Hard Drives Make A DJ's Life Easier! Numark's HDX & HDCD1

While there's something inherently special about DJing with real vinyl, the fact remains that the format's days are numbered. Vinyl is susceptible to damage, records are becoming increasingly difficult to acquire or replace, and they are bulky and heavy when it comes to transporting one's music library. For these reasons, DJs are turning to CD, MP3 and hard drive-based equipment. And now, Numark's new HDCD1 and HDX represent the state-of-the-art.

The Ultimate in Portability, Organization and Convenience

With the HDCD1, a rack-mountable dual CD player with built-in hard drive, Numark delivers an incredible two-piece system. The HDCD1 consists of a dedicated controller with dual jumbo displays and a separate unit that houses the hard drive and CD transport mechanisms. For ease of operation, the dedicated controller can be placed at the top of your equipment rack adjacent to your mixer, while the hard drive/CD component can be placed elsewhere.

With an 80 GB internal hard drive, the HDCD1 stores a tremendous amount of music-particularly if those files are in the MP3 format. There's even an onboard CDDB database for instant recognition of song title, artist and genre when using commercial CDs. The HDCD1 also includes a standard PC-style keyboard that facilitates easy searches. Additionally, the HDCD1's included software enables upload and back-up download of music files, song and playlist data editing, plus the ability to export song lists as text.

Numark's HDCD1 can operate as a stand-alone professional dual CD player-featuring full compatibility with CD, CDR/CD-RW and Data (MP3) disc formats. The HDCD1 provides pitch control, instant start, relay start and seamless looping with stutter start, while play modes include single, continuous, random, repeat single, and repeat continuous. Playlists can be created and stored while the unit is operating-enabling sets to be made on the fly, saved and then used at future events.

But I Want the "Feel" of Vinyl

If that sounds like you, Numark has the answer-the new HDX, a tabletop HD/CD/MP3 player with an ultra-high torque, motorized 12-inch platter that holds a vinyl record for the ultimate in vinyl scratch feel. The HDX features an industry maximum 4.7 kgfcm torque direct drive motor, aluminum platter, dual "battle-style" controls and forward/reverse toggle. Further, there's a vacuum fluorescent display, slot-load CD transport mechanism, CDR compatibility, and extensive DSP functionality.

The HDX sports a 40 GB hard drive and supports the MP3, WMA, WAV, Ogg Vorbis and FLAC media formats. There's also an onboard Gracenote® CDDB database to automatically recognize and tag audio CDs. The unit's search capabilities facilitate easy file location by artist, album, genre, track, plus BPM. The HDX includes support for PS2 connectivity-enabling string searches and navigation through the menus via a standard PC keyboard. And with high-speed USB 2.0 connectivity providing full access to the hard drive for both Mac and PC, updating your system's music content has never been easier.

With additional features like CD ripping, S/PDIF digital output, auto beat matching and smart looping via Numark's proprietary Beatkeeper™ technology, plus a wealth of onboard beat-synced digital effects, Numark's HDX offers the latest technology with the tried and true feel of vinyl.