midi | Digital DJ Tips

November 29th, 2012 Reviews

Review & Video: Vestax V-Midi Interface For iOS DJs

by DJ Hombre

The Vestax V-Midi is a small audio/Midi interface for use with iOS devices.

Vestax V-Midi review: When Apple produced the Camera Connection Kit (CCK) to patch the hole left by lack of USB support with the iPad, digital DJs, musicians and software companies jumped on it as a means to transport CoreMIDI data to/from the iPad for hooking up external gear such as DJ controllers and keyboards.

Unfortunately, the same loophole wasn’t available for iPod Touch and iPhone users, and as such they were left out of the Midi connectivity scene. But now the Vestax V-Midi has come along to change all that…

16 Comments »

November 10th, 2012 Training

Your Questions: DJing With Drum Loops

by Phil Morse

The Traktor Kontrol F1 is a cool way of incorporating samples into your DJ set, but it goes deeper than that – and if you’re not quite ready for its “Remix Decks” workflow, there are cheaper ways to get going.

Digital DJ Tips reader Dave writes: “I’ve recently been looking at controllers like the Traktor Kontrol F1 and other similar controllers hoping to understand how they all work. The reason being is that I want to start using drum samples etc in my mixing to make it sound a bit more personalised, but as I’m sure you know they’re not cheap!

“I was wondering if you knew of any alternatives to the F1 or even if I can use my current set up (Mixtrack Pro) just to get a feel of how to incorporate sample an loops into my mixing.”

30 Comments »

October 30th, 2012 Reviews

Review & Video: DJ Player v5 For iPad, iPhone & iPod Touch

by DJ Hombre

DJ Player now delivers iOS Midi mapping to any USB class compliant controller,

iOS DJ software is often dismissed as being limited when compared to established DJ software – such as Serato, Traktor and Virtual DJ – that runs on Windows and OS X platforms.

Putting iOS disk space to one side, two areas of common concern are the limitation of one stereo output, and limited support for USB Midi controllers. But this is all about to change with the arrival in the App Store of DJ Player v5.0.

23 Comments »

October 3rd, 2012 News & Opinion

Bye Bye ITCH, Hello Serato DJ

by Phil Morse

Prepare for takeoff – Serato DJ is splashed across the company’s website, and is scheduled for November 1.

Serato today announced Serato DJ, the successor to its Serato ITCH controller software and the long-awaited upgrade path for Serato DJ Intro users. Headline features include Midi mapping, and all-new effects powered by iZotope.

The first DJ controller to be bundled with Serato DJ in the box will be called the Pioneer DDJ-SX, launched to coincide with the software on November 1. Meanwhile, the software will be made available to users of current Serato ITCH controllers in a rolling programme throughout winter.

36 Comments »

October 2nd, 2012 Training

Learning To DJ: Questions Beginners Always Ask

by Terry 42

Satoshi Tomiie rocks it, digital style. If you want to learn the skills that can put you in front of a crowd playing the music you love, today we answer some of your questions.

I’m one of the moderators of the busy Digital DJ Tips Forum. Because of this, I get a unique perspective on the thoughts, questions, fears and concerns of hundreds of people who are starting out learning to DJ, every single day.

Today I’d like to answer some of the questions that come up again and again among beginners on the forum. How can I learn to DJ? what gear should I buy? What about scratching? What’s the minimum I need to start? Where can I get help choosing DJ gear? Should I be learning to DJ on “pro” DJ gear? Here is our take on these and other common queries among new DJs:

25 Comments »

September 23rd, 2012 Training

Over To You: Can I Add A Controller To Traktor Just For Effects?

by Phil Morse

Adding an Allen & Heath K2 to your set-up would give you extra controls. Pic: Traktor Bible

Digital DJ Tips reader Perry writes: “I use Traktor Pro 2 to DJ with, alongside my Kontrol S2 controller and laptop, and while DJing I find it hard to easily vary the effects I can use. If I’m honest, the S2 just doesn’t give me enough options for controlling effects within Traktor.

“So I am writing to you today to asking if there are any external controller units that integrate with Traktor and allow for you to have more control over what you are doing?”

31 Comments »

August 16th, 2010 Equipment

Denon DN-MC6000 DJ Mixer & Midi Controller Announced

by Phil Morse

The new Denon DN-MC6000 crams a lot in to a small space.

Looks like the new Traktor Kontrol S4 hasn’t got everything its way: Announced today at the 2010 DJ Expo in Atlantic City, the Denon DN-MC6000 (US$949 / £615 / €709) is an exciting 4-deck DJ mixer and Midi controller with all the high-end features you could possibly imagine integrated into its sleek tabletop steel chassis.

It certainly looks the part, being of predictably high construction quality and really cramming a lot into its 19″ rack-mountable frame.

48 Comments »