M-Audio Torq 1.5 introduced Tempo Anchors, its method for reining in songs that fluctuate in tempo. Inconsistencies in tempo can occur for a number of reasons, but Tempo Anchors may come in particularly handy for live recordings, older songs that weren’t recorded to a click track or complex tracks for which the Torq software can’t precisely detect the beat.
From busted old-school turntables in ‘89 to advanced controllers 20 years later, Charles Feelgood has come a long way in his stellar DJ career. Along with partner DJ Scott Henry, Feelgood founded the legendary Baltimore club night Fever in 1992 and helped define the bangin’ Baltimore/D.C. house sound during the halcyon rave days of the ’90s. And he’s never slowed down; Feelgood has launched labels, opened a lounge bar in Baltimore to support local DJs and delivered a steady stream of remixes and original productions that reflect his diverse sound of funky, tech-y, electro-y house. Now, after more than a decade and a half of inter-continental touring, Charles Feelgood has truly seen a million faces, and he’s rocked them all.
Recently, DJ Tech Tools caught up with Feelgood and friends in LA between gigs to talk about their experiences using controllers. Afterwards, we followed up with Charles for this interview, where he reflects on what he’s seen and learned while rising to and staying on top.
I have to be completely honest with you: DJ TechTools got off track this month. We got caught up in the product release hype machine and churned out a lot of news and not as many great articles. Don’t get me wrong; new gear is great — we all love it and will continue to review the best gear — but that is not what this site is about. We are here to show you how to get more out of technology, not convince everyone to buy new stuff. That is what the old music publishing paradigm has been about, and we are trying to offer something different, something more special.
by Markkus Rovito
Today Novation announced a new Ableton Live controller called Launchpad, and DJ Tech Tools got an advance look at one of the first units available. What one might consider a poor man’s APC-40, the Launchpad ($199US) anchors itself around and 8-by-8 grid of 64 buttons for launching clips and scenes from Ableton Live’s Session view, while a Mixer mode gives you ready access to track volume, pan, Send A/B amount, mute, solo and record enable. Read on to decide if you should blast off or abort mission.
Up until this point, Serato Itch has been the little brother of Serato Scratch and had a hard time getting any attention, but that may all change very fast with a powerfull new version of Itch and matching Xone DX controller announced today by Serato.
After years on the software side of DJing, it appears that Native Instruments is finally producing its own DJ controller. Read on for a video of Ritchie Hawtin using two of these DJ controllers in Berlin and more info on the release.
By Mike Charles
Apple recently rolled out iTunes 9, which included a slew of new features–none of which seemed to be of particular interest to DJ Tech Tools. However, Apple quietly updated my all-time favorite feature, the Smart Playlist, to include a powerful new option: nested conditions. This really excited the nerd in me, and I’d like to show you how this new option will help Smart Playlist-using DJs.
Continue reading iTunes Power Tips, Part 4: New Smart Playlists
Its Friday! That means another classic DJ video, and this week we bring you one straight from our own cameras. I went down to LA last week to show a group of well-known DJs the ropes on Traktor and their new VCI-100 Arcade controllers. We sat down to talk about the world of controllers and how it’s changed the game for them. My Favorite line is when Donald Glaude says “This is stuff you imagined!”
Here is the next step in our on-going series on building your DJ career. In the first installment we looked at setting goals and deciding in what direction you want to take your DJing career. Now we will assume that you have been practicing like mad and are ready to take that big first step: to start playing out. Getting these first gigs is going to be the hardest part, so we asked several club owners and promoters the best way to approach them and get your first gigs.
Continue reading How to Be a Successful DJ Pt. 2 (The First Gigs)
Readers are Saying