Stanton holds a strange place in the DJ world. They’ve been around for more than 60 years and have vacillated between breaking open new markets as genuine innovators, and, sometimes, missing the point entirely. They’re top-notch manufacturers, though, and even their more derivative offerings, like the ST series of turntables, [...]
Mixvibes aren’t alone in their attempts to tackle the titans of a vibrant DJ software industry, but by expanding into hardware and mobile apps so early in the venture, they do have something of a unique approach. Hot on the heals of the 1.6 release of their flagship Cross DJ [...]
The awkwardly named iXiMix is a UK based development team specializing in iOS control interfaces for your favorite music software. At the time of writing, they’ve released touch controllers for Traktor, Access Virus and, of course, Ableton. This last one pits them against some increasingly stiff competition, but if there’s one [...]
In the last month, we’ve taken a look at several iPad-based control surfaces for Ableton Live, which is proving a popular platform for developers thanks to its relatively open API and OSC-friendly architecture. It was only a matter of time before other software got the iDevice treatment, and UK-based iXiMix [...]
Before we get into this, let’s take a quick look back at where the scene has been. It’s going on 40 years since Herc first shocked The Bronx by reimagining the turntable as a musical instrument, 20 since Paul Van Dyke’s first live show and more than 10 years since [...]
Last month we reviewed Pioneer’s achingly beautiful DDJ-T1 Traktor controller, and bemoaned the unfortunate timing that saw the hardware coincide with the most substantial update to the software in a decade. Pioneer had promised a 2.0 upgrade to the manufacturer’s edition of Traktor in July, and they’ve delivered. Bundled with [...]
From the beginning, the French have made some huge contributions to the electronic music scene. Musical visionaries from Pierre Schaeffer to Daft Punk, and thinktanks like the venerable IRCAM have been responsible for some of the most vibrant and enduring developments in the ways we use machines to interact with [...]
From humble beginnings nearly a decade ago, Ableton Live has matured into a very serious DAW and performance platform with an army of slavering fans worldwide. On stage, it’s used by a breathtaking roll call of diverse artists from Sasha, Daft Punk and Deadmau5 to Jan Jalinek, Jamie Lidell and [...]
Right from their earliest days, Apple's iDevices have been seen as potential tools for new media applications. Music apps were among the first available and, thanks to some runaway successes and great innovations, have grown in number and sophistication in the years since. It's no surprise, then, to see some [...]
Pioneer's Pro DJ line has built a solid reputation on well-designed, high quality equipment, and in particular its CDJ line has earned its place in that most worn of marketing catchphrases, the Industry Standard. For years they've been the choice of many of the world's biggest clubs and, it follows, [...]