By Elianne Halbersberg

Remember that New Year’s Eve party you attended a few weeks ago? Bad enough that the cheapskate host served stale chips and watered-down drinks, but even the music was lame. Holding your Coke with a semi-splash of Jack, offering up your best fake smile and waiting for the ball to drop so you could get the hell outta there and go to bed, you suffered through a horrific sound system and mixes that were more shaken and stirred than your beverage. “I could do that,” you muttered to yourself, “and I could do it better. If I had the gear, of course.”

Thanks to Ion Audio, now you can have the gear. DISCOVER DJ is an all-in-one, affordable, portable system that puts you in control of the music. Compact and weighing only two-and-a-half pounds, DISCOVER DJ includes a USB DJ controller, software CD, USB cable and software guide. Features include large, touch-sensitive scratch wheels, a crossfader, bass and treble controls, automatic tempo match, looping, and the ability to record and share your work. Plug in, install, and you’re ready to rock the house. Planet Ill spoke with Ion Audio’s Managing Director Gregg Stein about Discover DJ.

Planet Ill: How have DJs’ needs changed over the years, and how does Discover DJ fit those needs in 2010?

Gregg Stein: While some professional DJ’s still prefer the feel of vinyl, over the last few years many DJ’s have begun to experiment with, and gravitate toward, computer-based digital DJ systems. Discover DJ is a computer DJ package for anyone interested in being a DJ, from novices who have dabbled with DJ-ing to nearly any music lover, regardless of experience. The system harnesses the processing power of virtually any Mac or PC and enables users to DJ parties, events and even clubs using the music that is already on their computer. DISCOVER DJ consists of a hardware DJ controller with a convenient, standard USB connection and powerful performance DJ software.

Planet Ill: How is it of value to users without being too difficult for some and/or too simple for others?

GS: Discover DJ has complete DJ controls such as speeding the music up and down so DJs can perfectly match the tempo or BPM between tracks and create seamless mixes. The system also has an automatic beat-matching feature that takes the guesswork out of this tricky aspect of DJ-ing. Bass and Treble controls enable DJs to shape their sound with ease, and they can easily extend the mix by looping their favorite parts of their tracks. Yet, with all of this power and capabilities, Discover DJ is easy enough for virtually anyone to learn on. DJs can even record, play back and share their performances, thanks to the recording features present in the software.

Planet Ill: How does it differ from other DJ controllers?

GS: It is the easiest and most affordable all-in-one DJ system that includes touch-sensitive platters and the ability to scratch and mix your iTunes or other music instantly.

Planet Ill: What is needed in order to operate Discover DJ?

GS: All you need is the Discover DJ, a Mac or PC, an open USB port, and you are ready to unleash your inner DJ.

Planet Ill: How much control does the user have over functions, software and programs?

GS: With Discover DJ, users can mix and scratch the music in their computer music library, including iTunes Music Libraries, using two touch-sensitive scratch wheels and a central mixer section with a crossfader, buttons and knobs. Discover DJ is laid out to carefully recreate the two-decks-and-a-mixer setup that professional DJs prefer. On screen, the MixVibes CROSS LE software is a virtual extension of the Discover DJ hardware, with two decks. Users simply load their tracks to either Deck A or Deck B and then control it, cueing up the start point, performing advanced transitions and even scratching.

Planet Ill: Your product “uses the music you already have on your computer.” How does this work, and is it only compatible with iTunes?

GS: iTunes is not required, but Discover DJ works great with it. Any MP3 can be dragged and dropped directly into the Cross LE window for instant loading, or dragged into Cross LE’s “Collection,” which can be thought of as a virtual record bag. From here, you can load, preview and play files directly. iTunes is not a requirement.

Planet Ill: How does the “record and share” feature work

GS: By turning on the “Automatically Start Recording” feature, Cross LE will begin recording your mix when “Play” is pressed. Recording stops when both decks are stopped. Files are saved as digital audio and you are able to select the directory in which these recordings are saved. These can then be easily burned to CD or uploaded to the Internet to showcase your mix.

Planet Ill: Discover DJ is equipped with MixVibes Cross LE software. What does this software program do, how many features does it have, and will it be upgradeable in the future?

GS: MixVibes Cross LE is a fully featured introductory DJ solution allowing users to perform and create custom mixes of their music collection. It includes Pro DJ features allowing users to beat match, mix, EQ, scratch and loop songs directly from their MP3 collection, including their iTunes library. It can also record a user’s custom mix, allowing them to share their latest mix with friends. Making sure the software is always up to date will also be an easy task. Simply click on the “Update” button from the program’s Info screen, and you’ll be taken to the Mixvibes.com custom software update page, where you can download the latest version. When users are ready to upgrade, the full version of Cross is available from Mixvibes.com. 

Planet Ill: Can this system be used in conjunction with other ION products?

GS: Since Discover DJ is class-compliant, it is able to work side by side with just about any other USB device, such as Numark’s DJ|iO.

For more information: www.ionaudio.com/discoverdj

Elianne Halbersberg is a freelance writer whose work has also appeared in Mix, Premier Guitar, Electronic Musician, Audio Media, Ink 19 and many other magazines and websites.

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