Which Windows 7 is right for you
Yes, it can play your own samples
It's great that Mixman bundled the DM2 with these 30 songs because you can get started right away. (Mixman has more songs broken into samples for sale on its Web site.) But more advanced DJs will want to import their own samples. The easiest way to load a sample is to plug a computer microphone in to your sound card's microphone jack and record your voice or another sound into the program. Then you can play, scratch, and add effects to your voice alongside the other samples in the mix. But you can also assign any uncompressed WAV file on your computer to any of the 16 sample buttons on the console. Even better, you can use the Mixman StudioXPro (click the Studio Pro tab) software to quantize your samples and import them into the DM2 so that they'll all play at the same beat. The ability to import these samples makes the DM2 something that even professional DJs might like. We asked renowned DJ Lesser if there was anything missing from the DM2, and he said he'd probably be able to incorporate the device into his setup. However, he did mention that the DM2 would be even more useful if it had MIDI and VST plug-in support.
Naturally, you can export your mixes at CD quality, which is great if you want to make an MP3, a CD, or import the mix as a track into your digital multitracking software.
At $80, the Mixman DM2 is an extraordinary value. Everyone at CNET had to play with the unit we had, so we think even nonmusical people will get a kick out of it. And if you want to get started in the DJ world, the DM2 seems like the logical first step.
