As I fly home from the show, I needed to get my thoughts together from the show. thanks to Sid and Jake for being extra pairs of eyes at the show . . .

NAMM 2012 featured some the kewlest and some of the lamest products that I have ever witnessed as a lover of professional audio.

What was new?*
My picks for the kewlest products offered were both iPad based. Mackie and Numark both get props for harnessing the power of the new apple iPad. The Mackie DL1608 digital mixer ($999) *allows you to dock and use the iPads processing (actually up to 10 iPads) to mix and of course add digital effects and processing to 16 mics. *Numark’s Djay Pro also docks your iPad in the center of this big wheel controller. Still in vaporware mode (under plexiglass) Numark’s lead engineer promised March delivery about the same time that the iPad 3 comes out and at $499 is guaranteed to be a winner.

2012 is the year of the music controller and now almost any computer can be the center of your DJ system. Wether you prefer Serato, Virtual DJ, or Traktor as your software, someone has a new controller to you to DJ with. The show featured serious controllers and toy controllers created to sell at Best Buy and Amazon for Xmas gifts.

My picks for the kewlest were the new Denon MC3000 ( their MC6000 was already a grand slam hit). The new Vestax VCI-400 at $999 is coming in February and focused for the serious jock. My fav for low cost controllers go the Vestax VCI for their Typhoon $299 and American DJ for their VMS2.

Gemini, Behringer, DJ Tech and other new toy companies showed controllers also . . . . not many dealers cared. Will anyone take a $199 controller seriously ?
Just Mattel.

Pioneer seems to like the color white and was showing their DJ-Ego control system that features a white plastic controller priced at $599. Pioneer also reprinted their best mixer and cd players, the DJM900 nexus and CDJ2000 now have a limited white edition model. Perfect for girl DJ’s and churches.
Hey they’re Pioneer.

Rane showed 3 new mixers/controller (61 and 62) designed by DJ Z-Trip that will allow you to control Serato from Rane *mixer . . . Nice but pricey . They also show a limited edition Z-trip 62 (ala Grandmaster Flash) with purple highlights, fancy cables and yellow knobs. Rane makes good stuff that Serato DJ’s love.

LED moving heads are getting brighter and costing less. I liked the ADJ ViziSpot Pro and they introduced a mobile 4 bar type led mobile light for $399 with bag. Chauvet showed an led Leiko Source Four type light that allows you to make wedding gobos with your laser printer. The king of uplighting is still Blizzard. Pucks still rule with their brightness and 2 year warranty. ADJ’s new little DMX *controllers are cost effective and designed perfectly for uplighting.

Back to Audio.
JBL showed their new PRX400 series that will replace SRX and MRX for less *money.
AKG showed a $99 UHF wireless system that rocked. Why buy a toy when you can buy AKG quality form$99? Line6 added more channels to their digital wireless microphones.

Ultimate Support is finally shipping their computer stand and it seems to be very solid to protect your laptop.*

Finally
I loved the new Soundcraft SI compact live digital mixing console that’s easier to use than the Yamaha LS9 and lights up far prettier.
I now have a demo LS9 I need to sell cheap with case. I’m in love.

At Audiolines, we are taking orders for new products so check our website for more details of what’s new from NAMM. Have a great 2012!

Pioneer releases limited edition brilliant-white models of the CDJ-2000 and DJM-900nexus featuring unique carved symbol plates

19 January 2012

They’re among Pioneer’s most popular products, sought after by DJs who want equipment that looks as good as it sounds. With their superb high-definition audio, stunning club-quality effects and sleek user-friendly design, the industry-standard CDJ-2000 and DJM-900nexus offer the ultimate in style and substance.

So, DJs are in for a serious treat as Pioneer launches limited edition white versions of its flagship multi-player and mixer. And, with just 1,000 units of the CDJ-2000 Limited and 500 of the DJM-900nexus Limited available worldwide, these unique pieces are sure to be snapped up quickly.

With the CDJ-2000 and DJM-900nexus, club-quality sound, high-end design, professional effects and cross-equipment connectivity come as standard. Featuring customised symbol plates embossed with limited edition serial numbers, the brilliant-white versions of Pioneer’s ever-popular player and mixer will stand out in any environment.

The CDJ-2000 Limited and DJM-900nexus Limited will be available from February 2012 at a SRP of 1,850euros for the CDJ-2000 Limited and 1,899 euros for the DJM-900nexus Limited, including VAT.

Key features of the CDJ-2000 Limited

• Supports music from any source and works intuitively with DJ software
  The player supports various media formats, so DJs can simply plug and play music from laptops, USB keys, SD memory cards, CDs and digital files in multiple formats, including MP3, AAC, WAV and AIFF.

  DJs can play from our rekordbox™ software, directly from the player, for ultimate flexibility and creativity. rekordbox analyses the BPM and beat position of songs from your computer, allowing DJs to categorise music by genre and create playlists before a gig. Songs and playlists can be easily transferred from rekordbox to the player via USB, while cue and loop settings can be recalled during the set for truly crowd-pleasing performances.

  Adding yet another layer of user-friendly flexibility to the CDJ-2000 Limited is the built-in PRO DJ Link, which removes the need for lots of connections and cables and allows DJs to concentrate on what they do best. Using just one LAN cable, DJs can connect up to four CDJ-2000s and instantly share music and data between the players. Plus, the DJM-900nexus can be linked to the players, so highly accurate BPM and beat location information can be sent straight to the mixer from the CDJ-2000s.

• Delivers master-quality, club-standard sound
  Accurate sound reproduction is guaranteed with the CDJ-2000 Limited’s master-quality, 24-bit/48 kHz sound card and high-efficiency, Wolfson Microelectronics-manufactured D/A converter, so DJs can deliver club-standard audio that will please even the most discerning ear.
• Large, full-colour 6.1-inch LCD display
  An oversized, full-colour screen enhances the CDJ-2000 Limited’s operability: playlists are easy to browse through; album artwork is clearly displayed; waveforms are instantly viewable; and track information can be read easily.
• Needle Search™ function
  Pioneer’s unique Needle Search function replicates the experience of using an old-school turntable – DJs simply touch the jog wheel at their chosen point in the track and press play.

Key features of the DJM-900nexus Limited

• Four-channel sound card offers excellent input and output with no loss of sound quality
  An integrated 24-bit/96 kHz USB sound card allows for pristine sound reproduction and eliminates the need for third-party audio interfaces, while the 32-bit digital processor ensures there is no degradation of the source audio. The mixer’s four input and four output lines operate simultaneously and the output signal path can be changed to suit DJs’ needs – whether they are performing, recording or producing.
• Complete Traktor compatibility so DJs can simply plug in and play
  Laptops can be connected to the mixer using just one cable, allowing DJs to instantly access Digital Vinyl Systems such as Traktor. The DJM-900nexus Limited’s output can be sent straight back to Traktor so DJs can record their mixes at the push of a button. Plus, Traktor’s timecode feature lets DJs spin and scratch digital files using vinyl and CD control without the Traktor sound card.
• A wide range of high-definition effects for truly creative DJing
  The DJM-900nexus Limited is home to the intuitive X-Pad, a touch-sensitive strip that allows DJs to simultaneously engage Beat Effects and adjust functions like Reverb, Roll Time and Phaser LFO – using just one finger. The X-Pad lends itself to truly brilliant performances, offering an instant trigger with Quantize timing for live edits that are perfectly on beat. And because there’s no longer any risk of using manually timed effects, it’s easier to be much more creative.
  Professional-quality effects include:
  • Reverb: Deliver processor-intensive reverbs without relying on unstable laptops. The Reverb function brings studio-quality effects with a two-minute tail, pitched room size control and input frequency filtering for crowd-stunning results.
  • Spiral: Create psychedelic breakdowns and interludes with a single hit using this pitch echo. Modeled on a tape delay effect, it offers the kind of stunning feedback looping usually only found in studio plugins.
  • Slip Roll: The ultimate beat-mashing tool, the Slip Roll effect puts rhythmic slicing right at DJs’ fingertips. Use the X-Pad to continuously re-sample and loop chunks of audio as you slide between loop sizes, perfectly in time with the beat.
• Built-in Pro DJ Link enhances performances
  Linking the DJM-900nexus Limited to a CDJ-2000 allows perfectly accurate BPM and beat location information to be exchanged between mixer and player, so effects can be applied without losing the beat. Status alert lights flash when the CDJ has been engaged, so DJs know when a track is playing out to the speakers. The true benefit of Pro DJ Link can be seen with Beat effects as they can apply rekordbox BPM and beatgrid information from compatible Pioneer DJ players to keep the effects in perfect time. Cue Link, meanwhile, acts as an additional audio channel so DJs can preview tracks through their headphones, straight from rekordbox.
• Next generation durable fader
  The DJM-900nexus series boasts Pioneer’s most robust faders to date offer the ultimate in durability both above and below deck. The internal fader component is positioned out of harm’s way, sparing it from drink spillages during performance, while the external P-Lock Fader Caps prevent the faders from slipping accidentally.

New Vestax VCI- 400 controller at NAMM 2012

New Rane controllers influenced by Z-Trip at NAMM 2012

This coverage is brought to you by Audiolines.com!