By Wendy Tan

We get all mixed up with the Numark iDJ2 music mixer for the iPod.

What got me interested in reviewing the Numark iDJ2 was actually a Mariah Carey remix contest. Aside from that, my favourite celebrities Lindsay Lohan and Mariah Carey (yes, I am positively obsessed) are dating DJs.

DJs help get the people in the mood to dance. They set the tone for the night with the music and play an important role at a function, concert, party or club.

I have always liked the idea of remixing music because listening to music that flows together as if there is no end can be quite an experience.

So I started to do research on DJ consoles. I was looking for one that was portable enough and that recognised MP3s. I thought it might be virtually impossible to find a DJ machine that played MP3s since I only associate vinyl records to DJs.

Also, it seemed like most of the professional machines out there required turntables and other accessories.

Considering the fact that I was looking to introduce myself into the world of DJ-ing and that my budget was not very big for all these extra gadgets, I continued looking and discovered the Numark iDJ2.

Versatile mixer

I fell in love with the iDJ2 instantly because, aside from accepting MP3s on USB thumbdrives, you can easily hook up an iPod or two to it and choose two songs from the same iPod to mix simultaneously. It looks solid and sophisticated with its black and silver finishing.

Not only that, it includes two jog wheels, in other words, two decks instead of one. It was exactly what I was looking for.

When I got hold of an iDJ2, I did not expect it to perform as well as an industry standard console used by professional DJs.

First of all, I am not a pro DJ at all and it is not like I know what I am really doing. What attracted me to the iDJ2, however, was its compact and stylish look.

If you are aspiring to be a DJ or if you want to play around with the idea of mixing music, then the iDJ2 may be just right for you.

The iDJ2 is a good place to start because you can begin mixing, scratching and looping MP3s almost instantly.

Beyond expectations

The iDJ2 surpassed my expectations because it accepted file formats such as MP3, AAC, WAV.

Not only that, there are two USB ports for your thumbdrives, external hard disk or external keyboards, an S-Video port for connecting to a projector, inputs for microphone, headphones, extra turntables and mixers and connectors to speakers.

Besides just experimenting at home or playing at small parties, you can grow with the iDJ2 and continue to add accessories and make it part of your full-fledged DJ rig.

Numark provides a 128MB thumbdrive with the iDJ2, which is puny in terms of capacity. The big draw of the iDJ2, however, is that it can use an iPod.

If you do have a large collection of digital music files, then the iDJ2 is an excellent choice because it allows you to virtually view and play all the songs that you own via an external hard drive or a large thumbdrive.

Compare this to a few years ago when DJs had to tote their favourite records or CDs with them wherever they went.

All you have to do is use the Librarian software provided by Numark to configure and catalogue your iPod and drives to work with the iDJ2. The software is basic, light and easy to use.

User friendly

The iDJ2s user interface is very responsive and friendly. The LCD is bright and clear and it is easy to navigate through the tracks in your iPod and other drives.

It is simple to select and search for tracks. After you decide what you want, you put them into the crate which acts like a playlist.

Then you place the tracks into Deck A or B (just think of a cassette player with two decks) and press Play to get the music started.

Each deck has its own LCD screen so you can see what it is currently holding and not only that, it will give you the duration of each song and its beats-per-minute (BPM) rating.

No PC connection

One of the downsides about the iDJ2 is its inability to connect your PC or laptop to it.

It is a standalone DJ mixing console so it does not work with any other mixing or audio software.

The instruction manual that comes with the iDJ2 is really a quickstart guide but it is fine since the iDJ2 is straightforward and basic. All it takes is lots and lots of practice.

Unfortunately for me, I could not connect the iDJ2 to any speakers so I had to rely on the headphones alone, which meant I could not fully enjoy all the controls such as volume slider and crossfader on the iDJ2.

When playing around with a mixer, the music you hear in the headphones is slightly different to what the audience hears from the speakers.

Basically, the headphones is where you prepare the next track so you get the timing right in the headphones before letting your audience hear it.

Beginner DJ

I had a lot of fun playing around with the iDJ2. In fact, I felt quite capable after awhile mixing my pop and dance tracks together.

It made me think about BPMs, about which track would sound better next to each other and the instruments used in the tracks in order to make mixing more seamless.

Looping, scratching and pitch controls were easy enough to learn and the jog wheels are responsive and smooth to the touch.

The other knobs and buttons are within reach of one another and are not flimsy to the touch, which makes the iDJ2 a winner.

End word

If you are looking for a mixing console for the home or as a hobby, the iDJ2 is the real deal.

It does not have a cheap or plastic feel and is in fact very solid and can be a great music tool for beginners.

Remember that you can use your current MP3 collection to begin mixing straightaway so this cuts down on the time you need to start a catalogue of music.

Once you're quite nifty with the Numark iDJ2, you can invite your friends for listening parties or be the in-house DJ at the next house party you are invited to.

Pros: Solid and stylish looking; two decks/ jog wheels; plays MP3s from iPod, thumbdrives and external hard drives; portable and light.

Cons: No PC connection.