Controllerism is fresh and all but we most certainly were not the first folks to bang out samples using buttons or pads. There are legions of hip-hop producers that spend hours perfecting multi finger drumming techniques on their MPCs. To put it simply, these guys rock rubber buttons. You will find a few of my favorite MPC video clips after the break that might inspire a dj routine or two. Add your favorites in the comments and we will compile all the videos into a mega-mpc banger archive.
Ever since I published my personal layout for the Oxygen 8 some 4 months ago, people have been hounding me to finally post the explanation video. The damn thing took 5 years to perfect, I always joke, so perhaps the video might take another 5! Well, we finally found time to crank out a tutorial on the mapping I used in nightclubs around the world for many years.
Compared to the newer controllers on the market, the Oxygen 8 and this interface is relatively simple and somewhat primitive. To be honest though, I kind of like it that way. The interface does just a few things really well, and it’s really hard to screw anything up. Download the mapping and sign up for update emails here, but don’t expect updates too regularly — this controller is my favorite old 66 Coupe DeVille. I take her out of the garage every once in a while and tinker with the engine on weekends, but generally I like to keep things the way they were. For the latest and greatest in modern DJ technology, there is always the Midi-Fighter and our new completely insane VCI-100 V3 mapping.
After nearly 3 years of publication, we have posted over 400 articles – many of which you may never discover without a lot of spare time on your hands. To help dust off a few of the gems, I will be posting a classic DJ Tech Tools article every once in a while. This month, it’s my Remix Magazine article on “Microwave DJs” from 2008. It was a hot term, used at the time to describe DJs that just pressed play and did nothing else. Looking back, it’s clear that we have come a long way since then, and tolerance of all types of digital DJing has grown significantly. It’s also clear that blogs and HYPEM are here to stay. Read on for the full article.
It was not that long ago that even the thought of a single controller sent DJs running into the mountains with fear. Now that many of our readers have successfully embraced and conquered their first controllers, you are probably thinking about adding a 2nd controller to your rig. This raises the legitimate question: “How do I set up multiple controllers in Traktor? Won’t they conflict?” In this article I will show you some great new features in Traktor Pro that enable anyone to easily use multiple controllers
In our quest to seek out new DJ territory of the inspirational variety, we came upon Edison, a producer/performer who plays live with Ableton Live and a custom Monome. His performances are dynamic, visually understandable, and have a very “live” sound that is hard to achieve when you’re dealing with the quantized clip launching in Live and nothing but a giant grid of buttons. To get a closer look into how Edison gets that sound and showcase some of his new songs, we brought him into the DJ Tech Tools studio to share his ideas with the world. You can catch Edison on a live West Coast tour from late March to early April. Visit his Myspace page for more music and tour info.
Part 1. (BASICS)
The VCI-100SE Version 3 mapping is hands down one of most ambitious and powerful mapping we have released yet. This brand new version brings together all of our best ideas from the past 2 years and condenses them into an easy-to-use interface that should have something for everyone. We stripped away the fat, improved the core features and made everything more simple. Along with a few technical MIDI breakthroughs that enable new work-flows — such as 8 cue points — this file also introduces a new concept called instant FX, which you absolutely want to check out. The 2 instant FX buttons automatically set up a perfect effect with all routing and configuration, so you don’t have to think about anything. When combined with the jog wheel, they produce killer sounds and very expressive transitions.
Part 2. (FX TRICKS)
Visit this page Saturday, Feb. 13th at 12pm PST /8pm GMT to watch a live DJ TechTools broadcast tutorial on Traktor Pro and the VCI-100 3_0 mapping. We will be answering questions from the live studio audience and taking calls via Skype from readers around the world. Read on for the live video embed, SKYPE info and our address to watch the show live.
Here is the long awaited video explaining my Midi-Fighter mapping for Traktor Pro. There is some seriously cool stuff in there, so even if you don’t have a MF, check out the video and borrow the concepts. For the month of February, we are running a special video contest in which the winner will get a brand new Midi-Fighter DIY kit. To enter, just download the songs below and record your own personalized performance using the same songs, ANY controller and your personal style of DJing. Add your video as a response to the tutorial above and whoever has the most YouTube views at the end of February will win a free Midi-Fighter!
Contest Results
Here are the contest results as of the end of February:
First Prize: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_FNXdwzwWw (17k views)
2nd Prize http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E447XeggqX8 (11k views)
Third Prize: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2aK5ttpeI8 (9k views)
Given the talent of all prize winners, we have decided to grant everyone in the top 3 something. In the future Contests will be judged with a combination of metrics including judges rating, youtube rating, public rating and others.
Thanks to everyone that entered. Even if you didn’t win a prize, you deserve one for putting yourself out there!
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