Mom with equipment questions for daughter with disabilities

[ltstangel]

A warm hello to the group,
I am mom to a young lady with multiple disabilities who's a music lover. I've been trying to find a piece of equipment with a couple of specific functions and thought someone here might be able to point me in the right direction. Basically I'm looking for something that she can use with whatever music device she's listening use...CD/DVD, MP3, PC, etc. that would allow her to control the pitch, speed, etc. and for not too much money. I've looked at a lot of mixing equipment and some have the things she needs/wants, but they require a pc and she's blind, so I need something that has dials and knobs that can sit on the table in front of her.Does such a thing exist and if so, what would I look for? A gracious thank you for any help! P. S. If I posted this in the wrong place, please let me know.

[Chael]

hello and welcome to the group, im not aware of any specific pieces of kit that cater for people for with disabilities although devices that can play several different types of media are making it to the market these days, they can cost you as much as you want to spend and then some with varying levels of build/sound quality. I dont know anything about your daughters disability but id guess from what you have said you would be looking at a typical 2 decks and mixer combo as most dj controllers require software and a pc/laptop screen, a mixer would also give you good options to plug and play other devices (with the right leads) could you give us an idea of your budget? we could then provide some options within your price bracket

[tilldrop]

The problem about this is that genuine hardware equipment (which does not require a laptop) is usually very expensive since you somewhat pay for a small computer inside it as well. The cheapest examples I found right now include something like a Stanton SCS 4, which costs 259€ and looks like this: http://www.stantondj.com/pics/produc...j-front-lg.jpg

However this one for example also has a display, which will be used for track selection etc. I'm sure that it is possible to remember the exact menu and buttons, but this definitly is not made for blind people. Also the build quality of this is not very good, but similar units with better quality can reach up to a few hundreds or even more.

Have you thought about other musical equipment? Maybe something like a synthesiser or drum maschine could be fun for her too.

How old is the young lady and is this meant to be a fun toy for musical experiments or are you looking for something that is more a classical DJ-console with two players and a mixer so that you can create mixes of two songs?

[ImNotDedYet]

I wonder if Mr. Lance Blaise could help? (http://www.lanceblaise.com/ and an article about his disability here: http://thump.vice.com/words/legally-...tion-to-us-all)

He also suffers from vision loss, although I don't believe it's complete loss. You might be able to reach out to him and ask him for some advice if he doesn't chime in here?

[Deejaesnafu]

I don't know if the OP is necessarily looking for a Dj unit. If your daughter is wanting to just manipulate the music or sounds she is listening to. There are some not too highly priced effect units that you could plug online to an iPod, or other source.. Something like
https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...d=0CMUBEKYrMAM

Is around 150 bucks.. It doesn't have knobs but it does have a fun touchpad, and can be used Record her own voice etc, or It can apply a bunch of effects to whatever plays thru it. I'm not sure if something along these lines would work, or if she actually wants to blend 2 songs with each other?

[Jane]

Hi ltstangel

just wondering would a single CDJ player be a help? Something like a CDJ 350 can play USB/CDs and CDs with MP3s on if they're burnt to the disk.

There a pitchfader for slowing down/speeding up the track, plus you can hit Master Tempo which can keep the pitch at the recorded level while speeding up/slowing down the track (so it doesn't go all 'chipmonk' or deeply doom sounding)

http://pioneerdj.com/english/product...r/cdj-350.html

and theres also the jog wheel for spinning back/forwards the track

you can likely get one quite cheap 2nd hand (well, 'cheap' for a CDJ - likely looking at a couple of hundred sadly) and tbh they mostly come in pairs online, but many other CDJs of various makes have these features.

here's a few other CDJ units that are similar features but more cost effective

http://www.zzounds.com/item--GMNCDJ300?siid=134665

http://www.zzounds.com/item--NUMNDX400

If your daughter wanted to mix, maybe consider getting an single unit that's got a mixer built in (the XDJ-R1 can play CDs/USBs and also has a very nice mixer )- again you could likely get one 2nd hand but these are a lot more expensive than a single CDJ player. An XDJ-R1 is a standalone unit that doesn't need a laptop (though it can work with a laptop or tablets/iphone etc if wanted)

http://pioneerdj.com/english/product...em/xdj-r1.html

hope that's maybe a help

[soundinmotiondj]

A warm hello to the group,
I am mom to a young lady with multiple disabilities who's a music lover. I've been trying to find a piece of equipment with a couple of specific functions and thought someone here might be able to point me in the right direction. Basically I'm looking for something that she can use with whatever music device she's listening use...CD/DVD, MP3, PC, etc. that would allow her to control the pitch, speed, etc. and for not too much money.

OK...as previously mentioned, that is going to be difficult to find.

You mentioned that "no laptop" was desirable. There are solutions that involve a physical controller that connects to a laptop with USB. Once you start the program on the laptop, all the changes are made on the physical controller.

The Numark DJ2GO is about $60, includes the software that it needs, and can be put on a table, or held in her lap. All the "essential" controls are on the physical device.

http://www.amazon.com/Numark-DJ-Go-U.../dp/B004S8AU2I

There are some solutions that involve an iPad. If that is possible, post that here and we can offer additional suggestions.

The real "no laptop" solutions cost more money.

The Numark CDMix Bluetooth for $400-ish is one option that might work. This is an "all in one" unit that includes physical CD players. This can play CDs, mp3 CDs, but not DVDs. This can also connect with bluetooth to various music players. I am not clear if the tempo of the bluetooth inputs can be changed. Look at this, and see if the features are close to what you need or not.

If this is in the ballpark, there are used options of previous models that only play CDs (including CDs you burn yourself) available for about $100 on eBay. The bluetooth and iPhone/iPod integration is only on the later models.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F3F7SNE

[Thumper]

I wonder if Mr. Lance Blaise could help? (http://www.lanceblaise.com/ and an article about his disability here: http://thump.vice.com/words/legally-...tion-to-us-all)

He also suffers from vision loss, although I don't believe it's complete loss. You might be able to reach out to him and ask him for some advice if he doesn't chime in here?

+1. Lance is a good guy. He'd be able to some offer some great advice here.

[Aaron Benjamin]

It's wonderful what you're doing for your daughter. I would definitely echo the recommendation of other members and suggest you reach out to Lance Blaise. Please let us know what you eventually get!

[Hi Im Shy]

What about the Tonium Pacemaker? They have physical tactile buttons and a very innovative touchpad use for the effects. Once you learn the interface I could see mixing on it without any actual need to see with the exception of loading the actual tracks. They never really took off for whatever reason you can pick one up for roughly $220