DO THESE MAKE YOU CRAZY? POSSIBLY
Aug 1, 2006 12:00 PM, Markkus Rovito
You know you want these iPod add-on musical toys. Maybe you want them because you can't resist gadgets that make noise; maybe you're going to circuit bend them and resell them on eBay; or maybe you're just 12. The B2 Mi-Jam Drummer ($30), Mi-Jam Guitar ($30), Mi-Jam Mixer ($40) and Mi-Jam Stage Mic/Headset ($20) plug into an iPod (or nearly any other stereo audio device, such as a CD player, laptop, MP3 player, etc.) and let you get stupid along to the music. You can connect the audio to speakers or rock without shame through headphones.
The Drummer includes preset rhythms and five drum sounds, along with a fill effect. If you're a closet metal lover, try the Guitar, which includes metal, rock, blues and bass modes. It dumbs down the instrument with fret buttons and a “strum bar,” but it has a functioning whammy bar; all you need is a fresh can of Aqua Net, and you're good to go. The best of all has to be the Mixer, which delivers canned rhythms and digital voice and techno effects over the two “scratch discs.” Finally, you can complete the dorky set with the Stage Mic/Headset, which works on its own or with any of the other Mi-Jams. Although the Mi-Jams could be passed off as cheap gimmicks for kids, they just may join the likes of the Casio PT-1 and Texas Instruments Speak & Spell as the next kitsch studio classics.
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