Embarrassing Schoolboy Error With Cortex DMIX 300..........Please Help!

[Eski75]

Aspiring newbie here. Took delivery of my Cortex DMIX 300 today, only to find that I couldn't get anything to play from my IPOD and that it wasn't recognising any data from it, except for the artists and album names if I took the path, File Browser - Itunes.

Having spent half my evening trying to work it out, I think I've cracked it, but don't now know what to do about it!

Q.1 Is it because all my music on my IPOD is in AAC Format?

Q.2 If so, I guess I have to convert EVERYTHING to wav or MP3?

Q.3 If this is so, any free software out there to do it and how do these tunes then sit back in my Ipod

Sorry if to many of you this is a really simple concept.......but I'm about to take a hammer to it! :mad:

[Vectis]

Never touched a Cortex product in my life.

What does the manual say about file formats? I'm sure you'll find your answer there.

If you do have to go the MP3 route (highly likely methinks) then there's squillions of products out there to do it. It sounds like you're an iTunes user - in which case you can select a bunch of files, right click, save as MP3. But make sure you set the defaults first as IIRC it'll try to write them at 128K or whatever unless you increase it.

[Excalibur]

Never touched a Cortex product in my life.


No need to apologise, Martin. ;) :D
Cortex accepts MP3, WAV, and CD Audio.

We touched on this very point, while trying to help Chris Peacock with his Cortex 3000


Edit: And while we're on about schoolboy errors, there was a member on here laughing his socks off at one I made recently. I really shoud have known better. :o :o :o

[Eski75]

Is that function to "save as MP3" in the Itunes taskbar? I can't seem to find it.

I'm using some downloaded software, which is doing an admirable job, except it isn't finding the song/artist information which means each song is displayed on the Cortex as a series of random numbers and letters. Hence at the minute I am having to manually enter the song name, artist and album of each track.

A chore I can tell you!

[Excalibur]

Is that function to "save as MP3" in the Itunes taskbar? I can't seem to find it.

I'm using some downloaded software, which is doing an admirable job, except it isn't finding the song/artist information which means each song is displayed on the Cortex as a series of random numbers and letters. Hence at the minute I am having to manually enter the song name, artist and album of each track.

A chore I can tell you!

Don't take this as gospel, cos I only use itunes about twice a year. I'm sure you can convert them to mp3 internally,( cos I've done so ) but whether you can "batch" them, I've no idea. :confused: :confused:

You just select a track in itunes, right click, and an option appears "create MP3 version". Simples.


Edit: Default answer, Media Monkey. I reckon you could do it all in there

[funkymook]

There shouldn't be any problems creating WAV or MP3 versions of your songs in iTunes, and they should also be tagged to show artist and title on your Cortex. (and you can highlight multiple tunes and do a batch)

So to start narrowing down your problem....

What version of iTunes are you using?

Are the problem songs bought from iTunes or imported from your own CD's? (or any other source?)

In iTunes - highlight and right click on one of the files you are having problems with - then click on 'Get Info' What Format does it say it is?

That should give us a few clues, we can then work on from there. :)

[Eski75]

Nice One Everybody! Cracked It!

For anybody that's interested, it was a case of choosing Edit > Preferences > General Tab > Import Settings > MP3 (from the drop down).

Then highlight a track (or batch if you so wish).........advanced > Create Mp3.

Batched as many as I wanted (nearly 3000) and it seems to coping fine!.

The only thing it won't do is convert anything from AAC to MP3 that has been bought off iTunes, but anything imported from your own CD's is fair game! :)

[Creature]

you may find this link interesting - in fact if you read teh manual it would tell you teh same info and have answered all your questions

http://www.cortex-pro.com/dmix_300.php?t=1

[funkymook]

Nice One Everybody! Cracked It!

For anybody that's interested, it was a case of choosing Edit > Preferences > General Tab > Import Settings > MP3 (from the drop down).

Then highlight a track (or batch if you so wish).........advanced > Create Mp3.

Batched as many as I wanted (nearly 3000) and it seems to coping fine!.

The only thing it won't do is convert anything from AAC to MP3 that has been bought off iTunes, but anything imported from your own CD's is fair game! :)

Excellent. Make sure you've adjusted your import settings to give you the best Mp3 quality (think iTunes default is 128 to get more on iPods), and I think it's best not to use VBR if you're setting cue points etc (that always used to be the advice, not sure if it's still an issue these days though).

It's OK with Purchased non-protected AAC iTune songs, so anything recent will convert. Click on 'Kind' in your View options, that will show you which are Purchased (OK to convert) and which are Protected (won't convert).

And you can import your own CD's as WAV's as well if you have enough HD space and want the best quality.

Just ask if you need any further iTunes help as I use it for importing my own CD's so have played around with all the settings.

[Eski75]

Thanks Mook..............got all Bank Hol Monday to play now.......wife's chuffed! lol

Thanks for the link creature, you know what it's like with a new toy.........manual always the last thing on your mind lol! Although in my defence, the machine only came with a quickstart manual, which was useless!

[Creature]

you know what it's like with a new toy

yep but experience has told me ( as well as saved me money) by checking maufactoers websites for info :) :)

glad its all sorted..

few pointers

altho Cortex say it will play VBR MP3s - experiance has shown that 99% of problem mp3s are VBR so turn it off.

also make sure you rip at max rate teh cortex allows 320 bit rate 44100 htz - altho lower spec mp3s ok for smaller rigs once you start to push 3k and above and get your rig close to flat out the difference is amazing

[chrispeacock]

these guys helped me out loads when i was trying to crack the cortex. I ended up buying a numark dds though. DOH!

[Vectis]

I ended up buying a numark dds though. DOH!

You know it makes sense :)

[Megamix]

Yep DDS instead of Cortex here - I'm sure they are good...but....

[chrispeacock]

i loved the features of the cortex but the dds is what suited me much more and im finding it runs perfectly and is easier to use.

then again i thought the cortex was great until it started playing up.

i used the feature on itunes to change from AAC to MP3

[Eski75]

I've cracked changing everything to MP3..............I've read alot about the Cortex being temperamental? As I am only a novice "bedroom" DJ at moment though I didn't want to spend daft money.

[Excalibur]

I've cracked changing everything to MP3..............I've read alot about the Cortex being temperamental? As I am only a novice "bedroom" DJ at moment though I didn't want to spend daft money.

Right, a quick rundown, complete with sweeping generalisations.

Cortex 1000
Basic, simple, now virtually bulletproof with the latest updates. Will handle VBR files now, and as long as you follow some basic rules, will work fine. Problems with play buttons wearing out.

Cortex 3000
Totally different animal. A couple of members on here working fine with it, a couple have tried it and swapped. One of them was a very happy 1000 user. 3000 is a bit temperamental, and fussy.
Numark D2/DDS
One of the most forgiving machines, accepts just about anything. Has the crate feature which is nice, but runs slower than a 1000. The search facility runs in a totally different manner to a Cortex, and Having one of each suits me fine.
Denon HD 2500
It's a Denon. Very reliable, has some issues with the internal drive coming loose, I need to have an intensive course on one, to confirm that I don't like it. Lots of bells and whistles.

Cortex Dmix/Numark IDJ2
Sorry to upset anyone who has boiught one as a primary playout, but they're better suited as backup. All the all in ones seem to be similar. Numark suffers from noise issues, and needs to be shut down correctly. The separates above with a mixer are a better bet as a main rig.