Key Of Grey

April 8th, 2010 – Please note that this review is a supplement to the embedded video.

Some of you may have heard that Algoriddim has released an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch called Remote. The $5 app uses wifi to connect to your Mac and control djay. You must already own djay for your computer to use Remote as the app is not a standalone DJ solution; it’s a wireless way to control the software.

Using Remote on an iPhone’s tiny screen means a fair bit of menu navigation. Also, the app only shows one deck at a time, and not the full options available to it. For example, to access EQ in Remote, you must press a button on that specific deck to see it, unlike when using your mouse on the computer or on the Spin where everything is available to you from one screen.

This is not a knock on the software specifically, but is a limitation of iPhone applications in general with their minimal screen real estate. While this may work for some applications, I feel it clunky to use as your only DJ controller solution. Where Remote excels is as a supplement to your current hardware controller (or if you use djay without any hardware controllers). Maybe Algoriddim will release an iPad app that can take advantage of the much greater screen.

One of the big issues I came across when using the Spin to control djay was the lack of buttons available for me to use to trigger cuepoints. I could re-purpose other buttons, but there are none that are really free in my set up. What I ended up doing is also mapping a Korg NanoPad to use in concert with the Spin, and using that to trigger the cuepoints. I’d imagine that most people will use Remote in the same way that I use the NanoPad: to control parameters that are usually accessed by navigating through menus in djay.

While playing around with Remote, I found it especially good at controlling effects, loops, and cuepoints. While you can use it to cue up songs, I don’t really suggest it because it’s only a controller for the software on your computer; it does not have the ability to cue through the headphone on the iPhone. This means that to get a proper headphone cue, you’ll have to be at your computer anyway, and it’s much easier to use the full size interface than the scaled down iPhone version. I suppose that if you’re using automix to transition songs it wouldn’t matter, but if you’re doing that, then you’re only using djay as a fancy version of iTunes anyways.

There are a couple features I’d like to see implemented in future editions. Key-lock, for one, is a button that I sorely miss on the Spin. I don’t like having to use my mouse to click the button in the software, so I’ve mapped a button on my Korg Nanopad to do this. If Remote is to take the place of my NanoPad, it’s going to have to have that feature available to me. Second, not having one tap EQ killing or resetting is a big mistake. If you don’t have a physical knob to tweak, then there needs to be a quick way to do it in the software. I’m not sure why it was left out of Remote (or perhaps my fat fingers couldn’t be read properly by the iPhone), as it’s a feature already found in djay. In djay, I can kill frequencies quickly and then reset them by double clicking.

A couple more criticisms I have relate mostly to using an iPhone to dj, and not to Remote itself. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a vinyl elitist, if people want to dj on the iPhone, more power to them. I, however, don’t think the platform is great for it. For one, you can tap the screen all you want, but there’s no haptic feedback to know that you’ve actually done what you wanted to do. Second, because the screen is so small, you have to navigate through different menus and screens to find things that are available to you immediately in djay or on the Spin. I’m sure Algoriddim will release an iPad version that should take care of that though.

One thing I mentioned in the video, but that I think bears repeating, is that Remote requires that both the iPhone/iPod Touch and djay on your Mac have access to a wifi connection. This is the only way they will be able to find and communicate with each other. Fair enough, you say, what’s the issue? Well, there’s no issue of you’re going to use it at home, but if you’re going to go out and DJ, the venue you’re at will need to have a wifi connection you can connect to. Perhaps Algoriddim could add Bluetooth support in the future so Remote could connect directly to your laptop which would mitigate this problem.

[UPDATE: Reader Jan writes in the comments that you can create a network without a router (blame my lack of knowledge in that department) "You can simply create a wireless network yourself on your Mac if there is no Wi-Fi router available: click the AirPort icon in the menu bar and select “Create Network”. You can then select the network on your iPhone."]

Taking into account these issues, I still think Remote is a solid app. With a couple tweaks, it could be a very useful tool in many djay users’ toolboxes. Will dj’ing on an iPhone or any other small mobile device take off? I couldn’t tell you, but I definitely think it’s a possibility. My friends who are getting into dj’ing think it’s a pretty nifty application. I, however, still prefer using knobs, faders, pads, and platters, over touch sensitive screens. Remote reminds me in many ways of Jazz Mutant’s Lemur, a touchscreen controller for Ableton Live. Touchscreen controllers seem to be on the rise, and Remote is near the top of the stack.

Pros
- An extra controller for the software that doesn’t take up any physical ports
- You can run around the crowd and control your tracks
- Runs with little to no latency
- Impress your friends and anger traditionalists at the same time

Cons
- Small screen real estate of the iPhone
- Tactile feedback from the iPhone is non-existent
- No key lock
- No auto EQ killing or resetting

Algoriddim djay Remote

Youtube version of the video