Business Forum Dialna: October 2017

Sunday, October 8, 2017

NUMARK IDJ PRO

You'll need an iPad, and preferably a pre-Lightning edition running iOS 6 for the best physical fit and features. It does work with the iPad 4 and iPad Mini but you'll need a Lightning-to-30-pin adaptor and you'll have to settle for a slightly less tidy docking connection.

Docked with a 30-pin iPad the IDJ Pro is a thing of beauty. It uses Algoriddim's djay app, which is a great start. djay is fine app in itself but the iPad alone isn't ideal for DJing. When docked with the IDJ Pro, the app can really spread its wings, and most importantly (although it might sound like a minor issue) it can now pump out a stereo master mix and a headphone monitor output at the same time. That alone gives it a huge advantage over rival iPad DJ systems.

Once you've downloaded the djay app (£6.99 from the App Store) and filled your iPad with funky tunes you're all ready to go. The app knows when it's hooked up to the IDJ and automatically switches from its standard iPad mode to IDJ mode, offering extra features and a bespoke interface. From here, control is via a combination of touchscreen input and the IDJ's hardware knobs and faders.In use the NUMARK IDJ PRO is pretty much flawless for this level of DJing. Its tempo syncing is about as accurate as any other, and although you might need to give one tune an occassional nudge to keep it in time, that's all part of DJing. There are plenty of effects to play with too. For example, each deck has its own filter knob: turn it left to roll it down to a bassy rumble or right to resonate your way into the higher frequencies.

Four more effects are available from an onscreen menu, linked to hardware controls on the panel. If that's not enough, you can play around with Kaoss Pad-style effects on the iPad's screen, choose from a bunch of one-touch effects (such as reverse spins) and even tap out your own beats on little drum pads.
More experienced DJs will say a big "Hello!" to the bass, mid-range and treble knobs which can boost or totally kill those frequencies on either deck. Even scratch mixers will find the platters and crossfader are up to the job
If we may talk connections for just a moment, it's good to see (unusually) both a 3.5mm and 1/4in output for headphones, along with inputs for a microphone and an additional sound source, with balanced and unbalanced stereo main outputs. Your performances can be recorded externally or directly to the iPad by simply pushing the onscreen record button at any point.
While the IDJ Pro is ideal for amateurs, jobbing mobile jocks could still find it does all they need with a lot less hassle than other set-ups. It's hard not to love the IDJ Pro once you're in the groove. Laptop and controller combos can offer more, but for a neat one-box solution there's nothing to rival the IDJ Pro.

4 Powerful Marketing Tips for Your Small Business

Get to Know the U.S. Small Business Administration -The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is quite amazing and most people don’t realize how many resources they have. In addition to connecting small businesses that need funding with lenders, they offer tons of information on every aspect of running a business, including developing a marketing plan, the relationship between marketing and sales, and how to set a marketing budget.
Use Social Media — but Don’t do Too Much Too Soon - Entrepreneurs getting started with social media marketing often make the mistake of overdoing it. You don’t need to be everywhere, and your messaging doesn’t need to convey all things to all people. Begin by picking a small number of social media channels that are going to help your business. Then stick to messaging that’s closely related to the core value proposition of your business. Facebook is great because it can target customers based on local geographies and other parameters. Sure, it’s a little old fashioned, but it’s basically the yellow pages of the internet age, and it’s also a way to connect people directly to your business. Others like Twitter can be used in a similar way, but Facebook is a great starting point.
Take Advantage of the Cloud - The great thing about being a newer, smaller business is that you’re not handcuffed by the same technology investments as your older, larger competition. You’re free to invest in all kinds of cloud services that place the burden of technology management on someone else. Cloud services are easy to get up and running, and they give you near infinite room to grow. On the marketing front, cloud-based services like Canva, allow you to create graphic designs for social media and other marketing efforts. Constant Contact can help you send email newsletters to current and potential customers. And there’s certainly no shortage of cloud-based marketing automation applications to choose from.
Protect Your Most Valuable Marketing Asset — Data - It doesn’t matter what business you’re in: You’re going to be generating lots of data about orders, seasonal spikes in sales, customer preferences, contact information and much more. That information will fuel all of your marketing efforts going forward — and it needs to be protected. That’s why you should consider a cloud backup service like Carbonite. With cloud backup, your data is easily accessible from any internet-connected device — and cloud backup protects your business data from malware, computer theft, accidental deletion and natural disasters.