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, [...]
In a sense, a fondness for nostalgia has characterized the pop culture period from the late ‘00s to the present. How music is produced isn’t exempt from this. In fact, after over a decade in which the average consumer lost interest in vinyl, its warmth, detail, and musical authenticity became [...]
Back at the 2013 Winter Music Conference, the theme of versatility over the purity of vinyl pervaded throughout various gear workshops. Based on events from Stanton’s parent company Gibson Audio and Pioneer, the question regarding gear these days isn’t so much “Does it seem authentic, like playing vinyl?” but rather [...]
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 [...]