Dedicated DJs who value portability may have opted to spin their vinyl on a rather tasty turntable called the Vestax Handy Trax at the turn of the century. Now Korg is paying tribute with the Handytraxx Play.
Korg has been very busy over the last few days, issuing details on upcoming products destined to debut at the NAMM Show, which is organized by the National Association of Music Merchants, and is being held at the Convention Center in Anaheim, California, later this week.
One of those products expected to make an appearance is a portable turntable that was designed in collaboration with the former president of Japanese music gear maker Vestax, Toshihide Nakama – who sadly died before the project was completed.
The Handytraxx Play evokes the spirit of the original while also leveraging Korg's digital processing and audio know-how. It can be powered by AAA-sized batteries or USB-C, is described as compact and lightweight, and rocks 3-W speakers for on-the-go convenience.
The turntable can spin at 33.3, 45 or 78 rpm, comes with "unique and creative filters" cooked in, sports a built-in looper with variable playback speed and monitoring during playback through headphones, a crossfader with reverse mode (which can be replaced if desired), built-in delay and scratch effects, and a detachable control panel.
There's no word on the release window for the portable turntable, or potential pricing, though a non-playable prototype is reported to be on the way to NAMM.
Source: Korg UK