do what, even with the helpful descriptive text on the video. If this is a fake, though, it's an extremely elaborate one. The video's maker, DJ Shift 1 has set up an elaborate web page page that lays out the fundamentals of his patented technique. The WiiJaying master is also promoting his first live performance of his at Bootie San Francisco on May 12. Now that's devotion to a hack.
Bustin' phat beats with the Wiimote (otherwise known as Wiijing)
Now, you could very well be questioning many things right now, most importantly the title of this post. Trust us, we did not know either upon receiving the press release in our inbox, however upon further inspection we found that using Wiimotes and a PC to DJ (dubbed Wiijing by the fine folks who sent us the mentioned press release) is actually quite fascinating, although at times appears to be fake. So all of you tech/music junkies, pay attention to the video that has been embedded past the post break.What do you guys think? Fake or not?
PSP Fanart Fridays: Death Jr.
Do you want to share your PSP-related fan art? Send an e-mail to andrew @ pspfanboy.com with the subject line "Fanart Fridays." A new piece of fanart will be shared every Friday. I'm a huge fan of all sorts of art including obviously video games. The Internet has really helped artists of all types show off their work. What I thought would be cool (and hopefully you agree) is to showcase a different artist (with their permission) every week that has PSP related fan art. This week's fan art features DJ and Pandora from Death Jr. in the opening pivotal scene from the first game. I know it got mixed reviews, but I enjoyed the Death Jr. for the most part and I absolutely loved the art style and characters. The above work was done by Gil and I think he perfectly captured the style and I especially love the way the colors are used. If I didn't know he did it, I would believe this was official art from the developer. If you enjoy the work as well you can check out Gil's deviantArt account. %Gallery-3450%
iPod DJ Mixing Studio scratches it up for $40
If it's audio related, and can in any way, shape, or form be associated with Apple's gem, it will be. Consequently, we've even seen the turntables so adored by DJs everywhere taken to the white side, bringing us everything from Numark's duo of offerings to some alternatives that we'd probably shy away from. Hitting the low-end level once again is the iPod DJ Mixing Studio, a halfway decent looking creation that connects to an iPod (or any other DAP, to be fair), and allows you to "create your own digital mixing effects." For those into experimenting rather than buying pre-packaged remixes, you can utilize the scratch, "digi-sound," and voice mods via the two rotating discs. You can also toss in background rhythms and drumrolls as well as adjusting the volume and tempo. Per usual, the device can be attached to your Mac or PC for recording purposes, but we're a little wary of how sophisticated this gizmo really is considering the $39.95 pricetag and "four AA battery" operation.[Via BookOfJoe]
Wannabe DJs compete Lumines-style
Who's Junkie XL? I don't know either. But, if you're in the DJ scene, you may be familiar with him, and the Winter Music Conference. Buena Vista Games wants to take you (yes, you!) to this event in sunny Miami, and all you have to do is play with the Lumines II video mixer. Looks a little familiar to me... Even if you don't want to enter the contest, it might be a good way to pass the time.[Via Joystiq]
More Times Square silliness
As sort-of promised, we've got some more coverage for you. After meeting up with various head honchos of the geeky online blog community (Christopher Grant, Andrew Yoon, Raw Meat Cowboy from GoNintendo, Chris from Advanced Media Network, I'm talking to you), the "festivities" started. They opened with a rather lackluster performed by someone named "DJ Ravidrums", who was essentially a drummer playing along to some prerecorded music. Bah. But then ... wait! It's friggin' Reggie!This man should have received a deafening applause. Eardrum-destroying. And truth be told, it wasn't bad. But Nintendo made the mistake of setting up the stage on a side-street, in which there was no way anyone standing in line could watch. As such, the viewers of the event were curious bystanders and members of the media, such as myself. Can you imagine this sad scene?"Hey, guys, it's great to be here. You can fill in the blanks, right? My name is Reggie, and I'm about ...!"Only around nine or so people shouted the obvious answer, including myself. How horrible.Still, the speech he gave was decent, and the rest of the stage performance consisted of some TRL/Miss USA woman and more of that weird drumming guy. Exit, stage left.Where to now, we asked ourselves? Well, let's check out the Wii display upstairs and then HOLY CRAP it's Reggie again! Yes, the Regginator was giving yet another interview for a major station (don't ask, we don't know), and right afterward, a few well-informed fans ran up to him to get their DS Lites signed. He was busy, he was in a rush, but Nintendo Wii Fanboy was able to edge in one question! And here it is."Reggie. Honestly, and PR spin aside, do you truly believe that the Wii is going to take first place in sales in the next generation against the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360?"A slight pause. He turns to stare me down."Absolutely. There's no doubt in my mind. We're offering what gamers want, and they're going to love it."Hear that? It's the sound of oh snap.And by the way, that man's handshake is a vice of absolute death.
M-AUDIO busts out Torq MixLab Digital DJ System
If you'd like to dip your toes into the DJ waters without dropping a couple Gs on a bunch of equipment you can't even figure out how to work, you might want to look into M-AUDIO's new $99 Torq MixLab. The digital DJ setup ties in with M-AUDIO's (included) Torq LE software, which allows you mix between MP3, AIFF, WAV, WMA, Apple Lossless and AAC files on your computer. Beat matching can be automatically performed by the software, and the control board can mess with speed, pitch, EQ and a trio of effects. We got a chance to see the unit in action on Tuesday, and while most things were taking place in software, the controls were quite responsive, and everything seemed quite intuitive. Keep on reading for a few action shots.
Denon DN-HD2500 Adds Internal Hard Drive to Digital Turntable
Hey Mr. DJ, we thought you said we had a deal? You scratch our back and we'll scratch your USB flash drive connected to our turntable, right? Not unlike rival Numark, Denon is now sporting a digital turntable, the DN-HD2500. It's got support for additional USB peripherals, such as a flash drive, iPod, or external hard drive. It's got dueling CD spinners, your usual faders, and what appears to a slick little screen in the middle of the whole setup for song queuing and beatmatching. But the best feature on the new Denon device is that in order to supply that screen with your favorite tunes, the turntable packs an internal 2.5-inch hard drive. No word on the price yet, but if Denon wants to win this DJ contest, it'll have to spin lower than $799.
djay - a "groundbreaking" audio application
djay, as you can see, is a "groundbreaking" new audio app that offers a slew DJ-oriented features to get your party started, including: Real-time audio mix transmission over Bonjour network Real-time audio mix recording iTunes Integration Automatic artwork image loading on both turntables Time-Stretching Pitch-Shifting with amazing blend effect Audio Unit Effects Support Pre-Cueing (requires multichannel sound card) Crossfade automation Magnetic tempo slider for precise beat matching GarageBand instruments integration via network AppleScriptability for mixing automation and a whole lot more. Seriously, I had to whittle out quite a bit from djay's feature list just to fit these key points into the post. I'm not a DJ myself, but checking this out sure makes me wish I was.All these features come in (what looks like) a slick package for the low, low price of $0; in fact, I can't even find a donation link at the product's site, algoriddim.net (clever). If any more DJ-capable TUAW readers check this out, please share a few words of your wisdom with the rest of the class.[via digg]
Gemini launches iTRAX
Move over iDJ (and iDJ2), there's a new iPod DJ mixer in town, and it's only a year late to the game (albeit significantly cheaper). The Gemini iTRAX is finally hitting shelves, and brings the noise to the wheels of, um, polycarbonate with two phono ins, USB pass-through, and iPod (with video) support. They're asking $230 for the thing, but it's already going online for well under $150 (even though distributors don't yet have any to sell), so let's just say the price is up in the air on this one.
Music Thing: Numark's all-USB DJ console
Each week Tom Whitwell of Music Thing highlights the best of the new music gear that's coming out, as well as noteworthy vintage equipment: Not so long ago, DJing was simple. You turned up with a box of 12-inch vinyl records. The club / bar / shed / bedroom you were playing would have a pair of Technics SL1200 (or 1210 - the same but black) turntables. The DJ before you would explain how the switches worked on the mixer, you'd try to work out how to get sound in your headphones, and you were in business. Now things are different. Numark's D² Director has one USB port on the front, and two on the back. It can play tracks from a flash drive, an iPod or a portable hard drive.The huge LCD display shows waveforms and playlists, so you can assign tracks to either channel with the assisted beat-matching that's now common. If you can bear the shame, it's even possible to plug a USB keyboard into the thing, so you can search for songs by name. Essentially, it's a more professional version of Numark's IDJ2 iPod mixing console, with the Fisher-Price styling toned down and no iPod dock. Also, unlike the IDJ2, you'll need an external DJ mixer to crossfade between the two outputs. The suggested retail price is $799, which is considerably less than you'll get for a used pair of Technics decks on eBay. Numark has also released a load of other high-high-high end digital DJ gear at Summer NAMM, including the iCDX, a $999 CD player/pod dock, while the HD Mix is a all-in-one mixer, CD player, 80GB hard drive, USB host and effects box for a slightly eye-watering $1,699.
