dj

I spent the better part of my twenties pursuing electronic-music rock stardom. Obviously, I failed.

I had some fun along the way, though, which is a rare achievement in a music genre that traditionally splits the duties of creating the music (studio-dwelling producers) and performing the music (fun-loving DJs).

Through trial and error, and many horrible shows, I had a profound realization. The secret to a great show as a DJ or electronic musician is to stop worrying about the audience having fun and focus on entertaining yourself. If an audience can see that you're happy and engaged in something you love, they're more inclined to have fun too.

This same philosophy can be found in the products made by San Francisco-based DJ TechTools. The company made its name by customizing existing DJ products with oversize arcade buttons, letting DJs wail on their gear in a far more expressive way than traditional controls allowed. Since then, the company has evolved its own line of DJ products, which continue to put fun at the forefront of the design. … Read more

Robotspeak does not sell actual robots -- though I never tired of getting that question from people who wandered through the door. There are many delightful things you buy on San Francisco's historic Haight Street, but to the best of my knowledge, robots are not one of them.

In spite of the occasional befuddlement of robot shoppers, Robotspeak is a fitting name for a shop that specializes in the type of unique audio gear and music recording software perfect for composing symphonies of synthetic bleeps and squelches.

Robotspeak's walls are lined with synthesizers, drum machines, mixers, effect pedals, and MIDI controllers. But more importantly, the shop is filled with the kind of geektastic sound toys that bigger stores wouldn't risk carrying.

So why am I writing about Robotspeak here on Crave? Well, I might be biased, but I think a shop like this is even more precious and worthy of geek attention than the sum of the gear contained inside it. Like Crave itself, Robotspeak is a place for a curious cross section of obsessives and coveters of technology. … Read more

I'm looking at my hopelessly low-tech 1940s-era doorbell. Its most impressive feature is a light-up button outside. If only I could make it play "Friday" instead of "ding-dong."

For $50, I can upgrade to MP3 doorbell technology, thanks to Swann's MP3 DJ Doorbell. The wireless design makes installation easy. It consists of a speaker unit that you mount inside and a push button doorbell unit that you mount outside. … Read more

This week, old meets new as we drool over a new AC/DC pinball machine, turn our old CDs into works of art, and put your condom's location on the Web. Plus, a skateboard powered by your brain, a shopping cart that stalks and judges you, a DIY Chewbacca tissue box suitable for space travel misadventures, and Bonnie's robot gets a name.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

The typical DJ booth is awash in buttons, knobs, and faders, allowing for precise control over any music mix. And if you've ever witnessed a DJ in this natural habitat, you know how utterly boring it is to watch.

Enter the MIDI Fighter 3D, a new $249 DJ controller from DJ Tech Tools. Finally, a visually striking controller that requires its user to do more than just twist a few knobs.

In addition to the arcade-style oversized buttons used on the original MIDI Fighter controller, the MIDI Fighter 3D adds an internal gyroscopic sensor and digital compass, allowing you to control MIDI parameters (such as volume, pitch, and effect variations) by tilting or turning the entire device. … Read more

Lay down some beats for your next party with Numark's latest iOS device-compatible turntable.

Numark touts its iDJ Pro as a professional DJ controller that lets you dock your iPad with the standard 30-pin Apple dock connector. Like the company's previous iDJ products, which allowed mix masters to dock various Apple portables such as the iPod Classic and iPod Touch, the iDJ Pro has a typical dual-turntable layout with various sound-altering buttons, levels, and knobs scattered around the device.

One key feature of this new DJ controller is its AirPlay support, which really makes use of the iPad's Wi-Fi connectivity to show off your awesome digital beats through compatible speakers.… Read more

It's already been a great year for the Danish headphone designers over at Aiaiai, and it's about to get even better.

The company's TMA-1 DJ headphones recently earned a spot in an exhibit at SFMOMA documenting contemporary industrial designs influenced by Dieter Rams, and its latest headphones, the Capital, are already garnering shrieks of schoolgirl glee from audiophiles who appreciate equal parts form and function.

Aiaiai supplied the audio technology for the Capital headphones, but once again leaned on Scandinavian design group Kibisi to design their form. The two made a great first impression last year with the release of the Tracks supra-aural headphones, and Kibisi's simple design ethos is made clear again in the Capital.… Read more

The Shure SRH550DJ headphone's folding earcups, extra-long wire, and deep bass push are a boon for DJs who prefer tough cans that emphasize the lower end of the sound spectrum.

These are Shure's $100 budget DJ headphones, but you wouldn't know it by their robust sound and build quality. Their price point puts them in tough competition with the classic Sony MDR-V700DJ, a favorite among traveling DJs and musicians for the past decade.… Read more

CNET Audiophiliac and general audio diva Steve "Sphere" Guttenberg is back on The 404 Podcast for his last appearance this year, and as usual he brings a list of talking points, like a kooky theory on how to curb population control, and when the iPad will eventually overtake the big screen TV.

Jeff and the official 404 graphic designer Blake Stevenson have also partnered together for Crave's first weekly comic strip "Low Latency,"and a big congratulations goes out to our video voice mail contest winners! Check out the videos below:… Read more