Today the Numark NS6, a brand new all-in-one controller designed for Serato Itch, has made it’s way into the labs. Smaller than the NS7 but larger than other 4 channel controllers, is the NS6 the perfect fit for you? DJ TechTools investigates!
Archive for July, 2011
Your Guide to Stepping Up and Playing a Big Room
- So you’ve rocked your bedroom and the local bar, next stop superclub main room! A hefty sound system in a large space is an entirely different challenge, so what are the key technical aspects you should know before you step into the big league? Sankeys in the UK has hosted the biggest international DJs and was voted DJ Magazine’s number one club in the world in 2010. Here are some tips from their sound engineer Rob Thomas and resident DJ Jozef K on how to play a big room.
Continue reading Your Guide to Stepping Up and Playing a Big Room
A Guide to Making a Multitracked Mixtape: Part 1
Mixtapes are still one of the best ways to hone your DJing skills and promote yourself. This guide will hold your hand through the process and have you making professional sounding mixes in no time! Continue reading A Guide to Making a Multitracked Mixtape: Part 1
Sorting Your DJ Music Library: The Klay System
These days, it seems like every DJ is using a laptop but they feel like a double edged sword, providing opportunity and creating new obstacles to creativity at the same time. Have you ever been stuck at a critical moment thinking, “Sh&%- what was the name of that song?! – It would be perfect!” Only to watch the countdown wind down to zero and then have no choice but to drop a dancefloor killer. In this article I will attempt to provide a few suggestions for music tagging that will help organize your giant collection into something more navigable.
Continue reading Sorting Your DJ Music Library: The Klay System
Behind the Scenes: Interview with Serato R&D
Remember our article on timecode and MIDI control article a little while back? We explained at the time that it was just scratching the surface of the realities of what it takes to measure platter control. There are a huge number of factors that go into the development of digital vinyl systems and turntable emulations, and rather than wrestle with the theory on my own I had a chat with Dylan Wood from Research and Development at Serato about some of the technical aspects of Scratch Live and Itch.
Continue reading Behind the Scenes: Interview with Serato R&D
Online Club Experience? Turntable FM is getting there.
Turntable FM, a hot new topic in tech circles, distills the DJ concept down to a fundamental level. In an open MIC style room, 5 DJs play songs one at a time (with no mixing) and a crowd of strangers provide instant feedback on how much they like the music. This format seems to be highly addictive with Facebook levels of engagement and an exploding base of users (360k FB signups in the last few weeks). The site may have some interesting lessons to teach us about DJing and the future of music technology.
Continue reading Online Club Experience? Turntable FM is getting there.
Pop Controllerism – Is the Mashup Back?
With 600k views in just a few days and a fresh article on the Huffington post, Madeon’s Ableton based, pop culture jam is making some serious internet waves. That’s pretty impressive for a 17 year old with a bunch of ableton clips and a launchpad. Does this mean that the mainstream might be ready for controllerism and clip mashing?
Exclusive Review! Novation Twitch DJ Controller and Serato Itch
For too long, the DJ industry has been going round in circles – literally. Novation’s latest offering to the DJ world eschews the entire ‘wheels of steel’ principle and tries to show us another way. We took a look to see whether or not it’s the right way to turn.
Continue reading Exclusive Review! Novation Twitch DJ Controller and Serato Itch
Review: Pioneer DJM-T1 Traktor Certified Mixer
Pioneer and Native Instruments are still sitting in that kissing tree, and following the DDJ-T1 controller and the DJM-900 nexus Traktor Certified mixer is the brand new DJM-T1, a two channel mixer that’s got its eye on the DVS market. Of course, we took a good look at it.
Continue reading Review: Pioneer DJM-T1 Traktor Certified Mixer
Introducing DJ PowerTools – Sound Packs for Controllers
Have you ever wanted to wail out a synth solo on top of a track or drop a dubstep baseline during a break? You could always cart along a keyboard and load up Ableton in your sets but that is not very practical for the average DJ. To solve that problem and add a layer of musicality in my sets, I invented a system of MP3s with pentatonic scales several years ago. After many months of fine tuning, the first public version is finally available for you to play with. I am proud to introduce DJ PowerTools, the modern controllerist’s version of the scratch record.
Continue reading Introducing DJ PowerTools – Sound Packs for Controllers
Weekend Warrior Project! Create a Custom Cable
I’ve got an entire box full of audio cables in my closet but not one wire in this tangled mess meets my needs? Am I really going to have to buy another adapter? If you’ve ever asked yourself a question like this then you need to watch the video above. With ten minutes and $15 in parts you can easily make a high quality cable worth $40 that will last a lifetime. While you may be thinking right now “…but Mike, I’m no electrical or wiring guru”, don’t worry. I thought the same thing, but in reality, almost anyone can make a cable that is ten times better than your average RCA. Continue reading Weekend Warrior Project! Create a Custom Cable
