Perhaps you've entertained the idea of becoming a dance club DJ, but were intimidated by the thought of those expensive turntables and mixers, not to mention the logistics of lugging them around, along with stacks of LPs and/or CDs. If so, then you're the part of the target market for Numark's iDJ Live. The one-piece device features two turntable-like music-cueing decks, a mixer for cross-fading between tracks, and uses your own docked iDevice as its brains.
Compatible with iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, iDJ Live is designed to work with Algoriddim's Djay for iPad app, which is available from the App store - although it will also work with other Core MIDI-enabled apps. Users supply their own music files, which the app accesses from their iTunes library.
Tracks are loaded onto either of the two decks, which users then manually manipulate to cue up the music, perform transitions, and scratch. Besides performing live, users can also record mixes on the fly, for later playback. Should they want to make a trip to the loo, or simply realize that they have no aptitude for deejaying, they can also put the system on Automix mode.
A headphone/speaker split cable is included with the iDJ, allowing users to choose between listening to the tracks that they're cueing, or the music that they're playing. A little surprisingly, however, there's no mention of a microphone, so people on the dance floor won't be able to hear your "Now we're gonna kick it up Old School" or similar remarks.
It should also be noted that the system receives its power from the docked iDevice, so an AC adapter for said Apple product might be a good idea. Running on battery power, users can reportedly expect about six hours of performance time with an iPad 2, and three hours with an original iPad.
iDJ Live is available through various retailers including Firebox, where it's currently priced at GBP 79.99 (US$131).
