BEASTIE MIKE D ON AMERICA'S MOST-WANTED MP3 PLAYER
Everyone's trying to get their hands on MadWaves' $250 MadPlayer. It's the first MP3 machine that not only stores music but also lets you make it. Wired asked Beastie Boy Mike D to take one for a test-drive.
First off, the design is kinda wack. I have a problem with these HEADPHONES and this little mike setup.
It definitely features a lot of different kinds of samples, but how do I put myself in record mode, and how do I slow the tempo? The SAMPLING MODES are really complicated: Sampling on the highway, sampling in the tunnel. It might be easier to figure them out with some kind of joystick.
For recording the vocal samples, the MadPlayer should have a more clearly marked RECORD BUTTON in red. With recording equipment, it doesn't help to have to learn an entirely new interface. That's the great thing about PC programs like Reason: It helps to have something familiar to work on. I don't think anyone hipped these guys to that.
Time to add some vocals and SAVE. The company says, "Only MadPlayer lets you rap anywhere," and I've got it going, so I guess I'm ready to walk around Manhattan rapping to myself. But only I can hear the accompanying music track. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but it keeps sampling the background music along with my vocals. That's getting confusing.
TO SUM UP: This is basically a toy. How are you supposed to get seriously creative on something that makes you look like you work at a fast-food restaurant? This is for people who write their novel at a Starbucks, people who want to be watched. I personally believe vocals should be recorded in the privacy of one's own home or in a studio — not in an outdoor café.
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