The time is approaching when we like to kick back and have a good time so I thought when better to write a quick IDJ Live Review.
This iPad accessory comes from Numark and it aims to turn your iPad into a full-on party music centre where you become the DJ maestro. Growing up in the clubland era I love dance music and have always fancied learning how to DJ properly. The truth be told I am absolutely rubbish, however I do love having a go when in the mood.
I had already seen the Djay app for the iPad which is absolutely fantastic and makes my CDJ Decks completely obsolete, however I was unaware about the Numark iDJ Live (must be getting old), until recently when a good friend called me round to have a look at his latest toy which happened to be the iDJ Live.
This led to a impromptu set in his living room which his wife and kids were not too impressed by as we blasted out the tunes and reminisced about the good old days. Anyway I managed to have a play with the iDJ live and got to see what it could do so I thought I would share this with you and let you make your own mind up.
Before I give a quick overview just to let you know the idJ live price is just under the $100 mark and is available from various online retailers such as Amazon. Also idJ live is designed to work with the Djay App so make sure you have that as well before you get started.
IDJ Live Design.
Although the unit is made out of plastic is does feel quite robust and with careful handling, should be ok for regular use. It’s not very big (about 15 inches in width) and is fairly light (around 2lbs) so it’s pretty easy to carry around if you are in demand at a number of big events!!!. Compare this to lugging around a set of turntables or even CDJ Decks plus records and CD´s and it easy to see why using this technology is going to become very common over the next few years.
In keeping with DJ traditions, Numark have designed the iDJ like convential decks with 2 turntables (that don´t move) either side of a mixer the obligatory cross fader.
There are buttons for each deck that offer play, pause, BPM sync and cuepoint setting or returning to cuepoint. In the middle there are some different knobs for controlling bass, treble pitch and volumes with master a volume knob. In the centre of all this is the browse knob that lets you select and load the tracks from your itunes library. Finally to give you even more control there is button so you can go from either scatch mode to bring in tracks quickly or search mode so you can skip through songs quickly to find the right cuepoint.
The iDJ Live does come with a plastic foldaway stand that looked fine but only offered one viewing angle so depending on where you iPad is placed you may need to use a ipad case with stand if you have one.
IDJ Live Usability.
When all said and done, the only thing that matters with an product such as iDJ is does it work and is it fun to use. Well from my quick experience with it and watching my friend use it I would say yes, definately.
The DJay app is fantastic but having a physical interface to play with does make it feel more real and better Dj-ing experience. The decks on the iDJ are sensitive enough to let you cue up without too much bother and along with the BPM sync buttons make mixing your records a lot easier. After 10-15 minutes of playing around even my limited skills managed to drop in some not too shabby mixes that brought a smile to my face.
All the controls on the unit are easy to use and work well giving you that feel for the tracks that can be hard to find on a touch screen. The iDJ unit is powered by the iPad and is picked up by the Djay the app without configuration. Crucially, the unit has a split output cable so you are able to listen to both tracks playing at the same time and get your cue points spot on.
In Summary.
As a wannabee DJ I love the iDJ live. It is really fun to use and easy to understand and I can imagine having hours of fun blasting out my tunes and coming up with some wicked mixes.
If you are a experienced DJ and enjoy using high end technical equipment then the iDJ is probably a little basic for your taste. If however like me, you just want to show off in front of friends in the house or are already playing to audiences on a commercial basis and want to streamline your kit then the iDJ is a great product to have.
The iDJ has gone straight on the Christmas wishlist for me and hopefully if Santa does me a favour, I might be using it this New Years Eve. If you want to check out the Numark iDJ or know someone who loves their music then as I mentioned above, you can pick it up at Amazon here. Numark IDJ Live
I Hope you found this iDJ Live Review useful and to get you in the mood here is some great old club tracks from way back in the 90´s.
Author: admin
