Mixvibes DVS Pack MK2 - first impression
TheMixVibes DVS Pack MK2 is a plug and play digital vinyl system dedicated to laptop DJs who use Turntables, CD decks and/or Midi interfaces. Enjoy a real time mix feel with the control device of your choice.
Unpacking: Like any other box, open it to get to the goods.
Once the box is opened, you can see the dvs vinyl, cds, RCA cables, and the U46MK2 sound card.
U46MK2 Sound Card: Out of the box the sound card is fairly heavy. A closer view of the usb U46MK2 sound card, each input has a mic, line, phono switch and gain adjustment knob. Also a mic input, hi-z input, headphone input, and headphone volume control knobs fill the front plate of the sound card.
And a view of the back of the device to see the connections. Along with the power plug port, usb plug, there are 4 analog inputs, 6 analog outputs, and 2 mix outputs.
A close view one of the control cds, thought that was a clever touch.
Installing: Connecting everything was pretty straight forward, Connecting the turntable rca’s to the input of the u46mk2, and the included RCA cables from the outputs to the line inputs of my mixer.. . the overall connection looks like this;
After everything was connected, here is a pic of the Pro DVS records (not included in the DVS Pack) The pack comes with the standard black control records.
The Software:
Installation was pretty straight forward, no issues with the drivers or install. Of course a few minutes after I got everything wired up and installed the power went out. Atleast that gave me an opportunity to tinker with the program itself. One good thing was I could click and mix without using the decks or mixer (not normally my thing, but without power why not). Within a few minutes I had figured out what I was doing with the program and was thinking a midi controller would be nice at this moment. Once the power came back, it was time to test out the DVS with the time control vinyl.
On initial startup I figured out that I needed to calibrate each channel. After that was set I was off to some quick mixes in absolute mode. I also changed one to relative mode and set some loops. The loops were pretty accurate and I was able to mix in and out of a few during the time I had used it.
Overall First Impression:
Overall everything was easy to use and worked as intended. The DVS adds a vinyl/cdj feel to your mp3 collection. I look forward to spending some more time with this DVS.
Specs:
* 2 time-coded records and 2 high definition CDs for track control
* Set of connectors for using by-pass (playback original records)
* Integrated multi-pattern sampler with import, volume, and repeat features
* Advanced media management lets you create groups, playlists, sort media (by genre, BPM, etc.), search intuitively, and auto analyze your track’s BPM and precise waveform display
* Hi-fidelity code with endless track and track selection
* Control CD includes special hi-def timecode for hot cues and loops
* U46MK2 soundcard which allows you to access the full power of the audio interface
* MIDI standard compatible
* Adjustable effects included (echo, reverb, flanger, etc.)
* VST compatibility
* Master Tempo control
* Auto beatmatching and synchronization
* Pitch blend
* WAV recording
* 3-band EQ
* U46MK2
* 4-in 6-out multi purpose USB audio interface
* 2 phono inputs (stereo) and 2 line (stereo) inputs
* Microphone input with gain control (+48V phantom power for condenser mic)
* Direct instrument input for Electric guitars
* (Hi-Z) with gain control
* 6 line analog outputs with separate mix output
* Headphone output with level control
* 4-channel recording and 6-channel playback at the same time; full duplex
* 4-in 6-out at 44.1kHz / 4-in 4-out at 48kHz
* WDM, MME, ASIO, and DirectSound support
* MixVibes CROSS LE Software included
* Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS/X compatible
* Box also includes:
* DVS software CD
* Keyboard stickers
System requirements:
* Windows NT2000, XP (Service Pack2 strongly recommended) or Vista, Pentium III 1 Ghz min., 512 MB memory RAM min.