Thoughts on ipad and other virtual mixing
Hi all,
Ive been working my way into djing for a while now and exploring the options/ pros and cons of using a physical set up and a virtual tablet set up. The cost no doubt would have me going for a virtual, Djay or Mashup, but what functionalities woud i be missing out on if i did this rather than getting like a physical set up with some cdj’s ? some help would be great with this.
Thanks,
HB
I really don’t think ipads are at all viable for a main dj setup. They can be useful as supplemental controllers and for other utilities but I would not want a touch dj mixer (or at this point I wouldn’t even want transport controls on one). You will miss out on tactile feedback for starters.
Id ffwd 36 mins into this video and watch what this man does before you rule out ipads being effective in a ive performance… ive just recently made the switch from traktor to ableton using touchable and touchosc and holy shit has my creative control gone through the roof! traktor was starting to get dull for me and the switch really made things fun and interesting again as there is a bit of a learning curve… if you have any other questions OP hit me up and ill do my best to answer them…
Right, and if you look at that video he is still running everything through a DJM-800 so there is tactile control- sounded like OP was talking about using djay for ipad or something.
totally agree. i dont think i could ever really use one at all to be honest, even as a supplemental controller but that’s just me. they may be cool as an xy pad though, but that seems overkill for the price. i am the kind of person who has to have tactile feedback on equipment, and by tactile i don’t mean ipad vibrations. it seems like it would also be tough to use if your fingers get a bit sweaty when you play.
there are plenty of options outside of expensive cdjs too. it was actually really tough for me to decide on my current gear and i spent a lot of time researching and watching videos until i decided on the best control surfaces for me. so keep digging and eventually something will jump out at you and start making a lot of sense for how you want to play in combo with the software you want to use.
I’m gathering some information about Touch OSC and came over this thread, have you incorporated ipad and touchosc into your set up squidot?
What I was thinking of is djm 850/900 with traktor + controllers. (touch osc ipad instead of 2x cdj).
Found a mapping which a guy from djtt forums made which suits my needs (play, cue, hot cues, loops) very well.
Question is just, if i understand it right, with djm 900/850 soundcard I can use traktor pro 2 out of the box. (wont use scratch).
But i dont want to use the mixer as controller, want to mix external.
i haven’t tried it for djing outside of using a free iphone dj app and drum machine to kill some time at work. i don’t have an ipad since i’m the type of person that really wants tactile feedback. i’m sure i could probably find some way to incorporate it into my rig to control some types of effects parameters but i can’t really see myself ever spending any money on an ipad for that reason. i can see the appeal of it though, especially if it’s really customizable.
i don’t really know the answer to your question regarding the 900/850. i’m not sure if you can route the mixer to be external since it is also the soundcard. i was using an old external mixer for a brief moment but i had an audio 8 connecting it.
That was a cool video. I love that you can see the setup the entire time to see/hear what was happening.
Are you a Toronto resident? Because Jelo is from Toronto.
Very well put together, I’m impressed.
http://www.digitaldjtips.com/2011/10/vestax-spin-becomes-first-full-sized-ipad-dj-controller/ I’m using this controller, but not bothering with DJay. I am mapping it to Traktor Pro 1.2.4 in four decks mode with a mapping found on this site. DJay was ok, but didn’t have control over effects or cue points the same way. I hear it has gotten better, but it really isn’t VDJ or Traktor. The Spin I’m not going to rate as a top level controller, it is ok, I like it. The tactile control is there, if you already have an iPad and a camera connection kit, this might be worth looking in to as some gear. The Spin I wouldn’t have trusted to gig with until I got a power supply and doubly suspect it won’t work with an iPad with out one. DJay isn’t bad in some ways closer to traditional in making you know where the song is at and knowing your tracks, in a lot of ways it is a toy.
I think you could easily DJ most parties/weddings/events with just an iPad and DJay software. It can do way more than the two 1200’s and an analog mixer that I grew up with. You could add this as an option too:
I agree. what a cool interface. Great production on that podcast.
