Algoriddim Adds Spotify to Djay 2.5 iOS App

Today’s the day that you can DJ with music streaming from the 20-million-track-plus Spotify library. Algoriddim has partnered with Spotify to give Spotify Premium subscribers access to Spotify’s music—as well as their playlists, starred tracks, and Inbox—from Algoriddim Djay 2 for iPad and iPhone. The launch also includes Match, a track-selection tool based on the Echo Nest’s analysis of Spotify’s library, a new Automix Radio features, and optional new effects for Djay 2 created by Sugar Bytes.

We all suspected it would happen eventually; when and by whom were the big questions. Now, a very good iOS DJing app just became much more intriguing with the addition of Spotify library access to users of Algoriddim Djay 2 for the iPad or iPhone. To unlock the 20-million-plus Spotify tracks from the cloud, you’ll need a Spotify Premium subscription ($10/month in the US).

Music from Spotify works like your locally stored music: it’s analyzed on the fly with BPM, key, beat grids, and colored waveforms, and that info will be stored for when you play the same track again.

HOW THE SPOTIFY INTEGRATION WORKS

Once you’re signed in, Spotify’s library—as well as all of your playlists, starred tracks, and Inbox—will be available from Djay’s Browse window. You’ll be able to search and select music from Spotify or your local iTunes collection at the same time. You’ll also be able to search Spotify’s charts and search Spotify by common DJ genres. Other Spotify users could even send you real-time song requests to your Spotify Inbox. And oh, how you love requests, don’t you?

Besides instant requests, Spotify integration will open up another level of social sharing within Djay, which has more than 10 million iOS users. Now those users will potentially share the same content library within Spotify, and that could make sharing set lists, histories, and tracks more interesting. You could open a friend’s Spotify set list directly, for example. Djay lets you share set lists as Spotify playlists via SMS, email, Facebook, and Twitter, so your friends or fans could listen to the tracks you’ve played.

PLAYBACK QUALITY

The audio quality for music streamed in Djay from Spotify will be the same that you have selected within Spotify for mobile playback. The options are: 96 kbps (normal), 160 kbps (high), and 320 kbps (extreme) Ogg Vorbis.

Karim Morsy, CEO of Algoriddim, told us that the audio quality won’t adjust according to the strength of your WiFi or cellular data connection, but that it was designed to work at least with 96 kbps audio on any connection. Our demo of the Spotify feature appeared seamless when it was tested over a hotel-room WiFi connection. When playing a streaming track from Spotify, the whole track does not load into RAM in order to save processing resources, but there is some amount of track caching into RAM to ensure seamless playback. Morsy said he thinks that Algoriddim is well suited to make the most efficient use of caching music from Spotify’s cloud because of all the work the company has done in that area to make large video files playback smoothly in its Vjay app.

Djay 2 has hardware controller support from companies like Pioneer, Numark, Vestax, Reloop, Griffin, and others, so mixing Spotify music can also be a fully tactile experience.

MATCH, COURTESY OF THE ECHO NEST

To assist DJs in choosing an excellent next track to play from the enormous Spotify library, Djay 2 now comes with Match, a tool powered by the Echo Nest, which Spotify recently acquired. Match uses the Echo Nest’s music analysis to recommend tracks based on BPM, key, musical style, danceability, and how well it would mix with your current track.

Those recommendations also come into play when you activate Automix Radio, Djay 2’s new automaton DJ mode. For all your set-it-and-forget-it needs, Automix Radio selects the next track, beatmatches it, and performs simple crossfade mixes.

NEW EFFECTS BY SUGAR BYTES

Djay 2 had included some effects, but admittedly, that area was not its strongest suit. Rather than try to create its own effects that competed with the likes of Traktor, Algoriddim partnered with desktop plug-in experts Sugar Bytes to create more than 30 new effects for Djay 2, available through an in-app purchase as several different Packs for $1.99 each, or the whole set for $4.99. The new effects section includes an effect strip control, as well as a wet/dry mix control, and a new effect list selection menu.

GIVE IT A SPIN

Whether or not you’ve already tried the free trial for Djay 2, with the addition of Spotify to Djay 2.5, a new seven-day free trial is available to anyone, and you can also sign up for a free seven-day trial of Spotify Premium to check it out. During that week, if you decide you want to buy Djay, the prices are reduced for the next week following the Spotify launch. Djay 2.5 for iPad will cost $4.99 (normally $9.99), and Djay for iPhone will be free (normally $1.99) for the next week.

If you think this new update of Djay 2.5 merits a full review, please let us know in the comments.

 

algoriddimdj with spotifydjayIOSipadIphonespotify
Comments (30)
Add Comment
  • Selection, not abundance. | Next Audio Labs®

    […] with the ability to play any track from Spotify’s 20 million+ music collection. Already, everyone is gushing over it as if this is a major advancement. Unfortunately, it’s another huge step […]

  • DJ JoGray

    If we can integrate ITunes with DJ2 offline, that same privilege would be awesome with Spotify

  • Maxy

    Hi all, can this work with Spotify in offline mode? as the premium subscription allows now for iPads etc.

    • Dredknot

      i have a IDJpro…you can not use the controller in offline mode…Spotify (the app from the app store)will allow to set up a previous playlist that download to the IPad directly…This is the offline mode

      • Max

        Hi, bit confused, if I have cached Spotify playlists on my iPhone that I can play offline can I use the Djay app to mix those offline playlists without a wi-fi connection, I dont want the match feature or other things just mixing two songs without Wi-Fi

        • Hein van der Wielen

          Nope, you need a working internet connection even if you have the files stores on you iPhone. I just tested it for you….

  • ThePhanatik116

    Please, Traktor, make our lives easier.

  • allstar720

    The fact that this app won’t record in stereo when you are using headphones to split cue is stupid. All these dj apps are best suited to making mixtapes on your own and djay 2 insists on recording to mono for no good reason. I hate this app for that.

  • DJ Gerard

    One question though, can you play music off of iTunes iMatch even if it isn’t on the device itself locally but only in the cloud?

    • Toontown

      No, it says:

      “Track not available. The track cannot be played because it is not downloaded from iCloud. Please download the track in the “Music” app by tapping the iCloud icon next to the track.”

  • DJ Gerard

    I will get it AS SOON AS either you can use ANY MIDI controller with it OR they integrate Spotify for use with the MAC Djay program and not just ios

  • Marcio

    Hello all ! I’m using Djay 2 for two and half years. Iam a Spotify Premium user for a year too. I would like some info about the spotify legal terms, using this integration. I can or can’t use this feature in my gigs on the clubs? Either spotify support or Algoriddim have answer my question

  • Dan Blacklock

    Does this work with the Traktor Audio 2 Mk2?

  • THEBIGD

    Wow! I’ve been playing with this all day. At the very least, this will change the way I do pool parties this summer. FYI, if you’re a student Spotify is only 4.99/month.

  • KingArt

    I signed up for Spotify Premium at last because of this.

    • Mar 1

      I’ll be doing the same as soon as this comes to Serato

    • Toontown

      That was Spotify’s motivation to finally get this done. djay has double the users of Spotify, so I’d expect a sharp increase in users at the beginning.

  • chris

    the bpm-analyzis from Djay is one of the best detectors routine. (i had feed it)

  • Jeff Chiarelli

    I get why you can’t record a set when you are signed into Spotify, but cant I get the record option back when I sign out of Spotify. It seems like a bug. Anyone have any thoughts?

    • KingArt

      Wow Let me check out this issue. Sounds pretty serious for not being able to record post signing out.

      • Jeff Chiarelli

        The Djay folks responded to my question and said if you load 2 iTunes tracks on the decks then record will re-appear, which I guess makes sense, it just seems like it should reappear when you sign out of spotify also.

    • Frederik from Algoriddim

      Just switch the music source in djay’s library back to iTunes and make sure no Spotify song is loaded on either deck, then the record option will be back. Enjoy!

  • Selection, not abundance. | Next Audio Labs™

    […] with the ability to play any track from Spotify’s 20 million+ music collection. Already, everyone is gushing over it as if this is a major advancement. Unfortunately, it’s another huge step […]

  • Bigbeatzz

    Traktor, where are you?

    • HighTech

      Traktor seems stuck and can’t make agreement with #1 streaming service Spotify