Hardware Archives - Page 2 of 6

Dillinger Labs’ Death From Above: a wireless PA that throws the rulebook out

Editorial · Weird & wonderful gear · First look Dillinger Labs’ Death From Above: a wireless PA that throws the rulebook out A battery-powered, cable-free speaker that deliberately strips out the features most makers brag about. It’s a genuinely unusual approach — and worth understanding before it turns up in a small-rig conversation near you.

Dillinger Labs’ Death From Above: a wireless PA that throws the rulebook out Read More »

Mobile DJ speakers: the PA you actually need for paid gigs

Nobody’s first paid gig goes wrong because the mixer wasn’t good enough. It goes wrong because the room ate the sound. A club hands you a rig. A bar residency, a birthday, a small private party — those hand you a room and a plug socket. Somewhere in the first year of getting paid to

Mobile DJ speakers: the PA you actually need for paid gigs Read More »

Phase Essential Review: Wireless DVS, Now Native in rekordbox

Hardware Review · 2026 Phase Essential review The wireless system that turns any turntable into a DVS deck — no needles, no timecode vinyl. And as of July 2026, it plugs straight into rekordbox over a single USB cable. Phase Essential: one Receiver, two Remotes that sit on your records. That’s the whole system. 8.5OUT

Phase Essential Review: Wireless DVS, Now Native in rekordbox Read More »

Weird & Wonderful Gear: 10 Soviet Synths That Sound Like Nothing Else

Weird & Wonderful Gear · Part 2 The Formanta Polivoks — the synth that launched a thousand techno basslines. In the 1970s and 80s, the Soviet Union had no music-technology industry to speak of. What it had instead were state-owned radio and defence plants filling production quotas — and inside them, engineers who loved synthesizers.

Weird & Wonderful Gear: 10 Soviet Synths That Sound Like Nothing Else Read More »

AlphaTheta XDJ-AN Review: The Cloud-First Standalone That Bridges Bedroom and Booth

First look / All-in-one systems AlphaTheta XDJ-AN review A cloud-first, two-channel standalone built to walk you from the bedroom to the booth — streaming, cloud libraries and a club-style layout in one compact box. Rating pending Standalone 2-channel $1,199 AlphaTheta has a habit of quietly reshaping the middle of its range, and the XDJ-AN is

AlphaTheta XDJ-AN Review: The Cloud-First Standalone That Bridges Bedroom and Booth Read More »

Numark Party Mix III vs MixTrack Go: Which Entry Controller Wins? (2026)

Hardware · Head-to-head · Rating pending Party Mix III vs MixTrack Go Numark dropped two brand-new starter controllers on the same July morning — the light-up Party Mix III at $149 and the pocket-sized MixTrack Go at $99. They share a spec sheet but solve completely different problems. Here’s which one belongs on your desk.

Numark Party Mix III vs MixTrack Go: Which Entry Controller Wins? (2026) Read More »

Our Favourite Weird Gear: 7 Odd Drum Machines That Built Modern Music

Weird & Wonderful Gear · A new series Our favourite weird gear. Edition 01 — Drum Machines Before the 808, there was a century of strange, clunky, wonderful machines trying to fake a drummer. These are the ones we love most. Welcome to Weird & Wonderful Gear — an occasional series about the odd, obsolete

Our Favourite Weird Gear: 7 Odd Drum Machines That Built Modern Music Read More »

Key Matching on DJ Gear: How Key Sync Works (CDJ-3000X & More)

Technique · Hardware KeyMatchingOn DJ Gear What Key Sync, Key Shift and Master Tempo actually do — how the CDJ-3000X handles it, and why standalone gear and laptops solve the same problem differently. Key Sync CDJ-3000X If you’ve spent any time mixing harmonically, you’ll know the frustration: the perfect next track is sitting right there

Key Matching on DJ Gear: How Key Sync Works (CDJ-3000X & More) Read More »

CDJ-1500X vs CDJ-3000X vs XDJ-1000MK2: Which CDJ Should You Buy?

Compared · Media Players · Jul 2026 CDJ-1500X vs CDJ-3000X vs XDJ-1000MK2: which player for your rig? AlphaTheta’s new compact CDJ finally gives home DJs and smaller venues a real choice. Here’s how the 1500X stacks up against the club flagship above it and the decade-old XDJ it replaces — with a bias toward producers

CDJ-1500X vs CDJ-3000X vs XDJ-1000MK2: Which CDJ Should You Buy? Read More »

AlphaTheta CDJ-1500X Review: The Compact CDJ For Bars & Home Rigs

Review · Controllers & Decks · Jul 2026 AlphaTheta CDJ-1500X review: the compact CDJ finally arrives A 10.1-inch touchscreen and cloud stack borrowed from the flagship, squeezed into a body built for bars, small rooms and home rigs. It’s the first properly affordable CDJ since 2016 — but the tradeoffs are real. CDJ 1500X FIRST

AlphaTheta CDJ-1500X Review: The Compact CDJ For Bars & Home Rigs Read More »