12 months ago I set out to create a mapping for our readers that would tap into the hidden powers of Traktor 3 without requiring a giant controller interface. Using the VCI-100 as a template, I designed a layout that made working with controllerism creative, fun and straight forward by combining many functions on single buttons knobs and faders. That work caught the eye of Vestax and became the VCI-100 special edition controller, which 100 lucky people own today. After that limited run sold out almost immediately we created a firmware upgrade kit and overlay package that allowed regular VCI-100’s to upgrade their own controllers and get the special edition performance.
With Traktor Pro, Native instruments has included many of our custom features including direct FX selection and dual filters into their software directly. This allowed me to duplicate and even improve on all of the functions that we created for Traktor 3 but with one major difference. The new mapping will work with every single VCI-100 out there including firmware versions 1.2 and 1.3! That means if you own ANY VCI-100, you can download the TSI file and try out our performance concepts of our VCI-100SE layout for free.
Continue reading ‘VCI-100SE + Traktor Pro = sweetness!’
Those who do a lot of heavy scratching and crossfader tricks on their VCI-100’s have some minor complaints about weight of the fader being too light. Luckily however one of the users of our Forum going under the name of PaddyDj has successfully integrated a Pro X Fade into his VCI-100. We were able to get hold of PaddyDj who was kind enough to make a wiring diagram that will make doing this mod just that much easier.
Continue reading ‘Upgrade Your VCI-100 CrossFader’
I recently moderated a panel in San Francisco during the AES convention about the future of djing. Those of you in countries around the world may enjoy the video above which captured the entire program. There is even a special surprise appearance from Toshi Nakama, the president of Vestax, where he gives his take on the future of djing. He brought up an interesting topic about the concept of finding music on the fly. This is one area that digital has not really improved at all and they seem to think the future is in how djs discover new music during the mix. Many other interesting topics came up and as usual we want to hear your opinion on the subject in the comments!
Some of the people that are in the video:
- Ean Golden (Remix Mag, Dj TT, Dj)
- Trevor Simpson (Energy 92.7 Dj and Producer)
- Bill Mitsakos (New product development at Serato)
- Toshi Nakama (Vestax Guru)
- Kush Arora (Producer, Dj)
Continue reading ‘The Future of Djing- Video’
Our friend Dj Mei Lwun invited us down to his club in San Francisco to check out a new toy he has been playing with. Its a fully configurable midi app for the Iphone that allows you to essentially create your own midi interface with custom labels and all. Mei-lwun is a fan of all things ironic so he thought is would be funny to tap out “i got hoes” on his iphone in the middle of the dance floor. We have similar tastes and sometimes they collide in interesting ways. You might remember my ironic guitar hero performance (he shot the video) or the faux communist party he and I created back in 2004 that “distributed” mash-ups to the masses. We also teamed up to create the greatest dj equipment review ever. How could I pass on filming this one?
Continue reading ‘Controllerism with an Iphone’
About a year ago, I suggested a feature to the Traktor team which they quickly implemented much to my joy. It was instant deck duplication to and from any deck. Even though this is great for the obvious application of freeing up a deck its also turned out to be good for many other creative uses. Lately I have been getting into juggling opposing copies of the same track with different treatments and cue points tricks. Lets walk through 5 fundamental techniques and then roll them into one routine:
Continue reading ‘Rockin Digital Doubles’
While not exactly a new concept, djing with a wireless Nintendo Wii controller aka “Wiijing” certainly fits into our theme this week. For those that missed Mondays post, we decided on a whim that this week is National Nintendo Week. Dont ask me why, I really have no idea.
Continue reading ‘How to Wiij’
Who amongst us has not had their love of buttons forged in the fires of Super Mario land? None, I surmise, none. There-fore its not surprising that most men in their 20’s still have a soft spot for all things Nintendo, especially the original NES paddle. With the exception of the Wii, frankly, its all been down hill from there
Check out the video below for a guide on how to re-use those original paddles for other interesting things like giant Nintendo controllers.
Continue reading ‘National Nintendo Week’
Since we first wrote about his forays into musical experimentation and what some are calling controllerism, Dj Numark has added more toys and a bunch of new tricks to his arsenal. Curious to finally find out what he is actually using we decided to give the man himself a shout out and ask a few questions.
Dj TT: Would you call your performances with controllers a dj set or a live show?
Numark: Well I do two types of shows right now. The first type of show is basically a straight DJ set where I mix records for people to dance to (rare Funk, Hip Hop, Brazilian etc). The second set involves a bunch of Kids toys, gadgets and drum machines. I use an Mpc as my cue point controller for both shows. I guess I’d call the DJ set a DJ set and the Toy set a DJ set / performance. I think I bring a performance quality to both sets though.
Continue reading ‘Interview with Dj Numark’
Moldover has made an appearance on MTV’s “How To Show”, showing off you how to turn an oxygen 8 or any other keyboard into your own expressive controllerist musical instrument. With only a handful of items you can easily find around the household and using the similar techniques to that used on his own Novation Remote-25 SL keyboard, Moldover shows in three simple steps how easy it is to become a controllerist armed with just a oxygen8 and a copy Ableton live.
Continue reading ‘How to Hack a Keyboard’
