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Here's an affordable home mixing suite with the capacity to mix or remix music and video. That may sound too good to be true. This reviewer's first impression was that a huge amount of memory was required just to power the sophisticated-looking interface. But after a few minutes of playful fun the full potential of playr deluxe unfolds, and it isn't disappointing. playr deluxe comes with a varied selection of ready-made audio and visual files. You can load your own files in most formats (mp3, wav, avi etc.) Or mix them with all or some of the available demo pieces. Of note are the quality of the audio in perfect real-time and the clarity of the visuals in sync with the audio. The main screen is presented as a virtual pair of cd players complete with eq, effects and smooth crossfader. There is no clunky delay and the mixers slide controls can cut in and out when you actually want without missing a virtual beat. Both media can be automated with a variety of different filters and psychedelic swoops while you concentrate on creating your perfect playlist as dj, vj or both. there is good flexibility here. You can create suitable audio samples for use in the supplied music editor. It works much the same as any other wave editor, making it simple to record favourite pieces of audio and mix them with others in sequence or simultaneously whilst choosing a visual backdrop for your soundtrack. While this is by no means a professional tool it does provide the same addictive thrill as most virtual hardware in that being the dj for just a short while makes for hours of fun. --david trueman |
