iPad DJ apps & USB-MIDI class compliant controllers

With the estimated release date of Numark's iDJ Live set at August 1st 2011 and estimated price at about £80 (source: htfr online), I wonder if we'll see a flurry of DJ apps incorporating USB-MIDI class compliant support?

The iDJ Live looks a little like a cheap GuitarHero side project, so I'm also hoping that other manufacturers (specifically Vestax!) are developing competing and more professional products.  Early this year we saw George at Quixonic demonstrating a beta version of their app Quixpin using Vestax Spin.  I suspect that Vestax Spin maybe a little too heavy duty for use with the iPad, but maybe Vestax are producing something a little more streamlined for the iDevice market?

The release of iDJ Live will coincide with a new version of DJay app which will support the USB MIDI Controller - whether it will support other USB Class Compliant MIDI Controllers as well is another matter.  I've read recently on DJ Tech Tools about the possible demise of timecoded vinyl/cd as a method of DJing, with the rise in use of DJ Controller technology.  Maybe the combination of iPad and USB MIDI Controller will push this argument further?

Deej 1.8 update released

Only a minor update to this app, to fix a bug with playlists;
  • Fixed bug that was preventing the application to load library songs when no playlists were found.]]
Deej is back to normal pricing (after an Easter discount rate - which completely passed me by) at $4.99

Cue.Play.DJ 1.65 coming soon...

From the Capsulated forum,

Cue.Play.DJ v1.65 will bring;


  • Retina display
  • Phasing bug fix
  • Gate FX
  • Auto volume reduction when using delay FX.
  • When on the FX view, the silvery background no longer receives swipe commands, to stop accidental swiping when FXing.
  • Fixed a rare crash bug
  • When returning to the pitch slider view, it will centralise on the slider (previous versions would centralise on 0% pitch)
  • A bug which would cause a noise to play when a track ends has been fixed
Gate FX will be an interesting one to try...all in all though, a stabilising update rather than large feature implementation.

There has also been discussion of what's expected in v1.7, a more major release later on...things to look out for are;
  • Playlist support
  • Access to recorded mixes within the app
  • Improvements to the file system - it seems that the app has trouble with tracks of the same name
  • Multi-tasking support
  • Direct play of tracks from iPod library

The last of these seems to be a little curious.  At the moment in the app, you have to select the tracks in the iPod library you want to import into the app's filestore - thus duplicating the files on the device (an age-old problem since iOS4.2 was released!).  Presumably what Max at Capsulated means is that you no longer need to go through the import step, you're viewing the iPod library directly to choose your tracks - it may still mean the tracks are duplicated on the device though...or unless they've come up with a workaround?!



Cue.Play.DJ is currently priced at $9.99

DJay app - Bounce Loop video...

Just trawling the videos on youtube and vimeo and found this one which demonstrates the Bounce Loop mode in the DJay app - used for improvised glitching of tracks...plus a little nice scratching at the end;


...from looking at his other videos, the boy's got skills.

He's the guy behind another blog here; http://touch-screentabletdj.blogspot.com/

DJ Player 3.1 & Red Bull BPM HD & Pro 2.1 coming soon...



These 3 quality DJ apps have new versions just submitted to Apple, the full detail is here;
  • New, manually-tuned ultra-musical 3 band EQ. Better cuts and special curves
    not reproducible with pure analog circuits or digital math!
  • Smoother screen updates.
  • Drastically improved track loading time. Below 0.5 seconds usually for cached or manually uploaded tracks.
  • BPM value displayed and loaded tracks marked on tracks screen.
  • "Load next track and stop" setting.
  • Repeat mode, previous and next track selectors in Classic Club mode.
  • Reverse play indicators.
  • BPM is broadcasted via WiFi/Bluetooth every time, not just with 1 deck loaded. BPM precedence is calculated via crossfader/pgm fader positions. Good for back-to-back DJing.
  • High-quality interpolator. Closer to vinyl than most DVS (try extremely low tempo, like -99%).
  • Reverse-play indicator.
  • Better channel fader curve.
  • Punch in/out channel faders and crossfader (can be switched off in settings).
  • Manual.
  • Multitasking and background-audio support. You can use other audio applications on top of your mix, instruments, samplers…
  • Several small bugfixes and adjustments.
  • Sharp echo/reverb release setting display was wrong - fixed.
  • Screen navigation to mixer didn't work sometimes - fixed.
  • Sort by title didn't work sometimes - fixed.
  • Fixed positioning/glitch bug for some 48kHz files.

And for NetOut/MasterOut:

  • Sometimes the connected device's name was not displayed - fixed.
  • Multitasking and background-audio support.

Now you can join/create your WiFi while your apps are running. Using these new versions is important, they contain essential bugfixes.

For me, the most useful features were the icon in the tracks screen which indicates which track you already have loaded and the 48kHz bug fix (a lot of my tracks now are rips from vinyl, which for some reason I've done at 48kHz and not the normal 44kHz).  Faster track loading times is always a welcome addition!  Also for those DJ Player users, the app Manual is now available (it's already present in the Red Bull BPM HD app).  The addition of the multitasking aspect is neat, because then the development team of the app can concentrate on pure DJ based functionality and if you want to drop samples into the mix, you fire up your sample-based app as well - leaving both apps to do what they're best at rather than trying to cram all the functionality into one app.  Also the audio at very very low speeds ( < 90%) is extremely good quality, considering it is a digital audio file.  With this improvement and the recent addition of reverse play, these apps are getting closer and closer to 'vinyl' sound (although most of my vinyl seems to be pretty dusty nowadays).  I wonder if this is a gradual move towards MIDI USB DJ Controller functionality?

DJ Player is currently priced at $29.99


Red Bull BPM HD is currently priced at $23.99



Red Bull BPM Pro is currently priced at $9.99

Cue.Play.DJ Forum attacked?

Just wondering what's happened to the Cue.Play.DJ forum on the CapsulatedSoftware website...everytime you click on the tab a nasty looking 'virus' message is displayed.

Closing the window seems to make it disappear, but a little concerned that the website is probably compromised at the moment.

I won't post links on this - just in case it is, but perhaps someone from Capsulated could let us know when it's safe again?!

Deej v1.7 released

 
Deej
 Not a huge update, but one that allows access to playlists when selecting a track to play.  The official update detail is as follows;

  • Playlist support added
  • Translations problem solved
  • Track list problem solved
Deej is currently priced at $4.99

Creative License: Steinski's Rough Mix - free!

The legend Steinski has put together a swelteringly good mix available here...available as FLAC or 320kbps mp3.

It's to coincide with the publication of a book called "Creative License: The Law and Culture of Digital Sampling".

As you'd expect, it is very very good, chock full of breaks, samples, classic hip-hop tracks and clocks in around 40mins...just enough time to get a barbecue going, get some drinks chilled, invite some friends over and enjoy the summer (when it comes!) - at least, in my head that's how I'd like to enjoy this mix!

BPM 2011: Saturday 1st - Monday 3rd October 2011



This is a yearly event for all things DJ-related, held at the NEC, Birmingham, UK.

I've attended this event for the past couple of years, last year saw the first iOS development team present (IK Multimedia - who incidentally seemed to be pushing their iRig product rather than the Groovemaker apps).  Most of the large names will be there (Vestax, Rane/Serato, Numark, Novation, Native-Instruments, DMC, Denon, Pioneer) as well as the usual selection of competitions, tutorials, demos and freebies.  I managed to grab a signed copy of Blame's recent album and a Serato t-shirt last year which was a pleasant surprise!

It's not as all-encompassing as some of the other larger events, but still worth a look if you're in the UK.

It would be nice to see some DJ app development teams present this year!

Full details of the event will no doubt be available on their website later in the year.

CDM - an unusual Lo-Fi record player...

I saw this on CDM recently and it made me smile.  A lot of effort for a manual, disposable record player as a wedding invite.  Still unsure about sending sewing needles through the post in cards, but I guess they arrived at their destination OK.

I might have to dig out some of the old flexi-discs from the collection, mostly they were used as promotional or advertising items, stuck to the side of cereal boxes or on magazines.  From experience, they are very difficult to handle or manipulate on a turntable in any way apart from the very basic playback.  However, DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist managed to incorporate mini (4") flexi-discs into their Product Placement set which was very impressive.

Spanish Audio Splitter update

Recently a new audio splitter surfaced on ebay, shipping from Spain.  I posted full details and waited patiently for the new splitter to arrive.

It dropped through the letter box today, only a few days between ordering and arrival, so not bad.  The cable does look like a curious selection of stuff.  The connector to the base of the iPad looks tiny, but sure enough it fits perfectly, no wobbliness (which I found a little bit with the other headphone split options).  The cables out are pretty sturdy too.  The RCA connectors appear to be gold plated which always is a pleasant surprise.  The headphone jack is 3.5mm (that's the same size as the headphone jack on the iPad), so make sure your headphone connector will fit!

In terms of output, there was concern that the volume from the connector was going to be low, however it works fine when plugged into one of the line inputs on my mixer - no level adjustment needed.  I could easily flick between the iPad and my turntable as audio source which is brilliant....possibly opening up the possibilities of a 4 deck vinyl & digital mix session!  I had set the volume of the iPad to 5 or 6 bars before connecting the splitter cable.

In terms of the apps then, the splitter puts the Master to the LEFT and the headphone to the RIGHT...so you may need to tweak your app settings.  I've had a quick run through of the apps on my iPad and found the following;
  • Red Bull BPM & DJ Player : output mode = 'Split Headphone with Auto Stereo' or 'Split Headphone for SPLIT CABLE ADAPTER' - both worked fine.
  • Sonorasaurus Rex : Mix Mode = 'Headphone Split'
  • Cue.Play.DJ : Output Mode = 'Party Mono' & 'Party Mono Out' = Left
  • DJay : Split Output = 'On' (NB you can't adjust the Master volume when this connector is used)
  • Deej : Splitter = 'Connected' & DJ's Headphone = 'Right'
  • Quixpin : Speaker Mode = 'PFL Right, Master Left'
I didn't try charging the iPad at the same time and I haven't got round to plugging a single-to-double audio cable out of the headphone jack on the splitter to try using an external mixer...but I would guess that this all works fine given the loudness in the headphone channel.

DJay v1.1.1 update - full detail


So, here's the official detail on v1.1.1 of DJay app for iPad;

Yet another great update that brings you new features, extended language support and significant performance boosts!
  • Added advanced BPM editing: half/double/tap (tap on BPM label to bring up the menu)
  • Added localizations: French, German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish
  • Improved Split Mode: Audio enhanced stereo mix down of channels
  • Improved performance of audio analysis (BPM, waveforms): 2x faster!
  • Improved iPod library: now auto-refresh djay's built-in library on-the-fly if it was changed externally (e.g. new playlist created)
  • Improved crossfader swiping and tapping: double tap on knob to reset, supports dragging after manual cut, easier to quickly slide from side to side
  • Improved Automix while running in background
  • Improved accessibility with VoiceOver
  • Various minor bug fixes and improvements
Feature highlights from the previous update: Looping, multiple Cue Points, level meter swipe, BPM displayed in library, enhanced support for Bluetooth audio devices, extended support for .wav and .aiff audio files.

Tips and tricks:
★ Looping, cue points, and EQs are accessible through the tools sheet that you can open with the button above the speed slider.
★ BPM editing (half, double, tap, restore) is accessible by tapping on the BPM label next to the speed slider.

As always, thank you for your feedback. Please check out our Facebook and Twitter pages to learn about tips and tricks and be the first to know about new updates:
 


Of course, if you tune into their forum you'll be aware of the issue around the split audio (turns out the app was just sending a single channel on both L&R rather than mixing L&R together first and then sending the same mono signal out.  I haven't had chance to test the app fully but I'm hoping that the split audio issue is fixed now - it was fairly major if you were playing older tracks which often position vocals on one side and most the other stuff on the other.

The tracks do seem to load a bit quicker now.  The BPM edit is quite neat...especially for all those D&B tracks which come in as 88bpm and should actually be double this speed.  You access it (as described) by pressing the BPM label to give a little side menu of 3 options; Half, Double, Tap...this new value gets stored, so when you next access the track via the track selection screen, the correct bpm is displayed.  I found this to be a very useful feature, especially since the bpm calculation seems to have been improved too.

All in all, a decent update and still well worth the money if you're after a turntable style interface for your DJ app.

An update for the iPhone/iPod Touch app will follow shortly.

DJay is currently priced at $19.99

DJay gets update v1.1.1

Several key issues fixed with this update, namely the split audio problem that's been troubling them for a while.

Just giving it a kicking on the iPad at the moment, will post more detail tomorrow!

Emulator Multi-Touch Midi Controller by Smithson Martin



Smithson Martin Emulator

Shown off at MusikMesse this year using a nice custom touchscreen.  No pricing on the touchscreen via their website, but the software appears to be retailing at $249.

I could see some of the larger clubs going for this as a neat feature, just wondering how messy, sticky and just generally grungy a large flatscreen will get in the club - although I guess the same applies to iPads.

DJ Zinc freebies online now...

D&B legend (and general all-round generous bloke) DJ Zinc appears to be dusting off his old remixes and making them free for all on Soundcloud.

Care of RWDMAG.com

Includes both original and remix of his Fugees or Not track and the Kanye "Jesus Walks" remix.

Nice touch.

DJ Mixer & Pro get updated / renamed...


DJ Mixer

I haven't tried this app out myself, although the Pro version is free...however, in order to open up the app for full use there's a number of in-app purchases;
  • access to iPod Library ($9.99)
  • Effects Pack ($3.99)
  • Split Audio ($9.99)
  • Video mixing ? ($4.99)
  • Wi-Fi transmission ($3.99) - allowing you to use a second iOS device for cueing
I'm surprised that Apple allowed charging of access to the iPod library since this was available due to an iOS code change - in a similar way CoreMIDI became available for music apps.  In fact Audanika got universally slammed for charging extra for CoreMIDI capability with their (still gorgeous) SoundPrism app.

The email from the developers details the following for DJ Mixer;

"The original iPhone DJ App is back and is ON SALE for a limited time in the App Store.

For $0.99 you can instantly mix songs from your iPod music lib, scratch your music, play party sound effects and much more...

This version of DJ Mixer is designed for iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4. As a bonus, all older versions users get unlimited iPod music library mixing when they update to this version so get your update today!"

For DJ Mixer Pro, the detail in the email is;

"Includes a free download of the dancefloor smash hit Vegas by Vandalism & Static Revenger plus 6 additional free tracks from The Crystal Method, DJ Rap, Adam Freeland, Darren Emerson, and more! 

DJ Mixer 3 is now DJ Mixer Pro and the App is optimized for iPad, iPad 2, iPhone 4 and iPod Touch 4. The new version lets you to instantly mix your iPod music library songs, create tighter loops, play video mixes, DJ with headphones and much more...

The App is free to try so you you can import up to 4 tracks from your iPod music lib and mix with our own FREE music downloads before buying the Mix Your Own Music feature. 

On iPad, DJ Mixer Pro includes new music videos mixing features we call Music Video Party. You can now create music videos playlists of your fave songs and have DJ Mixer play these videos continuously and full-screen on your iPad at a party.

For more info please visit: http://djmixer.fm/videoparty/"


So in order to use this effectively you will need to spend at least $19.98.

Has anyone else used this properly rather than just playing with the free version?

DJ Mixer appears to have more limited functionality, whereas DJ Mixer Pro seems to have more screens/functionality.

DJ Mixer is currently priced at $0.99 (the in app purchases are priced differently too);


DJ Mixer Pro is free, although as noted to make it useful you will need a number of in-app purchases;


It seems the developers have also released a version of what looks like the same app in conjunction with Vibe magazine, it is called VIBE Music Mixer (again, free but with in-app purchases);



Musikmesse 2011 kicks off...

MusicRadar have reported a nice round-up of products for the DJ (to salivate over!);
  1. Numark Mixdeck Quad - 4 channel mixer/controller, taking CDs, USB flash drives and even iPod Touch/iPad connectivity and of course MIDI enabled.
  2. Pioneer DJM-T1 Mixer - specifically designed to work with Traktor Scratch Duo 2
  3. Stanton CMP .800 Player/Controller - a cd deck, providing MIDI control and mp3 via USB
  4. Stanton Control System 4DJ - a behemoth!...1 stop shop, like having Traktor/Serato built into the mixer (4 USB ports on this bad boy).
  5. DJ Tech's 4Mix DJ Controller - twin deck controller, aimed towards the lower end of the DJ market
  6. Novation's Twitch DJ Controller - first came to my attention on CDM, but looks interesting.
Time to get a second job!

iPad woes...

Well, it's been a year since my iPad arrived and almost to the day I had my first major device crash.  At the time the device wasn't doing anything too strenuous (all background apps had been closed and I was high speed scrubbing through a track in the iPod library).  Yet the effect was quite spectacular.  The screen glitched and then displayed a wonderful array of colours, blocked and glitchy - a little like when the video card on a PC dies.

Anyway, after a hard reboot of the iPad everything appeared to be normal but I was still quite nervous about using it for a while.  I started to wonder if the problem was caused by transferring large volumes of tracks into the iPod library recently.  The iPad is a 64Gb version and I've loaded around 23Gb of tracks into the library - I also have 50-60 apps installed, but there's still plenty of spare space left (around 30Gb).  I've also noticed that during the copy of tracks from my PC (Windows 7 64bit) to the iPad, some (about 2%) get corrupted which means at somepoint during playback the audio completely drops out on the track.  There appears to be nothing in common with these tracks and when I delete the track and re-transfer it often solves the problem.  I've now started transferring tracks in Flight mode, with WiFi switched off (on the PC) as well as shutting down everything else on the PC (including ZoneAlarm)...but it seems the problem may still exist.  This is a little worrying as I really don't want to manually go through all 23Gb worth of tracks looking for the 2% which maybe corrupt!

I decided to restore the iPad from a recent backup - which all went well.  So I have now re-transferred my tracks back onto the device...so far no issues and I've given up trawling the iPod library for corrupt files - they maybe there, they may not be - it'll only haunt me if I'm playing out anywhere soon!

I thought I'd share this in case anyone has similar experiences, but also to explain my absence over the past week or so...I've been busy loading tracks!

Anyway, not wanting to end on a bad note...I maybe DJing at a gig in London fairly soon and all things going well, I will be using the iPad - if only because the last time I played there one of the decks failed so I had to play a set with 1 deck and a Kaoss Pad!

Novation + Serato Touchstrip Twitch DJ controller

CDM got the scoop on this with a detailed look at the product;


From the demo video on their site, it looks like the use of CDJs / Decks would be completely replaced with this unit, by embedding all the Serato controls into the mixer in one place.  The horizontal touchstrips offer some movement of the track for cue point setting and some rudimentary scratching.

What might be nice is a stripped down version of Serato (or Traktor) that could run on an iPad and connect to a DJ Controller via the 30-pin connector.  Although to be fair, some of the apps are getting closer to that state now.

I expect soon we'll see professional DJs who have never owned vinyl (don't forget Record Store Day coming soon!).

Priced at $499

Another iDevice audio split option

This one surfaced on the Algoriddim forum the other day. 

New Audio Split Cable for DJ apps
It appears to utilise the connector at the base of the iDevice and split the audio into 2 channels, one for MASTER and one for CUE.

The official blurb on ebay says;
"The cable has a 3.5 mm jack output to connect your headphones for monitoring your tracks (PFL, CUE) and two RCA connectors for connection to a mixer, amplifier or other audio equipment with line on or aux RCA inputs"

What makes this cable interesting is that it comes with a USB connector too, so you can charge your iDevice while DJing all through the same connection point.

This brings me on to another question...in terms of quality of audio output, does anyone know which is better;
  • Headphone jack
  • 30-pin Connection point at the base of the iDevice?
The cable seems to be compatible with the same selection of DJ apps as the Stereomusik Systems splitter (detailed previously).  This one is reasonably priced at 16.95Euro plus shipping (shipped from Spain).

I've ordered one, so I'll let you know how it gets on!