Numark TTi USB/iPod Turntable - vinyl to MP3 for idiots (like us)

Never mind plugging a deck into a computer and loading up a pile of software - the Numark TTi USB Turntable with iPod Dock makes it all redundant.

Well, if you have an iPod that is. That's because it has an iPod dock, recording your vinyl tunes straight to the miniature player. Or if you want to tinker with the audio quality, you can still hook it up to the PC (to the USB port) and load up one of the three types of software sold with the deck.

The turntable itself is belt-drive, with playback at 33 or 45 and line-level RCA outputs (with built-in phono pre-amp). Available now for £149.

Find out more at the Advanced MP3 Players website

Weird and brilliant music. Press play. Now.

Like early Kraftwerk? Like Tortoise? Like weird far out music made by Japanese musicians who have six single string guitars and an 8-foot bass? Check this.

Microsoft to launch Joy Division-themed Zune media player. Yes really...

If it was April 1st, I would think twice about publishing this story. But it isn't - Microsoft really is going to produce a Joy Division-themed Zune media player.

Available from June 10th, the player will be limited edition, produced to promote a new DVD about the band and featuring Peter Saville's iconic album artwork from Unknown Pleasures.

The picture above is a mock-up, but likely to be close to what you'll get. If you live in America that is. You see, the Zune hasn't been released in the UK as yet - which means a design forever associated with Manchester will not actually be sold in the city.

Microsoft Zune

Via Retro To Go

Skullcandy GI Rasta headphones

Ideal for the reggae DJ, these Skullcandy GI Rasta headphones ditch the traditional black and instead go for a rastafarian-friendly red, green and yellow.

But it isn't just novelty, these are decent enough for an entry-level record spinner, with 90-degree orientable speakers and volume control, as well as travel protection, a stereo adapter, 3m of cable and a gold-plated plug.

Shop around - you can get these as cheap as £29.99 - including via the link below.

Find out more at the iheadphones website

Via Switched On Set

Denon DJ DN-HS5500 direct drive scratch turntable - the end of the vinyl DJ?

Well, could the vinyl DJ disappear? No chance - there's still too many devotees to vinyl and digital DJs are still very much seen as second class citizens in 'knowing' circles. But with kit like the Denon DJ DN-HS5500 around, it's sorely tempting to go down the digital route.

Details are scarce, with the official launch not due until March. But apart from the image above, we do know a few things. Firstly, there's 'tactile' control of your digital music via a direct-drive scratching platter, built-in effects, cueing and pitch adjustment, as well as connectivity for all your digital music - USB storage, hard drive (which can be installed internally) or iPod

We should have more details nearer the launch. In the meantime, enjoy the image.

Denon DJ website

Via Switched On Set

Flud Turntable Watch - get a Technics 1200 deck on your wrist

Following on from last year's Stamps Disco comes another record deck for your wrist - the Flud Turntable Watch.

This one is based on the classic Technics 1200 deck, complete with detailing like the arm, pitch control and start/stop. Oh yes - and it tells the time too. And as a nice finishing touch, the watch comes in a DJ-style flight case.

Available with black or steel strap, it's available online from $59, which is around £30.

Find out more at the Turntable Lab website

Via Switched On Set

Numark TTi turntable - copy your vinyl to an iPod without a PC

There's an ever-growing number of ways to convert your vinyl to digital files for playback on an iPod (or other MP3 player), but the newly-launched Numark TTi turntable makes it that bit easier - removing the computer from the equation.

The TTi deck packs in an iPod dock, leaving you to simply spin the record to transfer to your portable player, as well as offering pitch control if you want to speed up/slow down those tunes. And if you want to go 'old school', there is USB and EZ Vinyl Converter software for the PC or Mac for doing it with that computer.

This convenience comes at a premium, with the TTi expected in the middle of 2008 for $449, which is around £250.

Find out more at the Numark website

Via Switched On Set

Portable DJ system from Pacemaker for wannabe DJs

Now, anyone with brains digs vinyl the mostest right? Wrong. We all like loads of different formats (even though vinyl is clearly the super heavyweight champ) and for those who like MP3s, and furthermore, MP3Jing, you need to have a look at this.

Probably the world's poshest toy, the Pacemaker Portable DJ System is the worlds first... well.. it does exactly what it says on the tin. To me, this looks like something for the aspiring amateurs who wants to play a house party as opposed to a serious bit of kit (and the guy turning up with the box of 45s is gonna look cooler than you).

Of course, this is super easy to carry around and it's a gas gas gas to use. Toggle between the track on “deck” A and the track on “deck” B with the press of a button—all viewable on the LCD screen. Pitch is adjusted using the touchpad on the bottom. Plus, the unit holds 120GB of tunes. That's thousands of tracks buddy. Line-out jacks rig up to mixers and stereos and a USB 2.0 port lets you transfer and manage music to your computer. Fancy it? Yours for $700.

Find out more at Pacemaker.net

Death Of The LP? I Don't Think So Buddy: Pt 2

Further to Mof's piece about being a record freak in the mp3 age, heres an illustrative anecdote from...The Files Of Fuzz Squad.

So I'm at work the other week lookin' to do pretty much anything but get down to the J O B, and I spies this kid, studenty type, looks like he plays bass in Gomez, probably a Mogwai fan, that sort of vibe, he's in the office for the week doing some sorta temp work, I forget exactly what. I'm bored outta my skull anyways so figure'll I'll wander over to his desk and make with the nice. As I approach, The Kid's fishing a CD out of his bag. This is a crucial moment in our relationship. If he pulls out The Hoosiers or Foals I'm all set to turn the hell around and never look back. But if he pulls out The Immaculate Collection, Enter The 36 Chambers Or Bitches Brew, I know things are gonna be just rosy between us...

Beats by Dr Dre headphones - hip hop headwear from the man himself

Never mind producing records, hip hop mogul Dr Dre is currently spending his time flogging technology - Beats by Dr Dre headphones to be precise.

Just announced, these cans are the work of Dre in conjunction with tech firm Monster. According to the marketing blurb, they have a  'unique and avant-garde new look', with the sound tuned by the former NWA man for a 'rich, deep bass'. Want to know more? Well, let's hear from the man himself...

“When I’m making a track I’m trying to capture the sound that makes me go ‘now THAT’s the shit! And I want that reaction from everybody who hears it. I spend a lot of time in the studio listening to my music through headphones…with Beats, people are finally going to hear it the way they should: the way I do.” 

So there you go. Expect them in a couple of months for $400, which is around £200.

Find out more at the Monster website

Via Switched On Set

Denon DJ DN-HD2500 media player - the future of DJing?

All of the Electric Roulette team have done a bit of DJing - and all with a pile of vinyl. But the DJ world is changing, with technology replacing the box of records - typified by the Denon DJ DN-HD2500 media player.

It's an upgrade to the existing model, offering a 40GB drive for all your digital tunes, as well as USB connectivity if you want to hook up another device. A central screen navigates your tracks, with built-in effects, platter effects and pitch adjustment available to mix up your tunes. In fact, there's just about everything you would expect from a traditional set-up.

The purists will hate it - but anyone who doesn't want vinyl-related back problems might want to take a look. It's available for £649 plus VAT, more if ou want to add on a CD player.

Find out more at the Denon website

Radiohead seven-album box set - on CD and 4GB memory stick

Look at Radiohead, all modern and tech-savvy - bringing out its seven-album box set on CD and on a limited edition 4GB memory stick on December 10th.

The box features all seven of Radiohead’s albums 1993-2003 (Pablo Honey, The Bends, OK Computer, Kid A, Amnesiac, and Hail To The Thief plus one the I Might Be Wrong live album) together in a specially packaged CD box set (see above). The 4GB memory stick version contains CD quality WAV audio files and comes in the shape of Radiohead’s iconic ‘bear’ image - that version is limited to just 1,000 worldwide. The same audio content will also be available as a digital bundle of all seven albums containing DRM-free 320kbps MP3 files.

Old school iPod boom box

Back in the day, miniature music players would have been laughed out of town - the size of your boom box was all that mattered. And now you can relive that era with this suitably old school iPod boom box.

But this 80s-style stereo isn't all that it seems - it's actually a DIY sound system, made of flat-packed cardboard, but with fully working speakers, a dock for your iPod and power from the included batteries.

Just like the real thing - only lighter and with more tunes. It retails for $45 (around £23).

Find out more at the Fred Flare website

Via Retro To Go

Air-Musician Virtual Guitar - the air guitar becomes real

The air guitar - the perfect instrument for the musically inept. And now it's just got better with the Air-Musician Virtual Guitar.

Fresh out of Japan (naturally), the Virtual Guitar fits your wrist like a watch and features five rock 'classics' - Black Night and Smoke On The Water by Deep Purple, Walk This Way by AeroSmith, T-Rex's 20th Century Boy and Are You Gonna Go My way by Lenny Kravitz. Choose your tune and start strumming - every time you move your wrist, the next chord plays, as fast or as slow as you want.

The most fun you can have with your wrist in public. And just $19.99 (£10).

Pick one up from the ThinkGeek website

DJ-phone's Satisfashion - retro handset for hip DJs

Ever looked at the DJ booth in your local club and wondered why the bloke (or girl) on there happens to be on the phone? They're not booking a taxi or chatting to a mate, the DJ is lining up the next disc for your enjoyment, free of weighty headphones that might flatten the hip young thing's hair. Or more practically, leaving one ear open to hear what's going on.

And you can pick one up too - the very stylish DJ-phone by Satisfashion. It's a high quality vintage Swedish handset, converted for headphone functionality. In fact, the attention to detail in the conversion means you can actually hear both channels on the earphone, making cueing up your next tune a breeze.

Yours from Sivletto for £25.

Find out more at the Sivletto website

Via Crossed Combs