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Music

Finally, the Portable DJ Mixer with Everything

OK, it ain't vinyl. But you'll still be the BBQ MVP with the GoDJ Plus—no laptop needed.
Images courtesy of JD Sound

Several companies have tried to make the DJ experience highly portable and affordable, and to varying degrees have they been succesful—products like the Pyle Pro bluetooth DJ mixer and the Reloop MIXTOUR DJ controller attest to this. But the company JD Sound, maker of Monster audio equipment, did a major rethink on portable mixing with its GoDJ, released back in 2013.

Recently, however, JD Sound has been crowdfunding on Indiegogo to develop its next generation DJ tool, the GoDJ Plus. Basically, it takes the design of its predecessor and adds more hardware real estate and controls. Amongst other features, the GoDJ Plus has built-in speakers, internal memory, launch pads and a more robust battery.

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Aaron Koh, Head of Sales for GoDJ and GoDJ Plus, tells The Creators Project that, while they had indeed succeeded in developing the original GoDJ as a pocket-sized DJ mixer, the GoDJ Plus is being designed based on customers’ feedback.

“Our company has a technology related to audio DSP [digital signal processor] and embedded SW [software] development,” Koh says. “Based on these software technologies we started to develop portable DJ equipment, [but] at that time there was no hardware technology development for audio devices and DJ equipment.”

“[With GoDJ] there was a lot of trial and error,” he adds, particularly since they were developing a product that would enter a market dominated by established players like Pioneer and Native Instruments. “But we got the hardware development capacity for GoDJ Plus while producing GoDJ.”

The main attraction to GoDJ Plus is certainly its portability. About the size of a small Apple MacBook Air, it can easily slip into a backpack for transport. Now, if someone were to be DJing a low-key party, they could bring it without a laptop because of its internal memory. But GoDJ Plus also has a USB port in a user wants to connect a smartphone or other mobile device storing music files.

Though designed with powerful built-in speakers, GoDJ Plus has a 3.5mm stereo line-out to connect to external speakers via RCA cables. It’s a setup that isn’t going to cut the sonic muster for established DJs, but amateurs could definitely make use of the line out for their external speakers.

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Reinforcing the idea that the GoDJ Plus is a performance tool, Monster has given the device a bunch of effects to tweak songs. In addition to equalization (EQ), pitch bend and BPM Analyzer functions, users can also create loops and simulate vinyl scratching.

What else sets GoDJ Plus apart from other portable DJ gear is its sample pads. These 16 performance-ready triggers feature soft-touch rubber that can play up to 136 effects, somewhat like the old school Akai MPC samplers, and get illuminated in various LED colors. There are also touchscreen pads that have similar functions.

Koh says that Monster sees GoDJ Plus’s primary users being amateurs looking for general DJ equipment. They also envision professionals making use of the GoDJ plus as another piece of equipment for portability. Koh says the mixer will be ready to go in December of 2016.

Click here for more info on the GoDJ Plus.

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