25 years of spinning discs should be enough for most people but many still think all aspects of djing should be done from a turntable. While we respectfully disagree, these smart folks from the university of Ulm have created a software program that allows you to search through your songs visually using time coded vinyl and projections on the turntable.
Archive for July, 2008
Got Headroom?
I hate to revive this old argument about mixing inside software or outside but it came up again last night while I was spinning at a friends party . The axe for the night was a new template we are working on for the vci-300 and Traktor. The controller was working well, but my mix sounded like garbage. I cant help but feel that, while the deaf dj must take some responsibility- it was largely because there is no headroom when mixing inside dj software. Has anyone else had this experience or might have found a way to combat this truly troublesome problem?
The complaint is not a new one, as digital summing of multiple audio signals is just never going to compare to the analogue counterpart. I know, for example, of many a sound engineer that will run several groups of a song (stems) out to an analogue mixer for the final summing. That’s not to say that you can some-how magically turn up the signal louder in the analogue domain. No, the analogue distorts at the same point but the distortion itself is night and day. Take that classic Mo-Town sound that we all love and associate with being rich and fat- its just bucket loads of good distortion.
As the night progresses and djs tend to want to turn things up louder and louder, there is just no where to go in digital land. Well you can always turn up the master channel- you might counter. Not exactly, because the problem is this constant balance of sonic levels between the tracks as you mix. Some songs for whatever reason, even after auto gain- just require a little extra pump when in the middle of a mix. Once you have hit the digital ceiling, which is un-bearably low- then it’s all bad from there.
If they really expect everyone to mix in a computer, digital dj companies need to start making their software more dj friendly. Which means expecting us to turn it up too loud and putting rich, warm compressors on every channel.
Flip the script- and your Jog Wheel
As a follow up to this jog wheel post last week, here are two more ways you can you can creatively re-use your jog wheels for tighter performance. Are you really going to scratch on a vci-100 or similar small jog wheel? Lets be honest with ourselves- most likely not. So what do you do the most during a song?
- Adjust the tempo in small increments
- Pitch bend a track
Then why not have your Jog wheel dedicated to those 2 functions?
Go Green- Become a Dj
Just when you thought that dance music, djs and club culture was the lowest ring on the social totem pole- we go green. Yes Mom, djing and taking ecstacy 4 nights a week CAN be socially responsible!
Imagine the conversations that might surround this remarkable development reported by engadget.
Boss: What have you done for the environment lately Jerry?
Employee: Well last night I got my freak on with these fine girls from Liverpool
Club Owner: Maan, these electric bills are killing me. Got a good track?
DJ: Let’s just spin “Jump Around” (House of Pain) all night!
Club Owner: Sweeeet! Just mix, blend, and scratch it so they can’t tell.
DJ: Done deal!
Midi Pipe Tutorial- EQ with a crossfader.
Lets say you want a single button to select an effect or your crossfader to also act as an EQ fader. These kind of functions are just not possible with 99% of dj midi gear out of the box, but there are a small group of software programs that allow you to customize the way your midi gear works inside the computer. They are called Midi translator’s and today I want to show you how to perform one of the examples above using a translator called “Midi Pipe”. Midi-Pipe is a great tool that is free and easy to use but sadly only runs on Macintosh.
Controller’s not perfect? Mod it.
Have you found the perfect MIDI controller yet? Chances are the answer is “no,” and you can’t entirely blame it on the manufacturers either. In this fast-paced DIY world, where technology morphs at light speeds, big manufacturers’ R&D cycles will never be able to keep up with your imagination. So stop waiting around for a company to release the perfect controller, and make your own! You may be thinking, “That will take way too much time,” “I have no idea how to do that,” and, “Where would I start?” Those are all legitimate roadblocks, but with a little know-how and a soft push in the right direction, you may find it’s not as hard as you think. Here are two simple ways you can customize your own interface, depending on how much time you want to spend.
Open Source Midi Controller
Hardware, software, your local grocery store- everything is going open source! Why not a dj midi controller? That’s what the guys at Aurora mixers thought, so they have created an open source mixer which you can build on or modify yourself.
Dj TechTools spoke with the Aurora Team last week about this new concept and this is what they had to say about the project: Continue reading Open Source Midi Controller
Power to the little people
Unobstructed by corporate bulk and bureaucratic red tape the little guy seems to be consistently coming up with seriously dope shit. Take this gentleman here who was disappointed with the quality of jog wheel controllers that the current crop of dj companies with millions of dollars in development money had produced. So, as most people have been doing around here at Dj TT, he made his own- but better. Bookyakasha ninja midi master.
Midi Latencey Interview with a Pro
Since MIDI is becoming a major part of how many people dj it seems appropriate to understand as much as possible about the format. A few questions have popped up about midi latencey, how to reduce it and which cables or interfaces are the best to use. Instead of shooting in the dark we asked an expert, namely Florian Bomers- creator of Bomes Midi Translator, the tough questions about midi.
