After Numark's introduction of a USB DJ mixer, I was
immediately excited to read in the fine print that Stanton's added an
'iPod connection' to its "soon-to-be-shipping" RM.404 and 406 4-channel
DJ mixers. These are the same mixers with very-cool red backlighting on
knobs, via Stanton's Illumiknobs(TM) technology. Wow, the iPod thing
really is happening.
Not so fast: reading the specs, that's "inijack input (overrides Line
input 5) for connecting an iPod™". Oh, great. So you saved us a trip to
Radio Shack for a minijack-to-TRS adapter. Why not call it a "Walkman
Connection" or "strange cheap plastic audio crap connection"?
Now, mixer manufacturers, I'm not one to DJ with an iPod — okay, I'm
not one to DJ, period — but the first manufacturer to put an iPod dock
on your mixer scores instant dough.
Back to those knobs, though. They're red. They glow. They're insanely
great. I'm going to get one of these (forget USB!) and turn out the
lights in my studio just to watch them. That's my kind of gimmick.