The long-touted The One DJ software is now almost ready for release. As the promo video shows, it lets you DJ the usual way with two tunes, but also allows live re-editing, because you can stack, edit and loop multiple waveforms within each “track”, on the fly.
The software is therefore a mix of normal-style DJ programs, Mixmeister, Mixed In Key Mashup, Traktor’s Remix Decks and a touch of Ableton Live – oh, and Virtual DJ 8 too, which has a similar timeline-editing feature.
What all of these programs do is allow the DJ to break away to a greater or lesser extent from the playhead and prepare forthcoming musical sections that will then play automatically when the playhead reaches them.
With The One, one bonus is that you can save your creations…
With The One, one bonus is that you can save your creations, so unlike, say, Traktor Pro 2′s Remix Decks, it’s possible to recall your arrangements for further work later.
We have been assured a private beta version of the software is just around the corner, and we’ll bring you a full review of it as soon as we can.
Is it DJing?
“Timeline DJing” in all its forms is a powerful paradigm that breaks away from the standard way of thinking about performing recorded music.
On the one hand, it definitely opens DJs up to far more creativity than simply mixing one tune into the next – but it faces accusations of turning DJs into screen-gazers as they chop and edit waveform segments as part of their sets. What do you think?
Can you see possibilities in this style of DJing? Or do you feel it’s moving too far away from the essence of what DJing should be about? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Now go to:
NAMM 2013: Deckadance 2 Software Video Talkthrough
NAMM 2013: HID For MixVibes Cross 2.3 Turn Pioneer CDJs Into Video Players
NAMM 2013: Livid Base Midi Controller Launched
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Tags: "the one", namm, NAMM 2013, Timeline DJing
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That’s a lot of disconnection from your crowd! User’s eye’s will absolutely be glued to their laptops! The One Face>Serato Face.
[ link ]I keep seeing these types of comments, so allow me to suggest that in the near future DJs will begin to wear computer display glasses.
[ link ]I already am
I do agree , it will have it’s use’s but we already have far 2 much screen gazing imo.
Someone had said before me that the coverage you guy’s have done on all things NAMM has been great , it’s 2nd to none thank’s to phil and the gang.
[ link ]DJ’s should use a beamer to display their work on a big screen so the public can see, understand, and appreciate what the DJ/artist is doing.
[ link ]The man took the words from my mouth.
[ link ]that’s one of the best ideas i have heard in a long time……..OMG such a revelation. i am going to try start doing this in my sets (am on Traktor).
[ link ]I was thinking this kind of DJ should get one of those “Wearable Monitor Glasses” just to minimize “Serato face”… or at least LOOK like they’re paying attention to their crowd.
[ link ]Surely, the public shouldn’t have to be educated in what the DJs doing?…pretty sure most non-DJ folk wont care whether the DJ’s adjusting a beatgrid or overlaying a complex series of individual drum components into the mix.
It’s probably only of interest to other DJs and musicians, of which there maybe a handful in the club.
If you see a well established live dance act, they wont be displaying the details of what they’re doing on the big screen…they know that the music is ultimately what moves people, not the intricacies of how it’s put together.
All clever stuff admittedly and certainly of use to the DJ, but not necessarily for beaming onto a screen.
…turntablism is a bit different though, a little more physical and exciting than a laptop display!
[ link ]This is Great! Why? Cos’ basically is “Maven” (The Custom Controller that Sasha developed years ago plus his method of dissecting a track in its parts and remixing live) for “the rest of us”. Besides the eternal and boring discussion of old school djing, i just care of what the music builds in me in each venue/dj. So bring it on! Future is now, and i want to try it on my Macbook Pro in my next Gig.
[ link ]When I’m dancing, I don’t really have any interest in looking at what the DJ is doing as I’m enjoying myself dancing.
[ link ]Unless they are doing some really fancy turntabling [which isn't usually dancable anyway], DJs are pretty boring to watch. Watching someone rummage through real or virtual crates is not exactly gripping viewing.
Your right. People shouldn’t be standing around facing the DJ. They should be dancing. On the flip side though, the dj should be focused on his crowd, not the laptop.
[ link ]Keeping an eye on dancefloor isn’t hard to do even if you are faffing around with laptop/cdjs/technics etc.
[ link ]This is mixmeister with a few (not very big) bells added.
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[ link ]Don’t see anything wrong with timeline djing I’ve been with mixmeister fusion for 7 years and you can get very creative with it. I use CDs in addition and am adding vinyl as an extra (mainly visual) tool. As for digital Djs screen gazing, cd and vinyl boxes are also places we spend a lot of time. Get the groove right and let the music connect
Exactly what I was thinking.
[ link ]watching that made me wonder about the workflow, it was a lot of mouse action drag and drop and stuff – it must be close to impossible to use any kind of controller for that. I can’t really see me doing that live – how do you work that in mixmeister?
[ link ]I know Maschine uses a lot of knobs and has a pretty good integration with navigation and triggering… We can’t really call this DJing anymore because it’s no longer just playing back tracks or scratching… this is producing in real time. Controllerism seems to be biased toward the live side of music playback and this definitely isn’t all live triggering. While nearly everything a human uses to input data into a computer is a controller, they aren’t always intended to be used for instant playback… like a live instrument.
Maybe we should refer to it as Online Production, Live Production or Live Re-mixing? …or something like that.
[ link ]People are instantly not liking having to look that much at the screen, but for pre-planning sets I see this being something many DJs enjoy.
Ir’s also refreshing, having a software option that isn’t all about it’s Midi/HID capabilities.
[ link ]Djs should never play a pre planned set.
[ link ]You should never pre-plan a set and then stick rigidly to the plan, but preparation is fine and also planning segments of a performance to make a fluid “whole” is also fine, in our opinion. And this software is as much about improvisation as planning.
[ link ]Unless you are doing a mixtape or a radio show
[ link ]I can see places where it would work and where it wouldn’t; I think this software would be really good for set planning based on what we’ve seen so far however.
[ link ]Sheesh. So much cutting pasting clipping dragging. It’s like DJ’ing with Excel.
Also, I wonder why they use such dull music to highlight new products. Any mixing software can handle minimalist house music.
[ link ]An easy solution to all the bitching about ‘screen gazing/ serato face’ would be to have a monitor set into the booth facing up at you, just like a record does on a turntable. Who ever heard anyone complain about a DJ staring at his records/ mixer/ turntables while in the middle of a set? NO ONE! Because it’s an accepted fact that the DJ must be in control of these things & that they directly control the music playing! DJ’s aren’t singers. or guitar players, or even drummers. They must utilise & co-ordinate their hands,eyes, & ears with multiple ‘instruments’, if you will, unlike a guitar player who can face a crowd, and feel with his fingers which notes he’s plucking & get in tune with the crowd. Same with a sdinger..they are able to interact with a crowd to a greater extent because they don’t need their eyes to help with what their hands are doing! People only bitch about the laptop gazing because they think laptop DJ’s aren’t ‘real DJs’ & also because they think they know everything the DJ is doing fom reading a few forum rants & DJ websites. So lets go back to the old days where there was a bit of mystique behind the DJ & what he was up to in that booth.. I’m not advocating hiding record labels or anything too extreme, but it seems the more the crowd are educated about how a DJ works, the more flak they give the DJ & accuse him of all sorts. Let’s hide the laptop screen in the booth or have a iPad laying flat, staring back at you like the record I mentioned previously. I GUARANTEE no-one will complain that the DJ is spending too much time looking at what he is doing with the decks/mixer/controller! They never have & wouldn’t dare to!
[ link ]To quote the Hip Hop statement “Haters gonna’ hate.” Someone will always criticise and cut down others to make themself feel big. Most of the people who go to a dance club don’t even care that the DJ is even there, they might occasionally look up to see the dude rocking out on headphones and go right back to dancing, drinking and flirting (AKA having a good time). The majority of the rest who even recognize that there even is a DJ there don’t give two cents about what the DJ is doing unless they want to request a song happen or looking to the DJ for dance inspiration (they care that the DJ rocks to a groove)… they still only see someone grooving to a tune somewhere apart from the crowd (think Statler and Waldorf… the awesome tag-team, curmudgeon, Muppet DJ crew) rand that pretty much sums up their experience. So the remaining few either care too much about every little detail, or they’re other DJs looking to “Smash on” other DJs because they’re not rockin’ the night there and they’re jealous. This argument is making a mountain out of a mole hill.
[ link ]UGH! Can we get an edit option please? I hit post by accident.
In the part “The majority of the rest who even recognize that there even is a DJ there don’t give two cents about what the DJ is doing unless they want to request a song happen or looking to the DJ for dance inspiration (they care that the DJ rocks to a groove)… they still only see someone grooving to a tune somewhere apart from the crowd (think Statler and Waldorf… the awesome tag-team, curmudgeon, Muppet DJ crew) rand that pretty much sums up their experience.”
I meant: “that there even is a DJ there don’t give two cents about what the DJ is doing unless they want to request a song or happen to be looking to the DJ for dance inspiration (they care that the DJ rocks to a groove)… they still only see someone grooving to a tune somewhere apart from the crowd (think Statler and Waldorf…”
That is all…
[ link ]Pretty interesting, headphones will definitely be used much less with this way of DJing. Give it about two years, and DJs using this style will no longer even use headphones. If I were a mainstream DJ, this would be a bit of a challenge as vocals would definitely play a huge part of a mix, but dnb, minimal and techno DJs, working solely on beats, rifts and synths would very much appreciate this IMHO.
[ link ]can anyone explain how this is not just “DJ’ing” from ableton’s session view but much much more limited?
[ link ]I think we’re going to see two play heads in software… The main playback and the mix playback. It just makes sense with all the changes in non-linear mixing.
[ link ]