Whether it’s iPad control, video playback functionality, or novel ways to launch samples, updates to the traditional format of DJ software have been few and far between in the past few years. When I first encountered The One DJ Software by Audio Artery at NAMM 2012, the project was still [...]
For some time now I have mistakenly ignored the Traktor Kontrol X1 MK2 by Native Instruments. The original Kontrol X1, while one of my favorite controllers for years and certainly revolutionary for its time, had slowly fallen out of my favor as newer, and what I thought to be better, [...]
Ever since it first arrived on the scene, the Traktor Kontrol F1 has maintained its status as the absolute best solution for controlling the Traktor software’s remix decks. This is due largely in part to the fact that the Kontrol F1 has historically been the only hardware option for taking [...]
By now, you’ve probably heard of Novation’s Launchpad, one of the first and most successful dedicated controllers for Ableton Live. With its minimalist grid of 64 white-on-black pads and zero-hassle integration with Live’s main performance features, the Launchpad added a new sense of flair to the performance and creation of [...]
Trying to choose an audio interface in today’s market is tough. For DJs, the choice is somewhat limited, as some of the most popular software is hardware-integrated with a specific set of sound cards. For producers, the story is a little different. It has always seemed to me that budding [...]
What is Harrison Mixbus? It’s a DAW, sure – but it’s also a professional mastering tool all wrapped up in an affordable and easy-to-use package. By now, we’re so used to the vast ocean of all-in-one recording, editing, mixing, and mastering solutions costing $400 and up in an attempt to [...]
From the moment I first laid eyes on the Numark Orbit at its unveiling earlier this year at NAMM, I knew this controller would be a game-changer. Everything about this unit is amazing, because everything about it – from the construction quality to the basic function – is both refreshingly [...]
After extensive experience with unconventional DAWs like Reason with its virtual rack and Ableton with its clip launcher interface, I was hesitant to return to what I consider to be the boring way of doing things – dragging around clips on a timeline, cutting and pasting without a distinctive edge [...]
In many cases, some of the new DJ and production tools featuring iProduct integration have been little more than a perfunctory capitalization on the popularity of the mobile market. It’s not too often that a product comes along which uses an iPod or iPad to do something not ordinarily possible [...]
The Electrix Tweaker is an enigma. It isn’t quite laid out like a traditional DJ controller, with two jogwheels and a mixer section. It doesn’t quite have the form of an Ableton controller you’d expect from something like the Novation Launchpad or Akai APC40. So, what’s it for? That is [...]