So I’ve been here long enough to see that there are plenty of people out there that have grand visions for their controllers, but no idea where to start on making those visions a reality. Before I actually ask my question, I’d like to say that there are PLENTY of place to go for the knowledge of how to map yourself (Blogs, Studying other official mappings, Traktor Bible, etc.), and I’d highly recommend learning, as it opens up the possibilities to be virtually endless. However, there are still quite a bit of people that either don’t want/have the time to do that themselves, or simply lack the technical side of things to do it.
Personally, I thoroughly enjoy challenges when it comes to making my controllers do ridiculous things in Traktor, and love a mapping for other peoples’ visions… So my question is: Who would consider it a worthwhile investment to pay for custom mappings? There are obviously people that are willing to pay for mappings that they didn’t even think of, as DJTT now sells their mappings for the S2, and soon, the S4. Imagine being able to custom tailor your own mapping, but have someone else do the actual programing side of it…
I’m interested to see what people think, as I’ve been doing plenty of mapping for other people and have gained a bit of a reputation (with local DJs) as the mapping guru. Everyone comes to me with questions of “Can my S4 do this?” and “If I want to create my own super combo, can you do that for me?”. I spend quite a bit of time working on these dreams for them, and wonder if it’s reasonable to charge a small price for my efforts. Are there people on the forum that would be willing to pay to have their own dream mapping made?..
you’d have to be in line with Ean’s price of $4.99 (£3).
but i guess a lot of people, even I have problems mapping from time to time (I’ve got an open question right now) and I have been mapping since DJ studio.
There’s an immense amount of work to be a complete mapping with combo’s etc. so i think it’s fair (if the quality is high enough).
Quite the site, and he does beatgrids too…can he show up and run your gig for you too? haha But $15 for a 25-key keyboard?..I made one of those in 10 min. haha
I would definitely keep in line with that, absolutely. I’m thinking more of doing things from scratch for people. (Your open question now being a prime example…don’t worry, it’s still pro-bono )That would probably be based more on my hourly effort.
yeah, it would be pretty cool, and i dont agree it would have to be like 5 bucks. a COMPLETELY custom mapping takes alot of time and effort and should be rewarded as such (based upon time / how custom the mapping is / if its made for the masses like eans s2+s4 maps)
but to answer your question? yeah i prob would, as backwards engineering something is the way i learn best, so it would be worth the investment.
Alright, it seems as though there’s quite a bit of interest already, between the replies here and the slew of PMs I got, so I think I’m gonna go ahead with it. As far as money transfers go, does anybody know of or use a system other than paypal, or is that my best bet?
I think charging is perfectly fair and when I think of price points I imagine something along the lines of the Apple app store. I’d say mappings could go for between $5 - $10 and go as high as $20 if the mapping is really mind blowing. I think those prices are good because even if the mapping turns out to not be your thing or you just don’t use it at least your buyers remorse will be low cause it wasn’t a big financial commitment. Another question arises is how does one ensure that people aren’t copying your mappings and sharing them with others.
Trust, is really all I can hope for there. There’s nothing stopping people from doing just that with the mappings DJTT has released for the S2 either, besides the fact that if money doesn’t come in, the mappings stop going out.
I kinda enjoy the challenge of making a good map, so I’m definitively not paying for one any time soon.
@smitten. I definitively think there is a market for it and custom tailored mapping could be considered a premium service that does make sense for someone who has no clue about it or doesn’t have the time for it. That being said, I prefer the free mentality.
I know that being free boosts the downloads a bit but one on my maps on Rainer’s site has passed the 3k mark in a few months.
I think that for a perfect map it is an ongoing process. You might have something specific in mind but while in practice you might get a second guess about what goes where. You kinda needs to keep fine tuning it. If people are willing to pay you can ask for a bit higher pay like $15 for the main map and then subsequent changes $5 a pop.
I dunno about the EULA of Mixed In Key but maybe offer those services as well? How about doing visuals? I have seen a bit of proliferation so to speak about these ‘microservices’ that are quick and cheap.
I’d definitely pay good money for someone helping me configure a controller exactly the way I want it. unfortunately I don’t have the time or the patience to deal with NI’s ridiculous editing system. In fact I’m thinking about getting another X1 and paying someone on here to help me replicate the beatjump/loop/loop move functionality of my S4. That and some cue points plus the ability to select FX from the controller and I’d be set.
Definitely not looking to make a living off it, or even a decent amount of income- just some cash on the side. I love the challenge and learning process, and I’d get some cool ideas from other peoples’ visions as well.
Good point. I’ll keep that in mind.
I actually started working on that beatjump/loopmove project for someone a few weeks ago, and just had some new insight on it today from a completely different project! Think I may be able to piece it together in the near future.
Are you going to included extended updates or warranty for free?
How will you map something if you dont have the gear?
I have started doing my mappings, while it is a pain at times, it feels pretty good once you get it to work. Plus your gear is more personalized and intuitive cause you’ve done it… at least IMO.
But $15 for a 25-key keyboard?..I made one of those in 10 min. haha
)That would probably be based more on my hourly effort.
