iPod DJing
iPod DJing is still very new to the world of DJing, and certainly the potential of using an iPod for DJing hasn’t been fully explored by DJs most people still see the iPod as an MP3 player, but when you consider an iPod is a small ’simple’ computer then you can begin to see why a device as small and portable as an iPod could be a real asset for DJing, point to note, the Pacemaker is the next step in iPod DJing, and whilst its great, its expensive and a totally different machine, this is really about exploring the iPod as a product range and its function in DJing.
Capabilities: the iPod can play, fast forward, rewind and pause music, as you would expect from any music or MP3 player. The jog wheel is fantastic and one of the control features that sets the iPod apart from other MP3 music players. The iPod software and computer software iTunes are both also very strong in their offering, certainly from a Programming and set planning perspective, and really for any iPod DJ, this is the key focus, after all the iPod isn’t a DJ tool, not, at least, in its current state. Another key strength of the software and one that supports the art of programming a DJ set is the ability to create playlists.
Limitations: The iPod whilst being fantastic with heaps of storage, is first and foremost an MP3 music player, so to Dj on an iPod requires a degree of playing around and working around these limitations, hopefully these will get addressed as the appeal and attraction of DJing grows and a big enough market devlops for DJing on an iPod to justify Apple making a DJ compatible DJ iPod. Another iPod limitation is that there is only one output, so there’s no way to use your headphones to adjust your track whilst another is playing out, for DJing this also a bit of a downer. But lets be realistic, the iPod is an MP3 player, in the same way that a CD player, cassette player or Turntable are music players, basically, despite all their functionality, the iPod is a player, and to use it for DJing, you need to give it some leeway.
Benefits: DJing with an iPod has massive advantages, for one, you can you entire DJ music collection in your pocket, its also fantastic for DJing on the go, and for mobile DJs, its a great backup, saving you space and the curse of the DJ back (backpain from carrying vinyl), if you add to this that DJing on an iPod is still in its infancy, and really the full potential of DJing on an iPod is still being developed, you’ll be ahead of the game. On top of all this, as the iPod is digital, it means you can broadcast your music quickly and easily accross the web and with certain iPod accessories, you can record sounds and music to your iPod, and potentially use them in set literally straight away. All this means that despite some serious limitations, there are solutions to over come them, and the full potential of DJing on an iPod is still yet to come.
Now there are two ways to approach iPod DJing, depending on your budget and how flexible or innovative you want to be. 1. if you have some budget, the easiest and most conventional way to get into iPod DJing, is to get an iPod DJ unit, you can find units like the Cortex Dmix-300 for pretty good prices, and these iPod DJ units are literally like DJing with two decks and a mixer, with jog wheels that control each channel from a single iPod. alternatively 2. you can get two iPods, setup the music with the BPM format mentioned here and get a mixer, if your looking for portability you could look at a micro mixer.
Essentially, DJing on an iPod is fantastic fun, it allows you just as much if not more flexibility as any other form of DJing and allows you to carry your entire collection of music in a unit the size of a cigarette box.