A Spin Zone for Disk Jockeys in South Beach
By Roman O. Garcia Jr., The Miami Herald
Mar. 28–As a part-time party DJ, I decided to try some of the hottest gadgets for disc jockeys at the Remix Hotel in South Beach, part of the Winter Music Conference. The event gave me the chance to try out some new CD players that may come in handy when I decide to upgrade my equipment.
The Remix Hotel, housed at Miami Beach’s National Hotel, featured more than 30 companies showcasing the latest equipment to DJs from all over the world.
The event was started five years ago by Remix Magazine, which hosts Remix Hotel four times a year in four cities: Miami, Los Angeles, New York and a rotating alternate. (This year, it’s Atlanta.)
MUSIC INTERACTION
"This is a big service that we provide, not only to our readers and subscribers but to DJs," said associate publisher Joanne Zola, who also serves as event director. "Not only have I heard from the DJs, but the manufacturers love interacting with their clients."
While at the hotel, I was able to demo some of the newest equipment on the market, including products from Denon, Pioneer, Microsoft and Digidesign.
I started with a class hosted by Digidesign that showcased the company’s latest version of music editing software Pro Tools LE 7.1. The program is used by many artists for creating, editing and mixing music and rhythms. The class was very program intensive. I personally use Acid Pro 6 for my editing, but I was left so impressed with Pro Tools, that if the price was right, I would switch over in a heartbeat. The program and hardware start at $500.
Microsoft officials were also at the event, talking about their operating system, Vista, which was scheduled for a holiday release but will be delayed.
Vista was produced with the pro audio community in mind. A lot of DJs use computers housing thousands of MP3 files as their main tool for spinning instead of carrying heavy boxes full of vinyl records and CDs. If you are a digital DJ, then Vista will be extra special for you. This version of Windows will be more steady, which means it will crash less often than current versions, when playing audio and video.
Microsoft has yet to set a retail price.
DENON DEMOS
Following the visit with Microsoft, I headed over to Denon. This is where the demos began and where the CD player (DN-S3500 tabletop) was showcased.
The product offers an active spinning platter, which makes it easier for DJs to scratch. It also features full MP3 playback, seven on-board effect switches and a high torque motor on the plate that gives it a turntable effect.
The DN-S3500 retails for $699. This player is smooth and easy to learn. It offers features that I hadn’t seen on other units, such as next track reserve with the automatic cross fade, which is going to help a lot of DJs work a lot less.
PIONEER’S PRODUCTS
The final stop in my whirlwind tour was with Pioneer, which provided all the equipment for the Ultra Music Festival on Saturday at Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami.
The company had two new offerings for the pro audio community. The CDJ-1000MK3 is the self-proclaimed industry standard for CD players.
The MK3 offers an MP3 reader, jog adjust and a brighter display and sells for $1,199.
The features will make work a lot easier for DJs who use MP3 CDs. And it has a twin, the DVJ-X1, which is used to mix digital audio and video. The demo of music and video being mixed was pretty impressive.
The last product showcased by Pioneer was its new mixer board. The DJM-800 includes an improved signal to noise ratio, which helps DJs in clubs, and a 24-bit processor inside. This mixer retails for $1,499.
—–
Copyright (c) 2006, The Miami Herald
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.
For information on republishing this content, contact us at (800) 661-2511 (U.S.), (213) 237-4914 (worldwide), fax (213) 237-6515, or e-mail reprints@krtinfo.com.
NASDAQ-NMS:MSFT,