Hi,

I've been using a Sony walkman for music in my magic shows, but would like to have remote access to music without any lag time. I understand that MP3s are digital and supposedly have no lag time. Plus you can store a ton of songs on it. Does anyone have suggestions? I know the Showtech is available, but too spendy for me.

Thanks
Cabrera

I have noticed a lot of people saying here that the ShowTech is too expensive. It is very pricey. If you only want something to handle your music why not look at the MiniTech. It does a great job of controlling your music and costs half of what the ShowTech does.

As with all of these things it is not the player that is so important. It is the remote. An infrared remote just does not cut it compared to the functionality you get from a R/F remote.

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......11&7

Check this out. It works great!

For about $50 US I found an inexpensive portable CD player that plays MP3s from a CDR. It is not good for "mixing" because there is a short delay between tracks as it scans the next file. However, for individual tracks, it works great.

When I am doing a show where I can use my sound tech, I use a laptop. Winamp, XMMS and others have a built in cross-fade for switching between songs. I've been able to do some really nice stuff with this by preparing MP3 lists ahead of time and having the tech move to the next track on queue. I can go into this in more detail if you're interested.

Joe Leskovar designs, manufactures, and sells a system which is similar to the MiniTech, called the StageCue, and it sells for $599 US dollars. It's also expandable to include power outlets and a large LED display.

http://www.leskini.com/stagecue.html

Mp3's are great because of compression technology. If I were to suggest a format for performance though, I would stick with .wav or CD format. There was a great thread about using Winamp with a RF transmitter for really cheap...maybe someone can re-thread the needle.