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To
say that Winter NAMM is a vital trade show for the DJ market
is like saying that the Super Bowl is somewhat important
to the NFL. Along with makers of traditional musical instruments,
manufacturers of pro audio and DJ gear introduce most of
their new products at NAMM. Consequently, they write a huge
chunk of the coming year’s business at the four-day California
show. To many companies, Winter NAMM is everything.
Still,
for all its relevance to the DJ community, NAMM is not a
show specifically for DJs – that description instead fits
our International DJ Expo. You don’t see a ton of DJs cavorting
with the engineers or salesmen at the various NAMM booths.
No, NAMM is really about the dealers, most of whom are not
DJs.
So for the 2001 NAMM issue, we asked DJs of all stripes
– club jocks, mobiles, studio hounds, etc. – to put their
two cents in with the makers of the products they use and
describe their own dream gear. It could be a modification
of an existing piece, a completely new idea or something
that challenges the very laws of physics or economics. In
the space of a week, we received a deluge of returned e-mails
– some illuminating, others entertaining. Enjoy.
DJ
AJAXXX, Ultra Sounz, San Bruno, Calif.
I’d die if I could get something of a hybrid between the
Roland 307 (because of its size and portability) with a
high-powered, built-in sampler along with some effects processors
(Vocoder and all that good stuff) rolled into one – a simple
(yeah right), portable package that I can bring to a gig
and play some of my original tracks. At least in this way,
I can still somewhat play the tracks live as opposed to
making them in my studio and then playing a DAT or CD at
a gig. I realize that this might be a bit of a stretch,
getting all that technology into a small package.
DJ Chicago, Pasadena, Calif.
A lightweight case made to lug around not just one set,
but several sets of records. Some of us DJs still using
records have to lug around a bunch of bags and crates (for
those really old-school DJs), but they are still heavy!
It is nice to just take one bag if you are doing a set,
but for all-nighters you need a massive arsenal. Take it
all! Even the cases with casters are still a pain in the
ass! Especially when the DJ system is on the second floor.
No more backbreakers.
George
Calle, Staten Island, N.Y.
I’d like to see the Rane MP2016 have at least two sends
and two returns for outboard effects that can be assigned
individually to each channel and/or the total mix. Each
channel would have to have busing capabilities as well.
Oh, and for God’s sake outlaw mixers with BPM counters.
Dave
Aude, Moonshine Music, Los Angeles
I’d like a sound system that would let me focus on specific
people on the dancefloor and send music, etc., to only those
people, sort of like telepathy. It would help everyone kind
of feel like you’re DJing specifically for them. I would
like to see a mixer that didn’t distort at high levels and
make it easier to plug into a new source, rather than have
to go to the back of the mixer, which is usually inaccessible.
I’d like to see an inexpensive computer system with a pro
sequencer, audio editor and MIDI interface “all-in-one”
that was easily updated without disks, keys or knowledge
of system software.
Edmond
Bobby, Astro Disc Jockeys, Virginia Beach, Va.
My dream piece would be a dual CD player with DVD capability.
Imagine a dual DVD deck by Denon or Pioneer with their current
features that can read DVD, video CD, CD-R, MP3, as well
as regular CD music format. Also an internal hard drive
(20 gig +) with proper connection plugs to download MP3s
from other players or computers for storage. Maybe have
the option of being able to plug an external hard drive.
Linda
Caplan, American Sound Entertainment, Philadelphia
As a woman in this business, I would like to see everything
or anything as lightweight as possible – speakers, amps
especially. Monster sound that fills a hall, but weighs
nothing. This is my dream.
Bill
Brewster, Fabric/Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, London
Two things. First, I’d like to see a steel record box (with
recessed handles and locks), which opens up into equal halves,
so that you can place half your records in one part of the
lid and the rest in the other. The other, and it perplexes
me why someone hasn’t bloody well done it already, is a
DJ box trolley. A simple metallic trolley, with adjustable
base for different sizes of record boxes, a retractable
handle so it can be packed up on flights and journeys and
straps to hold the box(es) on. I mean, come on, it’s really
simple. Isn’t it?
Gene
Carbonell, The Chamber, Atlanta
A Pioneer DJM-600 mixing board with a built-in single or
double pitchable CD player with the features of the CDJ-700.
Call it the CDJM-600X. Will I get royalties if they make
one?
Aaron
Carter, Cirrus, Los Angeles
A turntable that could output surround sound, where each
cartridge had two needles for four audio signals. This means
that the vinyl would also have to be cut differently with
two grooves for each needle. If one needle gets you stereo,
why not two needles for surround sound, maybe even a third
needle for 5.1? Also a surround-sound DJ mixer with a joystick
to move the sound in real-time as well as individual pan
control.
DJ
Crash, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Put the Pioneer DJM-500/600 mixers into a rack-mountable,
19-inch size.
Christopher
Craze, Craze Nation Ltd., Tampa, Fla.
I say DVD players set up like a Denon 2600 and two of them
with a separate, but interfaced video switcher/fader. A
flawless turntable design that doesn’t feed back, or at
least a few club owners could learn something and start
putting the DJ booth on the ground floor. For a mixer: a
Rane MP24 with six input faders, 10 lines and four phono.
Same function knob as a selector, and when the crossfader
is active the other channels will still pass audio as to
have more than two sources at a time. Also, a MIDI-controlled
noise gate on the mixer, hooked to a sequencer and you got
lobsters and not crabs. BPM counter on a Rane, just so I
can label my records a lot easier. Add a MiniDisc recorder
to this Rane and make it four rack spaces. Got all that?
DJ
Cue, Stray Records, Daly City, Calif.
I wish I could take features from different mixers and make
my own. It’s not hard. Just the basic best parts. Good fader,
good EQs, effect inserts, headphone mix/cue fader, good
line switches, some new digital ins and outs, headphone
EQs, a MIDI output to read MIDI data for different mix and
scratch patterns, more than two channels at once play, no
more huge surfboard shapes like those 10-inch-wide, but
25-inch-long mixers, no more crazy colors. I wish the manufacturers
would just make cool stuff again. Take off all the endorsement
signatures, the big logos and make some military-utility-type
mixer, just plain and able to do the job.
Gary
Deane, Mid-Atlantic Dance Promotions, Wilmington, Del.
Let’s say a computer that also has an attached mixer for
external inputs and the ability to use digital audio and
analog sources on the fly to put together a performance
box – i.e., a box that can play MP3, WAV and other audio
files, as well as have the ability to edit, loop, and mix
on the fly, as well as have turntable, CD and digital inputs.
The box should be transportable and durable.
DJ
Demus, New York City
More travel-friendly flight cases and bags. Every time I
do a gig it’s a whole procedure getting my records up and
down. I know there are new lines of cases coming out with
wheels and pulls, but cases also need to be lighter and
stronger. They should consult with DJs to get an idea of
what we need and want. Also, I’d like to see an affordable
home vinyl-press machine. There’s a lot of stuff you can’t
find on vinyl and it would be great if you could just master
from CD to a lacquer for price under $500.
Dave
“The Wave” Dresden, GrooveRadio.com/Promo Only, Los Angeles
I would love to see a single-unit CD player that looks and
has the portability of the Pioneer CDJ-700 and front-loading
like the 100. From there, they would reconfigure the looping
features so that they’re seamless; where the CD player can
figure out what the DJ wants so that when making a loop,
it’s not a crapshoot. In addition, like the Denon 2600,
have two separate cue points. The possibility of having
two cue points makes for unending live remix possibilities.
The thing that hurts CD DJs the most is not that you can’t
physically scratch a CD, it’s that you can’t look at a CD
and tell what’s going to happen like you can with vinyl.
If they could make the “elapsed time” feature have a graphic
display of the track from beginning to end (like when you
edit tracks in Pro Tools), as well as a bar which tells
you where within the track you are, it would take much of
the guesswork out of CD mixing.
Eardrum,
Tables of Distinction, Hyattsville, Md.
Let’s do it like Letterman! Here’s our Top 10. 10) Rack-mountable
(19-inch) wireless mic system containing five separate mics
in the one unit. 9) All amplifier manufacturers, in keeping
with the QSC lightweight technology, to incorporate amps
weighing in at 25 pounds or lighter, but capable of producing
enough power to handle any set of double 18s on the marker.
Of course, these amps will have to be able to plug into
normal house current receptacles without tripping circuit
breakers or blowing every fuse in the room. 8) I remember
a long time ago, JBL tried out the wireless speakers; surely
some manufacturer can perfect this technology. 7) A combination
DAT-CD-MiniDisc-cassette player in one rack-mountable unit.
6) DJ mixer with built in compressor-limit-enhancer features.
Or DJ mixer with video in and out jacks. 5) Any hardware
format that would allow for a minimum two hour, uninterrupted
record time. 4) The five-year phono cartridge, coupled with
the two-year stylus. 3) Home- and studio-based (consumer
priced) vinyl records pressing machine. 2) All manufacturers
parts and components (and software) compatible regardless
of brand name. 1) Any piece of music equipment that wasn’t
priced with the usual 600-percent markup!
E-Man,
Bang the Party, Brooklyn, N.Y.
My ultimate piece would be a record case on wheels that
would be tall enough for me so that I wouldn’t have to bend
over to get the records out – I’m 6-foot-6-inches tall.
There would also be a light inside that would come on every
time you opened the case – like a fridge. Also, it wouldn’t
hurt if it had a compartment big enough to fit a bottle
of Johnny Black, ice and a couple of tumblers.
DJ Emily, Plastic City, New York City
A bit boring, but wouldn’t it be great if someone came up
with a cheap way to make record vinyl scratch-proof and
static resistant – maybe lighter in weight? Or come up with
a way to make CD mixing more tactile and interesting. My
back would hurt less! On the production side, I would love
to see technology that can time-stretch and pitch shift
stuff without limits and without changing the quality of
the original sample. Well, hell, I would really love to
have a piece of gear that will translate and execute my
telepathic commands to the rest of my gear.
Andy
Erickson, Bailey Brothers Music, Montgomery, Ala.
My dream piece is a DVD player made like a Pioneer CDJ-700
and a mixer that mixes both audio and video (with sweeps).
I feel that the future of DJing will be more multi-media-based.
We have done everything we can for the ears. Now it is time
to stimulate the eyes, too. I travel to clubs with huge
screens and projections, but what is showing on them never
really matches the music and the lights. I want the tools
to put this visual tool under my control. I buy all these
import CD5 releases and there is a video on them. I want
so much to use video live!
Bobby
Fantarella, Hot Roc Productions, Woodbridge, Conn.
I truly feel that we should be able to buy a solid, dual-drive,
front-load CD player that will not be fussy about certain
discs, will be dependable for at least three years, have
the standard features (i.e, anti-shock, seamless looping,
etc.) and cost around $400.
Gordon
G, Soul Disco Record Pool, San Francisco
My most thought-of fantasy piece of DJ gear would be a momentary
remote foot-pedal cue. I’ve thought of this for years, but
haven’t come around to making it. The idea comes from some
of the Roland special effects gear that has foot-pedal controls.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a foot pedal at your left foot
for the cue of the left turntable, and vice versa at the
right foot for your right turntable? When you lift your
foot up the momentary switch disengages your cue. Imagine
how much faster you can cue a record in the dark without
pushing buttons, especially when you’re deep in a megamix.
Second feature is a compressor-limiter built into a mixer
that controls the output volume set by you. This will boost
and enhance low-pressed records and compress hot-pressed
records and bring them to a level set by you. Third, turntables
with the feature on the Pioneers that you can pitch up or
down a record and the vocals won’t vary high pitch or low
pitch. No Mickey Mouse when pitched up and no Barry White
when pitched down.
DJ Fluid, Afro-Mystik/Om Records, San Francisco
This might seem a bit far-fetched, I would like to see a
new form of 12-inch that is digital, and contains visual
as well as audio data on each side. These audio/visual 12-inch
discs would be read by a special laser stylus that would
fit right on to your existing 1200. This way, whenever the
DJ played that record, the accompanying visual track (as
produced by the artist) would also play. The DJ could also
cut and scratch on these little multi-media fuckers and
do some serious damage to the crowd’s nervous systems.
Chris
Arkley-Smith, Frontside, Melbourne, Australia
We are really into step sequencers at the moment a la Korg
Electribes and JoMoX Xbase09. So a box with all three of
these combined with loads of knobs, DSP, inputs and outputs.
The time has come for the industry to put together a one-box
answer.
DJ
Gianni, Spundae/Harmonics Records, Santa Rosa, Calif.
They should make “E-Tard Spray,” so when you’re in the middle
of a mix, the monitors are obviously blaring in your ear
and some E-tard starts asking you stupid question that you
can barely hear like, “Can you teach me to spin” as they
drool all over themselves. You just simply pull out your
trusty little can of “E-Tard Spray” and have at it! OK,
really though – I think that the ultimate piece of DJ equipment
would be a coffin designed to prevent the needles from skipping.
It happens time after time at rave after rave. Either the
sound vibrates the coffin, or the floor isn’t stable enough
for the people dancing, or some E-Tard bumps into the coffin/table.
I suggest they make a coffin with some sort of springs or
something to stop the turntables from vibrating. I’d buy
one. So would every sound company and promoter.
DJ
Greg Gallagher, Y-100, Philadelphia
Gig bag: Just one that wouldn’t fall apart and weigh a ton.
I hear Kevlar is very fashionable, and might even save your
ass when you play the wrong tune. Harry K, Apollo 440, London
Needles that are more durable and stiff – and add a free
pair of booty dancers for every show. Also, I would like
to be able to cut my own records quick and easy without
spending a fortune. I would like to see more vinyl with
locked grooves so I can go for a piss or beer during the
show.
Bernie
Howard, Bernie Howard Entertainment/Gemini Sound Products,
Northbrook, Ill.
I’d like to see a DJ-friendly dual-transport CD/MP3 player/recorder
combined with a hard-disk storage and Internet access –
sort of a mobile DJ’s ultimate workstation. This box would
allow a DJ to play or record his own material, store music
on hard disk and access it immediately and even be able
to access requested music from the Internet from the “International
DJ Archives.” When dad comes up to a jock at a wedding and
requests an obscure song from his youth, the jock could
simply “get online” and download it. “I’ll play it for you
in a second, sir!”
Barry
Harris, Thunderpuss, Los Angeles
I’d love to have some kind of function on a CD player to
nudge a “skip” (the kind that gets stuck on a really bad
CD loop), much like the way if that happens on vinyl, one
simply has to put a little more weight on the needle to
get past it. Right now as it is, if a dirty CD gets stuck
in a bad loop, a DJ has absolutely no choice but to quickly
change to another CD. Hopefully he/she has that already
set up! Another great feature on a pro CD player would be
to have some kind of graphic representation of what’s to
come about a minute ahead of time. As a DJ, for years I’ve
always been glancing at the vinyl “reading” it to see when
the break or (nowadays) breakdown is coming. It’s a lot
more comfortable when you don’t know a song “inside/out.”
John
Howard, Om/Imix/Exact Science Records, San Francisco
I think that some manufacturer ought to make an affordable
mixer that sends a really tight MIDI clock so you can sync
a piece of gear or two (maybe a Korg ES1 or laptop) and
not tap tempo or vice versa. I stress the word affordable
here – not $800-$1,000. As far as the unaffordable goes,
I think the integration of a computer sequencer into a DJ
mixer would be really cool. Also, a CD mixer with pitch
the size of a CD would be cool. Or MiniDisc with pitch without
the compression scheme would be even better. Allen Jeffrey,
For the Record, New York City I would like to see a UREI
1620 mixer have the same panning quality as the originator,
the Bozak – smooth as a baby’s bottom. I would also like
this mixer to have effects built in, such as reverb, echo,
delay, flange etc., without having to buy another manufacturer’s
piece of outboard gear. It wouldn’t hurt if the auxiliary
pots were as hot as the phono pots in the mixer as a standard
feature also. What about having an option of slide pots
along with the rotary pots for the hip-hop jocks?
Jason
Jinx, Unlucky Music, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Here is an idea that is ideal for those gigs where the monitor
is crap, on the wrong side, or non-existent. A mixer with
multiple split headphone options – three options per ear,
assignable for left and right separately. They would include:
phono/line 1 only, phono/line 2 only and main mix. I used
to do this sort of thing with two different pairs of headphones
on each ear when I still lived with my parents and I wanted
to spin late at night. It actually worked, too.
Mark
Kelso, Celebrations DJ Service, Youngstown, Ohio
As a multi-system mobile DJ, I would like to see more cost-efficient,
simple-to-use and great sounding equipment. I want cases
with not only two CD players and mixer, but also a wireless
mic unit and lighting controller, all in one case. This
can be done and still be light and easy to use.
François Kevorkian, Body & Soul/Wave Music, New York
City
As for my wishes, the first involves 5.1 (multi-channel)
sound systems. I feel the limits of stereo have been reached
a while back, and it’s a real shame the enchanted soundscapes
of multi-channel audio has been reserved to Disney-World
and other amusement parks (who have real budgets). Second
wish: Designers with vision. Rehashing things that were
created 20 years ago by people now deceased – Richard Long,
for example – will only get you so far. To tell you my other
wishes, I would require you to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
Ken
Knotts, All Occasion Entertainment, Anaheim, Calif.
The piece of pro DJ gear I would most like to see is a lightweight,
yet extremely durable case with a 19-inch rack inside for
my mixer and CD player controller on top, plus space for
components down the front. The side facing the audience
must be presentable to the public. The color is black. Handles
recessed. Access through doors/tunnels in the bottom and
or side. You say, “They exist.” I reply, yes they do. However,
I would like to see clips, compartments or clamps mounted
inside the case covers (there is unused space) to hold spare
parts. Other things too, like the wireless mic, replacement
fuses, spare RCA cables, business cards, spare XLR cable,
small package of rack screws, replacement “Littlite bulb,”
small flashlight, screwdriver, pen/pencil & paper, etc.
A practical piece of equipment, like the one I explained,
would be “multi-purpose” and remove a lot of stress that
occurs when you need an item at a gig now and have to hunt
elsewhere to find it. The pro DJ would also have less to
carry into a gig because each of the spare parts have their
own “home” and are already located inside the case.
John Landers (aka DJ Saint John), DJ Times scribe, Miami
We already have powered speakers, so when is a manufacturer
going to offer mobile DJs cordless speakers? We don’t have
to run speaker cable any more, but we’ve still got to worry
about the XLR send from the mixer. With the advances in
wireless digital technology, it’d be nice to have one fewer
hassle when loading in for a mobile gig. In addition to
giving DJs more flexibility with speaker placement, I imagine
such a system would actually be lighter and more compact
than a bundle of cables, which would also be helpful for
mobile work.
Steve
Lawler, Global Underground/Nu Breed, Birmingham, England
A sampler which will loop and trigger effects at ease (unlike
most samplers) and one that you can assign and save effects
to each sample at a size which is portable and easily wired
into any channel in any mixer. There are many samplers and
effects units about, but none that have all these elements
in one unit.
George
Llanes, Jr., Onit Records, New York City
My ideal gear would be a Roland SP 808 with pitch control
like a turntable. It would enable me to perform live with
two of them and mix my own productions while I filter, add
effects and drop tracks in and out. I also feel if the machine
would have a MIDI sequencer, could play a minimum of eight
notes at the same time and a realistic tuning of each sample
a lot of producers would dedicate themselves to it. Having
worked with a lot of workstations, it would become a mix
between E-MU SP 1200 and Roland SP 808. I would feel so
powerful, the truth is ...comfortable.
Mike’y
D. Merola, Full Blast Records, Staten Island, N.Y.
As for a piece of equipment on the DJ level, I would like
to see the needle manufacturers come up with a needle that
can bypass the clicks or pops on vinyl records. I receive
about 20 promo vinyl records every week and, even though
they are new and fresh sometimes, they unfortunately have
pops and clicks in the audio. Imagine having a needle that
can mute that? That would be phat. It would be great to
have a CD mixer that can sample more than 16 beats and sync
to the BPMs of the next record, and save it (live) on the
fly. Wouldn’t that be cool?
DJ
Marvel, Odyssey Innovative Designs, Azusa, Calif.
I’d like to see Technics 1200s with self-RCA cable adaptation,
so cable installation and repair isn’t so expensive. A mixer,
like Rane, where the mic channel can be isolated from the
booth/monitor speaker (i.e., MP-22), but also find it on
battle mixers. CD players that have the RCA outputs on the
controller, not the tray unit, where it is more sensible
to be closer to the mixer rather than the amps, etc.
DJ
Micro, Caffeine, Melville, N.Y.
My favorite piece is the Kurzweil K2500 and it would be
wonderful if I woke up one morning, looked on the back and
it had 16 outputs instead of eight. Also, I wish that someone
made a turntable that was absolutely, positively prone to
eliminate any kind of feedback – maybe some kind of magnetic
bass deflector.
Misstress
Barbara, Relentless Music, Montréal, Que.
DJ-wise, I would love to see integrated effects in all types
of Vestax mixers – easy, small and friendly-use like the
one on the Pioneer DJM-500 mixer, but also with an efficient
filter that the DJM-500 doesn’t have. And I would need more
extended limits with the pitch of the Technics turntable,
allowing you to speed up or slow down even more some records
that you would love to fit in your sets, but that you can’t
because the pitch doesn’t have enough large limits. Producer-wise,
I will be amazed when I can sit down on my studio chair
in the days I have trouble making what I’m hearing in my
head and just plug my mind to the computer and record my
ideas straight in and get everything exactly like it is
in my mind, already done, arranged, mixed and constructed!
Jason
Ojeda, Mind Trap, Hicksville, N.Y.
Dream piece of DJ gear would be for JBL to make the UREI
1620 one more time! As far as the studio, computers have
come a long way, but are still way far from being perfect.
They need to stop crashing and having so many conflicts
with other companies. Mix-Master Ice, U.T.F.O./DMC Hall
of Fame, Brooklyn, N.Y. I would like to see a mixer that
can handle strong pressure on the up-and-down faders without
breaking off and sometimes shorting out, too.
Jonathan
Ojeda, Spundae/Nu Breed, San Francisco
A harmonizer unit that would instantly find the key a record
or CD was in and give you the option of harmonizing it with
the other record or choosing the exact same key to mix with.
Guido
Osorio, Razor & Guido, Huntington, N.Y.
I think that my dream piece of gear would be a mixing board
almost like the Mackie D8B, but with a larger touch-sensitive,
software-based control surface – kinda if you took one of
those flat screen TVs, put it flat on a table and made them
touch-sensitive, and wrote software for them so all the
knobs and sliders were touch-sensitive and you could customize
the control surface any way you want! And, of course, add
all kinds of plug-ins and stuff. I don’t know how far away
that is, but I’ve had this idea since ’96! I also would
like to see more software synths hit the market. I just
got a Mac Powerboook and, as a producer that travels a lot,
I would like to see a lot more self-sufficient computers.
My laptop can burn CDs and pretty much make a whole song
within itself. So when I fly, I bring my studio with me!
The future is here, but it still costs a lot!
Constantino
“Mixmaster” Padavano, Voice of the Underground Recordings,
Mola di Bari, Italy
I would love to see a small, portable, low-cost PC that
has the best software on the market and can create music
with studio sound. Most of today’s software for PC and Mac
sounds good, but it’s cold (digital). It would be nice to
have a little warmth to the sound.
Jason
Patrick, On-Point Studios, Baltimore, Md.
I don’t think they made this yet. But I would like to have
a portable handheld recording device with a built-in compressor-limiter
for catching live DJ sets. It would help keep a DJ’s recordings
from getting distorted. I’ve gotten carried away in the
past and pushed the levels too hard and the recording either
came out too muddy or too muffled. This device would be
a great help if you ever wanted to record any live sets.
Chris
“The Greek” Panaghi, WLIR, Garden City, N.Y.
As a professional DJ, I would love to see a dual-DAT machine
with pitch control and effects. A new DAT machine designed
as a slim rack-mount that would allow a DJ the use of DATS
when spinning. The gear would definitely have to have built-in
effects as well as loop features and a bandpass filter.
As far as my producer/remixer side, I would love to see
a new keyboard designed that would have an unlimited amount
of sounds to the point of where they design a special card
that will let you save thousands of sounds on a MicroDisc
and allow easy access to switch the memory cards. The new
keyboard would have a feature to give advice for beginners
on what keys might go better with different chords, and
suggest the option of using different chords depending on
what style of music you do. The new gear would have to be
inexpensive, of course.
Nigel
Richards, 611 Records, Philadelphia
I
would love to see more effects and even a customizable effects
processor that I could take around with me. It could be
a card that I would bring to each gig that had my pre-programmed
“personal” effects in so I could truly sound unique. More
effects on mixers or a standard output, so that if I rolled
up to an event, I would be able to easily hook in my outboard
effects processor without shutting down the whole system
to reach the outs.
Hector
Romero, Definity Records, New York City
My dream piece of gear would be an MP3-style player with
pitch control that I could easily hook up to a DSL line
at a club. This way I could download certain tracks and
play them on the fly. I would use it for downloading classics
because I hate carrying my originals.
DJ Roneroux, Rockin’ Ron’s Mobile Productions, New Orleans
Since MP3s are so widely available now and you can fit so
many of them on a CD, how about making a dual-CD player
comparable to the Denon series or Pioneer series. Basically
make a dual-MP3 player with pitch control. Imagine how many
CDs you wouldn’t have to carry around.
David
Rosenbloom, Dancetronics, Allentown, Pa.
A mixer with built-in beverage cooler.
DJ
Shuai, Richmond, Va.
I would like to see SCSII interfaces for zip drives on all
samplers. The Roland BOSS SP-202 would be great if they
made an upgraded version that supports SCSII, has a built-in
sequencer, at least 8-polyphony, with eight banks and at
least 16 Max Smart Media support.
DJ Sep, Dub Mission, San Francisco
I wish the genie would bring me a truly portable combination
of analog mixing deck with a computer (running Pro Tools
or similar program), so I can play my tracks off the computer
and mix them live in a club setting – sort of a live studio/dub
session in a suitcase.
Nicky
Siano, Mardi Gras/Cheetah, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Since I work a lot on my computer, I had an idea about a
year ago of computers replacing turntables, loaded with
many different songs and types of music, with pitch control
and slip wheels like the Pioneer CDJ-100s. MP3 or WAV files
can be used, and music can be uploaded through CD or vinyl,
as well as downloaded from the Internet.
Danny
Tenaglia, Be Yourself/Vinyl, Queens, N.Y.
I think a quality turntable that allows you to utilize a
“master tempo” feature built in. I know there is the Vinyl
Touch unit, but that didn’t seem to cut it. Maybe there
is one I don’t know about? It would also have to be mixer
friendly since I travel a lot and almost everywhere I play
has a completely different set-up and sound techs who don’t
really deal with much more than turntables and CD players.
They used to look at me like I was out of my mind in some
places when I showed up with a Jam Man, Kaoss Pad, Boss
202 and my own Pioneer CD players for the features.
Penelope Tuesdae, GBH, New York City
I would like a virtual DJ system that taps into the Library
of Congress, holding every song ever created. At my will,
I can choose a song to spin, have it immediately arrive
on my board in the form of a vinyl record and then represent!
This may already be in the works. I just hope it happens
soon. I would also like to have virtual go-go dancers projected
on each side of my DJ booth. They come with the virtual
DJ system and you can program their outfits to change with
each party. As you can probably tell, I am a very simple
girl.
Richard
“Humpty” Vission, Power Tools, Los Angeles
I’d like to see the Pioneer DJM-600 add an EQ to the monitor
output. LeDell Wallace, Bailey Brothers, Birmingham, Ala.
I’d like to see a completely separate sub-mic input on the
Pioneer DJM-600 as well as a zone out. A 19-inch version
wouldn’t suck either. These two features would make the
mixer a little more club-friendly. I’d like headphones that
sound great, with drivers that won’t blow and aluminum casings
that won’t break and a cable that won’t short out. Scratch-proof
records and CDs. Scratch pads that won’t leave lint and
trash all over my records.
Danny
Williams, The Warehouse, Raleigh, N.C.
I would like to see pitchable DVD players. I have been waiting
on them for years. I think the video club will make a resurge
if and when they come out. The record companies could also
profit by making extended-play videos that they sold as
DVD singles. I’d also like to see an MP3-CD player. I know
the technology is there. Apex makes DVD players that read
MP3 files written on your home computer. It also shows the
name that you gave it displayed on your monitor or TV. Can
you imagine? It would be possible to put 10 hours of MP3
music on one re-writable CD-ROM. That would give you a total
of 20 hours on two decks. Imagine how that would trim down
your portable library? That would be good in a mobile or
club situation. I would also like to see a display on the
MP3-CD player that shows the name that you gave the file
when you wrote it.
Jon
Williams, ManMade Media, San Francisco
Something that you can record tracks on to play out. At
first, I was thinking a better interface for a CD player
– or possibly one of those home vinyl lathes – but maybe
we need to leapfrog all that technology (as it seems to
me that they can’t seem to get it right with CDs) and have
some kind of turntable-like interface built on to a large-capacity,
hard-disk recorder. Perhaps, and I know I’m getting fanciful
here, but perhaps the hard disk could be embedded in particularly
thick 12-inch disc – or perhaps the turntable itself could
have the hard disk built in, and one would have a switch
to select “vinyl” or “internal memory.”
Pete
Werner, Promo Only, Casselberry, Fla.
A DVD player with pitch control! This would revitalize video.
The reason everyone who has ever played video resisted it
is because it’s very difficult to mix in and out of. Also
club mixes (Thunderpuss, Johnny Vicious, HQ2, Peter Rauhofer,
etc.) were almost never available with video edits, until
now. This would be the most revolutionary gear that has
come out since the CD player.
Peter
Wohelski, GreenGalactic, Brooklyn, N.Y.
A DAT machine with pitch control. Also, a MiniDisc player
with pitch control and many of the nifty loop/pitch-shift
capabilities on Pioneer’s CDJ-700. A full-size mixer like
a Vestax PMC-55 with more turntablist features such as a
hamster switch.
YogaFrog,
Invisible Skratch Piklz & Thud Rumble, Burlingame, Calif.
Portable turntables and mixer as advanced as all the Vestax
– fits in a bag, and carry it around to play like a guitar.
Kenny Zail, Party Hits Entertainment, Dunwoody, Ga.
Speaker tripods that interlock so that they can be carried
together without a sack, an MP3/CD combo player with variable-speed
and pitch control, a high-end mixer with a mono/stereo switch,
an MD/CD combo player, wireless powered speakers and a battery
generator capable of powering a standard DJ set up for four
hours.
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