December 18th, 2009 - A few weeks ago, I reviewed the Vestax Spin and the bundled software from Algoriddim, djay. I contacted the folks at Algoriddim and asked if they would be able to answer a few questions. Frederik from Algoriddim kindly agreed to answer some questions. The questions I asked were a compilation of those that I had, as well as some that were asked of me through Youtube, and by email.

> What is your role with Algoriddim? Please tell us a little about yourself. Are you a DJ?
Yes, I DJ occasionally in Munich when time permits.

> There are many great DJ applications out there. Why did you want to create djay? What is the philosophy behind the software?
Indeed, there are great high-end DJ applications out there. But we felt that there is a need for a true native Mac application that ties perfectly into the user experience expected by Mac community. In addition, we come from classical vinyl DJing, trying to transition to the digital world we found there is a huge increase in complexity. We wanted to bring DJ as an art form back to its simplistic roots while still incorporating the endless capabilities and advantages of digital audio processing. This is reflected in djay’s straight forward user interface and the simplicity also allows any ordinary iTunes user to enter the exciting world of DJing.

> What makes djay stand out from other digital DJ applications?
Ease-of-use, native Mac experience, quality, price.

> Why did you decide on such tight iTunes integration over traditional file structure models that your competitors use?
We’re all using iTunes. Why force the user into using a separate file structure for every single application. We want the user to launch djay and get going right away: no cumbersome importing of files and databases. And we think that’s what most users, from beginner to pro, appreciate most.

> Almost all DJ applications use waveforms to aid in cueing the songs while djay does not. Even though djay has native BPM analysis, I find the experience to be closer to real vinyl where you have to listen during pre-cueing to make sure that the second track comes in on time. djay seems to be otherwise geared towards a beginner DJ. Why did you decide on the spinning record/marker instead? Are waveforms in djay’s future?
The real-world turntable setup has proven to be a great interface, simple to use and fun to watch. Especially, someone new to the game might get confused quickly by a complex waveform display. That being said, we’re constantly working on improving and expanding the capabilities of djay. Watch out for future versions… we have great stuff in the pipeline!

> The included MIDI controller templates and MIDI learn are great features. I especially like the ability to have multiple MIDI controllers at once. One thing a reader asked about and that I was unable to execute, was mapping the turntable pitch effect to a rotary fader, something you can’t do right now since the pitch effect is binary, and controlled by steps in the UI. Will future versions have the ability to customize parameters in this way?
For the initial release of the MIDI Learn feature we focused on making it as easy as possible for anyone to map a controller, quite in contrast to most other MIDI-capable programs where you often need to be a MIDI expert to do anything with your controller.

That being said, djay has some smarts built-in to detect what kind of control you are using (button, fader, rotary). The detected control type is reflected by the icon in the table for each MIDI mapping entry.

For rotary knobs, this auto-detection needs a little more input from the MIDI device to be accurate, so sometimes you might need to turn that rotary knob a few times before djay detects it as such (and the icon changes). You should then be able to map the rotary knob to things like the pitch effect. Note that auto-detection only takes place for newly-added mapping entries, so you might want to delete a previous mapping entry for your rotary knob in djay (using the backspace key) and then start over by turning the knob. (Not sure if this is documented anywhere properly, we’re working on expanding the Help…)

Since there are literally thousands of MIDI controllers out there, please let us know if something doesn’t work as expected so we can track down any compatibility issues.

> The previous question perhaps leads to this question which is whether or not djay will support external effect plug ins in future versions. I see that djay uses the AU standard for effects, so will users in the future be able to apply 3rd party AU plugins?
djay already supports 3rd party AU effect plugins. If they are properly installed on your system, they will show up in the menu of available audio effect units.

> djay saves the BPM (although not in the song’s actual meta data) in what I assume is its own database, however it does not save the cuepoints once djay is closed. Is this a feature that will be implemented in future versions? If/when that feature is available, will there be the ability to add more than 3 cuepoints per track?
Correct. Currently you have to manually save the cue points once you’re happy with them (from the table-1/2 menu choose Cue Points > Save Cue Points). Check for future updates though, as we might simplify this process.

> I like the inclusion of a sampler. Will the amount of available sampled sound slots be increased in the future?
Can’t say, but anything’s possible in the future.

> How did Algoriddim and Vestax come to work together with the Spin?
We have had a great relations ship with Vestax over the past few years. In fact, they have been the exclusive distributor for djay in Japan since early 2008, with great success. We have worked on integrating djay with their VCI-100 which they built a custom djay face plate for. It was a logical step for us to take this to the next level.

> Did Algoriddim have any say into the Spin design process?
It was a joint product development. And both our experience in designing easy-to-use Mac-like products suitable for a total novice in the field and Vestax’ world-class Pro audio experience came into play. The fusion of consumer oriented and professional level design is what makes this product appealing to such a broad audience out there.

> What does the future hold for djay? With the framework already in place, have you considered extending djay to cover VDJing? For example, Virtual DJ has some ability to mix visualizations.
We have very exciting stuff in progress.. stay tuned

Thank’s Frederik!

May 27th, 2009 – Benjamin Zander is a conductor, and teacher. TED is a lecture series highlighting the brightest minds and personalities. Put the two together and it’s mind blowing. Mr. Zander is a classical music enthusiast and through it he examines creativity, leadership, and its ability to allow us to experience new and exciting things. I’ve embedded the TED video below. If you have 20 minutes, it’s well worth your time. If you have an hour, then you have time for 2 more TED presentations that will likely lead to hours upon hours of brain buffet. Only this time, you don’t have to worry about getting fat.

Benjamin Zander via TED

Photo courtesy of Melissa Polinar

February 3rd, 2009 – I’m trying something new with artist interviews and if there’s interest, I’ll do more. Let me know if you have connections to anyone you think other readers to this site might find interesting. Thanks! Also, my apologies for the weird line formatting, WordPress is being buggy.

About a month ago, I was browsing Youtube for videos of guitar tutorials for “Heart of Life” by John Mayer when I stumbled upon a cover that caught my ear. In it, the young woman not only sang the song well technically, but had vocal inflections that showed me she really understood the song. The performance perhaps had even more impact than John Mayer’s. That’s quite rare these days, and she stood out in a sea of Youtube mediocrity.

Both my girlfriend and I listened to her other covers (she has a fantastic Bonnie Raitt cover), and original songs and were stunned at her talent. It takes a lot to impress us; my girlfriend was previously signed to EMI Records as a solo artist, and me…well I’m just picky. What’s impressive is that she’s one of those artists that you like better raw, live, and un-produced. While her fully produced songs are good, she’s more free when she’s alone with a guitar. I’ve produced quite a few people professionally and recreationally, and artists like her are very rare. Sometimes though, it’s difficult to reproduce that intimate feeling when doing full productions. In those situations, it’s the limitations of the producer, rather than the artist.

Without further adieu, here is our interview :

1. Do you have any specific music training?
When it comes to vocal, piano or guitar, I really didn’t have any formal training. I did, however, have classical training on the violin and that’s how I pretty much learned the “theory” aspect of music. I know the basics but I can’t claim I know music theory extensively. I’m constantly learning.

It wasn’t until friends of mine wanted me to post a little promo video for an upcoming show last summer (2008). So I guess I used it to promote that show and not necessarily me as an artist. I figured it was just a way to inform the public (who’s going to that show specifically) who I was as an artist – since I was fairly new. In that video, I sang my original “Meant To Be.” And from then on, I just randomly posted videos.

How do I plan to use the publicity generated on YouTube? Well, I plan to take advantage the opportunities that were presented because of it. I really don’t have a specific plan per se. I go along with the flow. It’s more fun that way.

I LOVE collaborating but I also experienced some collaborations that weren’t the best because of creative differences. However, if you find a number of people that you get along with in the creative aspect, it’s a great feeling.

Ground rules? Besides common sense, have fun and don’t be afraid to share your ideas.

Splitting ownership can be tricky. Collaborators just need to communicate how they want to split ownership. Some have a policy of equal splits no matter the case may be while others do the “how much work you put in” policy. I do both ways and I base my decision depending on the situation.

It’s something I’m open to do in the future but no, I haven’t as of yet.

10. How do you feel about major label record contracts?
I have no particular feeling about them – good nor bad. They work for some and won’t work for others – its just the way I see it.

I‘m still trying to find balance. It involves both parts of your brain. My way of finding balance is asking help from others. Its okay to admit that you can’t do everything. I consider myself as an artistic person and sometimes I ask confidants for advice when I deal with the business end of things.

Songwriting has both technical and artistic sense to it. One mistake that many songwriters might fall into is to try to be someone else. It’s ok to be different. Don’t expect to write a hit song after one try. There are many reasons why people start writing songs but whatever motivations, make sure to share them to the world. You can start with your best friend.

Songwriting is fun. I’m a nerd to admit this but once you get started, you can’t stop.

Both.

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