Once
upon a time, almost 13 years ago, before the Internet, the first dual-transport,
instant start, frame-accurate CD player appeared on the DJ scene.
What a great concept! Two instant start CD players built into a
rack-mountable chassis that was designed to allow the DJ of the
future to mix CDs the same way they used to mix records. It changed
the way DJs worked. Mobile DJs didn't have to carry heavy turntables
or cases of records. Club DJs could play the latest compilations of
new music (supplied by the record labels) on little silver plastic
discs. Life was good.
Then came the
Internet. And the rules changed again. The problem with large .WAV
files used to create CDs is just that-they are too darn big. It took
too long to transmit a song over the Internet. Once again, computer
programmers came to the rescue and developed a compression coded to
shrink these files. By compressing the .WAV files used by audio CDs
via a new compression scheme called MP3, people could send music all
over the world via the net. MP3 changed the face of music! By ripping
a music file via MP3, the compressed file could now be 4% of the
original audio file size and still retain stereo high fidelity.
Sounds amazing, huh?
How could this
affect DJs?
What if you could
carry over 150 high fidelity stereo tunes on a single CD-ROM?
You could travel even lighter! A 12-pocket CD carrying case could
hold over 1500 songs. Are the wheels turning yet? A mobile DJ can
archive his music collection to MP3 (yes, the RIAA says it's legal)
and really become mobile!
Enter the DJ
engineers at Gemini. Listening to what DJs really want, Gemini
introduces to DJs the new MP3000X, the world's first dual transport
Compact Disc player that also reads and plays MP3 CD-ROMs designed
just for jocks! At first glimpse, this unassuming well-styled machine
looks similar to most other dual transport CD players. But looks can
be deceiving. This innovative unit has the ability to play standard
audio CD's, CD-Rs, CD-RWs or computer-burned MP3 CD-ROMs. Can you say "revolutionary?"
Let's Look Closer
The MP-3000X is
comprised of a 2-rack space, rack-mountable dual transport and a
3-rack space remote control. The large jog wheels have been designed
to be dual purpose. They can be used to find any spot on a disc and
pause it for instant start, or they will advance the CD-ROM from
track to track. Remember that each MP3 disc can hold up to 999
tracks, so getting to the track you need quickly becomes much more
important. The blue LCD display looks similar to most professional CD
players with the addition of an extra digit on the track display.
Illuminated tactile rubber pushbuttons let you know exactly what each
transport is doing and ensure quick access. The variable pitch
control has 3 range selections for total user customization.
This unit even had Robo Start (Gemini's relay play feature for
nonstop cocktail music) and digital outputs (IEC95811/SPDIF) on the
back for using this deck to feed your computer digital data stream.
I'm Feeling the Power
My test drive was
a no-brainer. There was no learning curve since its controls are
similar to most other professional DJ CD players I have tried. The
exception: I now had 150 songs at my fingertips on both transports.
300 songs without changing ROMs! And I'm able to manipulate each
track exactly the way I would any audio CD; Instant start,
frame-by-frame, and pitch bend! Gemini also did a great job on their
digital-to-analog converter circuitry because this player sounded
great when I cranked the volume. This unit also features anti-shock
protection, so when the party gets rockin', the MP-3000X won't skip.
Forget About It...
I'm not giving
this one back. Got to go now and cancel my health club membership.
Don't need it anymore. I'm now traveling lighter thanks to Gemini.
"Turn and face the strange. Ch...Ch... Changes!"
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