DJzone DJ Magazine

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American Audio CDI 300 & CDI 500 Now Do MP3

American Audio has added MP3 playing capability to two of its most popular single CD players and jazzed them up with extra features that give DJs and remix artists more creative digital options than ever before.

American Audio has added MP3 playing capability to two of its most popular single CD players and jazzed them up with extra features that give DJs and remix artists more creative digital options than ever before.

Suited for mobile, club or studio use, the new CDI 300 MP3 and CDI 500 MP3 allow you to do anything with an MP3 track that you can do with a CD. Scratching, sampling and adding serious effects on the fly are all just as easy as on the original American Audio CDI 300 and CDI 500 CD players—but now DJs can benefit from the added convenience of MP3 speed, portability and storage capacity.

Some exciting upgrades to the two new CD/MP3 players make it easier for DJs to stay organized, professional-sounding and on top of the groove in the digital realm. Revolutionary features such as advanced cueing with MP3 track searching by frame—as opposed to the more common by-the-second method—give users the ability to pinpoint musical cues with a level of accuracy previously attainable only with high-end CD players.

“In the past, you had to settle for cueing by second intervals on MP3 tracks,” said Tom Freret, national sales manager for American Audio. “With 72 frames per second, turntablists who use our CDI 300 MP3 and CDI 500 MP3 players can now achieve the same degree of precision control in their MP3 cueing that they do with regular CDs.”

Another distinguishing feature of the new CD/MP3 players is their handy Folder Search feature, which lets DJs organize their tracks by category and call up everything from “Wedding Songs” to “Slow Jams” to “Workout Mix” in an instant. Both the track names and artist names are prominently displayed whenever an MP3 disc is played, and a visual marker display shows clear reference points so DJs can view exactly where in the song each track is currently playing.

CDI 300 MP3 – Designed for DJs who want a basic CD player with MP3 capabilities, the sturdy and reliable CDI 300 MP3 includes such essential features as Sampling, Digital Scratching, Fader “Q” Start and an adjustable Pitch Control range of ±4%, ±8%, or ±16% with up to 100% “Hyper Pitch.” Cue points and samples can be recalled using the unit’s 3 Flash Start Sampler Buttons, which store samples up to 5 seconds long. Other features of the CDI 300 MP3 include Seamless Loop, Tempo Lock, Digital Output (S/PDIF), Anti-Shock Memory (10 seconds) and Quick MP3/CD Recognition.

CDI 500 MP3 – Loaded with cutting-edge tools for manipulating audio on the fly, the CDI 500 MP3 offers the same great features as the CDI 300 MP3 plus 8 more onboard digital effects. Filter, Echo, Trans, Skid, Phase, Flanger, Pan and Bop can all be layered and combined while the unit’s digital B.P.M. counter keeps the effects right in sync with the music. The CDI 500 MP3 also comes equipped with American Audio’s interactive and highly accurate Dual Power Touch Jog Wheel System, which offers two modes of scratching: Digital Scratch and Beat Juggle Mode. The unit can store up to 1,500 cue points and provide recall memory for Q-Start and samples as well.

The suggested retail price of the CDI 300 MP3 is $419.95. The suggested retail price of the CDI 500 MP3 is $599.95.