Yes, that’s right. If you have to use a computer on a gig you need to consider machines that are made for only one purpose, playing back music. So Numark pushes out the HDMIX, this compact DJ system so you can mix Slipknot with Britney anywhere.

For some time I’ve been using a laptop for playing back sequences and sounds. It was bad because XP is really not good for that kind of stuff. I decided to get an Akai MPC when the laptop crashed on an important show. I could be happy about a hardware sampler, but it is really hard to use compared to a laptop. No big screen, no mouse, silly operating system, stupid limitations, only specific formats will work, low space, blah blah. There are pros and cons. Maybe one day my dream will come true and there will be a hardware sampler synthesizer with big touchscreen and mouse.

Anyway, here are some specs for you of the HDMIX:

• Professional DJ mixer with CD and expandable playback options
• CD player plays CDs, MP3-CDs, and MP3-DVDs
• 80GB hard drive is replaceable and upgradable up to 1TB
• High-definition color LCD screen
• Three input channels, each with with EQ and gain
• Two USB ports for connecting iPods, thumb drives, and hard drives
• Two mic, three line, and two phono inputs
• XLR master and RCA zone outputs;1/8″ and 1/4″ Headphone outputs
• Scratch with MP3, WAV, and AAC (unprotected) files
• Massively-wide pitch control -100% – +25%
• Key Lock lets you independently shift tempo and pitch
• Jog wheels for seamless looping, pitch control, and scratching
• Text search, letter-pick scrolling, and on-board playlist creation
• Track search by artist, album, song, genre, and BPM
• Create custom playlists while performing
• Keyboard included for fast searching
• Beatkeeper™ technology for auto-syncing loops and samples; TAP override
• Transfer tracks between HDMIX and your Mac or PC via USB