iPod and iTunes Hacks

Use Two iPods to DJ

Got a party coming up? Leave that stack of vinyl at home and take two iPods with you to mix it up digital-music style.

It’s inevitable that when a new music format becomes popular, people will want to DJ with it. It happened with vinyl, it happened with CDs—well, okay, it didn’t quite happen with eight-tracks or cassettes. But what about digital formats such as MP3 or AAC? It is possible to DJ with your iPod, and although the iPod presents some barriers to creating a professional-sounding DJ show, you can still achieve good results. There are two main ways to DJ with your iPod: the first way consists of connecting two iPods to a mixing board, and the other is achieved when you connect two iPods to your computer.

Two iPods and a Mixing Board

To DJ using two iPods and a mixing board, you will need the following items:

• Two iPods

• Two headphone-jack-to-RCA cables

• A mixing board

• An amplifier

• Speakers

This setup mimics the traditional basic DJ setup of two turntables connected to a mixing board. We are substituting iPods for turntables, but unfortunately, this is not just a simple matter of swapping one for another. There are a few issues we need to address first.

Connectivity and amplification.

For this setup, we will utilize the headphone jack on the iPod. This allows us to cut a computer out of the equation, providing a more portable setup. Simply connect your two iPods to your ...