Multi Touch Light Table for Club DJs !(OMG!!!) What's Next?

Multi Touch Light Table: GERGWERK from GERG WERK on Vimeo.

Like it or not, touch screens are set to impact heavily on the DJ scene. Just last week, we saw Emulator and Töken showing us a way forward, but now Greg Werk has taken the touch screen principle a step or two further. Yes, you still have 2 turntables, but the traditional deck and mixer metaphor has been pulled apart and rebuilt for a finger friendly multitouch environment.

I'm absolutely knocked out with this concept. Great thought has clearly gone into converting physical hardware controls and breaking them down into into slick gesture based DJing. Having little in the way of physical constraints means that the touch screen really is a clean slate (great product name there).

I watch in awe. This is clever stuff and clearly made by someone who understands DJing and technology too. I do wonder however if making the familiar DJ interface into a set of easily forgotten and messed up finger prods and swipes is exactly what DJs want or need. Will it make DJing easier or is it just cool for the sake of coolness?

This is however hugely exciting stuff. I'm looking a stage beyond this where DJs can not only take their music on a USB, but also their own interface designed in whatever standard software powers such things, be it abstract like in the video or more conventional layouts emulating Traktor. DJ changeovers will be as simple as loading up a second set of decks in the chosen DJ's style and fading across to the new decks.

Thanks again "Skratchworx" for the info, This is hot!!!
As Always fans..... "Stay In The Mix"

The Emulator + Token (Looks Like Iron Man's Computer)

"emulator" on töken concept from yöyen munchausen on Vimeo.

To date, touch screens have generally been little bigger than a book - more often than not the size of… well an iPhone screen. This of course makes the spacious traditional DJ metaphor a tad cramped to say the least, and frankly really crap to watch if you're a punter. But this video demonstrates the next level of controller technology, and also overcomes the hunched over the iPad non-performance. My iPad just became a placemat.

This is a 2 part thing:

1. The big screen is something called Token, developed by vimeo user yöyen munchausen. It appears to be a large multitouch screen interface aimed at performance. The beauty of it is that you can see both sides, thus the viewer can see exactly what the DJ is doing.

2. The software is called Emulator and created by Pablo Martin. It's a multitouch Windows 7 only program, and designed to work with 1280x800 touch screens. It's actually MIDI control software, and in this first release works with Traktor in internal mode, with compatibility with others coming.

If you thought that last post on iPad DeeJaying was deep, then this is sure to blow your mind. The Token has got to be the most sophisticated touch screen computer to come along so far.
Of cource this is gonna cost you a pretty penny, but the effect is immeasurable!!!

As Always, "Stay In The Mix"

iPad D.Jaying (Things That Make You Go WTF?)

This is good, as I mentioned in a previous post, technology is really on the move and if you're not keeping up you just might get left behind. Here's a video of a D.J. using two iPads to mix not only his music, but videos as well. Keep your eye on the screen in the background and you will see that some of his blends are actual music videos.

I know theres not a lot of you who can afford a set up quite like this yet, but I'm sure the price for these will be coming down as new tech continues to emerge. This is definately what I would call some next level s**t and I'm not trying to use up all my change frontin like I'm there already.

I didn't even know that the iPad was capable of doing all this (even though you still need the right software/hardware to make it work) but I am impressed that it does. Keep watching for other new developements as they come along and I'll keep doing my part to show you how it's working. As always...... "Stay In The Mix"

The Turntable With A Brain (It's Alive !!!)

The Denon DN-S3700 Digital Turntable is in my opinion the most versatile Turntable/Controller I've done a review on so far. Although I usually try to review lesser priced items, this is one that I felt may be well worth the investment.

In comparison this unit has a lot of the same characteristics as the "Numark V7" but it takes the effects quality a few steps beyond. Of cource it's priced a little more than the V7, but this is what Denon has equipped this unit with to help justify the price.

A 9" spinning platter, USB and MIDI controls, fast-loading slot-in drive, 5 DSP FX, and more.


The Denon DN-S3700 Direct Drive Turntable Media Player and Controller is a solid, single-deck portable DJ instrument that provides working DJs with a host of useful features for enhanced creative flexibility. Most notably, thanks to its large 9" spinning platter design, the DN-S3700 literally offers the "best of both worlds" from both digital and analog realms. In addition to a host of advanced digital features, including USB and MIDI control, the sleek and elegant media player includes a built-in authentic vinyl record for surface control driven by Denon DJ's High Torque Direct Drive motor. This provides users with the classic and unmistakable feel of true vinyl.

High Torque Direct Drive Motor & Spinning Platter Design


Denon's proprietary 12-pole Direct Drive brushless motor design is keeping the art of the 110-year-old turntable alive & true to its native feel, delivering instant, full-rotation speed with a powerful 2.5 kg/cm of start-up torque within 0.5 seconds for true turntable reaction and response. DJs can perform freely on this 9" platter design mounted with a real vinyl record as if they were using a genuine analog turntable. Platter rotation can be changed between 33 and 45 RPM for comfort.

Fast Loading Slot-In Drive


The illuminated, fast-loading, quick-reading slot-in drive reads and supports standard compact audio discs and MP3 discs in a variety of formats: CD, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM. Compact Disc CD-TEXT and MP3 ID3 Tags on CD-ROM are also displayed
 
USB Device Hosting


With easy access to the Internet these days, many DJs are shopping from home, purchasing their music collection online and storing these files on to a hard drive. The DN-S3700 is well equipped for the modern DJ and conveniently supports external USB mass storage class devices (USB Hubs are not supported). Connect your iPod (mass storage class iPods only), thumb drive, and large hard drives for easy access to your small or extensive MP3/WAV libraries up to 50,000 files. Simply plug any one of these devices into the Denon DN-S3700 to obtain the powerful on-board features such as, Instant Start, Auto Looping, Hot Starts, Effects, 8 ways to file search, and so much more.
 
MIDI Interface Controller (PC/MAC)

The DN-S3700 is also designed to interface & control a variety of popular audio/video DJ software applications that support USB MIDI interface, either by user-custom mapping or direct native support by the software vendor. Control your favorite DJ software all from one clever compact player. Supported platforms include Mac OSX 10.4 or higher, Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista.
 
Effects


Building the mood, adding energy, and remixing live for your thumping dancefloor has never been so easy with our crystal clear on-board DSP effects. Easily activate and have full parameter adjustments with a unique dry/wet mix control of the BPM sync'd effects: Flanger, Filter (High-Mid-Low), Echo, and Denon DJ's exclusive Echo Loop. 
 
This unit's list price is about $1,099.99, but you may find it for less shopping for it online. But keep in mind that it's not the technology that makes you a great D.J. It's the skill in using it and knowing what to play and when to play it.
 
So that's it for now, but as always.... "Stay In The Mix"

D.J.? Who says so?

I just had to run this post that I found on scratchworx posted by Gizmo back in May. This topic drew all sorts of comments from D.J's all over the country and I thought some of them made a lot of sense. This is a hot topic and I'm sure you have probably heard this before if you DJ or you know someone in the business.
Since the dawn of the day the first popular digital DJ product hit the scene, a unified cry of "Fake DJs" has reverberated from the generation being replaced by said shiny new technology. Vinyl DJs dissed CDJs and DVSs, who in turn heaped hate upon controllerist, who are all ganging up on anyone who dare to use an iPad to play a tune to a crowd. But dispite the basic principle of a DJ being the same - playing tracks one after another to keep the crowd on the dancefloor - subsequent generations are looked down upon from an ivory tower for daring to use anything new.

Let me pose some examples:

• A truly gifted turntablist can be pulling amazing tricks but be clearing the dancefloor with each flarey click they perform. Are they a DJ?

• A coked up Jesus posing VIP can be miming knob twiddles to a premade mixtape yet filling a stadium. Are they a DJ?

• DJ Dave Doubledecks can be spinning Cher and Bruce Springstein on their iPod mixer to a floor full of wedding revellers. Are they a DJ?

• A bedroom DJ who only mixes and scratches for their own enjoyment without ever playing to more than a few mates in their room. Are they a DJ?

There seems to be a feeling that technology defines the DJ. But the irony of skratchworx is that despite pushing nextlevelness under your nose, it's all rather useless in the wrong hands. For me, a DJ is defined by their music choices, knowing what to mix and when and their technical skills in doing so, and most definitely not the gear they use or the format they spin. There are notable cultural exceptions of course, but generally speaking technology doesn't make you a DJ. Knowing your music and your crowd however does.

So the fact remains that there are all kinds of DJs playing with all kinds of technology and music old and new, and yet floors are still filled and all these different styles of DJs keep getting gigs. So all of them are "real DJs" right?

You can read some of the replys to this topic on the skratchworx post dated May 30,2010 by Gizmo.(there were way too many) for me to include in this post and I had a little trouble trying to decide which one's were the best. But as I said this is a hot topic. So that's it for now, but as always "Stay In The Mix."

A New Toy That Slices and Dices (I'm Not Talking Veggies)

As ever, closely guarded technology secrets are leakier than BP's oil pipes. Such is the case with Novation's new MIDI controller. Rather than being a controller that DJs seem to adopt, Dicer is aimed directly at DJs, and quite specifically Scratch Live DJs using Technics turntables.

So what is Dicer? Well it's a 2 part high quality plastic and rubber buttoned MIDI controller - one for each deck - that are daisy chained via a minijack cable. There's even provision for a Kensington lock, because if it ain't nailed down someone will attempt to relieve them from you for sure.

Out of the box they have 3 mapped functions: hot cues, auto loops and loop rolls, each of which is accessible via the 3 preset buttons. When each is selected, the buttons change colour to match so you know which mode you're in.

They sit very happily in the 45 adaptor slot on your Technics, but the peg unscrews from the Dicer leaving you to sit it in whatever space you choose. This could be in the corner of a deck, or on the faceplate of a mixer for example. And while the units do have rubber feet, they also supply some really aggressive black putty to keep the controllers in place. My Numark TTXs for example have curved surfaces, but with the putty they stay in place.

Price wise, Dicer is priced at about $99.99. Granted it's a little more than the Korg and Akai controllers, but it's designed to integrate better with turntables. You'll just have to decide if it's for you or not.
And just so you know, Dicer used to have 6 buttons which explains the name.

Until next time, "Stay In The Mix"
(Taken from Scratchworx)Posted by Gizmo June 3, 2010)

It Doesn't Take Rocket Science.....Or Does It?

This post won't be about any particular piece of equippment that I'm showcaseing, Instead, I'd like to introduce another outstanding DJ who's doing more than just making a name for himself in the DJ business. He's making world news because of the fact that he is also an engineer for N.A.S.A.

I learned about D.J. Scientific while surfing through blogs one day on Google. As soon as I read his blog page and story I sent him a friend invite on Facebook which he accepted. When you go to his link at http://scientificbeats.com you will learn all there is to know about the man "D.J. Scientific" here is a short excerpt from his profile.

THE DJ
DJ Scientific is a truly unique individual. He is a powerful young man in that he has craftily combined street knowledge and book smarts in order to achieve the success that he envisions for himself and in order to give back to his community. He has sharpened his DJ skills for the past 20+ years (since Jr. High school) and is arguably one of the best DJs in the game. He is also one of the smartest players in the business.

Not only has Scientific flexed on the 1-and-2 at places like the NFL Super Bowl for the past five years, as a guest DJ in the “Bassment” with Big Tigger on BET’s “Rap City” on four separate occasions, and weekly at the #1 nightclub in the nation (Dream nightclub in DC); he continues to hold down his career as an Aerospace Engineer (aka “Rocket Scientist”) at the world’s premiere space agency, NASA!!


So that's it for now! and as Always, "Stay In The Mix"