DJ

For DJs, the transition from vinyl to today's digital rigs has been a tense compromise between control and convenience. Year after year, a new crop of DJ software and USB gear attempts to fuse the responsive feel of vinyl with all the conveniences of digital audio. Invariably, these digital DJ rigs end up being too expensive, too messy, or downright gimmicky.

Enter the iPad. Here's an affordable device, roughly the size of a vinyl record, that offers quick multitouch control, integrated storage, a wireless digital music store, and a popular graphically rich software platform tied to a competitive app marketplace.

Could the iPad be the digital turntable replacement that DJs have been waiting for? Hell, at $499 each, you could grab two iPads and still spend less than you would on the majority of professional digital DJ solutions on the market.

For the most part, the software has already been worked out. iPhone applications such as Touch DJ, Virtual Deck, and Quixpin, have proven popular with adventurous DJ.… Read more

Today's episode of The 404 Podcast deals with a lot of movies, which makes sense after last night's utterly forgettable Academy Awards ceremony, or so Wilson claims, because he forgot to watch.

The awards committee certainly wasn't lacking a sense of irony after selecting Sandra Bullock for the best female performance in "The Blind Side." The actress also won the Razzie for worst female actor in "All About Steve." Audience members were also surprised to see "Avatar" lose the best picture award to "The Hurt Locker," despite the questionable activity of one of its producers prior to the event. It's also interesting to note how the same movies in the best picture category ranked on BitTorrent, with "District 9" earning the most at more than 12 million downloads since its DVD-quality release last September.

Tim Burton's adaption of "Alice in Wonderland" came out last weekend, and Jeff went to check it out with his fiancee, who festively dressed up as Alice for the showing. Don't get your hopes up though; Jeff sadly left his White Rabbit costume at the dry cleaners. I won't spoil Jeff's personal review of the movie, but let's just say that 91 other movie-goers on Rotten Tomatoes agree with him.

No matter what you think of AIW, we can all agree that Zach Snyder's new movie "Legend of the Guardians" will win next year's Oscar for best comedy. Based on the novel "Guardians of Ga'Hoole," the teaser implies that the movie is about talking owls...fighting in the sky...wearing Elven face masks. Check out these screenshots and join us as we purchase advanced screening tickets live on the show.

All these stories plus some a near-expired batch of Calls From the Public and a news piece about your grandmother DJing Parisian nightclubs, all on today's episode of The 404!

MixVibes' Digital Vinyl System is a mobile and studio DJ mixing software package that enables you to control digital music files with a turntable or CD deck, or both, with or without specially time-coded CDs or vinyl records. To take full advantage of the DVS's unique capabilities users need the special discs as well as an audio interface with two inputs and two outputs, such as an internal or external sound card, audio interface, or MIDI controller with a USB, PCI, or FireWire connection to your PC. But even without its special features in play, it's a good … Read more

The Traktor Kontrol X1 is a $229 DJ package that bundles Native Instruments' Traktor LE DJ software with high quality, USB-powered controller hardware.

Compared with similarly priced DJ bundles, such as M-Audio's Torq Mixlab, Torq Conectiv, or Vestax Spin, the Kontrol X1 doesn't pitch itself as an all-in-one DJ solution. For example, crossfader and volume-mixing controls are noticeably absent from the system, as is any kind of integrated audio card.

In spite of these shortcomings, the Traktor Kontrol X1 is one of our favorite entry-level digital DJ bundles. Unlike the aforementioned competitors, nothing about the Kontrol X1 will become obsolete should you ever want to make a go at DJing professionally.

All of the buttons and dials on the controller correspond precisely with software actions you'll want handy, whether you're a newbie or a true DJ hero. And because the hardware is customized by the company behind the software, no other piece of hardware on the market dovetails better with Traktor DJ software, regardless of what price range you're looking at.

It's fair to complain about the lack of mixer and soundcard features on the X1, but on the other hand, it's precisely these types of features that build in obsolescence on similar devices. Audio mixers and sound cards are constantly evolving, and the features you'll want from them will change as your skills evolve.… Read more

Ots CD Scratch 1200 is a fun and easy-to-use program that lets users play CDs in a virtual turntable environment. It's not as complex as some of the DJ software that we've seen, which may be a drawback for more advanced users, but this program is a great choice for those just getting started with turntable-style DJing.

The program's interface isn't the most intuitive we've ever seen, but it gets points for being fun. The design seeks to replicate the appearance of a real DJ deck, with two turntables and various cables and buttons. We … Read more

The second permutation of Sharetones for Android 2.0 is here.

But what is it? If you're unfamiliar, Sharetones is an app that helps you coax ringtones out of songs you already own. At first blush, that sounds identical to Ringdroid, a free ringtone editor.

What's different here is that Sharetones caters to the lazy. Not everyone has the talent or time to make killer ringtones worth listening to time and again. Sharetones skirts the annoyance by comparing the songs you have on your phone with the songs it has in its user-generated online database. The Sharetones server … Read more

Here's how to take the guesswork out of ringtones. Start with your own music collection on the phone. Sharetones compares your list to its growing database of user-cut ringtones and returns matches. After previewing and picking, Sharetones will extract metadata information about the sample ringtone and rip your own song to match it, including fade-ins and fade-outs. Bottom line: the only person's music you touch is your own.

If that sounds complicated, don't worry. The application's interface is straightforward. You'll see the ringtone matches appear--tap one to preview or save and rate the song. If … Read more

LAS VEGAS--I know CNET pays me to cover MP3 players, but privately, I'm a sucker for my beat-up, old Technics SL-1200MK2. Compared with most of the flimsy, plastic, belt-driven, disposable toys that get passed off as turntables these days, my 1200 is a 20-pound metal beast that will probably outlive my grandchildren.

USB turntables are the worst offenders. Built on the cheap, to last just long enough to rip your old LPs into iTunes, most of the world's USB decks spend their lives stored in closets in garages once their owners see them for the bulky, eyesores they … Read more

DJ ToneXpress The Ringtone Creator creates cell phone ringtones from audio files. Though its works well, this program practically drowns itself in added features.

The program's interface is surprisingly simple to navigate, considering how many features are thrown in, but excellent onscreen instructions help keep users focused. The primary functionality, creating ringtones, is an easy three-step process. You simply take a song or audio clip from your collection and edit it down to a few choice seconds for your ringtone. You can tinker with the volume and add simple effects like fade in and out as well. It smoothly … Read more