NEWS
42 AMP MAG | amplifymagazine.com
YOUR NEXT GADGET By Lina F Boothby
Have you ever dreamt of mixing for a crowd? This new gadget, the Mixfader, might just bring your dreams within reach. Since the first digital DJ apps the quest remains ongoing to reproduce the analogue feel of the turntable for the digital sphere. Although there are several apps for iPads for professional DJs and wannabes out there, something was still missing. The lack of a physical crossfader control made the digital experience feel, well…somewhat amateur for turntablists. Many have voiced their frustration with the difficulty to add intricate scratch elements into a mix on a touchscreen. A French team of turntable enthusiasts seem to change the status quo and write digital DJ-history with the Mixfader, the first connected crossfader. It combines all the essentials for mixing your music and can completely replace the analogue turntable elements. It is powerful and completely portable allowing you to mix and scratch anywhere, any time and it is pocket friendly both by size and price. The Mixfader allows a physical control over creating perfect sound cutting and original compositions through returning movements. It also comes with a handy DJ app that dematerializes the classic turntables on any smartphone and tablet. The project became a success overnight with almost 900 backers on the crowdfunding website, Kickstarter. The company reached its €50,000 goal in only 48 hours and is now preparing for production in September and aim to ship the first Mixfaders in November. For those of you who would like to pre-order one, it is available for the early bird price of €69 (£50).
QUICK DETAILS Mixfader is completely wireless and, according to the company, connects to any iPad or smartphone via Bluetooth. It comes in a silver aluminium casing and with a short USB cable for charging. The accompanying app is compatible with both Android and iOS and can access SoundCloud, Spotify, Deezer and mp3. Both the product and the app were designed in mind with amateurs and professionals by sound engineers and champion turntablists. “The Mixfader has been designed to suit everyone, not just professional DJs. Our designers focused particularly on making sure that Mixfader and its related applications are unbelievably intuitive and easy to use,” the team writes on their Kickstarter page. The application also comes with coaching videos for those who want to perfect their skills.
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