Almost a year ago, I wrote a review of the very popular djay iPad app by Algoriddim. I really enjoyed the app and had very few complaints, so naturally I had high expectations for djay 2 when it was released in July. Although the update to the app isn’t completely [...]
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 [...]
Now, more than ever, there is a fine line between being a DJ and being a producer. In most of the DJ interviews I’ve watched on Youtube, the answer to the question “what’s next for your career” is often “work on my production.” Years ago, the key to getting 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 [...]
The Pioneer DDJ-SX is a DJ controller specifically intended for use with the Serato DJ application. While the DJ controller market has been swarmed with dozens of clones recently, the DDJ-SX really is a formidable package. It features a four channel mixer, two capacitive jog wheels and the obligatory set of [...]
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 [...]
DJs’ long-time favorite Technics 1200 turntables are no more. Does that mean the “traditional” form of DJing has died out? As much as DJs gravitated away from turntables and toward CDJs, and eventually to laptops and controllers, over the past 15 years, many still have a soft spot for the [...]
LIVKONTROL, by Imaginando, is an app designed to control Ableton Live remotely via an iPhone or iPad. The beauty of LIVKONTROL is in its simplicity, and I love the fact that it focuses on doing a handful of things perfectly instead of trying to do everything mediocrely. LIVKONTROL connects with [...]
After sitting through multiple gear workshops at the Winter Music Conference, we found that the industry has changed its overall attitude to DJing: It’s not what you use, it’s how you use it – unless, of course, you use iTunes for your set. This sentiment expressed during the Pioneer workshop [...]
In Numark’s extensive product line, the Mixtrack controllers, which include the original, the Pro, and now the Pro II, have been a consistent value product: solid, if not professional-looking, construction for the price, ease of use, and decent integration with Serato software. The latest, the Numark Mixtrack Pro II, essentially [...]