The art of deejaying has definitely moved on from a time when it was all about records and turntables. Nowadays, most DJs use a modern tabletop media player to weave beats.
Don't worry if you can't manage or afford a set of media players plus a DJ mixer just yet - there are plenty of DJs who opt for aDJ controller instead.
The Best Tabletop MP3, USB and CD Players for DJs
Just like turntables, tabletop-style, DJ-focussed CD/MP3/MIDI players offer a hands-on experience and are not only used for good-old beat-matching but for loading samples, laying down hotcues and multimedia integration.
DJ Media Players: Playback Options
Tabletop players can offer quite a few playback options and typically feature a USB stick port and an SD card slot that support mass storage devices. Some models can even play CDs. Mix and scratch via a fixed or rotating jogwheel, and with some models, you can even control external software via MIDI.
Music Control
Tabletop DJ media players are much more than simple MP3 players and give you ample music-manipulating options, including a jogwheel that may even support scratching; pitch faders for tempo adjustments; a tap-tempo function; a tempo synchronisation function; and one or more clear displays that show important track and status info.
How Can I Connect a Tabletop Media Player To My DJ Mixer or Controller?
Tabletop media players are commonly equipped with stereo RCA line outputs that can be hooked up to the line input of your controller or mixer, either of which may feature a line/phono signal input switch that will need to be toggled correctly first. Since RCA ports are never balanced, it's recommended to use the shortest possible RCA cables to ensure interference-free sound.
