iPod DJing

Virtual Deck for the iPhone

iPod DJing — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:23:52 +0000

Virtual Deck is an iPhone and iPod touch application that allows you to have a virtual deck, literally, a virtual turn table complete with pitch shifter and a close up view of the vinyl which can be scratched and tweaked as you would with normal vinyl, whilst this is only one deck, for those of you who are luck/rich enough to own both an iPod Touch or two and/or an iPhone, you can rig both iPods to a mixer and start iPod DJing away…and whilst this isn’t as portable as we’d hope it to be after all you’d have to lug around Two iPods and a mixer, at least we now have built in pitch control…something thats always been a bit of an archillies heel in iPod DJing.

check out the beatmatching video of virtual Decks here.

Nano -Chromatic

iPod DJing — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:03:51 +0000

Apple have just recently launched yet another line of iPod Nano’s the smaller version of the iPod that still has a screen, the new iPod Nano comes with a bigger screen and slimmer sides, its a bit longer than the original iPod Nano, but it does have a larger colour screen, in addition it comes in 9 colours, and in two sizes 8 GB and 16 GB, in terms of DJing, the iPod Nano, series is probably the most affordable model with a screen that DJs can use to iPod DJ.

iPod Touch new feature

iPod DJing — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:58:36 +0000

the new Genius feature on the iPod touch, trys to simulate a DJ buy selecting songs similar to the track you are listening to, whilst in theory this sounds great, I’m personally unsure how good a virtual DJ the iPod Genius feature actually is. Looking at how this kind of virtual DJing has been done before its always been a case of matching, often inaccurately the beats of tracks, or track lengths, which is pretty much like plucking tracks from a bag. Still hopefully Apple and iPod’s tech team have cracked this DJing challenge.

DJ1800 - an iPod DJing software

iPod DJing — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:05:42 +0000

iPod DJing, is great, as it allows you to DJ with out a bulky laptop, this however doesn’t mean that you can do away with a laptop altogether, after all, an iPod needs iTunes and a laptop to organize and load music from interestingly DJ programs can be quite pricy and not all are compatible with iTunes or the iPOd, the DJ1800 however was creative with this in mind, and allows you to work with iTunes and DJ at the same time, making it the perfect DJ software for iPoD DJs, its a strictly Mac affair with makes it all that much more iPod friendly, and has interesting functions lik Pitch lock, which allows you to alter tempo with out affecting pitch. It comes with the flexibilty for two out put mode, 1. via the head phone port and a secondary out put, or via a multi channel external sound card, the DJ1800 is also compatible with various MIDI controllers so you can Dj from your laptop, a fully documented plugin API means that for any tech geeks out there, you can create your own plugins and controllers, making ti possible to convert an iPod or an iPhone into a controller for the DJ1800.

Specifically for the iPod, the iTunes libary is fully integrated into DJ1800, there is also plug and play support of any iPod, like-wise for the iPhone, or iPod Touch, perhaps most significantly the DJ1800 allows you to save mixes, StartPoint, AutoGain and BPM values to iTunes and therefore your iPod, iPhone and iPod Touch. You can find more information on DJ1800 here.

Benefits of iPod DJing

iPod DJing — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:06:09 +0000

There are many great benefits to iPod DJing, when you consider the way that DJing and the music industry is taking advantage of Technology and the affordability of iPods there is really no barrier to entry when it comes to iPod DJing, for any beginner this is the best way to get on to the DJing ladder as, chances are, you already own an iPod. so lets break it down, why is iPod DJing sooo much better than Turntables or `CD DJing?

1. Vinyl is very fragile and expensive, iPods, use MP3 even if you lost an iPod your laptop will have a back up, and whislt there is an argument about quality of sound, this has been answered simply by the fact that modern day studios use MP3 and other digital formats for recording. If anything the ‘vinyl sound’ is caused by damage to the vinyl.

2. CD’s Scratch - and guess what iPods contain the music digitally so you don’t have to worry about that.

3. iPods are small - small enough to fit in to your pocket, they can carry an entire catalogue of music, try squeeze your vinyl or CD collection into the same space…not going to happen

4. iPods can be used with any normal mixer and can work in almost the same way as turntables, and eventhe cost of buying two is comparable to how much you’d have to spend on a pair of decks anyways.

5. iPods can accomodate video as well so if you want to give video DJing a go you can also do this.

6. all those previous problems with altering pitch have pretty much been resolved meaning you can now bet match with an iPod just like CD and vinyl DJing

7. iPod DJing equipment is more affordable, easier to setup and more portable than vinyl and CD DJign equipment

8. its darn cool

9. there is a strong community spirit and a sense of DIY when it comes to iPod DJing, something now lost in vinyl and CD DJing.

10. becasue iPod Djing is still in its infancy there is loads of opportunity to expand and innovate and the digital format means there is a better opportunity for creativity.

New iPod Just launched!

iPod DJing — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:19:39 +0000

SO today marks the announcement by Apple that a new iPod has been launched, this, the new iPod nano is the christmas feature unveiled by Steve Job, this iPod is designed to be skinnier, and cheaper than other iPods and is rumored to be longer, thinner and with a larger curved screen. In the same unveiling the iPod Touch was also going to get an upgrade of memory and a long awaited price cut. Also out was a new iTunes, iTunes 8 with some great new features but for DJs, sadly not much.

As for the new iPod Nano I personally don’t think its going to be a big dent for iPod DJs, or iPod Djing, your Numark IDJ or cortex dmix might need an upgrade for the software to be compatible.

if youre looking to DJ with your iPod, then these new hardware upgrades really won’t have a significant impact, as iPod Djing doesn’t rely on the iPod other than as memory, so unless you’re a cool trend setter, theres no need to chuck your first gen iPod in the bin just yet.

iPhone iPod touch DJ apps

iPod DJing — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 20:36:15 +0000

With the arrival and massively hyped launch of the new 3G iPhone by Apple, there has been a real surge in the number of iPhone applications that you can download from the iTune app store, whilst some of these programs are free there are also some that you have to pay for. More interesting however is the number of iPhone apps, that have been created specfically for DJing on the iPhone and the iPod touch, some of the key ones to look out for are below:

Circle Theory - allows you to see the relationship between different musical notes

Ravers d’lite - more of a novalty item, allows you to sync images with the BPM of the music playing.

Proremote/ Proremote lite edition - a 32 channel touch sensitive platform that allows you to control Protools via your iPhone or iPod Touch.

virtual deck - basically a virtual deck this is great for creating loop samples you can then use with other iPod and iPhone applications

Beatloops - great for setting up drum loops.

iTM Matrix - allows you to setup an 88 touch pad MIDI controller using WIFI for your favourate DAW or VJ/DJ tool. Great for sampling various Loops

iTM MCU - allows you to setup 8 faders with solo and mute functions, allowing you to fade various sections of the track.

iTM XY pad - this is like having a kossilator in your iPod, its great and allows further meniputation of your tracks/loops and music.

BtBx - nice easy to use sample creator with drum loops and effects as well as synths.

BeatME - userful BPM finder that allows you to tap to the beat and find out the BPM of a track.

Diddy DJ lite - sampler mixer which allows to mix up samples on the iPod.

Beatmaker - literally a mobile DJ studio on your iPod

Daniel Johnston -a challenge

iPod DJing — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:18:16 +0000

Daniel Johnston is one of those fantastic artists that you’ll never have heard off but this track is awesome, check it out, and if you’re up for a challenge try an iPod remix of this. its great!

BeatMatching on the IDJ2 and Dmix-300

iPod DJing — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 11:45:00 +0000

Beatmatching or Beatmixing is an intergral part of modern DJing, and for iPod DJing has always presented a challenge due to the lack of pitch control, there have been DIY solutions to help iPod DJs to Beatmach but they talke longer to setup and are not an ideal solution to beatmatching, you can find out more about Beatmatching with an iPod here, this DIY technique allos iPod DJs to beatmatch using some of the most simple and basic iPod DJing setups, however for a professional sound and mix, an iPod DJ would be better off with the Numark IDJ2 or the Cortex Dmix-300.

Beat matching on the Numark IDJ2 or the Cortex Dmix-300 is identical to beatmatching on vinyl or CD DJing setup, and as both units have pitch control, you can alter the pitch of the track mid mix, giving you more functionality and freedom as a DJ. So how do you beatmatch on the umark IDJ2 or the Cortex Dmix-300?

1. play a track from one channel

2. get the BPM

3. put a track on the second channel, and adjust the BPM to match the first channel

4. play the second track an try and line up the beats, using the pitch fader to control the tempo/pitch of the second track

5. once the two tracks are beatmatched, take the second track back to where you want to play from and wait for the first track to get to the point where you want to drop in the second track.

6. use the crossfader to bring in the second track

7. use the high, mid, low knobs to bring in and excentuate elements of either track to make you mix more interesting.

Numark IDJ 2 Channel iPod DJ Mixer

iPod DJing — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:55:41 +0000

The Numark IDJ2 is one of the most revolutionary iPod DJing mixers out there, and essentially represents the third generation of iPod DJing technology. The Numark IDJ2 is essentially the predecessor of the The Numark IDJ, and as such fulfills most of the sort comings presented by second generation iPod DJing mixers, such as the need for two iPods, the lack of pitch control and so forth. The Numark IDJ2 is also the main competitor to the Cortex Dmix-300, whilst the Cortex Dmix-300 was launched in 2006/7 the The Numark IDJ2 was launched almost a year later, and with some fantastic publicity, heralding a new generation of DJing, where it was not only possible to DJ on an iPod, but it was also possible to DJ with the same amount of easy and flexibility as with normal vinyl and CD setups.

The first thing that hits you about the The Numark IDJ2 is the look, its clean, modern and retains that iPod-esq feel that made the iPod such a cult icon. Next thing to hit you about the The Numark IDJ2 is the colour screen that sites in the center of the unit, its big, easy to read and full colour, showing that the The Numark IDJ2 is capable of handing video as well as music. Whilst the finish of the The Numark IDJ2 is really good, its doesn’t have the sturdyness you get with the Cortex Dmix-300, and it would seem that the Cortex Dmix-300 is more of a club oriented iPod mixer when compared to the Numark IDJ2, the main thing in this regards that the Numark IDJ2 is missing is those sweet Jog wheels you get on the Cortex Dmix-300 with the Numark IDJ2, all you have are grooved rubber job wheels, which whilst sensitive, lack in both looks and feel, they just don’t feel right, in general this seems to be try of the finish on the Numark IDJ2, all the knobs, faders and switches seem to lack the robustness and professional feel you get with the Cortex Dmix-300, which gives the impression Numark still look at iPod DJing as more of a hobby and not something they are taking too seriously.

The layout of controls for the Numark IDJ2 is also a little unconventional, and doesn’t lend itself naturally to DJing, with cue play and stop buttons located where they could be accidentally pressed and with high, mid, low knobs placed horizontally above the jog wheel, meaning you could accidentally brush against the job wheel whilst you alter these controls, not good when you’re mid mix and the entire record goes off kilter. The Numark IDJ2 cross fader also seems a little…how should I put it, under achieved? it simply seems less than impressive and unlike the Cortex Dmix-300 cross fader, it isn’t replaceable.

The whole Numark IDJ2 setup just reeks of amateur finish so, whilst it looks great, it’s never going to be a Farrari, more of a Fiat Punto. This being said, the Numark IDJ2 is a Trojan horse the user interface which allows you to control te music on your iPod is fantastic and a great deal more usable than the Cortex Dmix-300, the best of both world would ideally be the Cortex Dmix-300 physical controls with the Numark IDJ2 digital/virtual controls. Regardless, for any iPod DJ, this is a fantastic product.

You find that the size of the Numark IDJ2 is also comparatively smaller than the Cortex Dmix-300, with its plastic finish its also a lot lighter, but its still not exactly portable, with the Numark IDJ2 needing mains power supply, this being said, if you’re a student or a mobile DJ then the Numark IDJ2 is a good and more pratical ption when compared to the Cortex Dmix-300.

All in all the Numark IDJ2 is a fantastic product, despite its finishing flaws its easy to use, looks reasonable and allows you to pitch control your iPod music all without breaking the bank.

Here’s a video of the Numark IDJ2 as part of a console, which adds more casing for the unit and an additional keyboard.