Tech Talk: Shut Up And Drive

Spring time is here and it’s time to get out and have some fun.  Go hit the club, find a new outdoor activity or just go for a drive.  These tech toys might be involved in any of the above.   In previous Tech Talk columns, I’ve featured a few items great for music production.  This week I wanted to give DJ’s a little shine.    MixMeister from Numark comes in two flavors, Fusion ($299.95-$399.95) for the party rockers and Studio ($169.95) for the mixtape DJ. I was able to get Boston’s own 85 Live to try it out, and they offered some valuable feedback. In terms of ease of use, meeting expectations and overall rating, they gave it 7 out of 10.     On the up side, 85 Live liked that it could blend track automatically as well as “the interactive demos, which help a lot more than reading a manual.”  On the down side, it doesn’t allow you to “drag the actual track in the mix window” or “mix down the tracks into one mix”.    Good or bad, they feel if you can operate a computer, MixMeister can turn you into a DJ.   Here are just a few of the features now available:   Native Mac OSX version is universal binary for PowerPC or Intel processorsImproved time stretching accurately matches beats with fast or slow temposEnhanced timeline display provides clear division of measuresEffect automation via MIDI controllers – External hardware can now manipulate effect parametersSupport for stored EQ settings in transition templates for advanced usersFade and Cue Next feature fades and pauses your mix then starts at the next track – perfect for voice over announcementsNew master volume control for preview output – headphone and main out can be controlled independently   Numark demoed the 7.2 version at NAMM in January: I want to step outside the box for minute. No matter what business you’re in, golf could be a good way to hang with the big boys – not to mention meeting up on the green with the rising number of rappers taking up the game. Sky Caddie may be a good tool for you to stay on par.  It’s a GPS based handheld tool that measures the distance between you, greens, hazards and the whole course. You have several price point options, like the SG5, SG4, SG3, SG2.5 and previous models, all the way down to the SG1.   Features:   Brilliant, outdoor-readable color display with automatic backlightPatented IntelliGreen technologyRugged, water-resistant caseDrop-in lithium-rechargeable batteryLED battery charging indicatorUser-selectable color themesEasy to use, one-handed operation  Hustle Simmons gives his thumbs-up for the Sky Caddie! This week’s last gadget is the iNAVI from Korean-based company Thinkware.  This unit puts you “in” the map with its 3-D display. If you can get to Korea, take an extra $550 or so to pick one up!  Features:   4.8-inch 800 x 480 pixel screenIt uses an 8GB SDHC memory256MB built in RAMhas multimedia functionsphoto viewingplays gamesDolby Digital Sound Troy Gayle is the Founder of Gadget-T.com