The Real CDJ Killer?

When we saw the first prototype of the HDTT-5000 at the Plasa show last year, we knew that Cortex meant business

This thing is big, bold and looks set to challenge the likes of the Pioneer CDJ-1000 as the deck of choice.

One of the major advantages of the HDTT-5000 over other players is that it can read digital audio files directly from USB drives.

There’s no less than five USB ports for connecting hard drives, thumb drives or CD/DVD Rom drives, and it works equally well with PC or Mac formatted drives, and of course the ubiquitous iPod.

A nice feature of the HDTT range is that two units can be chained together so that they can both access tracks from the same hard drive without swapping cables.

The large blue LCD is essential for navigating and searching for tracks on the hard drives. It can display directories exactly as they appear on a computer, plus it has database software to help organize massive music collections.

The HDTT-5000 has stacks of potential as a serious tool for live remixing. It’s loaded with a dozen DSP effects including filters, echos, flangers and more, all of which can be tweaked in real-time.

The powerful real-time looping feature goes one better than typical CD players can. Loop points can be edited and trimmed until they sound perfect and the waveform display makes this job a whole lot easier. Beat syncing comes as standard, and DJs can set their own lengths four the four loop banks.

The all important touch-sensitive platter will be the make or break point of this machine. If they get the vinyl emulation spot on, then Cortex may well be onto a winner. Check these pages for the first reviews.

Specs

Price: £599

Released: September