A little bit about the company I bought my new mix deck from, it was formed in 1974. It is one of the top companies in the industry, having a long history spanning almost 50 years. It is amazing how they gave DJs a platform to work on even before the actual rise of DJing. For that, the company and the people behind them have my respect.
Gemini MDJ 1000 Reviewed
I was able to secure this inexpensive beauty before it was sold out. It is 12 inches wide, 13.3 inches long, and 4.07 inches in height. It weighs 8.6 pounds. Overall, it has a black exterior with different colored buttons that light up a different color when used or selected. The jog wheel is on the bottom part of the device. Above this are the Adjust buttons, jog adjust dial, and filter dial. The Adjust buttons are a series of buttons that control the loop and speed of the track you are working on. The CD slot is on the side underneath the jog wheel.
At the top is a 4.3-inch display screen. What I like about it is the display of the song in a waveform. It helps a lot with identifying perfect beats and rhythm to insert special effects. Gemini MDJ-1000 supports WAV, MP3, AAC, and AIFF file formats.
The USB port is on the left side of the screen, which is the default music source. Below is the shift button. On the right side is the button for Browse/Select for searching the window. Below this is the Back button, which brings the screen back to the settings prompt.
On the right side of the controller are the buttons for selecting the music source, whether from a USB, CD, MIDI, or another MDJ-1000 linked to the first one. I like this feature of linking two MDJs. I’m fine with going solo, of course, but having a buddy do it with me on another MDJ is a nice feeling too. Below are the Start and Stop Time dials. Further below is the Vinyl button, then the pitch bend dials, and finally, the tempo slider at the bottom.
The Hot Cues buttons are on the upper part of the left side, followed by the Reverse button, then the Track Search buttons. Directly below this is the Search button. A little confusing at first, but a few uses will get you used to this placement. It did for me, anyway. Below those are the Cue and Play/Pause buttons.
The On/Off button can be found on the side of the controller where the screen is. Beside it is the power supply slot. The LAN cable may be plugged into the Link Out slot. You can also use the USB out to plug the controller into your computer. There is also a Link Output jack and a Digital Out slot.
Care and Maintenance
It is recommended that the controller is cleaned with a soft cloth and an alcohol solution containing 30% isopropyl alcohol. Nowadays, I don’t let anyone else touch my MDJ-1000. It’s a little hard to clean the inside, and I don’t want any bacteria or virus festering anywhere.
Review
The best review, of course, is to use it. After plugging it, I tried out all the features. My test batch was made up of my dance song playlist. The feel of the buttons is a bit too soft for my touch. The buttons glow an electric green when pressed.
The controls, especially the loops, are a little stressful initially, but Gemini has a Youtube channel that is very helpful to people like me who aspire to be DJs but no mentor insight. They also have a bunch of other videos that I watch to teach myself how to mix tracks.
Overall, I like the device. The first few times, I have to set it on Auto-Loop, but once I practice more on it, the more confident I become. I have a small group of friends that I test my beats on. They were all impressed and requested that I play for their next party.
Pros and Cons
The pros are the portability of the device. I can carry it everywhere I go. Once you get to know the buttons, their placement doesn’t bother me anymore. They make more sense now. I also like how their website is simple, and I can navigate around it easily.
The one con I have is that I am scared of pressing the buttons too hard. As I said, I feel like they are too soft for my touch. I hope I get over this in time.
Conclusion
Coming into the world of mixing tracks blind, it is safe to say that the Gemini MDJ 1000 helped me a lot on my journey.
FAQ: Frequent questions
? Which is the best?
Gemini MDJ-1000 Professional
? How did we test them?
We tested 18 products, researched 8 sources, evaluated 114 reviews and spent 14+ hours on our guide.
? What should you look at before buying?
When choosing it’s best to make a decision based on the price/quality, functionality and compatibility with other devices/technologies.
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