Today Hercules announced that the “Dj Console 4-MX” will be the replacement to their popular “Dj Console RMX” controller. This is an all in-one controller priced at $449 ships with Virtual Dj LE and has a built in sound card. Hercules has equipped the 4-mx controller with 4 deck features, weight activated jog wheels and a more streamlined layout. The Hercules steel was one of the most popular all-in-one controllers sold to entry level djs due to its robust looks and a low price of $300.
Archive for September, 2010
Allen & Heath Xone DB4
It looks like Allen and Heath may have accidentally leaked some info today on the DB4 mixer after teasing the dj market for the past few weeks. Its a 4 channel analogue mixer with a full sound card and built in digital fx. Think of the Rane 68 or a DJM-600 with a sound card. Hopefully clubs around the world will start installing hybrid mixers like this in every booth, so controller djs wont need to lug around sound cards! More info and another photo after the break.
Deckadance 1.73- Ready to Rock?
As a long time music producer who began looking at alternatives to Ableton for digital DJing, I came across DJTechTools.com about 6 months ago and instantly became a fan. While Ableton is great for many reasons, you will definitely felt it’s limitations after building a dj set with over 300 tracks. Even on a small scale Ableton is limited as a DJ tool because it lacks cue points, decodes all MP3s into WAV files, and requires a lot of tedious warping.
After reading up about alternatives on DJTechTools.com, I decided on Traktor because it sounds great, has awesome effects and integrates perfectly with the X1. The downside of Traktor however is Beat Gridding, which is only slightly less tedious than Ableton Warping. After more research I came across Deckadance, an often-overlooked DJ application for Mac and PC from Image Line (the makers of FL Studio)In this article we will look at the strengths and weakness of this program and see how far its come in 3 years of development.
Dj TechTools T-Shirt Contest!
Over a month ago one of our readers from Sao Paulo, Brazil sent in some amazing art work that fit the Dj TechTools style. I loved them and immediately posted a thread to find out which design should be turned into a T-Shirt. The community responded by requesting a contest where more people could enter their designs and everyone votes on the results. As a result of those great suggestions, here is the first Dj TechTools T-shirt contest. The winning design will win some cool prizes and a lot of community cred!
VOTE FOR THE FINALISTS HERE
Serato 2.1 and “The Bridge” Officially Released
Serato Officially released 2 big updates today to the general public that have been in beta for quite some time. First up is the Ableton Bridge, Serato’s answer to multi track loop playback in a dj set. Its now available for free to all owners of Ableton live 8.2 and Serato scratch. Also on deck today is the much awaited 2.1 update which adds direct support for the Novation Dicer, and Pioneer’s CDJ-2000/CDJ-900 models. Check out the official word after the break.
Continue reading Serato 2.1 and “The Bridge” Officially Released
Brand New VCI-100 Firmware
A member of the Dj TechTools community has reverse engineered the VCI-100 firmware to produce a brand new 1.4 version that adds a number of new features and bug fixes including high resolution jog wheels and pitch faders. Just when you thought the VCI-100 might finally be on its way out- boom! Dj TechTools comes back with something cooler. Continue reading for a full list of improvements, and a video demonstrating a easter egg in 1.4- Disco mode!
Traktor S4 First Look – A Live Unit!
With so many people chomping at the bit to get their hands on one- we were very excited to get an exclusive S4 prototype here in the TechTools labs. Check out our preview video that runs through a few basic functions and some very lovely photos of NI’s newest controller all after the break! Dj TechTools also has some exclusive deals on Traktor S4′s in our webstore.
Build Your Club Night and DJ Career w Guest DJs – Part 2
In Part 1, we looked at why you might want to book guest DJs to help you establish a solid underground club night in your town or city. In this part, we’ll look at how to go about it.
As we said last time, unless you have considerable resources (lucky you…), paying for a good guest DJ every week will break your bank. The way around this is to only book guest DJs every 3 or 4 events, making the other nights appealing using other promoting techniques.
Continue reading Build Your Club Night and DJ Career w Guest DJs – Part 2
Extend Your Laptop’s Battery Life
You get to the club with plenty of time, carefully set up all your equipment and, with just five minutes before start time, realize the worst: the laptop’s power supply is at home. In this nightmare scenario (which is more common than you might imagine) it is essential to know how to extend your battery life and get as much time as possible out of the laptop before the music stops. Let’s go into some tips on how to avoid this situation and deal with it if the problem pops up.
Continue reading Extend Your Laptop’s Battery Life
The Assembly Line – Music Production Step 1
As music creation tools become more accessible and powerful it has never been easier to make great records without emptying your wallet. You may not realize it, but as a DJ, you already have a production-oriented mind. All you need to do is acquaint yourself with the right tools to get the music in your head on paper. So get pumped– you’ll be throwing original songs into your DJ set before you know it!
Continue reading The Assembly Line – Music Production Step 1
Building Your Club Night and DJ Career with Guest DJs
In the first half of this two-part article, Phil Morse explains how booking guest DJs can cement your club night’s reputation and fast-track your DJ career
Let’s begin this crash course with a truth: Starting a club night is the best way of getting established as a DJ. You play week-in, week-out to a crowd who know you and your music. This loyalty builds your first fan base, and the skills you pick up at this stage of your career power your rise up the ranks.
Continue reading Building Your Club Night and DJ Career with Guest DJs
