dj

LAS VEGAS--I know CNET pays me to cover MP3 players, but privately, I'm a sucker for my beat-up, old Technics SL-1200MK2. Compared with most of the flimsy, plastic, belt-driven, disposable toys that get passed off as turntables these days, my 1200 is a 20-pound metal beast that will probably outlive my grandchildren.

USB turntables are the worst offenders. Built on the cheap, to last just long enough to rip your old LPs into iTunes, most of the world's USB decks spend their lives stored in closets in garages once their owners see them for the bulky, eyesores they … Read more

DJ ToneXpress The Ringtone Creator creates cell phone ringtones from audio files. Though its works well, this program practically drowns itself in added features.

The program's interface is surprisingly simple to navigate, considering how many features are thrown in, but excellent onscreen instructions help keep users focused. The primary functionality, creating ringtones, is an easy three-step process. You simply take a song or audio clip from your collection and edit it down to a few choice seconds for your ringtone. You can tinker with the volume and add simple effects like fade in and out as well. It smoothly … Read more

The DjVu file format was created to provide a lightweight way to digitize information stored in traditional hard-copy formats. Scans and other digital images can be stored at a high resolution using DjVu without the prohibitively large files sizes that come along with formats like JPEG, GIF, and PNG. Because the DjVu format isn't particularly common, users sometimes need to convert DjVu files to a more accessible file type. And that's where STDU Converter Lite comes in.

This is one of the smallest and simplest applications we've ever seen, and it does one very specific thing; it … Read more

ClubDJ ProVJ provides tools for mixing audio and visual files like a DJ. With its impressive layout and simple operation, this fun program only suffers from its save-option flaw.

The program's interface demanded we visit the Help file tutorial. Although it looked professionally designed, its command buttons and options were unfamiliar. Fortunately, our confusion was quickly erased, and we were soon building a collection of audio and video files for mixing. The program allows you to drag and drop songs and films between two "Decks" for mixing. The individual decks adjusted the speed, pitch, and volume of … Read more

DJ Mania provides a simple set of tools for recreating the world of the turntable expert. By breaking this elaborate artform down into a few simple functions, it makes the club scene accessible to all, but it's missing a few key ingredients of the actual experience.

DJ Mania's interface took a little work to understand, even thought it's a fairly simple layout. Without a Help file or instructions we were left to explore, but luckily it only took a few minutes to fully grasp the program. The basic function of this program was its ability to recreate … Read more

Music-tech entrepreneur Aviv Eyal, who's behind the excellent Livekick concert-tracking site, has a new project: a DJ app for the iPhone and iPod Touch called DJ Mixer Pro. (It was formerly known as DJ Player Pro, but the name has changed to avoid a conflict with another app.)

The concept is similar to Touch DJ, an Amidio app that I wrote about last month. While the iPhone naturally restricts you to playing one song at a time, these apps function like a virtual DJ booth, letting you play two tracks simultaneously, jump to any point in either track with … Read more

Star 6 is a fun beat-making iPhone and iPod Touch app from Agile Partners--makers of the incredibly useful Guitar Toolkit and Tab Toolkit for guitarists. First introduced last August, Star 6 offers five families of electronic drum beats in categories like Drum and Bass and Electro. You can also download many more free beats from the Star 6 Web site, or upload your own through your Web browser. (Your device has to be on the same wireless network as the computer you're uploading through.)

Once you've picked a family of beats, you can switch among six individual … Read more

Musicians are a paradox when it comes to technology. They have voracious appetites for the latest, greatest gear, but unlike the average tech consumer, they also have a near-religious reverence for all things vintage.

Looking back on what I consider the year's coolest gear for musicians, the thread that ties it all together (well, most of it) is this balance of new and antique. From a guitar pedal that sounds like a tube amplifier from 1959, to USB interfaces that return the look and feel of a pre-Pro Tools era--music tech has a unique way of pushing forward while … Read more

There's never been a better time to get into DJing. Gone are the days when DJs had to break their backs hauling turntables, record crates, and heavy analog mixes. Today, just combine a laptop, a USB DJ control surface, and a hard drive full of MP3s, and get ready to set the roof ablaze.

That said, professional DJ control surfaces aren't exactly cheap. Two of my personal favorites, the Vestax VCI-300 and the Numark NS7, hover around the $1,000 mark.

For those looking to dip their feet into digital DJing, but not quite $1,000 deep, the … Read more