SoundSwitch 2.11 has just landed, and the big news is that it now integrates with Rekordbox properly. That means that this popular DJ lighting control software now works with all the major DJ software platforms.
Until now SoundSwitch has only hooked directly into Serato DJ Pro and VirtualDJ software, and Engine DJ hardware. Rekordbox users were left with only basic beat detection, Ableton Link hacks or esoteric workarounds. But no more – AlphaTheta has opened up Rekordbox for SoundSwitch, and the integration is actually quite an exciting one.
That’s because there are really two things here. The first is official Rekordbox integration for AlphaTheta controllers, putting SoundSwitch’s per-track scripting, autoloops and fixture library in front of Rekordbox users for the first time. But the second is Pro DJ Link Bridge support, which until now has been the preserve of professional lighting and VJ tools – at professional prices. SoundSwitch joining that list is a first for a DJ-facing product.
Exactly what Pro DJ Link gear is supported we don’t yet know. The inMusic press release says “standalone AlphaTheta hardware”, but as far as we can see the current published version of Pro DJ Link Bridge does not include the XDJ-RX3, Opus Quad or XDJ-AZ, for instance. Worth a check before committing. We’re also interested in whether it will need a paid Rekordbox plan, and whether it will work with the FLX-10’s built-in DMX. We’ll update when we know.
UPDATE: We asked the questions and got the following clarifications: The Pro DJ Link only works with pro gear ie none of the standalone all-in-ones. This integration requires both a Rekordbox and a SoundSwitch sub. It cannot make use of the FLX10’s built-in DMX socket.
Hey, doesn’t Rekordbox already do lighting?
It does, and the press release doesn’t mention it. Rekordbox Lighting mode works in Export mode with Pro DJ Link players as well as Performance mode, and DMX output via the (discontinued) RB-DMX1 or the DDJ-FLX10’s own DMX port is available on every plan including the free one.
But SoundSwitch has a deeper fixture library, proper per-track scripting, Philips Hue and Nanoleaf, and the Control One hardware for hands-on triggering, against a limited native Lighting mode that in truth is pretty limited, and has never had much attention paid to it.
- SoundSwitch costs $7.99 a month, $79.99 a year, or $199 once for a perpetual licence covering all 2.x releases. You’ll need a DMX interface too: the Micro DMX Interface is $39.99, Control One is $299.99. More info on the SoundSwitch website.
