My friends over at dj-lab.de have uncovered a little gem of a DJ controller. Think iPad and Numark’s DJ2GO in a blender and you’ve got the Anymode PDJ – a handheld device without even a hint of Android or iOS.
Coming out of Korea, it’s one of those far eastern devices that sticks a middle finger up at convention and does its own damned thing. Here’s the spec:
- Super fast boot up time (less than 1 sec)
- Two MP3 files playback at sametime
- BPM analyzer and beat tracker
- Speed control with or without pitch shift
- Beat synchronized loop
- Individual equalizer
- Dual full color VGA screens with touch panel
- Full color LEDs
- Hardware buttons, knobs and crossfader DJ Ooops precise actions
- Cue point search using monitor headphone out
- Visual waveform helps to find cue point
- Beat synchronized sample (electronic, funk, cumbia, etc.)
- Filemanager arranges music files by BPM, title, artist or genre order
- Various sound effects (phaser, flanger, delay, chorus, etc.)
- Two stereo jacks (one for amplifier and one for monitor headphone)
- Up to 64GB SD card can hold over 10,000 songs
- Up to 64GB internal storage accessible by USB mass storage class
- Internal software runs only for the music player (no interruption by other tasks)
Given the increasing invasion of the iPad and iPhone into the DJ market, you’d think it would be sheer folly to create a device like the PDJ. After all, the Pacemaker and Nextbeat didn’t set the world on fire. But I have to say that I’m really rather fond of this little thing, in the same way that I really liked the Stanton SCS.4DJ. The idea of an all-in-on device totally tailored to DJing is compelling, and in this form factor does seem to work really well.
As Rob at djlab.de comments, the price is unknown at this time, and that will be a deciding factor. It seems to come with 4Gb onboard as well as another 64Gb via SD card, so it has plenty of music space. Quite how that is managed I don’t know. In fact, we only know what we can see in the video because the Anymode site is broken right now. I’ve grabbed a few screen shots so you can get a better idea of what’s going on with it.
When we know more, you’ll know more.
UPDATE
I’m confused now. As GroovinDJ points out in the comments, this appears to also be from a company called JDSounds and they call it the Atra. Check their glossy website that has a lot more info and fresh videos.
The http://www.jdsound.co.kr says it’s got 4GB internal memory.
Could make a nice emergency backup unit for the gig bag – if it’s cheaper than a netbook and a dj 2 go controller!
+1 This is a good point. If priced less than $200, this might be a great backup setup. The Atra seems to have all the basics covered – even power. While I’m not yet a believer, I can at least acknowledge value in the role of backup.
-KLH
By far the best and most affordable backup unit for all DJ’s who run into an emergency.
Sound Quality: As of now, the unit actually has higher sound quality than all Apple MP3 Players. Check the DB specs on the website. http://www.jdsound.co.kr
Cue Points: Yes it does not support cue points from other software. I love music so I don’t mind resetting cues because I’m finding that I can make much more interesting mixes with the device.
Long Battery Charge: It’s a 7 hour charge at most because the device runs for 10-12 hours! I haven’t seen a phone that could do that. Nor an MP3 player with that kind of duration. It’s good because you can charge the device as you use the unit.
I still love my full sized controller, but there is something oh so appealing about mixing on the fly anywhere. One all in one device. The biggest issues will be sound quality build quality and the fact that it will probably not support cue points from other software so, you will have to do it all over again.The long battery charge time is also a negative. Let’s hope the price is accesible for us to experiment with the little thang…
IIRC, Mark’s always on the lookout for portable practice pads that can scratch. While this doesn’t allow traditional scratching, the portability cannot be ignored.
I could see myself with something like this on vacations and parties. Times when swapping phones for music just gets in the way. Times for when your own DJ skills are called for. Times when you just have to step it up and show ’em how it’s done.
Now if the Atra used its USB connection to pull music from iOS and Android-based devices to load on either deck, I’d buy one… assuming that this thing is less than $200.
-KLH
If you can make phone calls as well, I will definitively buy it…
Some mentions of the Atra on various tech sites back in June saying it’s around US$600.
Welcome To Facebook…?
-KLH
Cute little unit. But I gotta say, the crossfader knob looks annoying – like it’s been put on sideways.
True story. I too have brought this concern to the engineers. Personally it doesn’t bother me all that much because they made the crossfader extremely sturdy, which in turn will enable more durability and portability. Apparently it was designed for that exact purpose. But the Head Engineer said “Maybe you’ll get your wish later” and winked at me. This really happened.
I want one… Great for traveling or on vacation
Who is the dealer in France ? Who distribute it in France ?
Visit http://www.portable.dj/en/retailers.html to see the full list of current distributors. As of August 5, 2013, there is no France distributor as of yet.
If they can cram in a FLAC decoder i’ll buy it in a heartbeat, mp3 are not an option!
a question where do i get a spare for dj anymode
The display and screen broke and I want to know where I can buy it, if you know, you can give me the link to the page where I can buy it, please