Cortex’s newest piece of DJ technology, the dMix-300, carries a sophisticated punch, allowing any DJ to excel far beyond many digital DJ devices on the market. The device features an iPod-friendly dock (both Nano, and full-size models work), an LED displaying pitch, track title, and time, two jogging wheels for precision cueing and scratching, and USB connectivity for external hardware. Simply put, it’s the long-lost hub between the digital and analog divide.

In addition to the aforementioned specs, the dMix also carries a detailed search function (artist name, song title, album, or keywords), making for easy MIDI transitions in between songs. And if mixing exclusively with an iPod is not your thing, you can also load CDs and CDRs (with a compatible drive) into the system’s memory. For the lazy, “there’s no one here, I’m gonna drink” DJ, there’s an adjustable auto-fade feature that can blend any playlist instantaneously.

It may not be ideal for a vinyl-only candidate, but the dMix-300 is light years ahead of its digital competition, even at $600.

The dMix-300 is available now from Cortex.