What’s the Best DJ CD & Mediaplayer for Me?
There’s definitely more than one way to DJ. Some Dj’s work with just a controller and a laptop while others prefer a mixer and a pair of decks. Sometimes these decks are turntables, and sometimes they’re digital CD & media players. If you’re seeking your perfect set of media players, this Guide has been put together to help you out by answering all of your media-player-related FAQs. If you can’t find the answer to your question here, feel free to contact us.
1. What’s a CD & Media Player?
The name of these bits of kit says it all: these pieces of equipment are able to play CDs or audio files. At Bax Music, you can find two different versions, namely tabletop and 19-inch players. Tabletop players can literally be set on a table and have a set of controls at the top for easy DJ-ing access. The other version can be mounted in a 19-inch rack and are normally found providing background music in restaurants and pubs. These units can play CDs, or files from a USB stick or SD card, or a laptop or tablet can simply be connected.
Tabletop CD & Media Players
19-inch CD & Media Players
19-inch Racks
2. What Does the Average CD & Media Player Look Like?
19 inch player: These are elongated players that fit in a 19-inch rack. They usually have one or two CD slots, an info display screen, and volume, menu navigation, and sometimes effect and pitch-fader controls for adding atmospheric effects or tweaking the speed of a track. All of the inputs and outputs are fitted on the back of these units.
Tabletop player: These flat players have the same length as a DJ mixer. They used to always come fitted with CD slot on the front but this is now a little less common. These days, they almost always have one or two USB ports at the top. Tabletop players are equipped with a jogwheel (a large, rotatable surface that mimics a vinyl record) and a central info display screen. The screen of cheaper models can be a little limited, displaying just the track name, artist, remaining playing time, and the BPM, while newer and more expensive models often also display the waveform of the current track, have a higher resolution, are in full colour, and are actually touchscreens.
3. What Can I Do With Them?
The primary function of both models is playing music, and when using a dual player set up, two tracks can be mixed together and played at the same time. Both kinds of players have this function, but tabletop players are more designed for performing Djs since they have a jogwheel or platter. Just like with a turntable, the jogwheel can be used to ‘spin’ the track and bring it up the same tempo as the track that’s already playing, so that they can be accurately mixed together. These jogwheels can also be used for scratching. The pitch-fader is another important feature since it’s designed to fine-tune the speed of a track. Many models also offer a looping function, where a small part of the track can be repeated on a loop. Some models also come with built-in effects.
4. Can I Use My CD & Media Player with Other Gear?
Absolutely! Media players are actually designed for this. 19-inch players can be hooked up with other 19-inch rack gear, like an amplifier or rack mixer. Tabletop players are the kind of players found in the DJ booth. The club-standard is a DJ mixer set up between two tabletop players. A common combo is (from left to right in the included image) a CDJ-2000NXS2, a DJM-900NXS2 and then another CDJ-2000NXS2. The ultimate set-up for many Djs is a mixer like the DJM-900NXS2 placed between two turntables, like the much-loved Technics SL-1200 or SL-1210 turntables.
Complete DJ Sets
DJ Mixers
Rack Mixers
Amplifiers
DJ Turntables
5. How is Everything Connected Up?
Most players and mixers are connected up via RCA (phono) cables that send the sound of the player to the mixer. From there, the sound is sent to a set of connected speakers. With new generation tabletops, it’s also possible to connect up a laptop or just insert a USB stick or SD card and use the players as a standalone set-up, so without a mixer. There are also players that offer a link function. Using an ethernet cable (or a UTP cable: the same one connected to the router in your house) you can connect the player to the mixer, like you would with any other tabletop player. Since the ethernet cable links up both tabletops, you’ll only need a single USB stick.
6. What Else Do I Need to Think About?
If you want to be a live DJ, you need to make sure that you have a clear overview of the tracks via a display screen so that you can accurately beat-match with the track that’s already playing. So, your ‘beat grid’ needs to match up. To do this, you’ll need DJ software. The most well-known examples are Pioneer Rekordbox, Native Instruments Traktor Pro, Serato, and Virtual DJ. Sometimes a full or demo version of software like this already comes included.
Links & More Information
Product Categories
Tabletop CD & Media Players
19-inch CD & Media Players
Complete DJ Sets
SD Cards
USB Sticks
DJ Mixers
Rack Mixers
Amplifiers
DJ Turntables
Blogs
How to Become a DJ
Beat-Matching: The Basics
