Menura Audio MDFX: Hardware Digital Delay and Reverb Units for the Dance Floor
Menura Audio MDFX brings two digital hardware effects to your DJ rig with tempo-synced delay and reverb units designed with DJs in mind.
Menura Audio MDFX
When it comes to hardware effects, DJs don’t have nearly as many toys to play with as guitarists and other musicians. I guess that makes sense, given all the power in modern DJ controllers and mixers. But not everyone is using an all-singing, all-dancing piece of high technology. Some of us like to keep things lean and mean. For us (and maybe you?), there’s a new line of digital effects from Berlin outfit Menura Audio called MDFX Digital, and it looks very cool indeed.
Menura Audio MDFX Digital
If the name Menura Audio sounds familiar, you may remember when we covered the company’s modular mixer MDMX a few years ago. Since then, they’ve released two analog effects in their MDFX line, and now they’re back with two digital ones, MDFX Delay and Reverb.
The new Menura Audio MDFX devices are interesting for a couple of reasons. They’re separate hardware units, for one, giving you the freedom to use them with old-school battle mixers and other non-effect-having gear – or even with a live rig. Each type also appears to come in two configurations, horizontal or vertical, so you can slot one in next to your mixer on the side or bottom. They’re even magnetic so they stay in place when the house is rocking. Nice.
Both units have tempo sync, with three ways to achieve this. There’s tap tempo, automatic BPM detection (which apparently works with vinyl too), and MIDI clock. You can also link the two units together.
Menura Audio MDFX Delay
Let’s look at the Digital model first. This features a digital delay with tempo-locked divisions from eighth notes up to four bars. It’s got stable self-oscillation, a reverse mode, and a TAPE parameter for a grungy and warped 1970s-style tape echo effect. There’s also a filter with low- and highpass modes, stereo spread, quantized feedback pitch, a grid with tape-style pitch bends, and ducking.
Menura Audio MDFX Reverb
Moving on, the Reverb offers a plate reverb algorithm. There’s a freeze button for capturing the effect, BPM-locked tremolo and shimmer, a highpass filter, ducking and damping, and a lo-fi ‘80s reverb simulation.
Menura Audio MDFX: USB MIDI and Audio Interface
Bother Menura Audio MDFX units feature 96kHz/32-bit float sound quality. Every parameter is controllable via USB MIDI and there are 20 recallable presets that you can access with program change commands.
Interestingly, each unit includes a built-in, class-compliant USB audio interface that can record sets pre- or post-effect, and that works driverless on macOS, Windows, iOS and Linux.
They’re powered over USB-C and will accept power banks.
Menura Audio MDFX: Pricing and Availability
Both the Delay and Reverb look and sound very cool. You can try them out for yourself on the Menura Audio website, where the company has loaded the actual DSP into the page via WebAssembly.
“We built the MDFX for DJs who want studio-quality effects under their hands. They are made for live use, but full MIDI makes them just as capable in the studio,” says Jasper Lauter, founder of Menura Audio. “Sound quality is everything to us, so the browser demo lets everyone judge the sound and the features for themselves before backing the campaign.”
As for that campaign, the Menura Audio MDFX units are currently up on Kickstarter. It only launched today and it’s already well on its way to clearing the company’s goal. There are a few Super Early Bird models for €340 still available. The campaign runs until August 1.
More Information
- Menura Audio MDFX Digital product page
- Menura Audio MDFX Digital Kickstarter
- More about DJing
- Buy DJ gear at Thomann*
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