Reviewed by: Donald Bell for CNET.
When Numark unveiled the first iDJ iPod mixer in 2005, the half-baked product required two iPods,
and lacked many essential features. After three years back at the
drawing board, Numark’s iDJ2 ($599 retail, $499 street) finally makes
good on the promise of a professional iPod DJ mixer.
Design
Compared with the hodgepodge of laptops, CDJ decks, mixers, and
retrofitted turntables today’s digital DJs are saddled with, the iDJ2′s
biggest selling point may be the neatness of its all-in-one system.
Numark has managed to fit a two-channel mixer, music library, and DJ
control surface all into a space measuring 16-inches wide by 12-inches
deep by 3-inches high (including knobs).
The face of the iDJ2 is where all the fun happens. The
centerpiece of the system is a slightly angled 4.25-inch color screen
used to select songs and view playback status. An adjustable iPod dock
above the screen uses a deep well in an attempt to keep your iPod out
of harm’s way. To the right and left of the screen are an identical
pair of mixer controls, including knobs, buttons, faders, and jog
wheels.
Like most traditional DJ mixers, all of the Numark iDJ2′s audio
connections are on the top edge of the console, with the exception of
headphone and microphone inputs, which are conveniently located on the
edge facing you. The bottom and sides of the iDJ2 are bare.
Overall, we’re impressed by the iDJ2′s ergonomic layout and
attractive onscreen user interface, however, the all-plastic
construction does feel flimsy compared to traditional analog DJ mixers.
Features
The Numark iDJ2′s plastic design and iPod dock may
attract a few chuckles from doubtful DJs, but its useful and
professional features are nothing to laugh about.
With the iPod’s accessory compatibility always in flux from year to
year, Numark was smart to diversify the number of ways to get audio in
and out of the iDJ2. Aside from plugging your iPod into the iDJ2′s dock
(Classic, Nano, and 5G iPods are supported), you can also load audio
from a generic USB drive or route external audio through the dual-line
and phono inputs located on the back. The iDJ2′s outputs are also
diversified, with balanced XLR and RCA outputs used for the main mix, a
separate RCA-recording output, and an S-Video output for playing iPod
video content on an external display.
Whether you’re connected to an iPod or a USB drive (or both),
all your MP3, WAV, or unprotected AAC music files get displayed on the
iDJ2′s prominent color screen. A decremented rubber knob beneath the
screen lets you browse your music by track, album, artist, genre, BPM,
year, playlist, or folder tree. Combined with a USB keyboard (not
included), a search option allows you to quickly locate songs in your
collection, making requests a breeze. Once you’ve found a track to
play, you can transfer it to either of the two decks using the
illuminated buttons below the screen.
After loading your songs, playing and mixing between songs on
the iDJ2 is a mostly DJ 101 affair. You have dedicated controls for
pitch, EQ, channel volume, crossfade, play, pause, and cue, as well as
LED-lit volume meters on each side of the screen for keeping song
levels consistent. Headphone controls on the front edge of the iDJ2
have independent tone and gain controls, a cue mix knob for previewing
each of the two decks, and a switch that juggles between the program
and prefader mix.
At first glance, there’s nothing surprising about mixing with the iDJ2,
however, Numark did throw in a few neat tricks. For instance, the
pitch-adjustment controls include a key lock feature and can be
switched between four different modes: 6 percent; 12 percent; 25
percent; and awesome 100 percent mode that can slow playback down to a
full stop. The iDJ2 also includes a tap-tempo feature for quickly
matching track BPMs between decks, and an LED sync grid above the
crossfader, which offers a visual cue for the downbeat for each song.
Efficient features, such as an on-the-fly DJ-crate playlist and
automatic track loading, help eliminate tedious searching and loading
of music.
look at the back of the iDJ2 and you’ll realize this is a serious
machine. Balanced XLR outs, switchable line/phono inputs, and a cable
lock for the power adapter make the iDJ2 a worthy addition to the DJ
booth.
Performance
The Numark iDJ2 isn’t just a fun iPod
accessory–it’s one of the most impressive digital-DJ solutions we’ve
seen in the $500 range. You don’t get the endless tweaking and deep
control offered by a laptop-based rig, but you also don’t get the
sound-card hassles and inherent unpredictability of a piecemeal
computer-DJ setup. Think of the iDJ2 as a tidy, lean, and
well-conceived DJ system that happens to have iPod support.
Sonically, the iDJ2 fared just as well as a laptop-based DJ rig
with a professional-outboard soundcard, but don’t expect it to hold up
to the luxury of an Allen & Heath analog mixing deck. The
three-band EQ for each deck was adequate, and didn’t introduce any
noticeable distortion or noise into the mix. We wish Numark had
included an effects section of filters, flangers, and delays, or at
least thought to add an effects-loop output for external effects–but
it’s not a deal-breaker.
In all, we think the Numark iDJ2 is a fantastic solution for
working DJs who need something light and efficient to take out to
weddings, proms, or events that typically call for deep and predictable
catalogs of music and little in the way of flashy DJ skills. It’s also
a worthy system for amateur DJs looking for a professional, yet
headache-free system.
Posted under New Tech News
This post was written by admin on September 16, 2008
