Apple made 2 big announcements today at the Mac world conference in San Francisco that mean good news for digital djs:
- The price of digital downloads will be lowered to as little as .69 cents
- All songs will be DRM free!
If you started digital djing 5 years ago, iTunes was the only place to reliably buy new mp3’s but it was a major hassle. They were in AAC format at 128kbs and had to be burned to a disc, then re-imported to strip them of the DRM so the file could be played in dj software. The physical inconvenience aside, this was an important development in music- and many of us considered DRM to be a very dangerous precedent for the future. In response I created the poster above for the CRFTP project (now retired) and it became a battle cry against DRM with appearances all over the net. Its with great pride and excitement that I now get to tell you that we have won and DRM (at least on the apple store) has finally given way to the power of the people.
Now that the songs in the iTunes music store are going to be high quality and DRM free it might become your new favorite place to discover new tunes.
Continue reading ‘Score one for People’
Two men sit side by side on a dock, their lines drifting in the sea while each waits for a catch. One nimbly works with an older rod that is simple and broken down but well used. The younger man uses a much newer rod equipped with the best technology available to help a man catch fish. After sitting for several hours in silence, the younger fisherman strikes up a conversation and suggests “Hey there, you should think about upgrading your gear. Here, try this: it’s the newest available, it’s got everything you need it makes fishing a million times better!” The wiser of the two acquiesces, takes the newer rod in hand and attempts to cast it into the perfect spot where he knows fish are to be waiting. Alas, after many tries, he can’t seem to get the same results out of the newer rod even though it possess many more functions that should make his experience an easier one. Respectfully, the older man returns the rod to his neighbor and taking up the old, makes a perfect cast into the exact spot he wanted the first time.
There is a reason so many DJs have continued to stick with turntables even when newer, more powerful technology has emerged.
- Because it is a familiar interface that the user doesn’t have to think about operating. When the actions required to use an instrument become natural and subconscious, then the player is free to truly play.
- The MK-1200 turntable is well-built with a natural mapping so the controls look, feel, and respond how you expect them to. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with new technology where very little time and energy is spent developing intuitive mappings.
Although creating a controller from scratch is out of the reach for most of you, remapping your controller so it’s more natural and easy to use is within the reach of every digital DJ. Therefore, here are just a few principles for creating intuitive, functional mappings that allow uninhibited personal creativity.
Continue reading ‘Enable Creativity’
Both Mix Vibes and M-Audio have released new versions of their respective software’s with updated features that sound promising. While not the most popular kids in class, both pieces of software bring new options to the table with the Torq release really taking some bold leaps forward by offering Re-wire support among other updates. There is also a new bag on the market that will fit the increasingly large controllers.
Continue reading ‘New DVS Updates and a BIG gig bag.’
New Years Eve, in American at least, is a cash grab for djs. The chance to try and make up for all the money spent on gear and actually make a few dollars. Its not un-usual to ask for at least double your usual rate when playing for a club but there are some expectations that go with that kind of money so you should be prepared for your set. Here are a set of tips to make your NYE set an epic one for everyone and a few bonus mp3s that will make the 12 o’clock hour easier to manage. Continue reading ‘New Years Tips and Tools’
We are on the verge of a very big year. Although it may seem trivial to discuss djing when there are so many important things happening in the world sometimes its nice to have a fun place to escape. So what should you expect in 2009 for the world of djing- will it survive the economic meltdown? Here are my guesses at what might come down the pipeline for the coming year:
Continue reading ‘Predictions and Projections’
Since we are met by holiday greetings from every corner of our lives, does our dj blog really need to be one of them? Normally I would say no, but I just cant help myself. This has been such a good year for us that I want to say thank you and give everyone a present; 15% off anything in the store*. This is not a sale meant to get you to buy things, as we sell out too quickly to have sales. Instead its just my way of saying thank you for all that you have done for the site. It also might make it easier for those that have come up on hard times to get something they wanted. Have you been thinking about grabbing a firmware upgrade kit? You might want to head over there quickly because they are almost sold out! Dont forget there is always free shipping worldwide for orders over $60.
Merry Christmas everyone!
*To use the discount enter the code “DjTTYO398QOJ1″ at checkout. This code is good until December 31rst and does not apply to arcade button mods. We will be closed for the holidays on Friday so there will be no articles and orders will ship the following Monday.
p.s. Thanks a lot for the forum thank you thread- it was very kind.
Every knob, button and fader on your controller has a function assigned but there are still more things you need control over! What to lose? How do you cram in more functions? Then it hits you- wait a minute, some of these buttons I only use a few times during a set, what if they could serve 2 purposes? Fortunately, Traktor pro introduced a powerful feature that makes it easier to do that. Lets take a basic look at modifiers and show you how to make a jog wheel work for both scratching and track browsing.
Continue reading ‘Get more Controlls- Modifier basics’
Here is a continuation of tips from last weeks popular post:
Continue reading ‘Itunes Power Tips’
Ok, I must be honest- that title is a little misleading. It is the title I wish we could write if all the major dj software companies joined together to create a common standard for storing track information. Once you have been using one program for a while, a large amount of time and effort gets invested into adding loops, cue points and stripes to those songs. The thought of doing it all over again is enough to keep most djs firmly rooted in place, never venturing out to try new things. This might be good for a market leader but its terrible for the collective market place. If we create an atmosphere where djs can freely bounce back and forth to try out the merits of each system then competition and creative ideas will flourish. Both customers and the companies will win.
Continue reading ‘Top Dj Companies Create Universal Standard’
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