Kid friendly sound cue system

[DGotlieb]

So my company does a program where we take shows to local elementary schools and use the kids for all the acting and tech. Our tech needs are pretty simple 2 light trees and 2 speakers. Currently for sound play back we have been using a DJ mixing CD player like this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000C7L9V/?tag=controlbooth-20

The CD player has started to fail and not read disks so i'm looking into options to replace it.

I'm thinking about getting something similar, I like it because it's very interactive for the kids through the whole show doing manual fades and x fades. which is great cause it's the first time these kids are doing anything tech.

The biggest problem is I end up burning a lot of CDs as this need changing.

It would be nice to go to something like QLab, but I can't justify the expense of a mac computer and a USB audio box for this program. It would be nice to just have prebuilt Q lists but it makes it pretty un-engaging for the kids

I'm thinking of a tablet with some sort of software. Is there anything good like a simplified QLab that the 8-10 year old kids could figure out?

Are there any good DJ docks for the Ipad that we could still have the manual control we had with the ease of setting up MP3 playlists?

Is there some other great thing I should consider?

 

[ratthepoodle]

I use the program iACSTUDIO which is a pretty simple audio cart software for iPad. It would allow you to color code and name the various sounds/tracks which make it pretty straight forward. It also has some pretty convenient file transfer from computer options over a network.

Here is some more info about the app from the developer:
http://www.audiocartwall.com/app/instant-audio-studio-cartwall-for-ipad/

Although it is not the same workflow as QLab, I think it would be worth downloading the free version to see if it would work for your application

 

[dbaxter]

There is a free version of Cue Player that is designed with kids in mind. The cue lines can be identified with either pictures or text. It will run on any Windows PC. You can fade in and out, but not crossfade - sorry.

 

[FMEng]

I would stick with something with controls and switches, because I think it would be more interesting and different for the kids. Most kids get plenty of experience with iPads and computers. Boring.

I suggest something similar to the Numark you have, but using a USB drive instead of CDs. CD-R discs and drives aren't all that robust and don't take wear and tear of the road well, but a USB drive and a spare should be very reliable. Numark has a model called CDMix USB that looks like might fit the bill. Gemini and some of the other "DJ" equipment makers offer similar models.

 

[wolfman005]

How about a laptop with some programmable USB buttons (think arcade style) or a DJ turntable interface (like a VMS 4.1 or something along those lines).

 

[Josh Rawls]

If you go the USB key route I've used this company for a few projects and I've been happy with everything from them.

http://xkeys.com/xkeys.php

 

[jwh78]

A pitty that their best model is discontinued:

http://xkeys.com/accessories/KnifeSwitch.php

 

[TimmyP1955]

http://www.da-share.com/software/multiplay It's free, PC only, and will do about anything you need to do - including (effectively) crossfades (by your setting a fade-out on one cue and a fade in on the other).